Works of Alvars

[Poeticus]

Andal was a sanyasin?

I apologize, I shouldn't have used sanyasin and saint interchangeably. Thank you for pointing that out.

If anyone can explain to me how one brings their penis with them when heir bodies die, I'd be fascinated to hear it.

Hahahaha!

- Sanyasa Upanishad
Period.

Quoting the Sanyasa Upanishad would be like me quoting Tilak's Adventures in the Arctic.

 

[Pleroma]

Quoting the Sanyasa Upanishad would be like me quoting Tilak's Adventures in the Arctic.

Sanyasa Upanishad is a part of the Sama Veda and hence it is sruti.

 

[Chakra]

I would be wary of using that, Pleroma. If you could tell us some people before the 14th century who have quoted it, then I'll give some thought to it. There are a lot of fake Upanishads out there.

 

[Chakra]

If anyone can explain to me how one brings their penis with them when heir bodies die, I'd be fascinated to hear it.

Here's the Vedantic view:

When you die, you go to Vaikuntha. You get a spiritual form there, whether it be male or female, and you serve the Lord there. In Advaita, this is the penultimate stage before you enter Pramarthika level.

 

[Poeticus]

Sanyasa Upanishad is a part of the Sama Veda and hence it is sruti.

By that definition, so is every smriti ever created because of a redaction found within the Atharvaveda. Golly Gee Wilikers! That'd mean that Adventures in the Arctic is part of shruti as well!

 

[Vinayaka]

Is there some on-line publication of stories of the Alwars? Was their stuff mostly devotional?

 

[Poeticus]

Is there some on-line publication of stories of the Alwars? Was their stuff mostly devotional?

Mostly devotional. They were sublime bhakta-s. I think there is some philosophical stuff in there too, but they are known as the "Alwar saints"---the term, saints, implying rigorous devotion; and devotion, in their case, to Hari. Over the centuries, they have become somewhat, if not entirely, divinized.

 

[Chakra]

Some of them contains a lot of Visishtadvaitic philosophy. They were extreme Vaishnavas, in the sense that they believed the rest of the Gods to be demi-gods, and that is seen in their works.

Are you looking for their works or their biographies?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Sanyasa Upanishad
Period.

Period for you. Views differ. Did Kaushalya, the mother of Lord Rama go to Vaikuntha directly, or took birth as a man to get Moksha?

These comments are insulting. Gargi and Maitreyi in the Shruti both get Brahma Vidya. Your comments go against the flow of necessity and disparage female swamis everywhere.

I have read that there were about 30 Rishikas.Here is the list:\

Women rshis (rshika) in the Rig Veda Samhita
(one or more mantra was revealed to each rshika)

Verse - Rishika

4.18 - Aditi
10.72 - Aditir dakshayani
8.91 - Apala atreyi
10.86 - Indrani
10.85 - Urvashi
10.134 - Godha
10.39, 10.40 - Gosha Kakshivati
10.109 - Juhur bramhajaya
10.184 - Tvashta Garbhakarta
10.107 - Dakshina Prajapatya
10.154 - Yami
10.10 - Yami Vaivasvati
10.127 - Ratrir bharadvaji
1.171 - Lopamudra
10.28 - Vasukrapatni
10.125 - Vagambhrni
5.28 - Vishvavara Atreyi
8.1 - Sashvaty angirasi
10.151 - Shradhda Kamayani
10.159 - Shachi Paulomi
10.189 - Sarparajni
9.86 - Sikata Nivavari
10.85 - Surya Savitri
1.126 - Romasha
10.108 - Sarama Devashuni
9.104 - Shikhandinyava Psarasau Kashyapan
10.142 - Jarita Sharngah
8.71 - Suditir angirasah
10.153 -Indra Mataro
(The list is not exhaustive)
Women as Rishikas in the Vedas - Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

 

[Aupmanyav]

Alwar Saint - Avatar of

Poigai Alvar - Panchajanya (Krishna'sconch)
Bhoothathalvar - Kaumodakee (Vishnu'sMace/Club)
Peyalvar - Nandaka (Vishnu's sword)
Thirumalisai Alvar - Sudarshanam (Vishnu's discus)
Nammalvar - Vishvaksena(Vishnu's commander)
Madhurakavi Alvar - Vainatheya (Vishnu's eagle,Garuda)
King Kulasekhara Alvar - Kaustubha(Vishnu's necklace)
Periyalvar - Garuda (Vishnu's eagle)
Andal - Bhoodevi (Vishnu's wife,Lakshmi, in her form asBhudevi)
Thondaradippodi Alvar - Vanamaalai (Vishnu'sgarland)
Thiruppaan Alvar - Srivatsa (Anauspicious mark on Vishnu's chest)
Thirumangai Alvar - Saranga (Rama's bow)

 

[Aupmanyav]

Sanyasa Upanishad is a part of the Sama Veda and hence it is sruti.

Not deriding Sannyasa Upanishad which has a nice verse "Tattyaja", the SamaVeda Upanisahds are Chandogya and Kena. Sannyasa Upanishad is not one of the Mukhya Upanishads.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Is there some on-line publication of stories of the Alwars? Was their stuff mostly devotional?

Sure, Vinayaka. Wikipedia and otherwise. Give it a try or let me know.

 

[Pleroma]

Period for you. Views differ. Did Kaushalya, the mother of Lord Rama go to Vaikuntha directly, or took birth as a man to get Moksha?

Being one with Brahman is moksha not going to heaven. People go to heaven after they die only if they have accumulated more Punya in this life or from their previous lives and when that Punya neutralizes they again fall back to earth and are subjected to the endless Punarapi maranam and Punarapi Jananam.

I have read that there were about 30 Rishikas.Here is the list:\

Women rshis (rshika) in the Rig Veda Samhita
(one or more mantra was revealed to each rshika)

Verse - Rishika

4.18 - Aditi
10.72 - Aditir dakshayani
8.91 - Apala atreyi
10.86 - Indrani
10.85 - Urvashi
10.134 - Godha
10.39, 10.40 - Gosha Kakshivati
10.109 - Juhur bramhajaya
10.184 - Tvashta Garbhakarta
10.107 - Dakshina Prajapatya
10.154 - Yami
10.10 - Yami Vaivasvati
10.127 - Ratrir bharadvaji
1.171 - Lopamudra
10.28 - Vasukrapatni
10.125 - Vagambhrni
5.28 - Vishvavara Atreyi
8.1 - Sashvaty angirasi
10.151 - Shradhda Kamayani
10.159 - Shachi Paulomi
10.189 - Sarparajni
9.86 - Sikata Nivavari
10.85 - Surya Savitri
1.126 - Romasha
10.108 - Sarama Devashuni
9.104 - Shikhandinyava Psarasau Kashyapan
10.142 - Jarita Sharngah
8.71 - Suditir angirasah
10.153 -Indra Mataro
(The list is not exhaustive)
Women as Rishikas in the Vedas - Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

All these were Brahmavaadins, they were not Sanyasins, they followed Karmakhanda. There is no Sanyas for women in Hinduism.

 

[Poeticus]

All these were Brahmavaadins, they were not Sanyasins, they followed Karmakhanda. There is no Sanyas for women in Hinduism.

Pleroma, I believe I have been misreading your posts. I erratically read sanyas and moksha interchangeably. Sanyas is renouncement, correct? A stage in life in one's latter years if the path is undertaken? Then no, there is no sanyas for women that are members of a household (if one is to abide by Grihasta-related protocols). This does not mean, however, that Hindu women, in general, cannot receive moksha. And neither is moksha solely acquired from sanyas. But non-married women have been known to become sanyasin-s; many have partaken in the mendicant lifestyle as vratya-s, both men and women. I believe if specifications on your posts were offered, they would have come across as more palpable. But these are non-credal ordinances that are confined only to the top echelons of Hindu society---they don't apply to non-Brahmins.

 

[Chakra]

In case anyone wants to get a translation (rough one, anyway) of the Divya Prabhandam, here it is.

SriPedia Tiruvaimozhi

 

[M Raghavan]

The Nalayira Divya Prabhandam consists of nearly 4000 verses, the Thiruvaymozhi being just one of many works in it collection.