The Great Antādi
Periya Tiruvantādi ('The Great Tiruvantādi') is Nammāzhvār's fourth composition — 87 verses in the antādi style (a form where the last syllable/word of each verse becomes the first of the next, creating a daisy-chain structure). Along with Tiruviruttam, Tiruvāsiṟiyam, and Tiruvāymozhi, it completes the four Nammāzhvār prabandhams.
Antādi Structure
The antādi ('end-beginning') structure is theologically significant: the poem has no true beginning or end — it circulates continuously, just as the jīva's relationship with Brahman is beginningless and eternal. The last verse flows into the first, creating a meditative loop.
Content
Periya Tiruvantādi covers: the soul's recognition of its essential relationship to the Lord; the beauty and accessibility of the archa-avatāra; the anguish and joy of alternating viraha and milana (separation and union); doctrinal statements about Brahman's supremacy, the soul's dependence, and the means of liberation; and the practical role of the ācārya in the path.
Distinction from Other Antādis
The title Periya does not mean that this work is longer. It has 87 pāsurams, whereas each of the three antādis of Poigai, Bhūtat, and Pey Āzhvārs has 100. The traditional explanation is that Periya signifies the work’s greatness in meaning and excellence, not numerical length.