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nappinnai - 2

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Triplicane Vijayaraghavan • May 30, 1995 


Hello,


  Doesn't "aayar" refer to the cowherd tribe to which Yashoda/Nandagopan
  belonged? I always thought so due to the association between "Aayppadi"
  and Krishna. If that is so, AandaaL cannot be the one referred to, she
  being the daughter of Periyaazhwar, a brahmin. Infact, this reference
  of Tirumangaiyazhwar seems to indicate that Nappinnai could be Radha!


aayar definitely refers to the cowherd tribe to which krishna belonged.
It has been a common practice for aazhwaars to assume themselves as
somebody close to krishna and write paasurams accordingly. they either
assume a girl, girl's mother,...etc. In thiruppavai, the whole scene is
set in aayarpaadi and she is one of the aayar girl. thirumaNGgai's
reference is to this particular character." maargazhith thiNGgaL.. cheer
malgum aaypaadi chelvach chirumIrgaaL", "naayaganaay ... aayar
chirumiyarOmukku.."



  Also, what are the relative times in which Tirumangaiyazhwar and AandaaL
  lived? Even if T. aazhwar is of a later period, would AandaaL have been
  so famous a devotee by then that he would refer to her in his pasuram?

thirumaNGgai aazhwaar is supposed to be the last, i think. i am not very
sure. Actually when u talk of the aazhwaars, they are referred as
padhinmar ( 10 in number) as aaNdaaL became HIS consort and one other
aazhwaar( i think madhura kavi) sung only in praise of nammaazhwaar. so
aaNdaaL being HIS consort as well as an ordinary human being could have
been well known.  
could somebody clarify the doubt? who exactly is the other aazhwaar who
sung only in praise of the other aazhwaar. there is another anecdote
too. only sri raNGgaNnaathar of sriraNGgam has the privelege of being
sung by all the 10 aazhwaars( padhinmar paadiya perumaaL) nobody else
has. one aazhwaar has sung only on araNGgaNn ( araNGgaNnai paadum
vaayaal, maRRoru kuraNGgaNnai paada maattENn) is that kulasEkaran?
i lost touch and forgot so many such things.

viji

-- 
Vijayaraghavan T. R.
viji@coe.wvu.edu