History of Indian Philosophy

SR No.: 007593
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Surendranath Dasgupta
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Year: 1922
Total Pages: 2517
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 125 MB

Page 1254

XVII]
The Chronology of the Arvārs
65
Maṇavāļa Mā-muni, in his Yatindra-pravaṇa-prabhāvam, says that the earliest of the Arvārs, Pēy-arvar, Bhūtatt'-ārvār, Poygaiyārvār, and Tiru-mariṣai Piran, flourished at the time of the Pallavas, who came to Kāñcī about the fourth century A.D. Again, Professor Dubreuil says that Mamallai, the native town of Bhūtatt'-ärvär, did not exist before Narasimhavarman I, who founded the city by the middle of the seventh century. Further, Tiru-mangaiy-ārvār praised the Vaisnava temple of Kañci built by Parameśvarvarman II. It seems, therefore, that the Arvārs flourished in the eighth century A.D., which was the period of a great Vaiṣṇava movement in the Cola and the Pandya countries, and also of the Advaitic movement of Sankara1.
According to the traditional accounts, Namm'-ārvār was the son of Kari, holding a high post under the Pandyas, and himself bore the names of Kāṛimāṛan, Parānkusa and Saṭhakopa, that his disciple was Madhura-kaviy-ārvār, and that he was born at Tirukkurgur. Two stone inscriptions have been found in Madura of which one is dated at Kali 3871, in the reign of King Parantaka, whose uttara-mantrin was the son of Mara, who was also known as Madhura-kaviy-ārvār. The other is dated in the reign of Māṛañjadaiyan. The Kali year 3871 corresponds to A.D. 770. This was about the year when Parantaka Pandya ascended the throne. His father Parankuśa died about the year A.D. 770. Mārankari continued as uttara-mantrin. Namm'-ārvār's name Kārimāran shows that Kāri the uttara-mantrin was his father. This is quite in accordance with the accounts found in Guru-parampară. These and many other evidences collected by Gopi-natha Rau show that Namm'-ārvar and Madhura-kaviy-ārvar flourished at the end of the eighth century A.D. or in the first half of the ninth century. Kulaśēkhara Peru-mal also flourished probably about the first half of the ninth century. Periy-aṛvār and his adopted daughter Andal were probably contemporaries of Śrīvallabhadeva, who flourished about the middle of the ninth century A.D. Tondar-adi-podiy-ārvār was a contemporary of Tiru-mangaiy-arvār and Tiru-pān-ārvār. Tirumangaiy-ārvār referred to the war drum of Pallavamalla, who reigned between A.D. 717 and A.D. 779, and these Arvars could not have flourished before that time. But Tiru-mangaiy-ārvār, in his praise
1 Sir Subrahmanya Ayyar Lectures, by the late T. A. Gopi-natha Rău, 1923, P. 17.
D III
5