The Secret Garland: Antal's Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli (AAR Religions in Translation)

This book offers new translations of the Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli, composed by the ninth-century Tamil mystic and poetess Kotai. Two of the most significant compositions by a female mystic, the Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli give expression to her powerful experiences through the use of a vibrant and bold sensuality, in which Visnu is her awesome, mesmerizing, and sometimes cruel lover. Kotai's poetry is characterized by a richness of language in which words are imbued with polyvalence and even the most mundane experiences are infused with the spirit of the divine. Her Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli are garlands of words, redolent with meanings waiting to be discovered. Today Kotai is revered as a goddess, and as a testament to the enduring relevance of her poetry, her Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli continue to be celebrated in South Indian ritual, music, dance, and the visual arts. This book aims to capture the lyricism, beauty, and power of Kotai's original works. In addition, detailed notes based on traditional commentaries, and discussions of the ritual and performative lives of the Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli highlight the importance of this ninth-century poet and her two poems over the past one thousand years. Contents......Page 12 Note on Transliteration......Page 14 Introduction......Page 18 Tiruppāvai (Thirty Verses for the Drum of Māl)......Page 66 Commentary and Notes to the Tiruppāavai......Page 96 Nācciyār Tirumoḻi (Fourteen Songs for the Love of Māl)......Page 162 Commentary and Notes to the Nācciyār Tirumoḻi......Page 204 Appendix 1: Taṉiyaṉ to the Tiruppāvai and Nācciyār Tirumoḻi......Page 238 Appendix 2: Major Myths......Page 242 Appendix 3: Index of Myths and Names in the Tiruppāvai and Nācciyār Tirumoḻi......Page 250 A......Page 256 D......Page 257 M......Page 258 N......Page 259 P......Page 260 T......Page 261 Y......Page 262 Bibliography......Page 264 A......Page 270 D......Page 271 K......Page 272 N......Page 273 P......Page 274 S......Page 275 T......Page 276 Y......Page 277 These new translations of the Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli composed by Kotai, the ninth-century South Indian mystic-poetess, capture the lyricism of the Tamil originals. Kotai's poems-two of the most significant compositions by a female mystic-express her encounters with the divine Vishnu through the use of a vibrant verbal sensuality.