Thirumangai Alwar

Highway robber turned Ananya Bhaktha

“பெற்ற தாயினும் ஆயின செய்யும்

நலம் தரும் சொல்லை நான் கண்டு கொண்டேன்

நாராயணாவென்னும் நாமம்”

“Petra Thaayinum Aayina Seyyum
 Nalam Tharum Sollai Naan Kandukondaen 

Narayana Ennum Naamam"

I have discovered the name that bestows on one all good things and takes care of one even better than one’s mother and that is the name of “Sriman Narayana”.

The above is part of a pasuram in Peria Thirumozhi (பெரிய திருமொழி) sung by Thirumangai Alwar. This and two of his other five works Thiru kuruntaandagam (திரு குறுந்தாண்டகம்), Thiru neduntaandagam (திரு நெடுந்தாண்டகம்), together constitute the 1134 Pasurams of the entire Rendam Ayiram of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam.  The other three works Peria Tirumadal (பெரிய திருமடல்), Siriya Tirumadal  (சிறியதிருமடல்),  and Thiruvezhukkutrirukkai (திருவெழுக்கூற்றிருக்கை) form part of Munram Ayiram of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam.  Thirumangai Alwar had also widely travelled as he had visited 84 of the 108 Divyadesams, travelling from Badrinath in the north to Tirukkurungudi in the south.  The motivating force that propelled him to grow into an ananya bhaktha was his wife, which we shall see in his life-story.

Thirumangai Alwar was born in Thirukkuraiyaloor, a small village in Chola Kingdom. His father, who worked as an army commander in Chola army, named him as Neelan, which was also his name.  Neelan received a good education and was well versed in Tamil and Sanskrit.  He was also skilled in archery and in martial arts including sword-fighting.  When Neelan’s father died while he was young, the Chola king impressed by young Neelan’s intelligence and bravery gave him the post of his father in the army.  Later in recognition of his valour, he was conferred the title "Parakala" and rewarded with a small territory to govern called Ali Nadu. Its capital was Thirumangai.  This earned him the title "Thirumangai Mannan”, a name which later got transformed into Thirumangai Alwar, when he became an ananya bhaktha of Lord Vishnu.

As a young man he went after sensual pleasures and lived a worldly life.  This changed when he met the local medicine man’s adopted daughter, Kumudavalli.  He was captivated by her beauty and wanted to marry her.  Kumudavalli agreed to marry only on two conditions. The first was that he should become a true Vaishnava, by undergoing Pancha Samskaras and the second was that he should do the kainkaryam of feeding 1000 Vaishnavas every day for a year. Neelan agreed and accordingly went to a place called Tirunaraiyur and underwent Pancha Samskaras ritual and married Kumudavalli. Then he started fulfilling the second condition, namely the kainkaryam of feeding 1000 Vaishnavas daily.

As days passed, his wealth decreased, as feeding 1000 Vaishnavas daily needed a lot of money and he defaulted in payment of tax to the Chola king. The king sent his men to collect the money to no avail.  He then sent the army but Neelan with his army of soldiers defeated them.  The king himself marched against him with his army. Though Neelan’s army was small they fought valiantly and defeated the King’s army.   In the hour of victory Neelan took his horse near the king’s and told him that he had not wantonly defaulted and explained about his running out of funds doing the kainkaryam of feeding 1000 Vaishnavas daily.  Though the king did not pursue the matter further, Neelan was stung by the king’s remark that he had been ungrateful for all the good done to him including making him a king.  So he went and shut himself up in the Lord’s temple and prayed for help.  In the night Lord appeared in his dream and told him that he could find a treasure of gold coins on the banks of the Vedavathy River near Kanchi, which he could use to clear his name. When he found the treasure and paid it to the king himself, the king realised how great a bhaktha  Neelan was.  He returned all the money to Neelan and asked him to continue his good work without bothering about taxes.

Neelan came back to continue his kainkaryam, but again before long he ran out of funds.  So to continue the promised kainkaryam, that he himself had come to love, he resorted to highway robbery. He robbed the rich parties and with the loot continued the kainkaryam. One day his scouts told him that a rich bejewelled young people were travelling on the highway. He immediately went with his men to intercept them and demanded that they surrender all their cash and jewels, if they valued their lives.  They meekly surrendered all their gold and jewels which they placed on a piece of cloth spread on the floor.  As he bundled them up and tried to lift he could not.  Not even with his men he could lift it.  He got very angry that the young man had cast a spell and threatened to kill him if he did not undo the spell.  The young man replied that he would rather reveal the Mantra to him.  Then he beckoned Neelan to come closer and whispered in his ear the Ashtaksharam “ஓம் நமோ நாராயணா” (Om namo narayana) and disappeared along with his consort. A thrill ran down Neelan's spine and he felt electrified hearing the whispered words and that instant the highway robber got transformed into an ananya bhaktha of Lord Sriman Narayana.  He realised it was only Lord and Devi who had come as a young couple to make him change his ways and be their ardent devotee.  He felt moved by Lord’s Grace and kindness and burst into the first ten pasurams of Peria Thirumozhi, crying his heart out in repentance, starting with:

“வாடினேன் வாடி வருந்தினேன்  மனத்தால்பெருந்துயர் இடும்பையில் பிறந்து,

கூடினேன் கூடி இளையவர் தம்மோடு அவர்தரும் கலவியே கருதி,

ஓடினேன் ஓடி உய்வதோர் பொருளால் உணர்வெனும் பெரும்பதந்தெரிந்து,

நாடினேன் நாடி நான் கண்டுகொண்டேன் நாராயணா என்னும் நாமம்.”

Vadinen vadi varundhinen manatthal   perun thuyaridum idumbaiyil pirandu
Koodinen koodi ilaiyavar thammodu   avar tharum kalaviye karudhi
odinen odi uyvadhor porulal  unarvenum perumpadhantherindhu
nadinen nadi nan kandukonden  Narayanavennum namam.  

Having been born into this body, a receptacle of immense sorrow, and pining and crying, I am overwhelmed with self-pity. I have let myself run after beautiful women, seeking the sensual pleasures from their union.  Through the grace of our Lord I have now realised that there is a greater goal that will yield me eternal happiness Then I searched all around and now I have found that state in the name of Sriman NARAYANA.

All these ten pasurams of Peria Thirumozhi  end with the words “நாராயணா என்னும் நாமம்”  We can say that the one who led him to this goal was undoubtedly his wife, Kumudavalli, with  her two promises for marrying him.  After this initiation by Lord, there was no turning back for him.   In fact he now channelled his natural aggression in the propagation of Vaishnavism and in overcoming the Buddhist and Jain philosophers.  He preached against penance and advocated Bhakthi as the way to attain liberation.  His pasurams are said to have an unsurpassed beauty about them and all his six works together are regarded as the six Tamil   Vedangas or Angas of the 4 works of Nammalvar which are revered as the four Vedas.

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Thondaradipodi Alwar

Prodigal Ananya Bhaktha

பச்சை மாமலைபோல் மேனி பவளவாய் கமலச்செங்கண்

அச்சுதா ! அமரர் ஏறே ! ஆயர்தம் கொழுந்தே ! என்னும்

இச்சுவை தவிர யான்போய் இந்திரலோகம் ஆளும்

அச்சுவை பெறினும் வேண்டேன் அரங்கமாநகர் உளானே !

Pacchai mamalaipol meni, pavalavay kamalachengkan,

Achchutha! amarar ere! aayar tham kozhunthe! ennum,

 Icchuvai thavira yan poy inthira lokam aalum,

Achchuvai perinum venden, Arangama nagar ulane!  

O Lord of SriRangam. When I have the soul-filling experience of calling you by your your holy names like, “O Achuta, the one with the body like the great green mountain,  the one with lotus eyes and coral coloured lips; O Lord of the divines and the leader of the cowherd race” I don’t desire even the overlordship of even Indra Loka if offered to me.

The above song forms part of Thirumaalai, sung by Thondaradipodi Alwar, one of the twelve Alwars, the haloed group of ananya bhakthas of Lord Vishnu.  Thirumaalai contains forty-five pasurams and is acclaimed with a pun on the word “Thirumaal” as “திருமாலை அறியாதார், திருமாலை அறியாதார்”(One who has not learnt Thirumalai does not know Thirumal).  The background events leading to this composition is the reason he is named a prodigal ananya bhaktha.

Alwar’s original name was Vipranarayanan.  He had a beautiful flower garden in Srirangam, where he used to grow flowers which he gathered with care, and wove into garlands for Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam.  He was a bachelor and he stayed in a little hut in the garden. He was an ananya bhaktha of the Lord and had no interest in other people or their affairs. One day two sisters, both of them temple dancers were passing by the side of the flower garden, when the younger of the two, by name Devadevi, stopped by to admire the well-kept beautiful garden. As she was going through the garden, she saw Vipranarayanan working in the garden blissfully oblivious of the surrounding.  Even when she paused before him deliberately, he did not take notice of her. As a woman who takes pride in her beauty, she is not used to such indifference from young men.

She asked her sister about him and learnt he was Vipranarayanan who had eyes only for the Lord and no woman held any attraction for him. Then she took it as a challenge to make him not only notice her but also to make him her dasa as well, which she conveyed to her sister, who tried to dissuade her. But she failed and left.  Devadevi dressed in a simple plain sari and wearing only a Tulasi mala, approached him and told him that she wanted to help him in pushpa kaingaryam and she would do it without in anyway disturbing him. An unsuspecting Vipranarayanan, taken in by her appearance and approach, gladly agreed.  She also played her part truly, staying in the background and singing songs on Lord as she went about her work of tending the garden, picking the flowers and weaving the garland.

 One day it rained heavily and she stood outside his hut without entering.  Vipranarayanan who was doing Puja finished it and came out.  He saw Devadevi standing outside the hut, completely drenched.  When asked why she did not enter inside, she replied that she did not want to disturb his Puja.  This impressed him all the more and he invited her inside the hut and gave his upper cloth for changing into. Changing into the ill-fitting attire, she turned on her full charm, which bowled him over completely. From then on Lord was forgotten and he became Devadevi dasa. Once Devadevi knew he had been hooked she left him stating she wanted to be with her mother.  Unable to bear the pangs of separation from her, he followed her to her  place.

Once he became attached to her, Devadevi lost interest in him as she had won the challenge.  Her mother who was interested in his money only, allowed him to stay with them until he exhausted all his money and then turned him out. Vipranarayanan came to his hut heart-broken and still pining for Devadevi.  That night a handsome young man knocked at the door of Devadevi’s house and introducing himself as Vipranarayanan’s disciple, he presented a golden vessel as sent by Vipranarayanan who would be calling on them later in the morning.  Devadevi’s mother received it and looking forward to extract more such treasures from him, went to bed.

The next morning when the priests opened the temple doors they found a golden vessel used for Puja missing. They reported it to the king who sent his soldiers looking for it in all the houses. They found it in Devadevi’s house.  It was the same vessel delivered by Vipranarayanan’s messenger to their house. When the soldiers learnt about it they went to Vipranarayanan’s place and arrested him.  His pleas that he had no disciple and he knew nothing about the vessel went in vain and they put him in prison and reported to the king.  The king who had known about Vipranarayanan’s devotion to Lord Ranganatha, was confused and postponed trying him to next day.

That night Lord appeared in King’s dream and told him that Vipranarayanan was innocent and that He only delivered the vessel to Devadevi’s house to help his devotee who was pining for her. Next morning the king himself went to the prison and released Vipranarayanan telling him about the dream and apologizing for suspecting such a great devotee of Lord.  Vipranarayanan was deeply moved that Lord had not forgotten him while he has forgotten him totally in his infatuation for Devadevi.  He went and prostrated before Lord Ranganatha and cried seeking forgiveness.  It is then he sung the 45 pasurams of Thirumaalai in a mood of  penitence. This and his only other composition, Thiruppalliezhuchchi figure in the first one thousand of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam, revered as Tamil Veda by Tengalai Vishnavites.

After this incident he returned to the fold of ananya bhakthas of the Lord never to stray again. As he worshipped all the bhaktas of Sri Vishnu and put the dust of their feet on his forehead, he was revered as Thondaradipodi Alwar. 

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