Books by Suganya Anandakichenin
De Gruyter, 2024
For my Blemishless Lord presents the text and translation of the exquisite poem Amalaṉ Āti Pirāṉ ... more For my Blemishless Lord presents the text and translation of the exquisite poem Amalaṉ Āti Pirāṉ by Tiruppāṇ Āḻvār, which is part of the Śrīvaiṣṇava canon, the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham (6th – 9th centuries CE), together with the three Śrīvaiṣṇava commentaries in Tamil-Sanskrit Manipravalam (13th – 14th centuries) by key figures in the medieval religious history of South Asia, namely, Periyavāccāṉ Piḷḷai, Aḻakiya Maṇavāḷa Perumāḷ Nāyaṉār, and Vedānta Deśikaṉ.
Offering the first fully annotated, complete translation of these exegetical writings, this volume analyses the language, commentary techniques, and theological positions of the commentators. Looking also at cultural, religious, and other allusions made by them, it places them in their literary, social, and religious backgrounds during a period of budding dissent within the Śrīvaiṣṇava community, to which they contributed at least in part.
This rich resource is made available in English for the first time for students of Tamil and Manipravala, theology, religious history, and philology.
To cite: For My Blemishless Lord. A Study of Three Śrīvaiṣṇava Medieval Commentaries on Tiruppāṇāḻvār’s Amalaṉ Āti Pirāṉ. Beyond Boundaries Series 11. Berlin: De Gruyter, xi + 377 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110773231
Primus Books , 2024
This is the flyer of my recent book, "The Monsoon Cloud: Poet Kāḷamēka Pulavar and His Irreverent... more This is the flyer of my recent book, "The Monsoon Cloud: Poet Kāḷamēka Pulavar and His Irreverent Poetry" (Primus, 2024), published in David Shulman's NEEM series. This comes with a preface by David Shulman.
My Sapphire-hued Lord, my Beloved! Perumāḷ Tirumoḻi and of its Medieval Maṇipravāḷa Commentary by Periyavāccāṉ Piḷḷai with an Introduction, 2018
This is the published version of my dissertation.
To cite this version:
Suganya Anandakichenin. ... more This is the published version of my dissertation.
To cite this version:
Suganya Anandakichenin. My Sapphire-hued Lord, my Beloved! Perumāḷ Tirumoḻi and of its Medieval Maṇipravāḷa Commentary by Periyavāccāṉ Piḷḷai with an Introduction: Kulacēkara Āḻvār’s Perumāḷ Tirumoḻi. Suganya ANANDAKICHENIN. Institut français de Pondichéry; École française d’Extrême-Orient, 136, 615 p., 2018, Collection Indologie, 9782855392264. <halshs-01892317>
Edited Volumes by Suganya Anandakichenin
Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, 2020
Collection Indologie, EFEO/IFP, 2020
This volume presents several detailed studies of the commentary traditions from South India with ... more This volume presents several detailed studies of the commentary traditions from South India with a particular on emphasis on Tamil but extended to Sanskrit and Telugu as well. The importance of commentaries for our understanding of classical Indian languages and their literatures has long been acknowledged, but rarely have the commentaries themselves, especially minor ones, been the subject of systematic study. Contributors to this volume have begun to remedy this desideratum in several ways. Some have described the specific methods employed by particular commentators and offered translations of passages many of which have never before been rendered into English. Others have examined what impact ancient commentators have had on the development of modern philological and lexicographical tools. More broadly, the role of the commentary in textual exegesis has been taken up by several authors, and, in one case, this has led to an extension of the very notion of a commentary to include translation. This volume will serve as an important reference point for further research into commentarial traditions both in India and around the world.
Book chapters by Suganya Anandakichenin
Routledge, 2024
From the volume: Vaiṣṇava Concepts of God
Philosophical Perspectives
This document is from the ... more From the volume: Vaiṣṇava Concepts of God
Philosophical Perspectives
This document is from the last proof.
Articles by Suganya Anandakichenin
South-Indian Manuscripts in Hamburg and Paris: Paratexts and Provenance TST project (ANR & DFG, 2019–2023), 2025
The SUB collection comprises a number of palm-leaf manuscripts that seem to trace their origins t... more The SUB collection comprises a number of palm-leaf manuscripts that seem to trace their origins to Śrīvaiṣṇavas in South India. There are those that contain Vaiṣṇava works (e.g. the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham, or the more sectarian Rahasyatrayasāram by Vedānta Deśikaṉ), and those that contain works of a more general interest (logic, poetics, and so forth), which most erudite scholars of that time and place would have been learned and engaged with. Among the first group, we find manuscripts that belonged to both the Vaṭakalai and Teṉkalai schools, with their own peculiar signs. Among the second group, there exist a few manuscripts that seem to have originally belonged to a few Śrīvaiṣṇavas located in the Mysore region. Despite the relative diversity of the contents, most of these manuscripts bear distinct signs of their Śrīvaiṣṇava provenance. This paper deals with those particular signs (invocations, blessings, colophons) in order to discover what they have to tell us about the people to whom the MSS belonged.
Journal of Indian Philosophy, 2024
Among the many works that Vedānta Deśikan (traditional dates: 1268-1369), a most eminent theologi... more Among the many works that Vedānta Deśikan (traditional dates: 1268-1369), a most eminent theologian of all times-composed in his lifetime, his minor works-thirty in number and collectively known as the Cillaṟai rahasyam ('miscellaneous esoterica')-stand out like guides meant to help those eager Śrīvaiṣṇavas who lack time to deepen their knowledge of Viśiṣṭādvaita by the study of longer and deeper texts. One such rahasyam is the Upakārasaṅgraham, in which Deśikaṉ deals (almost exhaustively) with the theme of God's countless acts of upakāra ('aid, help, favour') upon the individual souls. This beneficence of God's forms the very basis of Viśiṣṭādvaita, as it involves a discussion of one the three tattvas ('realities'), namely, God, (and by extension, the sentient entity), as well as on mokṣa ('liberation'), which is the ultimate aim of the Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas. In this article, which is ultimately meant to introduce to the reader an important but littleknown text, I shall explore the topic of infinite divine upakāra as elaborated upon by Vedānta Deśikan in his Upakārasaṅgraham, which, according to this text, ought to inspire human gratitude. And in the process, we shall also examine the nature and object(s) of God's acts of upakāra, and the means through which He proceeds to bestow them.
Journal of Indian Knowledge Systems, 2025
This essay explores the teaching practices of the Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas in the medieval Tamil-speak... more This essay explores the teaching practices of the Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas in the medieval Tamil-speaking region (12th-15th centuries). Rooted in the Viśiṣṭādvaita tradition, these teachers played a crucial role in transmitting knowledge and guiding students toward liberation. The essay examines the objects of knowledge and texts taught by Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas, the social dynamics of teaching and learning, and the pedagogical methods employed. It reveals a blended approach of oral and written transmission, emphasizing teacher-disciple relationships. The study also grapples with the question of what constitutes a good Ācārya, highlighting the pivotal role of the individual teacher. By investigating the world of teaching among the Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas, this essay offers insights into knowledge transmission and tradition preservation, relevant to both pre-modern and modern India. Building on Hartmut Scharfe's foundational work, this study contributes to our understanding of medieval Indian pedagogy.
Manuscript Cultures, 2023
This article deals with a single multiple-text manuscript (MTM) – from a collection that was unca... more This article deals with a single multiple-text manuscript (MTM) – from a collection that was uncatalogued when received by the present author (and catalogued since then)
and strives to describe it in its context and make a few hypotheses about its scribe’s identity, reading practices, and so forth.
Journal of South Asian Intellectual History , 2023
The Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas (from the 12th century onwards), erudite scholars in Sanskrit and Tam... more The Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas (from the 12th century onwards), erudite scholars in Sanskrit and Tamil literatures inter alia, were prolific writers in both languages, as well as in Manipravalam, While they mostly wrote to explain and transmit their doctrinal views, they were also capable of enjoying the root texts with which they worked, and in the process, of infusing their own writings (such as commentaries) with rasa. One particular example of this is Periyavāccāṉ Piḷḷai's Rāmāyaṇa Taṉiślokam (13th century), a theological commentary in Manipravalam on a selection of verses from the Sanskrit epic. Based on a detailed study of Piḷḷai's commentary on verse 1.72.17, this article examines why Piḷḷai makes a theological commentary filled with rasa in the first place, as well as how he manages to do it (e.g. by means of the language that he uses, the knowledge, values, and worldviews, and so forth that he shares with his audience). We shall also explore the results of his undertaking. In the process, we shall also note how he differs from his more conventional counterparts, such as Govindarāja (16th century).
Journal of Hindu Studies, 2023
Worshipping the feet, footprints, and sandals (pādukā) of deities and revered people is a widespr... more Worshipping the feet, footprints, and sandals (pādukā) of deities and revered people is a widespread practice across South Asia (and throughout the world) that cuts across belief systems. And the Śrīvaiṣṇavas are no exception: on the one hand, they receive the benediction of the Lord's feet upon their heads in the form of the śaṭhāri, on a visit to a temple or a maṭha. And on the other hand, they worship the feet of their own Ācārya(s) and/or their pādukās, as well as those who belonged to their Ācārya lineage. In this article, I shall deal with the second practice, with a special focus on the manifold ways in which the Ācāryas' pādukās are honoured institutionally in some of the Śrīvaiṣṇava maṭhas in South India, and on how the disciples of those religious institutions replicate some of the customs at home for their private worship. Given that there are many branches and families of Śrīvaiṣṇavas, differences in the worshipping practices have inevitably crept in, and in this article, I shall seek to understand those differences based on a few examples.
Nidan: International Journal for Indian Studies, 2022
The story of Tatipantan (<Skt-Dadhibhanda) the potter, his pot and Krsna are popular among the Ta... more The story of Tatipantan (<Skt-Dadhibhanda) the potter, his pot and Krsna are popular among the Tamils. Traditional discoursers never tire of narrating how Tatipantan saved Krsna from Yasoda's anger in exchange for liberation, not just for himself, but also for his pot, within which he had hidden Krsna. Neither the epics nor the Puranas allude to this story nor do, interestingly, the Alvars (6th century to 9th century). The Srivaisnava Acaryas (mainly from the 12th century onwards) are the first to mention it, but only in passing, in their commentaries on Alvar poetry, in one of their hagiographic works, and in an influential theological treatise, as well as in a couple of praise-poems. But this, still, does not really provide us any details. One of the two Pakavatams (i.e., Bhagavatapuranas) in Tamil, known as the Puranapakavatam composed by Arulala Tacar in the 16th century (1989), however, does expand on the story, and this is one of the features that makes the Puranapakavatam unique. Some of the epistemic questions this article seeks to explore are: Where and when does the story of Tatipantan originate? Could it be a folktale that entered the Krsna-lore? How did a potter enter the repertoire of the Srivaisnavas? Why did his story grow in importance? This paper tracks the evolution of this fascinating legend and its integration into mainstream religious culture and literature in the Tamil land of the 2nd millennium.
Kalyāṇamitra, A Treasure House of History, Culture and Archaeological: Festschrift to Prof. P. Chenna Reddy, 2023
In Srīvaiṣṇavism, the cult of the Ācārya is at least as important as worship offered to Nārāyaṇa,... more In Srīvaiṣṇavism, the cult of the Ācārya is at least as important as worship offered to Nārāyaṇa, if not more so, for various reasons. As a matter of fact, many Śrīvaiṣṇava Acaryas have most emphatically
taught about its vital nature, directly or indirectly, already from the times of Ramanuja’s direct disciples like Tiruvaraṅkattamutaṉār and Aruḷāḷa Perumāḷ Emperumāṉār (ca. 12th c.); and then, Periyavaccaṉ Piḷḷai (13th c.)3; but even more so from Piḷḷai Lokacarya’s times (traditional dates: 1205–1311 CE) onwards. Commentaries and doctrinal treatises, like Piḷḷai Lokacarya’s Srivacanabhuṣaṇam (SVB), deal with the topic more or less extensively. And the many hagiographic texts further highlight the place and the centrality of the Ācārya and his cult among the Śrīvaiṣṇavas.
Rivista degli Studi Orientali , 2022
THIS IS A PRE-TYPESET VERSION OF MY ARTICLE
Śrī is a versatile term that was brought into Tamil r... more THIS IS A PRE-TYPESET VERSION OF MY ARTICLE
Śrī is a versatile term that was brought into Tamil relatively early, rendered into (rather than translated) in various ways, sometimes even depending on whether it stands as an individual word or in a compound, in order to convey the many meanings that it already had in Sanskrit. While the Āḻvārs themselves play with its multiple nuances, it is the advent of the bilingual Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas that both increases its importance and the frequency of its use, and creates occasions for them to integrate its supposed etymological meanings, which the Tamil is not conversant with, into their theology. Thus, we have Ācāryas like Piḷḷai Lokācārya, and especially the urbane Vedānta Deśika, who draw from older texts like the Ahirbudhnyasaṃhitā to enrich their works in Manipravala and Tamil, like the Mumukṣuppaṭi and Sārasāram, but also their poetry in Tamil in an innovative way, like when Deśika translates some of the etymological meanings of śrī, rather than the word itself, into Tamil in his Mummaṇikkōvai.
The World of the Orient, 2022
The article is dedicated to Tirumaḻicai Āḻvār (ca. 7th c.), who is one of the early Āḻvārs, Tamil... more The article is dedicated to Tirumaḻicai Āḻvār (ca. 7th c.), who is one of the early Āḻvārs, Tamil saint-poets devoted to Viṣṇu (ca. 6th –9th c. CE). He was a younger contemporary of Pēy, Poykai, and Pūtam. In contrast to them, Tirumaḻicai’s temperament is feisty, as he has little patience for people who differ from his views, and can be utterly provocative towards anyone. He is also very different from most of his successors like Periyāḻvār or Nammāḻvār, in the sense that his poetry is not overly emotional, with no heart-rending or pleading nor excessive joy, since his is a more in-tellectual kind of bhakti. His two works, namely, the Nāṉmukaṉ Tiruvantāti and the Tiruccanta-viruttam, bear testimony to that fact. His is a unique voice that deserves to be studied in some depth, which this article only begins to do. The focus of the article is the irreverent verses by Tirumaḻicai to understand the poet who produced them. Who was Tirumaḻicai, especially in terms of his background and his character? Why were his verses termed “controversial”? Who was the target of his irreverence? And who inspired his poetry? Does he follow the norms and the examples set by his predecessors, e.g. the Caṅkam poets and the other bhakti poets or does he break away from them? In what ways? And how has his voice survived throughout the centuries? Did it undergo a transformation that guaranteed its survival or did it remain intact? These are some questions dealt with in this article to make sense of the poet and his poetry. In order to gain a better understanding of his poetry, the article first introduces Tirumaḻicai based on his own words, supplying historical information whenever possible and/or necessary. Then there is a transition to his irreverent verses that bring out his bold voice loud and clear. And finally, a study of how his voice was transmitted in the centuries following his existence, and how it evolved in order to adapt itself to the needs and ideas of the Śrīvaiṣṇava scholars.
Religions of South Asia, 2022
This article examines how Villiputtūrār's fourteenth-century Pāratam, the most important Tamil re... more This article examines how Villiputtūrār's fourteenth-century Pāratam, the most important Tamil retelling of the Mahābhārata, focuses on Śiśupāla's tirade against Kṛṣṇa at Yudhiṣṭhira's sacrifice. This passage, which has fascinated many poets across the subcontinent over many centuries, is dealt with interestingly by Villiputtūrār, an erudite Śrīvaiṣṇava scholar and possibly a court poet. While his knowledge of the Sanskrit texts clearly shows in his verses, there is also something very peculiar in his treatment of Śiśupāla and his speech that is unique, and which could be the result of the Āḻvārs', and perhaps even the Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas', compositions. This article will examine the words of Villiputtūrār's Śiśupāla in light of a selection of texts, and will also assess his impact on the later Tamil poets, notably on the two poets who rendered the Bhāgavatapurāṇa into the vernacular language barely a century or two later.
Nāgābharaṇa: Recent Trends in Jainism. Festschift to Professor Hampa Nagarajaiah (Hampana), 2022
This is a brief article on the Jain link in the Āḻvār poetry (how they are perceived and portraye... more This is a brief article on the Jain link in the Āḻvār poetry (how they are perceived and portrayed, and how they have influenced the Vaiṣṇava poets).
Journal of Vaishnava Studies, 2021
This is a brief article on the śaṭhari-crown that is placed on the head of the devotee as a bless... more This is a brief article on the śaṭhari-crown that is placed on the head of the devotee as a blessing in Śrīvaiṣṇava temples.
Colophons, Prefaces, Satellite Stanza – Paratextual Elements and Their Role in Transmission History, 2020
Before reciting a canonical work, discussing it or engaging in
any other equally solemn activity... more Before reciting a canonical work, discussing it or engaging in
any other equally solemn activity, the Śrīvaiṣṇavas recite
what they refer to as taṉiyaṉs, "solitary" invocatory verses,
which are not part of the composition that they precede, but
which they actually introduce and praise, sometimes along
with its author. In this contribution I focus on the
(approximately) fifty taṉiyaṉs solely dedicated to the NTP,
as well as similar solitary verses known under different
denominations by the Śrīvaiṣṇavas. And the aim is to
introduce this peculiar Śrīvaiṣṇava verse in its larger context,
and to provide information on its types, contents, styles,
functions, authorship and dating.
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Books by Suganya Anandakichenin
Offering the first fully annotated, complete translation of these exegetical writings, this volume analyses the language, commentary techniques, and theological positions of the commentators. Looking also at cultural, religious, and other allusions made by them, it places them in their literary, social, and religious backgrounds during a period of budding dissent within the Śrīvaiṣṇava community, to which they contributed at least in part.
This rich resource is made available in English for the first time for students of Tamil and Manipravala, theology, religious history, and philology.
To cite: For My Blemishless Lord. A Study of Three Śrīvaiṣṇava Medieval Commentaries on Tiruppāṇāḻvār’s Amalaṉ Āti Pirāṉ. Beyond Boundaries Series 11. Berlin: De Gruyter, xi + 377 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110773231
To cite this version:
Suganya Anandakichenin. My Sapphire-hued Lord, my Beloved! Perumāḷ Tirumoḻi and of its Medieval Maṇipravāḷa Commentary by Periyavāccāṉ Piḷḷai with an Introduction: Kulacēkara Āḻvār’s Perumāḷ Tirumoḻi. Suganya ANANDAKICHENIN. Institut français de Pondichéry; École française d’Extrême-Orient, 136, 615 p., 2018, Collection Indologie, 9782855392264. <halshs-01892317>
Edited Volumes by Suganya Anandakichenin
Book chapters by Suganya Anandakichenin
Philosophical Perspectives
This document is from the last proof.
Articles by Suganya Anandakichenin
and strives to describe it in its context and make a few hypotheses about its scribe’s identity, reading practices, and so forth.
taught about its vital nature, directly or indirectly, already from the times of Ramanuja’s direct disciples like Tiruvaraṅkattamutaṉār and Aruḷāḷa Perumāḷ Emperumāṉār (ca. 12th c.); and then, Periyavaccaṉ Piḷḷai (13th c.)3; but even more so from Piḷḷai Lokacarya’s times (traditional dates: 1205–1311 CE) onwards. Commentaries and doctrinal treatises, like Piḷḷai Lokacarya’s Srivacanabhuṣaṇam (SVB), deal with the topic more or less extensively. And the many hagiographic texts further highlight the place and the centrality of the Ācārya and his cult among the Śrīvaiṣṇavas.
Śrī is a versatile term that was brought into Tamil relatively early, rendered into (rather than translated) in various ways, sometimes even depending on whether it stands as an individual word or in a compound, in order to convey the many meanings that it already had in Sanskrit. While the Āḻvārs themselves play with its multiple nuances, it is the advent of the bilingual Śrīvaiṣṇava Ācāryas that both increases its importance and the frequency of its use, and creates occasions for them to integrate its supposed etymological meanings, which the Tamil is not conversant with, into their theology. Thus, we have Ācāryas like Piḷḷai Lokācārya, and especially the urbane Vedānta Deśika, who draw from older texts like the Ahirbudhnyasaṃhitā to enrich their works in Manipravala and Tamil, like the Mumukṣuppaṭi and Sārasāram, but also their poetry in Tamil in an innovative way, like when Deśika translates some of the etymological meanings of śrī, rather than the word itself, into Tamil in his Mummaṇikkōvai.
any other equally solemn activity, the Śrīvaiṣṇavas recite
what they refer to as taṉiyaṉs, "solitary" invocatory verses,
which are not part of the composition that they precede, but
which they actually introduce and praise, sometimes along
with its author. In this contribution I focus on the
(approximately) fifty taṉiyaṉs solely dedicated to the NTP,
as well as similar solitary verses known under different
denominations by the Śrīvaiṣṇavas. And the aim is to
introduce this peculiar Śrīvaiṣṇava verse in its larger context,
and to provide information on its types, contents, styles,
functions, authorship and dating.