Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Yoga / Hindu

14th Century

India
(Indian Subcontinent)

Avaiyar

Timeline (14th Century)

Poems by Avaiyar
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There have been perhaps three female poets with the name Avaiyar in South India. The first was the South Indian equivalent of Mother Goose, usually described as a wandering old woman who told stories imparting moral lessons that are still widely read by children in South India today.

We present the poetry of a later Avaiyar, the 14th century author of the Vinayagar Agaval, a classic Tamil work that is recited in temples and homes. Avaiyar's poetry seems to follow a tradition similar to that of the Tamil Siddhas, filled with occult references to the elaborate psycho-spiritual energetic systems of Kundalini Yoga, as well as the more heterodox goddess imagery of Tantrism.

Given the arcane and sometimes technical nature of Avaiyar's Vinayagar Agaval, it is surprising that it is particularly associated with worship of the elephant-headed god Ganesha, the jovial, fat-bellied god of bounty and overcoming obstacles -- not a god usually associated with the more elaborately technical approaches to yoga and spirituality.

Poems by Avaiyar

Vinayagar Agaval

Related Links:

	An Introduction to the Tamil Siddhas - Layne Little http://www.levity.com/alchemy/tamil_si.html A good, detailed article about Tamil Siddha mysticism and poetry, with a few references to Avaiyar.
	Avaiyar's Vinayagar Agaval http://www.levity.com/alchemy/vinayaga.html The Vinayar Agaval translated with commentary by Layne Little.
	Avaiyar - Factbites http://www.factbites.com/topics/Avaiyar Several brief facts and notes about Avaiyar.

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Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Avaiyar

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Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World