It is a common belief that there were various Avvaiyars belonging to various periods who contributed to Tamil literature. But essentially two Avvaiyars are well known.
Avvaiyar I: He belonged to the Sangam period (1st to 3rd century AD) who lived at the time of the famous kings Pari and Athikaman.
King Pari was a noted philanthropist ranked among seven such charitable kings.
Athikaman, was King Tirukovilur. The story goes that he gave a nectar like Amla fruit that he obtained to the poetess so that she would live forever. She contributed to the recognition of Tirukkural by the SANGAM (Scholar Poets Association) poets of Madurai.
Avvaiyar II: In the 13th century there were two great Tamil poets Kambar who wrote the Ramayana in Tamil and Ottakkuthar. Avvaiyar was a contemporary of them. His contributions were several poems in the form of children’s sermons.
Contemporary
Tamil scholars who popularized Avvaiyar’s works include,
Shri TKShanmugam, (a 40 year old male actor at the time), a doyen of Tamil drama promulgated the story of Avvaiyar who acted as an avvaiyar and got laurels for his attempt. He was given the title of Avvai Shanmugham after the play.
Shri SS Vasan, a Mongolian of Tamil cinema, produced the magnum opus “Avvaiyar” at a great expense in 1953. Although it was a commercial film, it was rich in literal values and generated money.
The great Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi (Bharathiyar) was an ardent lover of Avvaiyar and followed its teachings in his poems for children.
There are several Tamil scholar professors and scholars who have done extensive research on Avvai literature.
Sri Krishnan, known as Vempattur Krishnan, whose name comes from his village, is the author of hundreds of books on Tamil literature. One such book is “Encyclopaedia of Avvayar’s Tamil” in which extensive research has been done on the works of Avvaiyars and articles by various deans of Tamil literature are published. A list of various Avvaiyar works was then consolidated and written as ‘Avvaiyar Tamil Literature’.
His contribution to Tamil literature:
1 Devotional poems, which are mainly about Lord Ganesha, the elephant God who removes all obstacles in any endeavor, if prayed for. Second poems about Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. Thirdly, poems about Lord Siva, who is the highest authority controlling all actions. By virtue of these devotional poems, a moral character is instilled in the schoolchildren. Therefore, most schools invariably include these songs in the curriculum.
2 Contribution to Sangam Literature::
Yo. Poems in ‘Aha nanooru’ which means four hundred songs about personal and family life.
ii. Poems in ‘Pura Nanooru’, which means four hundred songs about adventurous life in a kingdom.
iii. Narrinai which means guide for a good life
IV. Kurunthokai which means short verses.
3. Various moral teachings including,
Neethi Ozukkam: Moral Justice
Nalvazhi: moral path of life
Mouthurai: Teachings of the Elders
Ulaka Nithi: legitimate laws of life on Earth
Kalvi ozukkam: morality of education.
And various moral teachings intended for students but also applicable to the elderly.
What are Aththi soodi and Konrai vendhan?
A special mention can be made of Aththi soodi’ and ‘Konrai Vendhan’ which are masterpieces of Avvaiyar Tamil literature which students start learning from kindergarten and which they teach their children at a later age, and teaching continues for generations. Therefore Avvaiyar Tamil teachings are beyond chronological age and continue forever.
Aththisoodi means garland made of ‘Aththi’ flower and Lord Siva is sitting under the ‘konrai’ tree wearing the garland.
Various English translations are also available. Reverend Dr. John, Reverend Biiset, and author Sudgen have translated both teachings into English. ‘Moothurai’ had been translated by Robinson. These translations have been highly appreciated mainly by Reverend Father GUPope, Dean of Tamil Literature.
Here is an attempt to redefine Aththisoodi by this author in his own words. It should be noted that this is not a translation, but rather the coining of our own instructions in English.
ATHTHISOODI, an alphabetic garland of instructions;
“Mainly Do’s and Don’ts for Kids, a Test in English:
(In the author’s own words)
A: Comply with moral laws.
B: Be honest in all your duties.
C: Care for the weak and elderly
D: Don’t delay good deeds.
E: Eat the minimum, live long.
F: Follow the right path.
G: Give only what you have left over.
H: Having a tendency to help.
I: Impart the knowledge you learn to others
J: Don’t judge people by their maternal appearance.
K: Keep silent at the hearing in August.
L: Love your neighbor as yourself (Christ’s teaching)
M: Watch your words.
N: Never stop learning.
O: Obey the advice of the elders
A: Sorry for the ignorance of others.
Q: Search for enlightenment.
A: Respect the feelings of others.
S: Always speak the truth.
T: See good things, hear good things, do good things. (Mahatma Gandhi)
U: Use language that doesn’t hurt.
V: Verify before believing.
W: Don’t waste your precious time and energy.
X: Xerox, not the actions of others.
Y: year of noble things.
Z: eagerness to achieve.
Consonants with vowels:
In the same way, sentences can be formed for other combined letters like BA, BE, BU, BI, and BU, etc. A guide has been given in this article and readers can take the cue and form their commands.
The commands may seem simple, but the effect of moral teachings through these simple commands for children is tremendous. Instead of just teaching A for apple, B for bat and so on, if you teach A: Always respect elders and B: Be honest in all your duties, it will have a strong impression on growing minds, because it is the teaching of Avvaiyar. you ‘CATCH’EM YOUNG’..
