Tiruvandādi — Sacred Antādi Poetry
Tiruvandādi combines tiru (sacred) with antādi (antam = end, ādi = beginning). In this Tamil literary form, the last word, phrase or sound of one pāsuram becomes the beginning of the next, producing a linked garland of remembrance and praise.
The Mudal Āzhvārs
According to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava guru-paramparā account, Poigai Āzhvār, Bhūtat Āzhvār and Pey Āzhvār were brought together on a stormy night at Tirukkōvilūr. Bhagavān's presence in their crowded shelter generated the first three Tiruvandādis:
- Mudal Tiruvandādi — Poigai Āzhvār, 100 pāsurams
- Iraṇḍām Tiruvandādi — Bhūtat Āzhvār, 100 pāsurams
- Mūṉṟām Tiruvandādi — Pey Āzhvār, 100 pāsurams
Their opening pāsurams famously move from the lamp of the cosmos, to the lamp of love, to the direct vision of the Divine Couple.
Other Tiruvandādis
Other important examples include Tirumazhisai Āzhvār's Nānmugan Tiruvandādi, Nammāzhvār's Periya Tiruvandādi, and the later Rāmānuja Nūṟṟandādi of Tiruvaraṅgattamudhanār. Tiruvāimoḻi also uses antādi linkage although its title is not Tiruvandādi.
The first three Tiruvandādis belong to the Iyaṟpā division of the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham. They are not works called Mudalāyiram, Iraṇḍāyiram or Mūṉṟāyiram, and Kulacēkara Āzhvār is not the author of a separate 'Fourth Tiruvandādi.' Their exact position in a recitation programme follows the established Prabandham order and the temple's sevākāla practice.