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Dhivya Prabhandam
Periya ThiruvandhAthi & Atharva Vedam. 
The Origin of Periya ThiruvandhAthi

Thiruviruttham and ThiruvAsiriyam are considered the anubhavams based on Swamy 
nammazhwAr's Para Bhakthi and Para Jn~Anam respectively. Periya ThiruvandhAthi 
(Periya ThiruvandhAthi) is the blossoming of the Parama Bhakthi anubhavam of 
Swamy NammAzhwAr . ThiruvAimozhi is about Bhagavath PrApthi. 

In Thiruviruttham, AzhwAr's prayer to the Lord was to cut asunder the 
Deha-Sambhandham that stood in the way of the enjoyment of the Lord in Parama 
Padham through Moksham. In ThiruvAsiriyam, Bhagavath SaakshAthkaram was 
realized and AzhwAr enjoyed the SvarUpam, rUpam and the GuNAs of the Lord in 
the spirit of Para Jn~Anam. In Periya ThiruvandhAthi, AzhwAr is immersed in 
Parama Bhakthi and cries out to join without delay the Lord through the route 
of Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam .Swamy Desikan has described Swamy Nammalwar's 
GuNAnubhavam as an intense wish to unite with the Lord to perform nithya 
kaimakryam: " SvakeeyAm Bhagavath-anubhavE spOdayAmaasa theevrAm aasAm". 

Periya ThiruvandhAthi has 87 paasurams set in VeNN Paa style. It has been 
linked to Atharva Vedam just as Thiruiruttham and ThiruvAsiriyam have been 
linked to Rg and Yajur Vedam respectively. Periya ThiruvandhAthi is a moving 
dialog of Swamy Nammalwar with his Manas .The dhvarai (paraparappu /impatience) 
of Swamy Nammalwar to unite with the Lord is captured in these dialogs. Eeedu 
has identified the mental state of Swamy Nammalwar in this Prabhandham as 
equivalent to BharathAzhwAr, who waited impatiently at NandhigrAmam performing 
PadhukA Aaradhanam and waiting for his union with the Lord of the Paadhukai. 

The First Reason for the name of PERIYA ThiruvandhAthi (PTVA)

There are two views on why this prabhandham got its name, Periya ThiruvandhAthi 
or the Great/Big ThiruvandhAthi. There are other AndhAthi Prabhandhams with 
more paasurams like the ones by the three Mudhal AzhwArs (100 each) and 
Naanmuhan ThiruvandhAthi by Thirumazhisai with ninety-Six Paasurams. Why is 
Periya ThiruvandhAthi still called the Big ThiruvandhAthi? 

According to the first view, the vishaya gouravam (the importance of the topic, 
Charama SlOkArtham) puts this prabhandham ahead of all other views. 

The connection is in the 56th paasuram of PTVA: 

varavu aaRu onRu illaiAl vaazhvu inithAl* yellE!
Oruvan oru aaRu puhA aaRu*--urumARum 
Aayavar thAmm sEyavar thAmm anRu ulaham thAyavar thAmm
MAAYAVAR THAAMM KAATTUM VAZHI 

Here Swamy Nammalwar says that Lord KrishNan has asserted that there is no need 
for the ChEthanan to seek other means (Bhakthi and other Yogams and dharmams) 
and that seeking Him alone as refuge (Performing Prapatthi) would be sufficient 
for Him to accept all responsibilities (burdens/Bharam) of protecting that 
ChEthanan. The key words in this paasuram containing these thoughts are: 
"Oruvan oru AaRu puhA aaRu, urumARum Aayavar thaam kaatum vazhi". Swamy 
Nammalwar concludes this Paasuram with the spirit of MahA visvAsam and declares 
his joy about his lot: 

"Maayavar thaamm kaattum vazhi varavu aaRu onRu illai, Vaazhvu inithAl yellE!" 

(This MaayAvi has asked us to adopt the path of Prapatthi. How it (this path) 
came to me and why He chose me are not relevant.What is relevant is that adiyEn 
considers the fruit of following that upAyam as BhOgyam(the most enjoyable). 

The above distillation of the essence of Charama SlOkam and Swamy Nammalwar's 
prayers for dhruva Smruthi (unceasing rememberance) of the Lord qualifies this 
AndhAthi to acquire the distinct name of Periya ThiruvandhAthi. 

The Second reason for the name , Periya ThiruvandhAthi

The clue for the second reason is found in the 75th paasuram of Periya 
ThiruvandhAthi;here, Swamy NammAzhwAr engages in a debate with the Lord , the 
Ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan , and asks Him to examine the issue of who is bigger 
(Periyan)between the two of them : 

puvium iru visumpum ninnahattha* nee-yenn
seviyin vazhi puhunthu yennuLLAi--avivu inRi
YAANN PERIYAN NEE PERIYAI YENPATHANAI YAAR ARIVAAR?
Oonparuhu nEmiyAi! uLLU 

(Meaning): Oh Lord! It is well known that you are the Master of the two great 
Isvaryams, LeelA VibhUthi and Nithya VibhUthi. You hold the powerful 
ChakrAyudham, which cuts asunder the limbs of the Raakshasa Kulam. When You of 
such greatness made Your entry (anupravEsam) into me through my ears , I caught 
You deftly and have kept You tightly in my heart lotus. Thou art now within me 
just as the entire world was once within you. Now tell me, who is the bigger 
One (in glory)? Myself or Yourself? Who can comprehend this fact? Pray think 
about this. 

This debate about "Periyan" makes this AndhAthi the "Periya ThiruvandhAthi". 
The many insightful descriptions of his (Swamy Nammalwar's daasathvam to the 
Lord (Swamy) makes this Prabhandham , the Periya ThiruvandhAthi.

For instance, Swamy Nammalwar says: "Tadam KadalmEyAr Tamakku nizhalum 
adithARumAnOm " ( adiyEn has become the shadow of His ThirumEni and Paadhukai 
for Him , who resides eternally in the expansive Milky Ocean)...Periya 
ThiruvandhAthi Paasuram: 31. In Paasuram Sixty , Swamy Nammalwar salutes the 
Parathvam of the Lord unconditionally: " Vemm Narahil sErAmal kAppathaRkku , 
maRRum ohr iRai illai kANN" ( Oh My Mind! For SAVING US from falling into the 
terrible Narakam, please remember that there is NO ONE ELSE EXCEPT OUR LORD). 

Goal and Approach of Periya ThruvandhAthi

Sri K.C.VaradachAri points out that the purpose of this Prabhandham is to 
instruct the mind to recognize the unparalleled greatness of the Lord and 
worship Him. This prabhandham is therefore intended to make the mind attain 
Svaroopa Jn~Anam (knowledge of its true nature) and to make it "bathe fully in 
the flowing waters of divine goodness". This is "cleansing in the waters of 
divine infinity and greatness". Through Periya ThiruvandhAthi, SaThakOpan shows 
that " through God's grace, which is gotten through sincerest surrender in all 
respects, the Divine purifies the soul" and blesses it to approach Him and " 
finally infinitizes it by a mere look ". 

Among the four Prabhandhams of Swamy Nammalwar, Thiruviruttham and 
ThiruvAimozhi are considered essentially as approaching the Lord in the 
Naayaka-Naayaki BhAvam (Love of a pathivrathai for her Lord); ThiruvAsiriyam 
and Periya ThiruvandhAthi are recognized to have the approach that emphasises 
the servant/slave/vassal relationship to the Master (SwAmi). Either of these 
approaches has been pointed out as the means to acquire " Supreme felicity and 
liberation ". 

In the concluding section of PTVA, adiyEn will summarize selected upadesams of 
Swamy Nammalwar in Periya ThiruvandhAthi and attempt to connect them to Atharva 
Veda manthrams in particular. One certainly finds the echoes of the messages of 
Periya ThiruvandhAthi in the other three Vedams too , but we will confine our 
study to just Atharva Vedam. 

In Periya ThiruvandhAthi, Swamy was filled with Parama Bhakthi that led to the 
theevra Upaasanaam (intense worship) and uninterrupted meditation (DhyAnam) of 
the Dhivya Mangala Vigraham of the Lord and His KalyANa GuNams. Swamy 
NammAzhwAr went on to perform SaraNAgathi and celebrated the Prapatthi maargam 
revealed by GeethAchAryan using Arjuna as VyAjam. Swamy Nammalwar recognized 
the Lord as the powerful medicine for curing the terrible disease of SamsAram ( 
nangaL piNikkAm marunthu =Thou are the potent medicine to cure completely our 
disease named SamsAram: paasuram 62). 

Swamy Nammalwar pointed out to his manas that eulogizing the sacred feet of 
Lord KrishNaa is what it(manas) has to do for its salvation (KaNNan thALL 
vAzhtthuvathE kaNDAi Vazhakku: Paasuram 12). He told his manas further: " 
KaNNan thALL vAzhtthuvathE kall" (Oh manas!The most auspicious kaimkaryam on 
this earth is to sing pallANDu to the sacred feet of KaNNan: paasuram 67). 

Swamy Nammalwar announced to us that the Lord, who is deeply attached to him 
has entered inside his mind (MaalAr kudi puhunthAr yenn manatthE: Paasuram 22). 
He identified with Him as his Father and Mother and thanked Him for showing the 
wondrous way of Bhagavath-GuNAnubhavam (peRRa ThAi neeyE, piRappittha Tanthai 
nee, yeRREyO NeeyammA kAttum neRi = Thou art my compassionate Mother, Thou art 
my Father performing Upadesam. Wonderful indeed is the way You showed me to 
eulogize You:

 Paasuram 5).Swamy Nammalwar also pointed out that He is also the Father and 
the Mother of all Jeevans (Thai Tanthai yevvuyirkkum thAnn: Paasuram 23) and 
acknowldeged His Supermacy (Tann alappu onRilAthAn = He has no One equal to 
Him: paasuram 24). 

Swamy Nammalwar asked for aparAdha KshAmaNam for insufficencies in saluting Him 
adequately (seeRal nee = Oh My Lord, Your ThiruvuLLam should not get angry over 
any lapses in Your worship on my part:paasuram 2). Swamy Nammalwar recognized 
the Lord's DayA SvarUpam and pointed out that He is impatiently waiting to see 
what else He can do for His BhakthAs (UnnadiyArkku yenna seyvAnanenRE irutthi 
Nee: Paasuram 53). 

Swamy Nammalwar appealed to his mind to do two things to receive His grace: 

(1) Eulogize the Lord of broad shoulders and offer fragrant garlands of verses 
(Sonn maalai): "Vilankal pOl thonmAlaik Kesavanai NaaraNanai Maadhavanai 
sonnmAlai yeppozhuthum soottu:Paasuram 65) and

 (2) Salute and praise the sacred feet of KaNnan, who banishes all our sins 
(nammEl vinai kadivAn mey KazhalE yEttha muyal) and assures us not to worry any 
more about our lot (aham thvA sarva PaapEbhyO MokshayishyAmi maa Sucha:)in this 
samsAra maNDalam. Thus ends the Maanasa SambhOdhanam of Swamy Nammalwar with 
his manas. 

Swamy Nammalwar's tributes in Periya ThiruvandhAthi to the Lord regarding His 
Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Parama DayA GuNam, Sarva Seshithvam (Final reality = 
Ucchishta Brahmam), Omniscience, SarvAntharyAmithvam, Jagath Kaaranathvam can 
be readily traced to different Atharva manthrams. A selected few of those 
manthrams are assembled below to illustrate the links of Periya ThiruvandhAthi 
to AtharvaNa Vedam. 



A Brief Introduction to Atharva Vedam 

Atharva Vedam consists of 5977 manthrams, which is largely in the form of 
poetry with a small portion in prose. It is the last among VedAs and as such 
has advanced philosophical conceptions about God. It fits very well with the 
mood of Parama Bhakthi of NammAzhwAr. It has been pointed out that Periya 
ThiruvandhAthi cleanses the soul in the waters of divine infinity and 
greatness, just as the Atharva Vedam introduces us to several remedial 
manthrams to overcome the diseases of the mind and body. Atharva Vedam's 
recognizes the Lord as the Supreme Being and as the final reality (sarva 
Seshi/Ucchishta Brahmam). One of the manthrams salutes the Lord as " uchcishtE 
naama roopam chOcchishtE lOka aahitha:" (Thou sustains the entire creation 
consisting of Name and Form). 

Through the 601st Manthram, Atharva Vedam asks the question, "Kasmai dEvAya 
HavishA vidhEma?" It answers that question in a most majestic manner: " Through 
whose power exists the spacious Heaven, the mighty Earth and yonder ample 
Firmament between them, through whose power is yon Sun extends his grandeur, to 
That Supreme One, we offer our oblations. We offer our devotional worship to 
Him, the Illuminator and the Lord of lasting happiness. We meditate on Him. "

Manthram 566 salutes His boon-granting power and Timelessness (anAdhi 
tatthvam): 

SarvAn KaamAn pooraythyAbhavan prabhavan bhavan
aakUthi prOavidharthatha:sithi paannOpapadasyathi 

(Meaning): "God the fulfiller of resolves, worshipped by the Soul, the same One 
in light and darkness, Omnipresent, mighty and ever-existent, satisfies all 
hopes and wants and never suffers decay." 

Like Swamy Nammalwar's UpadEsam to his mind to sing the glories of the Lord 
without let, another Atharva Veda Manthram (1291) says: 

dhOshO gAya bruhadh gAya dhyumaddEhi
AtharvaNa sthuhi dEvam SavithAram 

(Meaning): " Oh Worshipper of the Lord! Sing His glory day and night, sing 
loudly, contemplate upon the refulgent Lord. Praise the all-creating Lord!? 

His sarvAntharyAmithvam is saluted brilliantly in the 3695th manthram of 
Atharva vedam: 

sO Agni: Sa u Soorya: sa u yEva MahAyama:
rasmibhirnabha aabrutham MahEndra yEthyAvrutha: 

(Meaning): He is indeed Agni, the Omniscient; He is SooryA, the urger; He is 
MahAyaman, the great leader. This great Lord permeates all the Worlds with His 
refulgence. 

His Unmatched Valour and status of Him not having any god equal or superior to 
him is saluted by another Atharva Manthram(3710): 

Tamidham nigatham saha: sa yEsha yEka yEkavrudhEka yEva
Ya yEtham dEvamEkavrutham vEdha 

(Meaning): " This Supreme Lord possesses the conquering might. He is the Sole, 
the Solitary One, the One alone." 

Atharva Manthram 5035 tells us that this Powerful Lord reveals Himself to the 
Yogis (like Swamy NammAzhwAr) in deep contemplation and shines like the mid-day 
Sun in their hearts. 

Atharva Manthram 5185 reveals to us that He is the Almighty God, who suppresses 
the darkness of ignorance by His light of knowledge. 

We will conclude this posting with two more Atharva Manthrams, which are echos 
of Swamy NammazhwAr's prayers to the Supreme Lord in his Periya ThiruvandhAthi 
Prabhandham: 

(1) "Bhuri ta Indhra Veeryam--" (Manthram 5048): 

" For great is Thy prowess , Oh Mighty Lord ! We are Thine. Oh Lord of Riches, 
fulfil the desires of this devotee of Thine. These vast heavens are mere 
creations from Thy Energy. This Earth also bows to Thy Splendor.? 

(2) " Ya yEka iddhavyascharshaNInAmeendhram--"(Manthram 5208): 

" With these hymns, I worship that Mighty Lord, who alone is to be invoked by 
men, who is known to be the showerer of all blessings (VaradarAjan), 
All-powerful, True (Sathya Sankalpan) , Lord of All Existence , Victorious , 
Full of Wisdom (sathyam, Jn~Anam , Anantham BrahmA) and with wonderful powers 
of creation ( JagathAdhAran and Jagath Kaaranan). 

These selected Manthrams of Atharva Vedham reveal thus their Saamyam to the 
meanings of some of the Periya ThriuvandhAthi paasurams of Swamy NammAzhwAr. 

Thenn KuruhUr VaguLAbharaNan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Satakopan 

Dear AastikAs & VedAbhimAnis : Please contribute generously to the coming 
together of 500 Vedic Scholars for ten days to recite Praskruthi and Vikruthi 
forms of the three Vedams for Loka KshEmam . $225 support  will cover the 
Travel ,SambhAvana and TadhiyArAdhanam needs of one Veda PaarAyaNakkArar . You 
are most welcome to support more than one PaarAyaNakkArar of your Veda Saakhai 
. 

   

 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






 
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