Story of Bhootadh Alwar

Bhootadh alwar is otherwise known as Bhootha Yogi. He was born in Thirukkadal mallai, near modern Mahabalipuram. He composed Erandam (second) Thiruvanthadi 100 poems. He belonged to the same time of Poigai Alwar, that is, 4203 BCE. He was a crazy devotee who prayed Vishnu with total involment as a spirit. So people called him Bhootadh Alwar.

I have already written in the story of Poigai Alwar about the unique experience with Vishnu in the storm night in a mandapam.After that experience with Poigai Alwar and Pey Alwar, Bhootadh Alwar started to compose Thiruvanthadi.Since Poigai Alwar is mentioned as the first Alwar and his 100 poems are known as the Mutal Thiruvanthadi, Bhootadh Alwar is mentioned as the second Alwar and his 100 poems are known as the second Thiruvanthadi.

Bhootadh Alwar described the three Avatars of Vishnu in his poems.He described the Vamana Avatar as a dwarf who measured all three worlds with his feet; Narasimha Avatar as the form of Narasimha who killed tearing Eranyakashyap with his sharped nails and Sri Krishna as a cowherd little boy who swallowed the soil and showed Yashoda the whole universe in his mouth.

He believed immensely Namasankeerthana, that is, reciting the glorious names of the lord Vishnu including the Sahasranam.According to him the lord's name is the ultimate meaning of all Vedas and Upanishads.

Thiruvanthadi is composed in beautiful rich literary Tamil known as ChendTamil.So it will be hard for the new generations who are not proficient in literary Tamil. Therefore they need good translations. Works by Sri Raja Gopalan will be great for the people who show interest in Alwar's works.Sri Rajagopalan translated the first hymn of Bhootadh Alwar as follows:

With love as the lamp,

Deep yearning as the butter oil ,

And thoughts sokad in bliss Divine as the wick ,

I lit a sparkling spiritual light, Where the self melted and dissolved for Narayana,

 And composed this inspired Tamil poem,

 Illumined by that light.

     In second Thiruvanthati the first poem ends with the word 'naan'; while the second starts with the word ' gnon' and ends with the word 'parisu'; so the third poem starts with the word 'parisu'.In this unique manner all 100 poems are written with a garland of words known as Andati.