For My Blemishless Lord

A Study of Three Śrīvaiṣṇava Medieval Commentaries on Tiruppāṇ Āḻvār’s Amalaṉ Āti Pirāṉ

Suganya Anandakichenin

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN:
  9783110773231
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Hinduism

For my Blemishless Lord presents the text and translation of the exquisite poem Amala? ?ti Pir?? by Tirupp?? ??v?r, which is part of the ?r?vai??ava canon, the N?l?yira Divya Prabandham (6th – 9th centuries CE), together with the three ?r?vai??ava commentaries in Tamil-Sanskrit Manipravalam (13th – 14th centuries) by key figures in the medieval religious history of South Asia, namely, Periyav?cc?? Pi??ai, A?akiya Ma?av??a Perum?? N?ya??r, and Ved?nta De?ika?.

Offering the first fully annotated, complete translation of these exegetical writings, this volume analyses the language, commentary techniques, and theological positions of the commentators. Looking also at cultural, religious, and other allusions made by them, it places them in their literary, social, and religious backgrounds during a period of budding dissent within the ?r?vai??ava community, to which they contributed at least in part.

This rich resource is made available in English for the first time for students of Tamil and Manipravala, theology, religious history, and philology.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Preface
• 1. Introduction: The Amalaṉ āti pirāṉ
• 2. Commentaries and the commentators on the Amalaṉ
• 3. The commentarial techniques
• 4. Typical features found in the Śrīvaiṣṇava commentaries
• 5. The theological content in the commentaries
• 6. Concluding thoughts
• List of abbreviations
• A note on translation, transliteration, etc.
• Manuscripts and editions
• 7. Edition and translation
• Appendix 1. Periyavāccāṉ Piḷḷai’s commentary on the last two lines of Amalaṉ in his Rāmāyaṇa Taṉiślokam
• Appendix 2. A Recapitulation of the pramāṇas quoted by the commentators
• Appendix 3. A recapitulative table of parallels that Deśikaṉ draws between the Amalaṉ and the mantras
• Appendix 4. An Index of Quotations
• Manuscripts
• Bibliography
• Index