Tirunavukkarasar (Tamil: திருநாவுக்கரசர்), (meaning King of the Tongue or Lord of Language), also known as Appar ("Father") was a seventh century Saivite Tamil poet-saint, one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars. He was an older contemporary of Sambandar. His birth-name was Marulneekkiyar: he was called "father" by Sambandhar, hence the name Appar.[1]
Sundarar states in his Tiruttondartokai that Appar composed 4900 hymns of ten verses each, this is repeated by Nambiyandar Nambi and Sekkizhar, but only 3130 are available today.[2] These are collected into the Tirumurai along with the compositions of Sundarar and Sambandar, Appar having his own volumes, called Tevaram.
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Appar was born in the middle of 7th century in Tiruvamur, Tamil Nadu, his childhood name for Marulneekiar. His sister, Thilagavathiar was betrothed to a military commander who died in action. When his sister was about to end her life, he pleaded with her not to leave him alone in the world. She decided to lead an aesthetic life and bring up her only brother. During boyhood, Appar was very much interested in Jainism and started studying its scriptures. He went away from home and stayed in their monastery and was renamed Darmasena.[3]
| Tirumurai | ||
|---|---|---|
| The twelve volumes of Tamil Shaivite hymns of the sixty-three Nayanars | ||
| Parts | Name | Author |
| 1,2,3 | Tirukadaikkappu | Campantar |
| 4,5,6 | Tevaram | Appar |
| 7 | Tirupaatu | Cuntarar |
| 8 | Tiruvacakam & Tirukkovaiyar |
Manikkavacakar |
| 9 | Tiruvisaippa & Tiruppallaandu |
Various |
| 10 | Tirumandhiram | Tirumular |
| 11 | Various | |
| 12 | Periya Puranam | Sekkizhar |
| edit | ||
Details of Appar's life are found in his own hymns and in Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam (the last book of the Tirumurai). Appar had travelled to nearby Patalipura to join a Jain monastery where he was given the name Dharmasena. "Seeing the transient, ephemeral world he decided to probe into truth through renunciation."[4]
After a while, afflicted by a painful illness, Dharmasena returned home.[2] He prayed for relief at the Siva temple where his sister served and was cured. He sang his first hymn Kootrayinavaru Vilakkaghileer.... His reconversion prompted the Pallava king Mahendravarman I to subject Appar to a number of ordeals and punishments.[2] He overcame all of these and converted the king himself.
Navukkarasar is supposed to have stayed many years at Atikai with his sister before visiting other Siva temples to sing in praise of Siva. He heard of Sambandar and went to Sirkali to meet him. Sambandar respectfully addressed Navukkarasar as Appar (father) and he and Appar travelled together singing hymns. Appar is said to have travelled to about a hundred and twenty-five temples in different cities or villages in Tamil Nadu. He attained Mukti (Union with Lord Siva) in "Sadya Nakshtra" in the Tamil month of "Chithirai" at Tiru Pukalur Siva temple at the age of 81.
Appar’s Tevaram hymns are grouped into three books, forming the fourth, fifth and sixth volumes of the Tirumurai, the Tamil poetic canon of Shaiva Siddhanta. The compilation of these books is generally ascribed to Nambiyandar Nambi (tenth CCE). Some of Appar's hymns set to various Panns, the melodic modes of Ancient Tamil music - the rest are set to Tirunerisai and Viruttam metres. In the last four decades of his life, he visited on foot no less than 125 shrines of Lord Siva, scattered over a territory of thousand miles. He was the only one of the four kuravars to visit the shrine at Tirukokarnam on the western coast of India. He sang 312 decads comprising 3056 stanzas of devotion.[5]