Drāviḍa Bhāṣā — Tamil as Bhagavān's Own Chosen Tongue
Drāviḍa bhāṣā (Sanskrit: drāviḍa = Tamil/South Indian + bhāṣā = language/speech; 'the Tamil language') in Śrī Vaiṣṇava usage refers specifically to the sacred status of Tamil — the understanding that Tamil is not merely a regional human language but one that Bhagavān Himself chose as the vehicle for the highest revelation.
Tamil's Theological Status: The Āchāryas teach that the Tamil language (drāviḍa bhāṣā) is not less sacred than Sanskrit — it is a mantra bhāṣā (language of sacred formula), a veda bhāṣā (language of the Vedas), because Bhagavān revealed the Divya Prabandham through the Āzhvārs in Tamil. 'When Bhagavān speaks through the Āzhvārs in Tamil, Tamil becomes sacred not by human convention but by divine choice.'
Maṇipravāḷam and the Two Languages: Śrī Vaiṣṇava literary tradition developed maṇipravāḷam — an elegant interweaving of Tamil and Sanskrit — as an expression of the twin sacredness of both languages. The greatest ācārya literary works (like Pillai Lokāchārya's Śrī Vachana Bhūṣaṇam) are written in maṇipravāḷam, honouring both languages simultaneously.
Tamil's Special Place in Recitation: In Śrī Vaiṣṇava temples, Divya Prabandham is sung in the same ritual space and with the same reverence as Sanskrit Vedic hymns — the ubhaya Veda sevā. This is a living liturgical affirmation that drāviḍa bhāṣā stands equal to Sanskrit in the eyes of the tradition.