Mangalasasanam () refers to a
Vaishnava
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
concept in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, where a devotee offers their salutations and felicitations upon God due to a profound sense of concern for the latter, and also as an exercise of forgetting their sense of self.
Hymns
The concept of mangalasasanam is often associated with the ''pasurams'' (verses) of the
Alvars
The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and ...
, who during the early medieval period of
Tamil history
The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Drav ...
(between the 7th and 10th centuries CE), worshipped
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
and his
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
s through their hymns. This collection of their hymns is known as the
Naalayira Divya Prabhandham
The Naalayira Divya Prabandham ( ta, நாலாயிரத் திவ்வியப் பிரபந்தம், lit=Four Thousand Divine Hymns, translit=Nālāyira Divya Prabandham) is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by ...
. The
Sri Vaishnava
Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...
shrines that were extolled by the Alvars are called the
Divya Desams
A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnava tradition.
Of the 108 temples, 10 ...
, where a number of these poet-saints offered their mangalasasanam.
Classification
The below table provides a classification for the mangalasananams offered by the Alvars:
Gallery
Some of the famous Divya Desams the mangalasanams were uttered include the following temples:
File:Srirangam rajagopuram.jpg, Srirangam
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first amon ...
Temple
File:Varadharajar3.jpg, Varadaraja Perumal Temple
File:Gopuras in Kumbakonam - India.JPG, Sarangapani Temple
Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India.
It is one of the ''Divya Desams'', the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. This temp ...
Srivilliputhur4.jpg, Srivilliputhur
Srivilliputhur (), is a Municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 75,396. The most important landmark of Srivilliputhur is 11-tiered tower structure dedicated to the Vatapat ...
Temple
File:AzhagarKovil Madurai.JPG, Azhagar Kovil
File:Tirumala temple.JPG, Tirupathi Venkateshwara Temple
File:Koviladi1.jpg, Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple
Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple or Thirupper Nagar, is a Hindu temple located in Koviladi, a village from Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Vishnu and is one of the ''Divya Desams''the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira ...
File:Tirukannapuram10.JPG, Neelamegha Perumal Temple
Neela Megha Perumal Temple or Sowriraja Perumal Temple is a Divyadesam temple in Thirukannapuram, a village in the outskirts of Nagapattinam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Drav ...
Notes
References
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{{Famous Vishnu temples
Hindu texts