In this selection from his works, the translations like the originals reflect the alternations of philosophic hymns and love poems, through recurring voices, roles, and places. Nammalvar, the greatest of the alvars, composed four works, of which the Tiruvaymoli was the most important. These devotees of Visnu and their counterparts, the devotees of Siva (nayanmar), changed and revitalized Hinduism and their devotional hymns addressed to Visnu are among the earliest bhakti (devotional) texts in any Indian language. Tradition recognizes twelve alvars, saint-poets devoted to Visnu, who lived between the sixth and ninth century in the Tamil-speaking region of South India. In many ways a companion volume to A K Ramanujan’s acclaimed Speaking of Siva, the eighty-three here are by Nammalvar, the celebrated saint-poet of the ninth century. , Archana Venkatesan – Tiruviruttam, Francis Clooney – Tiruvaymoli (a few poems in his book).The poems in this book are some of the earliest about Visnu, one of the Hindu Trinity, also known as Tirumal, the Dark One. Tiruviruttam: The Drama of the Love Divine Hymns for the Drowning: Poems for Visnu by Nammalvar The Tamil Veda – Pillan’s Interpretation of Tiruvaymoli , Srirama Bharati – The Sacred Book of Four Thousand, Norman Cutler – Songs of Experience: The Poetics of Tamil Devotion, John Carman and Vasudha Narayanan – Kurattalvar Aiyengar – Tiruvaimoli of Sathakopa, S.

Sundaram – Tiruppavai, Nacciyar Tirumoli, Krishna Srinivas – Thiruppavai, Sri Aurobindo – Nacciyaar Tirumoli, Tiruvaymoli. A number of translations of Vaisnava Literature, especially that of Nammalvar’s hymns are available. Tirukkovaiyar, Tiruvaachakam – Tamil Text and English TranslationĪnd G.U. The note-worthy Saiva translations are from Norman Cutler –Ī Gift of Tamil: Translations of Tamil Literature, Songs of Experience: The Poetics of Tamil Devotion, T.N. Many scholars have attempted full or partial translations of both the canonical texts. The devotional Bhakti poetry in Tamil comprises the hymns of the Saiva and Vaisnava saints, the nayanmars and alvars, the twelve Tirumurais, and the Nalayira tivya prapantam.

Hymns for the Drowning by Nammalvar