Among them, the first Avvaiyar lived during the Sangam period (c. 3rd century BCE) and is said to have had cordial relations with the Tamil chieftains Vēl Pāri and Athiyamān. She wrote 59 poems in the Puṟanāṉūṟu.
Avvaiyar II lived during the period of Kambar and Ottakoothar during the reign of the Chola dynasty in the tenth century. She is often imagined as an old and intelligent lady by Tamil people. She wrote many of the poems that remain very popular even today, and are inculcated in school textbooks in Tamil Nadu. These books include a list of dos and don'ts, useful for daily life, arranged in simple and short sentences.
There is a very famous legend that is associated with the first Avvaiyar and the Naaval Pazham or Jambu tree in Tamil Nadu. Avvaiyar, believing she had achieved everything that is to be achieved, was pondering her retirement from Tamil literary work while resting under a Naaval Pazham tree. She was then met by a disguised Murugan (regarded as one of the guardian deities of the Tamil language), who jousted with her wittily. He later revealed himself and made her realise that there was still a lot more to be done and learned. Following this awakening, Avvaiyar is believed to have undertaken a fresh set of literary works, targeted at children. These works, even after a millennium, are often among the very first literature that children are exposed to in Tamil Nadu schools.
The name Avvaiyar is a combination of Tamil word av vai with honorific suffix ar. Avvai refers to respectable elderly woman as the word ammai which means good woman in general term for a woman of any age. Thus the name Avvaiyar means a respectable good woman hence a generic title rather than a specific name of a person. The word Auvaiyaar could also be a question as in who is that woman? (Avvai-woman and yaar-who).
The Avvaiyar who lived during the Sangam period is considered to be contemporary to poets Paranar, Kabilar and Thiruvalluvar. She is attributed as the author of 7 verses in Naṟṟiṇai, 15 in Kuṟuntokai, 4 in Akanaṉūṟu and 33 in Puṟanāṉūṟu. Legend states that she was a court poet of the rulers of the Tamil country. She travelled from one part of the country to another and from one village to another, sharing the gruel of the poor farmers and composing songs for their enjoyment. Most of her songs were about a small-time chieftain Vallal Athiyamaan Nedumaan Anji and his family. The chieftain had also used her as his ambassador to avert war with another neighbouring chieftain Thondaiman. The rest of her songs related to the various aspects of state governance. Although traditions claim that she was a sister of Kabilar, Thiruvalluvar and Athiyamaan, V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar refutes this claim based on his studies that all four of them were most likely of different walks of life, thus from different caste backgrounds and hence impossible to be siblings. Tirukkovilur is an ancient temple town in Tamil Nadu. This is where the demon andhaka was killed by lord Shiva. Sangam epics recount that it was here that avvayar was blessed with a vision of her lord slaying andhaka and she has dedicated verses to the same. At great ancient temple of thillai chidambaram she sang Vinayakar Thiruakaval when lord Ganesha displayed his dancing form to her. Vinayakar Thiruakaval is an extremely esoteric work.
Chola age Avvaiyar:
The medieval period Avvaiyar was the court poet of the Chola monarch and was the contemporary of Kambar and Ottakkuttar. She found great happiness in the life of small children. Her works, Ātticcūṭi and Konraiventhan, written for young children, are even now generally read and enjoyed by them.
Her two other works, Mooturai and Nalvali were written for older children. All the four works are didactic in character – they explain the basic wisdom that should govern mundane life.
In Muppandal, a small village in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. there is an image of Avvaiyar. By tradition, this is stated to be the spot where the great poet left the mortal world.
Annual Avvai Vizha is organised & conducted by Government of Tamil Nadu to commemorate Avvaiyar's contribution to Tamil literature. This festival is celebrated every year in the month of Panguni on Sadhayam star day. Avvai Vizha has been started by local community long time back and still continuing willingly. Now Govt of Tamil Nadu is continuing this function and adding more values. Local community, Tamil scholars and scholars from various fields participating with passion on this occasion and deliver their speech. Avvai Vizha is conducted in the temple Avvayar situated at Thulasiyappattinam village, Vedaranyam, Nagappatinam District, in the temple premises of Arulmigu Visvanathaswamy Thirukovil. Also this place is referred to famous interaction between Lord Muruga & Avvaiyar "Suttapazham Venduma Sudatha Pazham Venduma". This temple is under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.
In 2009, Red Hen Press published a selection of Avvaiyar's poetry from the 12th century, entitled Give, Eat, and Live: Poems by Avviyar. The poems were selected and translated into English by Thomas Pruiksma, a poet and translator who discovered Avviyar's work while on a Fulbright scholarship at The American College in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Avvaiyar was a Tamil Saiva saint and bhaktha lived in South India , was an ardent devotee of Sri Ganesha. Since childhood, her seeking was tremendous, and when her parents started seeking alliance for her marriage, she deeply prayed to Sri Ganesha, to transform her form to that of an old lady, and immediately, Sri Ganesha blessed her with an old form. Since then, she continued to spread the Divine message. Her messages were well received by the kings of Sangam period, and many times brought peace to warring states, by her wise words.
Many have been her works, including some for children, to shape their character.
In her spiritual pursuits, she has been blessed many a time by Shiva, Sakthi, Ganesha and Karthikeya. The outpourings as a result of such divine darshans provide a guidance to ardent seekers, in their quest to know the Truth.
Lord murugan tested her ego in many ways.in the case of Avvaiyar too, many were the plays and tests the Divine played .
Here is a beautiful test that Shri Karthikeya played , to test her Ego. While Avvaiyar was traveling inside a forest, Shri Karhikeya, appeared as a small boy, sitting on top of a tree laden with sweet fruits. Avvaiyar was passing by the tree, and her mind was engrossed in some deep thoughts and she never saw this boy who was up the tree.
The boy called Avvaiyar, and asked her whether she wanted any of the tasty fruits, which he was ready to pluck and throw to her. Avvaiyar asked the boy not to disturb her as she was introspecting on some high divine aspects and thoughts.
The boy persisted in his request and asked her whether she wanted the fruits , Hot or Cold . Avvaiyar got irritated when she heard this request of this boy, and asked him, how a fruit which was in the tree could be Hot or Cold. Avvaiyar half heartedly said to the boy to throw to her , a Cold fruit. The boy with a trick in mind deliberately threw the fruit, not into her hand, but on a heap of sand nearby Avvaiyar, angrily went to the spot where the fruit fell , picked it up, and with her mouth blew the sand which was sticking on the fruit.
On seeing this act of Avvaiyar, the boy mischeivously asked her , whether the fruit was Hot, to which she replied in the negative. The boy asked her why she was blowing the fruit to cool it , if it was not hot.
Suddenly Avvaiyar realized that this boy was no ordinary human, and Karthikeya revealed to her His Divine Form. Avaaiyar , fell at the feet of Karthikeya and thanked Him for making her realize and see her Ego. Avvaiyar prayed to Karthikeya to remove the Ego , which was a hindrance to her path of Ascent.
With this thought in mind, she started performing Sri Ganesh Puja in a hurried manner. Sri Ganesha appeared before her and asked her why she was performing the puja to Him in a hurried manner today. Avvaiyar replied that Sundarar had started for Kailash and that she wanted to join him and thus was performing her puja a hurried manner.
Sri Ganesha said to Avvaiyar to perform puja to Him in a slow manner with full involvement and one mindedness and promised her that at the end of the puja , He will take her to Kailash before everyone. Avvaiyar performed the puja with full faith and as promised at the end of the puja , Sri Ganesha , lifted her up and took her to Kailash .(The real meaning is Sri Ganesha revealed to her Kundalini Yoga , and made her reach Sahasrara , to merge with the Divine couple (Sada Shiva and Adi Sakthi). Having experienced the Divine Yoga ( Kundalini Yoga) , Avvaiyar rendered VINAYAKA AGAVAL , explaining the Divine form of Shri Ganesha, and how Ganesha came to her in the form of a mother and showered Grace , revealing Kundalini Yoga and she also beautifully explains the functioning of the chakras, nadis and the Kundalini instrument and blessing of this Supreme Yoga.
Mataji united with lord ganesha, This chaitanya has many aspects . In Shri Ganesha, specially, it is auspiciousness. Everything that emits vibrations (Chaitanya) is SHUDH and whatever does not is not auspicious. So whatever you worship or accept has to be auspicious. Every shape has a coefficience and all the shapes do not necessarily give vibrations. We take Shri Ganesha as granted. We do not understand that we have to awaken Shri Ganesha within us. There is Shri Ganesha already existing In you; as innocence and it cannot be lost, Shri Ganesha is an eternal being.
To keep this Ganesh always shining within us, is to remember that you were made in the same pattern as Shri Ganesha. His kundalini, his pure desire is on his stomach. It is significant to understand this. It means that he need not have to conquer the temptations of Mooladhara. He is also beyond temptations of food, power etc. Because His stomach represents absolute abandonment and freedom. He is not worried about his looks. Shri Ganesha accepts it. The head of the elephant suggests that HE is not like a human being who develops ego & super-ego. He is all the time one with the Divine. He accepts his body, his head, & everything that he is made of. He is what He is because He is a satisfied soul. The Kundalini on the stomach shows a completely self contented, satisfied personality of Shri Ganesha. When you have all the powers with you, you know you are powerful. Then you don’t hanker after all these things & you dont make an impression on others. As you are created in the same image of Shri Ganesha you have to understand that you have to accept whatever God has given you.
