Azhwars : Madurakaviyaar

Madurakaviyaar  (மதுரகவியார்)

Madurakaviyaar meeting Nammazhwar in yogam in the tamarind tree which is actually Adiseshan

Madurakaviyaar was born on a Friday under the star Chithirai in the month of Chithirai valarpirai chaturdasi thithi in the 9th century. He is the nithya soori amsam of Mahavishnu

He was well versed in Tamizh and Sanskrit and had great Bhakti for Mahavishnu. He went on a pilgrimage to the many important places in the North – Ayodya, Mathura, Gaya, Kasi, Avanthi and Dwaraka and came back to stay in Ayodya. As mentioned in the earlier blog on Nammazhwar, he saw a light from South and followed the light to reach Nammazhwar in Thirukurugoor. He stayed with Nammazhwar as his disciple. His love and respect for Nammazhwar was such that he sang not in praise of the Lord, but in praise of Nammazhwar.

After Nammazhwar reached the Lord’s feet, Madurakaviyaar had an idol of Nammazhwar made and continued prayers to him. Poets of the Madurai sangam objected to this, stating that Nammazhwar was only a Bhakta and not God, he did not belong to the sangam and the hymns sung by him will not be accepted by them. Upset by this, Madurakaviyaar prayed to the Lord to teach them a lesson. Perumal came in human form and advised Madurakaviyaar to keep a particular paasuram of Nammazhwar in the sanga palagai which will teach the poets a lesson. Madurakaviyaar did this and the sanga palagai drowned the poets and only the paasuram stayed on the palagai. The poets then realized their mistake and sang a poem each on Nammazhwar’s greatness.

Madurakaviyaar continued his pujas to his Guru Nammazhwar and made the world realize Nammazhwar’s greatness before reaching the Lord’s feet.

The first song sung by Madurakaviyaar on Nammazhwar as below :

கண்ணி நுண்சிறுத்    தாம்பினால் கட்டுண்ணப்
பண்ணி யபெரு மாயன் என் னப்பனில்
நண்ணித் தென்குரு கூர்நம்பி யென்றக்கால்
அண்ணிக் கும்அமு தூறுமென் நாவுக்கே

The  sweetness  of  Nammazhwar 's name tastes like nectar  in my tongue and is even better than that of the Lord who  allowed himself to be tied with a knotted  rope by Yashoda.