Arunagirinathar
Encyclopedia
Arunagirinathar was Tamil
poet who lived during the 15th century in Tamil Nadu
, India. He was the creator of Tiruppugazh, a book of poems in Tamil in praise of the Hindu
God Murugan
. He was a member of the Isai Vellalar
community.
The Thiruppugazh composed by him, consisted of 16,000 songs, of which only about 1,365 has been traced. His poems are known for their lyricism coupled with complex rhymes and rhythmic structures. In Thiruppugazh, the literature and devotion has been blended harmoniously.
Thiruppugazh is one of the major works of medieval Tamil literature
, known for its poetical and musical qualities, as well as for its religious, moral and philosophical content.
s. There came a time when his sister had no money to meet his demands. She said that he should sell her in order to have money, upon hearing which Arunagirinathar realised how selfish he had been. He decided to end his life, went to a temple and hit his head against the pillars and steps, begging for forgiveness. Then he leapt from the temple tower. He was however miraculously saved from the death by the god Muruga who transformed him into a saint.
Arunagiri sang his first devotional song and thereafter decided to spend the rest of his life singing in praise of the God. He was a devotee of Muruga and worshipped him at Vedapureeswarar temple
at the sacred place known as Cheyyar
.
His fame got the jealousy of chief minister of the Kingdom. He claimed Arunagirinathar as a false saint and not a true devotee of the god Subramaniya. So the king arranged a public gathering and asked Arunagiri to show Subramanya to others also. Arunagiri started singing songs towards Muruga and soon after Muruga appeared in a stone pillar in the form of child.
and composed 16000 songs - about 2000 alone remained in this earth. The songs show the way to the life of virtue and righteousness and set the tone for a new form of worship, the musical worship.
The other works of Arunagirinathar include Thiruvaguppu, Kandar Alankaram, Kandar Anubhuti, Kandar Andhadi, Vel Viruttam, Mayil Viruttam and Seval Viruttam. For Muruga devotees Thiruppugazh is equivalent to Thevaram, Kandar Alankaram is equivalent to Thiruvasagam and Kandar Anubhuti is equivalent to Thirumandiram.
songs remained in manuscript form for a number of years and ignored and forgotten. V.T. Subramania Pillai and his son V.S. Chengalvaraya Pillai of Tiruthani understood their value, retrieved them and published them.
In 1871 Subramania Pillai, a District Munsif, had the opportunity to hear a rendering of a Tiruppugazh song while he was on a tour of Chidambaram
. Captivated by the song, he decided to set out on a mission to search for the entire body of Tiruppugazh songs. He toured all over south India, collected manuscripts, including palm leaves, assembled the texts and published them in two volumes, the first in 1894 and the second in 1901. After his demise, his son Chengalvaraya Pillai brought out a new edition of the songs.
He also went to so many shrines sucha as shiva tempel and Muruga temples amongst Melakadambur
is one of them he wrote a song about this shrine's lord Muruga "kaviri seerumon seeraru soozh kadambooril"-means Muruga is blessing us from the place where the tributary of the river Cauvery is the vadavaru the kadambur lies in the banks of the vadavaru
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
poet who lived during the 15th century in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India. He was the creator of Tiruppugazh, a book of poems in Tamil in praise of the Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
God Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
. He was a member of the Isai Vellalar
Isai Vellalar
Isai Velalar is a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are also known as Melakkarar. Isai Vellalars predominantly use the title of Pillai, with some using the title of Mudaliar.-Origin of name:...
community.
The Thiruppugazh composed by him, consisted of 16,000 songs, of which only about 1,365 has been traced. His poems are known for their lyricism coupled with complex rhymes and rhythmic structures. In Thiruppugazh, the literature and devotion has been blended harmoniously.
Thiruppugazh is one of the major works of medieval Tamil literature
Tamil literature
Tamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...
, known for its poetical and musical qualities, as well as for its religious, moral and philosophical content.
Early life
Arunagiri was born in Thiruvannamalai, a town in Tamil Nadu. His father died soon after his birth and his mother and sister instilled him with their cultural and religious traditions. Legends claim that Arunagiri was attracted to the pleasures of the flesh and spent his youth in pursuing a life of debauchery. His sister always gave whatever she earned to make her brother happy, and he frequented devadasiDevadasi
In Hinduism, the devadasi tradition is a religious tradition in which girls are "married" and dedicated to a deity or to a temple and includes performance aspects such as those that take place in the temple as well as in the courtly and mujuvani [telegu] or home context. Dance and music were...
s. There came a time when his sister had no money to meet his demands. She said that he should sell her in order to have money, upon hearing which Arunagirinathar realised how selfish he had been. He decided to end his life, went to a temple and hit his head against the pillars and steps, begging for forgiveness. Then he leapt from the temple tower. He was however miraculously saved from the death by the god Muruga who transformed him into a saint.
Arunagiri sang his first devotional song and thereafter decided to spend the rest of his life singing in praise of the God. He was a devotee of Muruga and worshipped him at Vedapureeswarar temple
Vedapureeswarar temple
Vedapureeswarar temple is a sacred place on the northern banks of the Cheyyar River in the Tiruvannamalai District near Kanchipuram in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. This sacred place is now known as Cheyyar but was previously called Thiruvothur. This is one of the important towns in...
at the sacred place known as Cheyyar
Cheyyar
Cheyyaru , also known as Tiruvethipuram , Thiruvathipuram or Tiruvetipuram is a town in the Tiruvannamalai District near Kanchipuram in the Tamil Nadu state of South India...
.
His fame got the jealousy of chief minister of the Kingdom. He claimed Arunagirinathar as a false saint and not a true devotee of the god Subramaniya. So the king arranged a public gathering and asked Arunagiri to show Subramanya to others also. Arunagiri started singing songs towards Muruga and soon after Muruga appeared in a stone pillar in the form of child.
Songs
Arunagiri, rendered his first song Muthai Tharu after the miraculous escape at Thiruvannamalai. Arunagiri visited temples all over South IndiaSouth India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
and composed 16000 songs - about 2000 alone remained in this earth. The songs show the way to the life of virtue and righteousness and set the tone for a new form of worship, the musical worship.
The other works of Arunagirinathar include Thiruvaguppu, Kandar Alankaram, Kandar Anubhuti, Kandar Andhadi, Vel Viruttam, Mayil Viruttam and Seval Viruttam. For Muruga devotees Thiruppugazh is equivalent to Thevaram, Kandar Alankaram is equivalent to Thiruvasagam and Kandar Anubhuti is equivalent to Thirumandiram.
Retrieval
The ThiruppugazhThiruppugazh
Thiruppugazh is a 15th century anthology of Tamil religious songs dedicated to Murugan, the son of Shiva, written by the poet-saint Arunagirinathar...
songs remained in manuscript form for a number of years and ignored and forgotten. V.T. Subramania Pillai and his son V.S. Chengalvaraya Pillai of Tiruthani understood their value, retrieved them and published them.
In 1871 Subramania Pillai, a District Munsif, had the opportunity to hear a rendering of a Tiruppugazh song while he was on a tour of Chidambaram
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
. Captivated by the song, he decided to set out on a mission to search for the entire body of Tiruppugazh songs. He toured all over south India, collected manuscripts, including palm leaves, assembled the texts and published them in two volumes, the first in 1894 and the second in 1901. After his demise, his son Chengalvaraya Pillai brought out a new edition of the songs.
He also went to so many shrines sucha as shiva tempel and Muruga temples amongst Melakadambur
Melakadambur
Melakadambur is a village located from Chidambaram,and can reach at 6 km from Kattumannarkoil, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for Arulmigu Amirthakateshwarar Thirukkoil, constructed during the reign of Cholas by Kulothunga Chola...
is one of them he wrote a song about this shrine's lord Muruga "kaviri seerumon seeraru soozh kadambooril"-means Muruga is blessing us from the place where the tributary of the river Cauvery is the vadavaru the kadambur lies in the banks of the vadavaru