NAMMALVAR : THIRUVIRUTTAM : A SELECTION

Nammalvar’s Thiruviruttam comes under the category of agatturai, a special genre of Tamil poetry of the Sa

Nammalvar’s Thiruviruttam comes under the category of agatturai, a special genre of Tamil poetry of the Sangam era. There are dramatic characters in these poems which idealise human love. Nammalvar converted this into love for God (Bhakti.)  “Viruttam” also means a “message” or an “event”. It is generally held that the poem is a submission made by Nammalvar to God of an event, the event of his falling in love with Him.

பொய்ந் நின்றஞானமும், பொல்லா ஒழுக்கும், அழுக்கு உடம்பும்,

இந் நின்ற நீர்மை இனி யாம் உறாமை உயிர் அளிப்பான்

எந் நின்ற யோனியுமாய்ப் பிறந்தாய்; இமையோர் தலைவா

Poynnindra ngnaanamum, polla ozhukkum, azhukku udambum,

Innindra neermai ini yaam uraamai uyir alhippan

Ennindra yoniyumaaip pirandaay; imaiyor thalaiva

(Nammalvar:THIRUVIRUTTAM: 1)

To save us from false knowledge,

From evil ways and the dirt of the body,

To save us from coming again and again,

To all these,

And to give us Life,

Thou, Lord of the Immortals,

Camest down here,

Taking birth in many a womb,

And accepting many a form.

(Translation: A. Srinivasa Raghavan)

The Bhagavad Gita in Chapter IV slokas 5 to 9 elucidates this topic. Whenever there is a diminution of dharma (righteous conduct), and a rise of adharma (unrighteousness), then the Lord makes Himself born forth. Sloka No.8 lays down that the Lord gets Himself incarnated from age to age. The main purpose of the avatara (incarnation) is protection of the good people: the destruction of the evildoers is an incidental event.