Paripatal
was a pioneering initiative in the religious literary works in Tamil
Great Insights on the Vaigai
River and Thiru Maliruncholai and the state of life in Madurai during that
period
Lord Vishnu is referred to as
Thirumaal / Maal / Maayon in the Paripatal
Paripatal
is one of the 8 Anthologies that comprise a separate collection of poems of different
lengths dating back to the Sangam Period.
Among
these 8, Akanaanooru, Kuruntogai, Narriniai, Kalittogai and
Ainkurunooru belong to the Akam category (Love subjects) while Purananooru and
Pattirupattu belong to the Puram category (war theme/ guiding musicians to the
patronage of kings).
Paripatal stands in a separate class by itself
written on ‘Paripatal meter’ and in lofty rhymes with a musical verse whose
length ranges from 25lines to almost 400lines. Out of all the Sangam classics Paripatal
is the only one that is sung to the accompaniment of Yaazh and Flute and to the
measured beat of drums by musicians. Much later, Azhvaars too refer to Yaazh in
their Prabhandham but it was originally set to music by Paripatal.
The
Paripatal authors may have belonged to a period between 300BC and 200AD though
there are many differing opinion on this.
It is likely that Paripatal existed before Tholkappiyar but none of that
is traceable. Out of the 70 songs, only 22 have survived the test of time with
most getting lost/ becoming irrecoverable with passage of time. Originally there were 8 songs on Thirumaal, 31
on Murugan, 26 on Vaigai, 1 on Sea Lord and 4 on Madurai.
The flow of Paripatal
Pari refers to a horse and these set of verses were so named as the rhymes sometimes galloped, at other times ambled and sometimes one got the feeling that the verses even leapt like a gambadoes of a Horse where all the feet are up in the air almost as if to jump the Vaigai in one go!!!!
Pari refers to a horse and these set of verses were so named as the rhymes sometimes galloped, at other times ambled and sometimes one got the feeling that the verses even leapt like a gambadoes of a Horse where all the feet are up in the air almost as if to jump the Vaigai in one go!!!!
Paripatal
was written to be sung to the accompaniment of Yaazh and Flute along with the
beating of the drum. These were set to one of the three musical modes –
Palaiyaazh, Notiram and Kaantaaram. Each Paripatal has an author, music setter
and the melody type (for some, the name of the authors is not traceable). There
were 10 Music setters in Paripatal some of whom set to music their own
composition. There were others who authored a Paripatal but the music composition
was by others.
Currently
there are 6 poems that deal with Thirumaal. These constitute the earliest
devotional hymns in Tamil Literature. These are broadly based on divine myths
and legends. The typical tone of Paripatal was highly emotional and all of
these ended with a prayer to God.
Vaigai and its greatness
There
are 26 songs based on the greatness of Vaigai River and the festivities
surrounding that including the lives of the people of Madurai, religious
practices and devotion of the people, sporting activities and games played during the
peak periods at Vaigai. There is a lot of reference to Pandya Kings, Lord of the South and Madurai as Capital in different verses of the Paripatal
Parimelazhagar
was the first to write a commentary on Paripatal. .
Paripatal’s
reference to Lord Balarama!!!!
Very
interestingly, Paripatal has a lot of reference to Balarama. Rarely in the
Nalayira Divya Prabhandham is there a reference to him. This throws
up an interesting point of Balarama being worshiped here in TN during the
period Paripatal was written. Of course
over the last many centuries, there is hardly any temple for Balarama. And it
is Rama and Krishna to whom most of the temples are dedicated.
Pancharatna System and Paripatal
While
Vaikanasa is followed pre-dominantly in most temples today, Pancharatna may
have been a system of worship in those days for Paripatal makes great reference
to that – Paratva, Vibhava, Vyuha, Antaryami and Archavatara.
Six Paripatal - Praise on Vishnu
In
the six works on Thirumaal currently available, the names of the author are not
available for a couple. Lord Vishnu is referred to as Thirumaal. Sometimes it
is just Maal. He is also referred to as Maayon, the dark hued Lord.
The
first Paripatal is on Thirumaal. Vishnu is referred to as one who is seen
reclining on a serpent with 1000hoods. He is referred to as Sun, Moon, Easwara
and Brahmma. Paripatal alone among the 8 anthologies does not have an
invocation verse for this first Paripatal on Vishnu is seen as an invocation
song.
The
second Paripatal authored by Keeran Taiyaar (music setter- Nannaa Kannaar)
starts with description of deluges in the Universe and refers to the five elements
in the same order as mentioned in the Vedic Texts. In this 2nd poem,
Keeran Taiyaar identifies Thirumaal with Balarama who is seen as an incarnation
of Adisesha. There is also reference to Varaha Avatara in the 2nd poem.
On Garuda Vahana
The
third is a beautiful hymn by Kattuvan Ilaveyinnannaar (Music Setter – Pettannaa
Kannaar). This is in a form that can be chanted every day as a prayer. Here the
Lord’s description is similar to one that is seen in ancient Sanskrit texts. Lord is praised as one who provides Moksham
and that all celestial beings are Thirumaal’s creation. A reference is made to Garuda, Lord’s mount. Lord’s
Vamana Avatara is described here. There is also mention of Krishna’s
achievements here. The third poem is
characterised by its brevity but every phrase has deep meaning attached to it. The
poet calls Maal as a Lord of eternity and as the virtue of all things in
creation. He is the heat in fire, fragrance in flowers, radiance of gems,
essence of Vedas and so on. This third poem also provides an interesting note
on the use of numbers to describe Thirumaal
Towards
the end of the poem, one sees a lot of passionate fervour, brevity of
expression and rich allusiveness. There is reference to various personalities
of Lord and his appearance and exploits. In the end, the poet invokes the Lord’s
blessings to keep the world safe.
Who is a True
Devotee
In
the fourth poem by the same author, he starts with a description of the true
devotees of the Lord. He says that they envision God in their minds by
purifying and controlling their senses, making them free from delusion of any
kind. Parimelazhagar calls this cleansing of mind as Chitta Parikrama. He ends
the fourth poem by concluding that God has no friends or foes and is above
human limitations. He says that God is the sole refuge and protector of all.
In
a short poem by Nallellunniyaar, there is a beautiful description of the Lord,
his flag and discus, his form, ornaments, garments and his weapon. He calls
Vishnu as the all pervasive Lord and states that the Lord is not only the
origin and source of all creation but is also the essence of virtues.
On Thiru Maaliruncholai
In
a poem by Illamperuvallutiyaar ( Music: Maruttvuan Nallachutanaar), the poet
refers to the hills of Thiru Maalirunkunram, where he says one finds Lord
Kannan and his elder brother Balarama. Despite having different complexions,
both seem inseparable. He also refers to Silamparu, peacocks and cuckoos (also praised
by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Periyazhvaar in their verses on Thiru Maalirun Cholai
in the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham).
Reference to a town near Madurai
The
last poem again by an unnamed author has an easy style of presentation with a
poetic grace to it. This is directed at the Lord of Iruntaiyoor (a place on the
outskirts of Madurai) who is stated to be in a seated posture. In this poem the
Lord is described as being bright and beautiful. The entire place is described
beautifully giving us great insights into what it was during that period almost
2000years ago. There is also a mention of an exclusive temple for Adisesha near
Madurai.
Conclusion
From
a literary works point of view, Paripatal is a significant milestone in the
history of the development of Vaishnavism. The significance of Paripatal
authors is that they were ahead of the Azhvaars. In that sense, they were
pioneers of religious literature in Tamil. They clearly began the Bhakti cult
much before both Azhvaars and Nayanmars who then carried forward the legacy of Paripatal
authors and took it to the next level of Bhakti.
While
Rama and Krishna avataras are dominant in Nalayira Divya Prabhandham,
Krishna finds only a few references in Paripatal. There is absolutely no
reference to Rama at all. It is Balarama who gets praised in Paripatal. Hence there
may have been a great following for Balarama preceding the period of the
Azhvaars. There are also brief mentions of Varaha, Vamana and Narasimha Avataras in
the Paripatal.
From
the Paripatal, it is clear that people were truly religious during that period.
They were devoted to God. It does not seem that there were any religious fights
during that period unlike the period of the Azhvaars and Acharyas. Worship of
the Supreme Lord in his various forms was almost universal in the Sangam days.
1 comment:
There were no fights between Azhwars and Acharyas against Saivam. The Sri Vaishnava tradition only sought to challenge Advaita Vedanta, which ridiculed Tamil concepts of the Sacred.
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