I attended a lecture by Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan at Srinivasa Sastri hall, Luz, Mylapore, on January 1, 2017. I typed out some excerpts on Facebook. Now in 2026, I am posting this in my blog. Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan has been an absolutely outstanding public speaker, especially on Tamil literature, specifically bhakti literature, over the last decade or so. I first heard him speak on the last day of Tamil Heritage Trust's 2013 Pechu Kacheri on Srirangam, held at PS High School, Mylapore. Since then he has delivered several lectures at THT Pechu Kacheris, won the first THT Swaminathan award in 2020, and has become an honoured scholar of the Dharmapuram Adheenam.
In this 2017 talk, I have jotted down notes from his talk on Periyazhwar, whose Tamil poems are the first chapter of the Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam (The Four Thousand Divine Poems Anthology), the most sacred and venerable literature of Tamil Vaishnavism or Sri Vaishnavism, as it is also called.
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Why is Vishnu Chittan called Periyazhvar? Srirangam's answer : because he became Periya Perumal's father in law. Manavaala Maamuni says because Periya parivu hence the name. Even if he's not an early alwar, he is placed first among the twelve. I need five days just to explain pallandu pasuram, says Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan. Madurai has all the qualifications with Vedic scholars to deserve an ashtaanga vimanam.
First adiyaar, then only thaayaar. There are detailed discussions on why his conch is called "appaanchajanyam" not just paanchajanyam.
Manavaala Maamuni, also called Periya Jeeyar, wrote a commentary (vyaakyaanam - உரை) for Periyazhvar pasuram. It's doubtful whether Yasoda experienced Kannan as much as Periyazhvar. Similarly, doubtful whether Azhvar himself wrote with such beauty as Manavaala Maamuni.
Why didn't some Azhvars sing their towns like Mylapore or Tirumazhisai? This cannot be answered.
Kannan Keshavan Nambi was born in Tirukoshtiyur says Periyazhvar. (The microphone comes on, now, as the electrical engineers hover around the hall like bees around the eighth century gardens of Allikkeni). The birth house receives the title Kannan Murram.
What followed was an exposition of the PillaI Tamil, a special type of Tamil poetry that describes episodes from the life of God Krishna as he grows up from a toddler to an adult.
Srirangam has a Kannan shrine where he is call Kovil Pillai, a Kannan with a ball of butter in his hand. In a pasuram, Yashoda says her body waned as she cannot bear the baby's tightness of grip and leaps when she carried him as an infant.
Nine gems for nine fingers and gold for the tenth, look at his unparalleled feet, sings Periyazhvar. Slowly goes from feet to hair, full of metaphors and similes in this decade of Pasurams.
(How influential were the silpa sastraas and the depiction of lotus feet and coral lips in paintings, on the Tamil of the Azhvars? Or did Sanskrit phrases like kunjita paadam predate and influence artist's imaginations? )
A lullaby. Rubies interspersed with diamonds for the infant's cradle, given by Brahma (whom you created, Krishna!) MaaNikuraLavanE thaaaleelo (மாணிக்குறளவனே தாலேலோ). Even Ilango Adigal in Silappadikaaram describes the heroic deeds of Kurma avatar in two lines, then that Yasoda tied those hands in the next two வடவரையை மத்தாக்கி. So Periyaazhvaar describes first the baby then his heroism as Ulagalandaan.
Siva as Kaapaali brought you a pomegranate flower, don't cry seeing him, O Kanna.... A lullaby to He who measured the Earth...
Noopura Ganga, which didn't even touch Siva's hair...at a recent seminar on Mamallapuram there was a debate whether the Great Penance panel is of Arjuna or Bhagiratha Penance, and an explanation that the Ganga which Siva bore on his locks came from the kamandala water Brahma used to wash Trivikramas feet. I speak all this at Kapali kshetram, such is the irony quips, Madhusudhanan
Shows not the moon to Kannan, but asks the moon to look at Kannan's face as he plays in the mud after crawling, if Chandra, you have eyes to see Kannan. நின் முகம் கண்ணுளவாகில்.. Lovely folk tune sung by JB Keerthana, accompanied by a lilting mridgangam.
Don't underestimate (igazhel) this young lion (iLanchingam) as a small child, ask Mahabali about smallness and be warned. இளஞ்சிங்கத்தை இகழேல்!
Sengeerai stage (செங்கீரை பருவம்) God who's darker than his eye shadow, பங்கய நீள் நயனத்து, who is in yoga nidra, யோகு துயில், on a banyan leaf between eons... Very melodious rendering by Keerthana. Charming flute by Shruti Saagar.
Chappaani stage (சப்பாணி பருவம்) Clap your tiny hands in Chappaani, which sought three feet of land and also churned the ocean by tying up Vasuki as a rope around the Mandaara mountain வடம் சுற்றி வாசுகி வன்கயிறாக
Thalarnadai stage (தளர்நடை பருவம்) Shaarnga, Vishnu's bow, walked all over the forest observing Rama's feet, even Sita was separated for a while.
Kannan called himself Balarama's younger brother முன்னலோர் வெள்ளிப் பெருமலைகுட்டன், பின்னை தொடர்ந்ததோர் கருமலைகுட்டன் Tottering (accho) stage (அச்சோ பருவம்) . The stage when totters as he walks and Yasoda and Periyazhvar want to hold him so he won't fall. Acho acho, he exclaims. 460 stanzas that cannot be explained in a bare two hours. We will continue next month, with the rest of the Pillaithamizh. So we wrap up with Pallandu Pallandu.
Aptly Mr S Kannan, one of the founders of THT, and a polymath scholar in hiding, thanks performers and says Usha (mother of singer Keerthana and flute player Shruti Saagar) and Dr Sundar's keenness was fuel - ஆர்வமே நெய்யாக
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Other Lecture notes in my blog
