Periya Tirumatal
18th century painting of Rama and Sita in exile. National Museum, New Delhi.
Information
ReligionHinduism
AuthorTirumangai Alvar
LanguageTamil
Period9th–10th century CE
Verses78

The Periya Tirumatal (Tamil: பெரிய திருமடல், romanized: Periya Tirumaṭal, lit. 'The big and sacred maṭal') is a Tamil Hindu work of literature written by Tirumangai Alvar, one of the twelve Alvars of Sri Vaishnavism.[1] The work is a part of the compendium of hymns called the Nalayira Divya Prabandham.[2] The Periya Tirumatal consists of 78 hymns, referred to as pasurams.[3]

Hymns

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Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
Supreme deity
Vishnu / Krishna / Rama
Important deities
Dashavatara
Other forms
Consorts
Related
Holy scriptures
Puranas
Sampradayas
Others
Teachers—acharyas
Related traditions

Theme

Along with its companion poem called the Ciriya Tirumatal, the Periya Tirumatal employs a poetic device from Sangam literature called the maṭal. This referred to an ancient Tamil custom through which a lovesick man attempted to win the heart of his beloved by refusing food and drink, bathing, sleep, and other daily activities, and wandered the streets while singing about the woman he loved. In a last resort, the man expressed his willingness to take his own life in the presence of his beloved. The custom was romanticised, and hence traditionally ended with the woman being moved by the devotion of the man, agreeing to marry him. In this work, Tirumangai Alvar assumes the role of a gopika, a milk-maid lover of Krishna, and performs a maṭal to win the deity's heart. By doing so, he breaks the convention of women not being allowed to perform the custom, citing his adherence to the northern Sanskrit school of Sri Vaishnavism as opposed to the southern Tamil school.[4][5]

A stanza of the Periya Tirumatal describes the legend of Rama, and his exile with his wife, Sita:[6]

The warrior king by his father's command gave up his kingdom steadfastly,
the good cityfolk followed his weeping,
and left his own country as well and crossed the glaring desert with shrunken bellies,
past the dry rocky mountains with hot gale winds that would split bamboos,
and entered the terrible forest of death-blow rakshasas,
walking over splinter rocks in the scorching sun with petal-soft feet.
Behind the king Rama, did not the swan-gaited goddess called Vaidehi walk too?

— Periya Tirumatal

See also

Topics in Tamil literature
Sangam Literature
Five Great Epics
Silappatikaram Manimekalai
Civaka Cintamani Valayapathi
Kundalakesi
The Five Minor Epics
Neelakesi Culamani
Naga Kumara Kaviyam Udayana Kumara Kaviyam
Yashodhara Kaviyam
Bhakti Literature
Naalayira Divya Prabandham Kamba Ramayanam
Tevaram Tirumurai
Tamil people
Sangam Sangam landscape
Tamil history from Sangam literature Ancient Tamil music
edit

References

  1. ^ RAMANUJAN, S. R. (2014-08-13). THE LORD OF VENGADAM. PartridgeIndia. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-4828-3462-8.
  2. ^ Cutler, Norman (1987-05-22). Songs of Experience: The Poetics of Tamil Devotion. Indiana University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-253-11419-8.
  3. ^ Venkataraman, M. (2022-05-31). ALWARS: THE VAISHNAVITE SAINTS. Venkataraman M. p. 47.
  4. ^ Padmaja, T. (2002). Temples of Kr̥ṣṇa in South India: History, Art, and Traditions in Tamilnāḍu. Abhinav Publications. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-81-7017-398-4.
  5. ^ Flood, Gavin (2008-04-15). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 574. ISBN 978-0-470-99868-7.
  6. ^ Makarand Joshi. The Sacred Book Of Four Thousand 01 Nalayira Divya Prabandham Sri Rama Bharati 2000. pp. 731–732.
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