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Rh 111

II

which we think was only a title and he is believed to have been the son of a Rishi named Bhargava, but brought up by a man of the hunting tribe. This latter statement is borne out by his own admission which occurs in the Tiru-chanda-viruttain :

குலங்களாய வீரிரண்டி லொன்றிலும் பிறந்திலேன் நலங்களாய நற்கலைகள் நாலிலும் நவின்றிலேன். His writings, however, show that he should have acquired equal proficiency both in Sanskrit and Tamil and a competent knowledge of the sacred books of the other sects and religions. His mastery of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Vishnupuranais displayed in both his poems. He was throughout his life a rancorous opponent to the Saivas, Jains and Buddhists, and a devout worshipper of Vishnu :(1) அறியார் சமண ரயர்த்தார் பவுத்தர்

சிறியார் சிவப் பட்டார். (2) பேணிலும் வரந்தர மிடுக்கிலா த தேவரை

ஆணமென் றடைந்து வாழு மா தர்காள். Tirumalisai Alvar was a monotheist as he himself admits that தேருங்கால் தேவனொருவனென்றுரைப்பார், and preached that that one god was Vishnu while the other two of the triad-Bralima and Siva-were created by him :

நான்முகனை நாராயணன் படைத்தான் நான்முகனும்

தான்முகமாய்ச் சங்கரனைத் தான் படைத்தான் ! Further he was a pantheist and held that Vishnu is omnipresent and pervades the whole universe,