SIVABAKTHI & Thirumurai Kanda Cholan
  • for details Siva worship,

    Rajaraja - Nambiandar nambi episodes, Dr. R. Nagaswamy writes in his Tamil Arts Academy::

    http://tamilartsacademy.com/books/Siva Bhakti/chapter12.html

    SIVA BAKTHI

    The same inscription (Thanjavur Rajrajecharam) refers to more jewels gifted by others to these images. This is an interesting epigraphical reference to the seettng up the saints images, in the temple. The names of the saints as recorded - Nambi Aruranar, Nangai Paravai Thirunavukkaraiyar, Thirujnanasambandadigal deserve notice. They are mentioned with honourific suffixes added to the names indicating the depth of veneration. The order in which the names are mentioned is also significant. Nambi Aruran with his consort occurs first, and Navukkarasar second followed by Thirujnanasambandar. Sundaramurti, in his Thiruttondattokai mentions, thirunavukkarasar first and Jnanasambandar second. Later Nambi Andar Nambi, makes Sundarar the hero in his Thiruttondar thiruvantadi and thus the order remains Sundarar, Appar and Sambandar. It has been held that Nambi Andar Nambi was a contemporary of Rajaraja I, and that he helped him in the discovery of Tevaram manuscripts. The same order in which Nambi mentions the trios is found in the Tanjore inscriptions. The tradition seems to have remained strong. But later in the same inscription, referring to the gift of jewels to these images, a different order is noticed viz. Thirujnanasambandar, Thirunavukkaraiyar and Nambi Aruar. The inscription is dated in the 29th year of Rajaraja that is practically the last year of Rajaraja. According to traditions, when Rajaraja discovered the Tevaram manuscripts he and Nambi Andar Nambi, st all the Tevaram hymns into music with the help of a virali and then Nambi compiled the hymns into seven books, the first three of that Sambandar, the second three of Appar and the seventh that of Sambandar. This has taken place in the reign of Rajaraja. The second order of the three names, recorded in the epigraph, probably indicate that the compilation of the Tevaram hymns into seven Thirumurais, had been completed by this time and hat there may be an element of factuality in the tradition that the Tevaram compilation took place in the reign of Rajaraja. It must also be said that the same inscription gives the names of the saints in two different order and thus the order might be purely without any intention and may be dismissed as without any consequence. However, I have tried to suggest two traditions from the order of occurrence for the reason that all the records of Rajaraja in the great temple are meticulously drafted and inscribed and hence call for a judicious evaluation.

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