Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2Eliot, Charles
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2
Eliot, Charles
Asia -- Religion; Buddhism; Hinduism
The hymns attributed to the Âr̤vârs are commonly known by the name of
Prabandham or Nâlâyiram and are accepted by the Tengalai Vishnuites as
their canonical scriptures. The whole collection contains 4000 verses
arranged in four parts[576] and an extract consisting of 602 verses
selected for use in daily worship is in part accessible.[577] This
poetry shows the same ecstatic devotion and love of nature as the
Tiruvaçagam. It contemplates the worship of images and a temple ritual
consisting in awakening the god at morning and attending on him during
the day. It quotes the Upanishads and Bhagavad-gîtâ, assumes as a
metaphysical basis a vedantized form of the Sâṅkhya philosophy, and
also accepts the legends of the pastoral Kṛishṇa but without giving
much detail. Jains, Buddhists and Śaivas are blamed and the repetition
of the name Govinda is enjoined. Though the hymns are not
anti-brahmanic they decidedly do not contemplate a life spent in
orthodox observances and their reputed authors include several Śûdras,
a king and a woman.
After the poet-saints came the doctors and theologians. Accounts of
them, which seem historical in the main though full of miraculous
details, are found in the Tamil biographies[578] illustrating the
apostolic succession of teachers. It appears fairly certain that
Râmânuja, the fourth in succession, was alive in 1118: the first,
known as Nâthamuni, may therefore have lived 100-150 years earlier.
None of his works are extant but he is said to have arranged the poems
of the Âr̤vârs for recitation in temple services. He went on a
pilgrimage to northern India and according to tradition was an adept
in Yoga, being one of the last to practise it in the south. Third in
succession was his grandson Yamunârcârya (known as Âlavandâr or
victor), who spent the first part of his life as a wealthy layman but
was converted and resided at Śrîrangam. Here he composed several
important works in Sanskrit including one written to establish the
orthodoxy of the Pâncarâtra and its ritual.[579]
4
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account