It is a common belief that there were various avvaiyars belonging to various periods that contributed to Tamil literature. But essentially two Avvaiyars are well known.
Avvaiyar I: belonged to the Sangam period (1st to 3rd century AD) that lived at the time of the famous kings Pari and Athikaman.
King Pari was a prominent philanthropist ranked among the seven charitable kings.
Athikaman, was King Tirukovilur. The story tells that he gave a nectar like the Amla fruit that he got to the poet so that she would live forever. He contributed to the recognition of Tirukkural by the SANGAM (Association of Scholarly Poets) poets of Madurai.
Avvaiyar II: In the 13th century, two great Tamil poets Kambar wrote the Ramayana in Tamil and Ottakkuthar. Avvaiyar was a contemporary of them. His contributions were various poems in the form of sermons to children.
Contemporary
Tamil scholars who popularized Avvaiyar’s works include,
Shri TKShanmugam, (a 40-year-old male actor at the time), a dean of Tamil drama acted out the story of Avvaiyar, who acted as avvaiyar and earned laurels for his attempt. They gave him the Avvai Shanmugham title after the play.
Shri SSVasan, Moghul of Tamil cinema, produced the masterpiece “Avvaiyar” spending a lot of money in 1953. Although it was a commercial film, it was rich in literal values and was a money-making machine.
The great Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi (Bharathiyar) was an ardent lover of Avvaiyar and followed his teachings in his children’s poems.
There are several learned teachers and Tamil scholars who have done extensive research on Avvai literature.
Sri Krishnan, known as Vempattur Krishnan, named outside his village, is the author of hundreds of books on Tamil literature. One such book is the “Avvayar Tamil Encyclopedia” in which extensive research has been conducted on the works of Avvaiyars and articles from several dozen Tamil literature are published. Next, a list of various works by Avvaiyar were consolidated and written as ‘Avvaiyar Tamil Literature’.
His contribution to Tamil literature:
1 Devotional poems, which are mainly about Lord Ganesa, the elephant God who removes all obstacles in any attempt, if prayed. Second, poems about the goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Third, poems about Lord Siva, who is the highest authority that controls all actions. By virtue of these devotional poems, a moral character is instilled in the schoolchildren. Therefore, most schools invariably contain these songs in the curriculum.
2 Contribution to Sangam literature:
I. 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 the 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 way of life
Moothurai: Teachings of the Elders
Ulaka Nithi: Legitimate Living Laws 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?
Special mention can be made of Aththi soodi ‘and’ Konrai Vendhan ‘, which are masterpieces of Avvaiyar’s Tamil literature that students begin to learn from kindergarten and are taught to their children at an advanced age, and the teaching is continued for generations. Therefore, Avvaiyar Tamil’s teachings are beyond chronological age and continue forever.
Aththisoodi means garland made of ‘Aththi’ flower and Lord Siva is sitting under the ‘konrai’ tree with the garland.
Several English translations are also available. The Rev. Dr. John, the Rev. Biiset, and the author Sudgen have translated these two teachings into English. ‘Moothurai’ had been translated by Robinson. These translations have been widely appreciated mainly by Rev P. GUPope, who was a dean of Tamil literature.
Here is an attempt to redefine Aththisoodi by this author in his own words. It should be noted that it is not about translation, but about coining your own instructions in English.
ATHTHISOODI, an alphabet garland of instructions;
“Dos and Don’ts Mainly with Children, An English Essay:
(In the words of the author himself)
A: Comply with moral laws.
B: Be honest in all your duties.
C: Take care of the weak and the elderly.
D: Don’t delay good deeds.
E: Eat minimal, live long.
F: Follow the right path.
G: Give only what you can.
H: It has a tendency to help.
I: Impart the knowledge you learn to others.
J: Don’t judge people by mere appearance.
K: Silence at the August hearing.
L: Love your neighbor as yourself (teaching of Christ)
M: Be careful with your words.
N: Never stop learning.
Or: Obey the advice of the elders
Q: Forgive the ignorance of others.
P: 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 does not hurt.
V: Check before you believe.
W: Don’t waste your precious time and energy.
X: Xerox not the actions of others.
And: longing for noble things.
Z: zeal to achieve.
Vowel consonants:
In the same way, sentences can be formed for other combined letters such as BA, BE, BU, BI and BU, etc. Guidance is provided in this article and readers can track and shape their commands.
The commands may seem simple, but the effect of moral teachings through these simple commands for children is tremendous. Instead of teaching only A for apple, B for bat, etc., if taught A: Always respect the elders and B: Be honest in all your duties, it will have a strong impression on growing minds, because it is teaching by Avvaiyar. that “WE CATCH YOUNG PEOPLE” ..