The Memory Aid
Ādivaravu (Tamil: ādi = beginning/first + varavu = arrival/coming; 'the first-word indicators') is a traditional mnemonic device in the Śrī Vaiṣṇava textual tradition. It consists of a compact verse or list that captures the first significant word (ādi-pada) of each pāsuram in a prabandham, enabling the reciter to remember the complete sequence and order of verses.
Practical Function
The Divya Prabandham's 4,000 verses are organized into approximately 153 chapters of varying lengths. A student learning any given prabandham commits the ādivaravu to memory first — the first word of each verse — as a scaffold on which the complete verse can be recalled.
Transmission Tool
The ādivaravu tradition is part of the broader anusandhānam (recitation) system through which the Prabandham has been memorized and transmitted across generations. It represents the tradition's sophisticated approach to oral preservation of an enormous corpus.