திருநாவுக்கரசர் தேவாரப் பாடல்களில் அகத்துறை மரபுகள்: தாய் கூற்று - ஓர் ஆழமான ஆய்வு

Akathurai Traditions in Thirunavukkarasar’s Devaram Hymns: Mother's Utterance – An In-depth Study

Abstract

In the history of Tamil literature, the Bhakti movement is considered a period of renaissance. The songs of Thirunavukkarasar, found in the Saiva Thirumurai which emerged in the 7th Century AD, possess both spiritual maturity and poetic excellence.

This paper examines the Akathurai (inner/love poetry) traditions handled by Thirunavukkarasar in his Fifth Thirumurai, focusing specifically on the literary technique known as 'Thai Kootru' (Mother's Utterance).

The study analyzes in detail how Navukkarasar has transformed the Sangam literary tradition of the Sevilithai (Foster Mother)—who typically explains the heroine's state—into a tool in Bhakti literature to express the soul's yearning for the Divine. The research focuses on songs where the mother laments and describes the heroine's mental transformation: her shift from worldly pleasures to seeking refuge in God alone, the 'Nayaki-Nayaka' Bhava (Bridal Mysticism), and the soul's total surrender to the Lord.

Furthermore, this paper elucidates how the Kalaviyal (pre-marital love) and Karpiyal (marital/chaste love) traditions defined in the Tolkappiyam have been handled with modifications within Bhakti literature, alongside the theological philosophies conveyed through these hymns.