Madhurakavi Alvar
Encyclopedia
Madhurakavi was a Tamil
saint/composer of the 6th to 9th century. He is one of the 12 Alvar
saints of South India
, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism
. He composed 11 couplets in praise of his guru, Nammalvar
in the 4000 divya Prabhandham. He is venerated as the dawn Ushas
before the sun rise of nammalvar
as he was born before Nammalvar. Legends say that he was a well read and well traveled Brahmin with a gift for music. He set Nammalvar's compositions to music.
Madhura Kavi Aazhwar learnt the Vedas and was well versed in both Tamil and Sanskrit. He used to compose poems in the praise of Bhagavan. At one stage in his life, he decided to abandon all the chains of samsara and strive towards moksham. In this pursuit he undertook a pilgrimage to the Vada naattu divya desams like Ayodhya, Mathura etc.
In order to test Swami [Nammalvar], Madhura kavigal dropped a stone, on hearing which Swami opened his eyes and smiled at Madhura Kavi aazhwar. Now Madhura Kavi aazhwar wanted to test Swami for his spiritual wealth, and posed the following question to Swami:
Seththathin vayitril siriyadu pirandaal
Eththai thindru enge kidakkum?
(literal translation - If the small one is born inside the dead one, what will it eat and where will it lie?)
Swami Nammzhwar's reply was:
Aththai thindru ange kidakkum
(literal translation - It will eat that and lie there)
Madhura kavi aazhwar instantly recognized the greatness of Swami Nammazhwar and fell at his feet and resolved to become Swami Nammazhwar's disciple. Madhura Kavi aazhwar remained with Swami Nammazhwar for the rest of Swami Nammazhwar's life.
The philosophical meaning of this conversation is as below.
The question: If the jeevatma (soul) is born in the body which is attached to the samsara, what will it feed on and where will it live?
The answer: The soul will eat the alternating fruits of good and bad deeds done through the body and enjoy its existence in the samsara
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...
saint/composer of the 6th to 9th century. He is one of the 12 Alvar
Alvars
The alwar or azhwars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between the sixth and ninth centuries A.D. and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Sri Vaishnava orthodoxy posits the number of alvars as ten, though there are...
saints of South India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. He composed 11 couplets in praise of his guru, Nammalvar
Nammalvar
Nammalvar also Nammazhwar,Nammaazhvaar, Nammazhvar, Nammaalvaar, Nammalwar;Tamil: நம்மாழ்வார்) was one of the twelve Alvars, well known for his many hymns on devotion to Vishnu. Legend gives him the date 3102 B.C....
in the 4000 divya Prabhandham. He is venerated as the dawn Ushas
Ushas
Ushas , Sanskrit for "dawn", is a Vedic deity, and consequently a Hindu deity as well.Sanskrit is an s-stem, i.e. the genitive case is . It is from PIE , cognate to Greek Eos and Latin Aurora....
before the sun rise of nammalvar
Nammalvar
Nammalvar also Nammazhwar,Nammaazhvaar, Nammazhvar, Nammaalvaar, Nammalwar;Tamil: நம்மாழ்வார்) was one of the twelve Alvars, well known for his many hymns on devotion to Vishnu. Legend gives him the date 3102 B.C....
as he was born before Nammalvar. Legends say that he was a well read and well traveled Brahmin with a gift for music. He set Nammalvar's compositions to music.
Early life
Madhura Kavi aazhwar was born before Swami Nammazhwar, in a Brahmin family, in the month of Chittirai and in the chitra star in the divya desam called Thirukkolur near Aazhwar Thirunagari. The perumal in this divya desam is called Vaitha Maanidhi (Storage of great wealth).Madhura Kavi Aazhwar learnt the Vedas and was well versed in both Tamil and Sanskrit. He used to compose poems in the praise of Bhagavan. At one stage in his life, he decided to abandon all the chains of samsara and strive towards moksham. In this pursuit he undertook a pilgrimage to the Vada naattu divya desams like Ayodhya, Mathura etc.
Meeting his guru
When Madhura Kavi aazhwar, after long tour had reached Ayodhya and completed the mangalaasasanam of the enchanting forms of Sri Rama, Sita piratti, Lakshmana, Hanuman and others he noticed a glowing ball of fire in the sky. However much he tried, he could not understand the reason for this phenomenon. He also noticed that the ball of fire started to slowly move southwards. He decided to follow the light which led him to Aazhwar Thirunagari and finally disappeared. Madhura Kavigal had already heard about a sixteen year old youth [Nammalvar] who had spent his life since birth under a Tamarind tree without eating anything and emitting a divine glow. Madhura kavi aazhwar proceeded straight to the Thiru puli aazhwar (seat of Swami Nammalvar) and found Swami in a trance.In order to test Swami [Nammalvar], Madhura kavigal dropped a stone, on hearing which Swami opened his eyes and smiled at Madhura Kavi aazhwar. Now Madhura Kavi aazhwar wanted to test Swami for his spiritual wealth, and posed the following question to Swami:
Seththathin vayitril siriyadu pirandaal
Eththai thindru enge kidakkum?
(literal translation - If the small one is born inside the dead one, what will it eat and where will it lie?)
Swami Nammzhwar's reply was:
Aththai thindru ange kidakkum
(literal translation - It will eat that and lie there)
Madhura kavi aazhwar instantly recognized the greatness of Swami Nammazhwar and fell at his feet and resolved to become Swami Nammazhwar's disciple. Madhura Kavi aazhwar remained with Swami Nammazhwar for the rest of Swami Nammazhwar's life.
The philosophical meaning of this conversation is as below.
The question: If the jeevatma (soul) is born in the body which is attached to the samsara, what will it feed on and where will it live?
The answer: The soul will eat the alternating fruits of good and bad deeds done through the body and enjoy its existence in the samsara