Abstract

The central hypothesis of this study is that Poykai Alvar's Mudal Tiruvantati transforms the whole world into a space of worship offered to the Lord. In the first pasuram, which begins 'vaiyam takaliya varkadale neyyaka veyya kathiron vilakkaka', the earth becomes the lamp bowl, the ocean the ghee and the sun the flame. Identifying these three elements of nature (earth, sea and light) as clusters of images that recur throughout the work, the article examines from an ecocritical perspective how they construct Vaishnava religious sensibility. A theoretical framework that combines cultural ecology, sacred ecology and the tinai theory of the Tolkappiyam is used. Close reading of the pasurams, analysis of imagery and thematic classification are the methods. The study concludes that in the Mudal Tiruvantati nature functions not as a mere backdrop but as the body (sariram) of the Lord, as an instrument of worship and as a field of ethical relationship. This view, which regards nature not as an object to be exploited but as a related being to be revered and worshipped, stands as a cultural alternative for thinking about today's ecological crisis.

Keywords

References

15 references
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How to Cite

A., S., G., G., & V. C., S. (2026). உலகமே வழிபாட்டு வெளி: பொய்கையாழ்வாரின் முதல் திருவந்தாதியில் இயற்கைப் படிமங்களும் வைணவ இறையுணர்வும்: The World as a Space of Worship: Nature Imagery and Vaishnava Religious Sensibility in Poykai Alvar’s Mudal Tiruvantati. KALANJIYAM - International Journal of Tamil Studies, 10(06), 148-164. https://doi.org/10.63300/KIJTS10n06m112026.11
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