Tirumurugarruppatai
Encyclopedia
Tirumurugarruppatai by Nakkirar,a Tamil
poetic work, is one of the most important works of Sangam Literature
. It is the first poem of the Pattupattu
anthology. Tirumurugarruppatai follows the Arruppadtai style, a device used by most of the books in the Pattupattu anthology. The poems in this book were composed towards the end of the Sangam period - between the fifth and the sixth centuries C.E.
Tirumurugarruppatai is also called Pulavararuppatai.
' suggests that those who need spiritual guidance should seek out Lord Murukan.
(kantan in Tamil
) worship of that time. Tirumurugarruppatai later included in the Eleventh Tirumurai, a collection of Saiva
religious books. Tirumurugarruppatai is lyrical, narrative, philosophical and theological in its style and as a result was instrumental in the propagation of the nascent Muruga worship. Tirumurukarruppatai has been considered as a hymn for protection for the devotees. For this reason alone the poem became a daily liturgy
.
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...
poetic work, is one of the most important works of Sangam Literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
. It is the first poem of the Pattupattu
Pattupattu
PathuPattu – The ten Idylls, is an anthology of ten mid length books and is one of the oldest surviving Tamil Poetry. This collection is considered part of the Sangam Literature and dated approximately between 300 BCE and 200 CE...
anthology. Tirumurugarruppatai follows the Arruppadtai style, a device used by most of the books in the Pattupattu anthology. The poems in this book were composed towards the end of the Sangam period - between the fifth and the sixth centuries C.E.
Tirumurugarruppatai is also called Pulavararuppatai.
Arruppatai
Aarruppatai is a literary device by which a bard or a minstrel who has received bountiful gifts from some wealthy patron is supposed to direct another to the same Maecenas. This gives the occasion to the poet, among other topics, to describe in great detail the natural beauty, fertility, and resources of the territory that has to be traversed to reach the palace of the patron. Tirumurugarruppatai or 'Guide to Lord MuruganMurugan
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...
' suggests that those who need spiritual guidance should seek out Lord Murukan.
Inclusion on Religious Books
Tirumurugarruppatai was the first anthology-poem that points to SkandaSkanda
Skanda is the name of deities popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Skanda, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan and Subhramanya* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
(kantan in Tamil
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...
) worship of that time. Tirumurugarruppatai later included in the Eleventh Tirumurai, a collection of Saiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
religious books. Tirumurugarruppatai is lyrical, narrative, philosophical and theological in its style and as a result was instrumental in the propagation of the nascent Muruga worship. Tirumurukarruppatai has been considered as a hymn for protection for the devotees. For this reason alone the poem became a daily liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
.
Nakkirar Legend
There are a number of legends around the composer Nakkirar. One such explains the circumstances under which this book was composed:- Nakkirar was the court poet of the Pandya king during the Sangam period and had the reputation of being an arrogant man and proud of his knowledge. To teach him a lesson SivaShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
took the form of a poet and came to MaduraiMaduraiMadurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
. Siva recited a poem in front of all the Sangam poets. Nakkirar found a fault in the poem. While he argued with the poet, Siva revealed his actual form. No doubt startled by this, Nakkirar stood firm saying even if it is the God Himself who had written the poem, the fault remained. In anger the Siva opened his third eye and burned Nakkirar.
- Nakkirar then realised his faults of his arrogance and begged Siva for forgiveness. Siva commanded Nakkirar to go on a pilgrimage . As requested, Nakkirar went on a pilgrimage, but on his way he was captured by a demon and imprisoned. While in prison Nakkirar realised there were already 99 people already in prison and they were all going to be eaten by the demon the very next day. The demon intended to wait until his cave was filled with one hundred humans so that he could eat them all at once. Since Nakkirar was the one-hundredth, all the others prisoners were distressed and blamed Nakkirar for being the cause of their death. Nakkirar begged Lord Murugan to release them all and composed Tirumurugarruppatai. Immediately the Lord appears, kills the giant and releases all the prisoners.