By: Divya Venkat

1. Periyalwar (Vishnu Chitta) Born in Sri Villiputtur in Avani month, Swathi Nakshathram, Krothana year, Ekadasi thithi on a Sunday. Periyalwar is the incarnation of Garuda He is also the father of Andal. He was born to a great scholar and devotee of Vishnu, Mukunda Battar and his wife Padma Valli. They were blessed with a baby boy named Vishnu Chitta (Periyalwar). Vishnu Chitta is one who keeps lord Vishnu always in mind.

Vishnu Chitta’s life Vishnu Chitta never wished to waste his time studying Vedas and Sastras. He always wanted means to achieve Lord’s mercy. He knew when Lord Krishna appeared he was wearing garlands made from various flowers. So Vishnu Chitta chose this garland-seva and established a beautiful garden of various flowers and Tulasi. He made garlands and put it on Lord Vatapatrasai (Perumal in his town) At young age he heard lots of stories of Sri Kannapiran from his parents and because of this he got attracted towards Sri Vishnu.

How he became Periyalwar The King Vallabha-deva was ruling the area and he asked Puronit Selvanabhi as to who was the supreme deity. Selvanabhi suggested to call all pundits to debate the issue. The King announced a wager containing golden coins(Porkizhi) tied to the pole. This would bend towards who answers correctly. Many great pundits came with absolute certainty of correct answer but no one got it.

How he became Periyalwar… Lord appeared in Vishnu Chitta’s dream and told him to participate in the debate. Accordingly he went to the court and said that Lord Narayana was the supreme deity and the pole bent. The King honored him with Gajarohanam Lord Vatapatrasai gave darsan to the Alwar. This alwar looking at the lord sang Pasurams ‘Pallandu Pallandu’ so that the Lord is protected from all evil eyes(nazar). Thus he came Periyalwar.

Pallandu pallandu pallANdu pallANdu, pallAyiraththANdu palakOdi nURAyiram mallANda thiNthOL maNIvaNNA ! un sEvadi sevvi thirukkAppu (1)

Andal Andal later appeared near a tulasi plant in Vishnu Chitta’s garden. He brought her up and later married her to Lord Ranganatha.

Names Vishnu Chitta had many names such as Battarpiran, Srivilliputtur Kone. Puduvai Kone, Kizhi Arutthan. He was called Periyalwar for many reasons: 1. It is the greatness of his love for the Lord that made him pour out the Pallandu hymns. 2. Ordinarily, only elders would bless the young ones for a long life. "Periya' means elder and therefore he was called Periyalwar. 3. He was also great in a different way. He became the father- in- law of Lord Vishnu when his daughter, Andal married the Lord. - an honour no one else could claim.

2. Nammalvar Born in the asterism Visakham, in what is now Alwar- thirunagiri (also known as Tirukkurugur), Tamil Nadu Nammalwar must have been born fully enlightened because as a baby he never cried or suckled and never opened his eyes. According to tradition, as a child he responded to no external stimuli and his parents left him at the feet of the deity of Lord Vishnu. The child then got up and climbed into a hole in a tamarind, sat in the lotus position, and began to meditate. It appears he was in this state for as long as sixteen years when a Tamil poet and scholar in North India named Madhurakavi Alvar saw a bright light shining to the south, and followed it until he reached Nammalvar's tree.

Nammalvar… Unable to elicit any reaction from the child, he asked him a riddle: "If the small is born in a dead's body(or stomach), what will it eat and where will it stay?" meaning, if the subtle soul is embodied in the gross body, what are its actions and thoughts? Nammalvar broke his lifelong silence and responded, "That it will eat, and there it will rest!" meaning that if the soul identifies with the body, it will be the body but if it serves the divine, it will stay in vaikunta and think of God. Madhura-kavi realized the divinity of this child.

First Disciple Madhura-kavi was himself a great devotee, when he asked Nammalvar the "right" question and made him speak. Immediately he took him as his Acharya (Guru). Nammalvar consented to being his guru, instructed him in the doctrines of Vaishnavism and thereafter glorified Lord Vishnu. He composed on the spot a thousand hymns praising Vishnu, each one starting with the last word of the previous poem. We owe it to Madhurakavi for setting them to music. Madhurakavi became the Alvar's student and went on to compose poems about his prodigal master.

Poems of Nammalwar Subject of all his poems is the Lord, the soul, the means, the end, and the impediments to spirituality. Famous poems of Nammalwar are: 1. Thiru-Viruttam, a poem of stanzas, comes up as the essence of Rig Veda. It describes the event of 'falling in love with the Supreme being' and symbolizes 'Bridal Mysticism'. 2. Thiru-Asiriyam comprises of seven sections or seven poems, of unequal length, within itself. Made up of 71 lines, it describes the beauty of the lord with the help of the most beautiful words one can imagine. 3. Constituting the quintessence of Atharva Veda, Periya Thiruvandadi has 87 lyrical stanzas. 4. Thiruvaimozhi literally means the 'Divine words'. Considered as the masterpiece of Nammalwar, it comprises of 1102 four lined verses.

Quiz Time! 1. Perialwar is the incarnation of ________? 2. Who is the father of Andal? 3. What is another name for Perialwar? 4. What was the main seva of Perialwar? 5. Who sang Pallandu Pasuram? 6. Whom did Andal marry? 7. Which alwar never cried or suckled and never opened his eyes? 8. Who followed the bright light at south and reached Nammalwar under a tamarind tree? 9. Who was the guru of Madhura Kavi Alwar? 10. Tell one of the 4 sets of main poems by Nammalwar?

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare