Talk:The Āḻvār Saints:Nammāḻvār
By Vishal Agarwal
Nammāḷvār is regarded as the greatest of all the twelve Alvārs along with Āṇḍāḷ. Out of all the hymns composed by the Alvārs in praise of Vishnu, 1000 were written by him.
According to tradition, his parents were blessed with a son after they had prayed to Bhagavān Vishnu. Bhagavān appeared to them in a dream and declared that He Himself would be born as their son. However, when the boy was born, he seemed strange he never cried or smiled, never opened his eyes, made no sound, and showed no emotion or movement.
Disheartened, the couple placed the child under a tree outside the Vishnu temple in their town, Tirunagari. The boy walked into the hollow of the tree and began living there. He remained in this state until the age of sixteen.
At that time, another Alvār saint named Madhurakavi, while touring in Ayodhyā, saw a mysterious light in the southern direction. He followed it until he reached the boy sitting beneath the tree, completely still and expressionless, as if in meditation. When Madhurakavi spoke to him, the boy responded for the first time, speaking wise and profound words like a saint. Impressed, Madhurakavi requested him to become his Guru.
Thereafter, the boy began composing beautiful songs to Vishnu, especially in praise of His Avatāra as Krishna. Madhurakavi set these songs to melodious tunes as they were being composed. The compositions became popular, and the boy came to be known as Nammāḷvār meaning “our own Alvār.” His original name is said to have been Śaṭhakopa or Parāṅkuśa.
In these 1000 songs, Nammāḷvār explains:
- The nature of Bhagavān
- The nature of the ātman (which enlivens the body)
- The way by which the ātman can reach Bhagavān
- What happens when the ātman reaches Bhagavān
- What prevents the ātman from reaching Bhagavān
His songs are considered so profound and beautiful that they are regarded as the Tamil equivalent of the four Vedas in Sanskrit. Nammāḷvār lived for only 35 years, but his hymns are sung with great reverence even today.
In many Vishnu temples, the priest places on the devotee’s head a special cup with embossed footprints when they bow before the mūrti. This cup represents Nammāḷvār regarded as the crown of the bhaktas of Vishnu and the footprints represent the feet of Bhagavān Vishnu.