What Makes a Grantham
Grantham (Sanskrit: grantha = text, book, composition) in Śrī Vaiṣṇava usage refers to the authoritative textual corpus — works that have been validated by the sampradāya and transmit doctrinal or devotional truth. The canon includes:
- Āzhvār granthams: The Nālāyira Divya Prabandham (all 4,000 pāsurams)
- Pūrvācārya granthams: Works by Nāthamunigaḷ, Āḷavandār, Rāmānuja, Kūrattāzhvān, Piḷḷai Lokācārya, Vedānta Deśika, Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ, and others
- Sanskrit pramāṇa-granthams: Upaniṣads, Brahma Sūtras, Bhagavad Gītā, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Pañcarātra Āgamas
Studying Granthams
Studying a grantham without the Ācārya's oral guidance (kālakṣepam) is considered incomplete — the text is the skeleton; the living transmission supplies the flesh. Śrī Sūkti ('auspicious utterances') specifically refers to the works of Āzhvārs and Ācāryas, treating each word as divinely inspired speech.