Hymns for the Drowning

The poems in this book are some of the earliest about Visnu one of the Hindu Trinity also known as Tirumal the Dark One. Tradition recognizes twelve alvars saint-poets devoted to Visnu who lived between the sixth and ninth century in the Tamil-speaking region of south India. These devotees of Visnu and their counterparts the devotees of Siva (nayanmar) changed and revitalized Hinduism and their devotional hymns addressed to Visnu are among the earliest bhakti (devotional) texts in any Indian language. In this selection from Nammalvar’s works the translations like the originals reflect the alternations of philosophic hymns and love poems through recurring voices roles and places. They also enact a progression-from wonder at the Lord’s works to the experience of loving him and watching others love him to moods of questioning and despair and finally to the experience of being devoured and possessed by him. About the Author Nammalvar was a ninth-century mystic poet a Vishnu devotee who descended from a long line of Vaishnavas. He is considered the greatest of the alvar poet-saints of the Tamil Srivaisnava tradition.