According to tradition, Thondaradippodi Alwar was born at Thirumandangudi near Kumbakonam and named Vipranarayana. He came to Srirangam, made a flower garden, and served Sri Ranganatha every day with garlands, devoted to the Lord of Srirangam alone.
For a time he fell under the spell of Devadevi, a dancer, lost all he had, and stayed away from his service. The Lord did not abandon him. He sent a golden vessel from the temple to her house, saying it came from Vipranarayana. When the vessel was found missing, Vipranarayana was accused of theft, and the Lord Himself revealed the truth to the king in a dream. Vipranarayana woke to what he had done and returned to his service with a humbled heart.
From then on he called himself Thondaradippodi, "the dust at the feet of the Lord's devotees". He sang two works, both for Sri Ranganatha. Tirumalai (45 verses) is both a confession and a teaching: on the Lord's name, on His mercy towards those who have fallen, and on the greatness of His devotees. Tiruppalliyezhuchi (10 verses) gently wakes Sri Ranganatha at dawn, and is still sung at daybreak.
His life is the sampradaya's assurance that the Lord's grace does not wait for us to deserve it, and that humility before His devotees is dearer to Him than any learning.
A pasuram to begin with
Tirumalai 1 · verse 872 of the four thousand
Tirumalai is the Alwar's song of the Lord's name. It opens with the confidence that the name gives even to one who has fallen.
Meaning
We have put our senses under guard, leapt clear across the evils of this age, and now we roam about proclaiming aloud, over the very heads of Yama's messengers. O First One, who swallowed the three worlds and brought them forth again: see, this pride of ours comes only from having learnt Your name, O Lord of the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- kāvaliṟ pulaṉai vaittu
- keeping the senses under guard
- kalitaṉaik
- the age of Kali, with its evils
- nāvaliṭṭu
- proclaiming aloud
- namaṉ-tamar
- the messengers of Yama
- mūvulaku uṇṭu umiḻnta
- who swallowed the three worlds and brought them forth again
- mutalva
- O First One, the cause of all
- niṉ nāmam kaṟṟa
- having learnt Your name
- āvalippu
- pride, joyful confidence
- araṅka mā nakaruḷāṉē
- the great city of Srirangam
The verse is from the e-text of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Project Madurai. The meaning is a simple rendering in the light of the acharyas' commentaries, and is awaiting a scholar's review.
Ask Sri Paduka about this pasuram →All the pasurams
Thondaradippodi Alwar sang 55 pasurams. Each one is here in English letters, with a simple meaning and the meanings of its key words.