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Another of those "episodes"

From the Bhakti List Archives

V SUNDAR • April 27, 1996 


Since lives the alwars seems tobe the current topic here, a question..

I vaguely remember being told of an episode, possibly in the life
of Tirumazhisai Azhvaar.

It is said that Tirumazhisai ( or the mahan this story deals with ) took
a copy of Nammaazhvaar's  divinely inspired poetry to court ( possibly
Kanchipuram ? ) where the local poets refused to look at it as 
literature ( or displayed another of those annoying signs of disrespect).

I think by the standard literary device of leaving the Azhvar's works and
other poems in a sannidhi overnight and coming back the next morning and 
finding the Azhvar's work on top of the piles of palm leaf bundles, the
innate superiority of Nammazhvar's poetry was established.

Whereupon one of the court poets is suuposed to have sung this poem.
Please excuse my blantant ignorance of correct thamizh metre in this
transliteration.

eeyaaduvatho garudarkkethire iravikkethir minminiaaduvatho
peyaaduvatho azhagoorvasimun naayaaduvatho narakesarimun

( and then the next two lines begin " perumaan vakuLaabharaNan aruLaal.. )
and Ig\forget the rest.

A rough translation ofwhat I remember :

Can a fly go against the eagle Garuda ?
Can a firefly dance before the sun ?
Can a goblin dance before the nymph Urvashi ?
Or a dog show off before the lordly lion ?

( i.e. their poems were as lowly as the former against Nammaazhvaar's
poems - the latter.. )

Now, my question - would someone kindly fill in the gaps in the story ?

regards,

Sundar

kaNikaNNan poi vittaan kaamaruppnkachchi maNivaNNaa, neeyumunran painnaaga
-p-paai surutti-k-koL!