Akilattirattu Ammanai
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Akilathirattu Ammanai (Tamil: அகிலத்திரட்டு அம்மானை) (akilam (world) + thirattu (collection) + ammanai (ballad)), also called Thiru Edu (venerable book), is the main religious book of the Southern Indian belief system Ayyavazhi. The title is often abbreviated to Akilam or Akilathirattu.
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[edit] History
According to the book, Akilam, Hari Gopalan Citar wrote this book on the twenty-seventh day of the Tamil month of Karthikai (November/December) in the year 1841 CE.[1] The author claims that God woke him up during his sleep and commissioned him to take dictation of what he said. Akilathirattu was recorded on palm leaves until 1939, when it was given printed form.[2]
According to the author, the book is the story of God coming in this age, the Kali Yukam or Iron Age, to rule the world by transforming it into the Dharma Yukam. This story of faith has woven together the historical facts about Ayya Vaikundar and his activities with reinterpretations of episodes from the Hindu Puranas (mythologies) and Itihasas (epics).[3] It is presented as if Vishnu is narrating the whole story to his consort Lakshmi.
Though the Citar Hari Gopalan wrote the book Akilam, he claimed that he did not know any thing about the contents of the book. He woke up in the morning as usual and he didn't know what he had written the day before. Another legend says that he began it that night and continued through the following days. Others say that it was written beginning on Friday, 26th Karthikai (Tamil Calendar) 1016 M.E, and completed on seventeenth day on the second Sunday of Margazhi (Tamil Calendar) 1016 M.E.
Wnen Ayya Vaikundar died, the tied-up palm leaf manuscript, which was until then not opened, was unfolded. It contained the regulations of the Ayyavazhi sect. As per the instructions found there in Akilam, Ayyavazhi was preached by the Citars far and wide.
[edit] Style
Akilam is in two parts; the first is an account of the ages preceding that of the present age, the Kali Yukam, and the second is an account of the activities of Ayya Vaikundar leading up to his attaining Vaikundam.
Akilathirattu is written as a poem in the Tamil language. The narration alternates between two sub-genres called viruttam and natai. Both sub-genres employ many poetic devices like alliteration and hyperbatons.[4] It contains more than 15000 verse making up seventeen section.
[edit] Versions
The texts written by Hari Gopalan Citar is seen damaged and is hard to read the contents. There are three direct versions which were copied from this first version. They are,
- Panchalagkuricchi Version
- Swamithoppe Version
- Kottangadu Version
Of these, the Panchalankuricchi Version is believed to be written down by Hari Gopalan Citar by copying from the main version and the other two versions were copied later. Apart from these the Nariyan vilai Version, Varampetran-pantaram Version, Saravanantheri Version are the other early palm-leaf versions of Akilam.
Other release versions include the Palaramachandran version, the VTV published twice, the Kalai Ilakkiya-peravai Version and the Vivekanandan Version. But of these, The Ayya Vaikundar Thirukkudumbam version is often criticised for the removal and adding of additional Verse (poetry)s from various versions. It was argued that such additions and removals are made in over 300 pages. Though Thirukkudumbam claim that these additional lines were added from the early palm-leaf versions (Panchalankuricchi Version and Kottangadu Version) which are believed to be missing, to Akilam, this version is not accepted widely.
All the release versions except Palaramachandran version schedules the whole contents to seventeen sections as per the Thiru Eadu-vasippu partition. The Sentrathisai Ventraperumal version which was released in 1965 includes more than 2000 verse which were not found in other versions. The Palaramachandran version is the widely accepted and the largest circulated version.
[edit] Sections
The Akilam is divided into seventeen parts:
- Akilam one
- Akilam two
- Akilam three
- Akilam four
- Akilam five
- Akilam six
- Akilam seven
- Akilam eight
- Akilam nine
- Akilam ten
- Akilam eleven
- Akilam twelve
- Akilam thirteen
- Akilam fourteen
- Akilam fifteen
- Akilam sixteen
- Akilam seventeen
[edit] References
[edit] See also
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