The Santror are the seven boys who were brought to life by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds, by
Thirumal
Perumal ( ta, பெருமாள் , translit=Perumāl) or Tirumal ( ta, திருமால், translit=Tirumāl) is a Hindu deity. Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora, who ...
, to the
Seven Virgins through their instrumentality, according to
Ayyavazhi mythology
Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the South Indian Hindu denomination religious faith known as Ayyavazhi, which is officially considered a Hindu sect. The main source of Ayyavazhi mythology is the Ayyavazhi scripture, Akilathirattu A ...
. It also represents their descendants. According to
Akilathirattu Ammanai
Akilathirattu Ammanai ( ta, அகிலத்திரட்டு அம்மானை; ''akilam'' ("world"), ''thirattu'' ("collection"), ''ammanai'' ("ballad")), also called Thiru Edu ("venerable book"), is the main religious text of the T ...
, it additionally represents one who lives with
Dignity
Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...
.
Santror Makkal is an alternative name for The Santror, frequently used in
Akilathirattu Ammanai
Akilathirattu Ammanai ( ta, அகிலத்திரட்டு அம்மானை; ''akilam'' ("world"), ''thirattu'' ("collection"), ''ammanai'' ("ballad")), also called Thiru Edu ("venerable book"), is the main religious text of the T ...
.
Birth of Santror
Santror Pirappu (The Birth of Santror): according to
Ayyavazhi mythology
Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the South Indian Hindu denomination religious faith known as Ayyavazhi, which is officially considered a Hindu sect. The main source of Ayyavazhi mythology is the Ayyavazhi scripture, Akilathirattu A ...
,
Thirumal
Perumal ( ta, பெருமாள் , translit=Perumāl) or Tirumal ( ta, திருமால், translit=Tirumāl) is a Hindu deity. Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora, who ...
, one of the
three godheads, made Saptha Kanniyar
(seven virgins) give birth to seven boys. This event is described here.
The Seven Virgins were faithful devotees of
Sivan. They regularly served at his feet a lump of water that they could miraculously gather in their hands. This water came from the mythical river
Ayotha Amirtha Gangai in which they bathed daily.
One day, Thirumal came upon these women and asked them to serve him instead of Sivan for a day. The women refused to his request, insisting they would only serve the all-powerful Sivan. Having been refused, Thirumal vowed to teach them a lesson while still fulfilling the divine plan of bringing forth his children through them. He then took seven seeds from the
Seven Logas above. When the women left the river after their baths, he caused the gentle cold wind (
Vayu
Vayu (, sa, वायु, ), also known as Vata and Pavana, is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine massenger of the gods. In the '' Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of ...
) to blow and the rain (
Varuna
Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...
) to lightly fall. When the women were shivering, Thirumal appeared to them again, this time in the form of fire. The women immediately encircled the flame. Thirumal then placed the seven seeds inside the wombs of each of the women. They instantly conceived and delivered seven boys. They were called Santror Makkal.
Realizing that they were delayed in their service to Sivan, the women left the infants in the river in a fist of fear and rushed to gather the water. Yet they could only gather the water in the shape of a mere ball. It was then they realized that they had been deceived. Not only could they not serve the feet of Sivan but they also could not raise the boys. They undertook a rigorous Tavam and awaited the manifestation of Thirumal as
Ayya Vaikundar
Ayya Vaikundar (c.1833 –c.1851) ( ta, அய்யா வைகுண்டர், sa, अय्या वैघुण्ढर्) also known as Vaikunda Swami is the first and the foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran born to Lor ...
in
Kali Yukam
''Kali Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It is believed to be the present age, which is ...
. He had promised to marry them and to make their sons rulers of the land by destroying the
Kalineesan and
Kalimayai.
The Naming Ceremony of Santror
In The Naming Ceremony of Santror,
Thirumal
Perumal ( ta, பெருமாள் , translit=Perumāl) or Tirumal ( ta, திருமால், translit=Tirumāl) is a Hindu deity. Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora, who ...
, acting as a
Pantaram, made the
Seven Virgins, who were to give birth to seven boys using seven seeds from seven upper worlds. The seven sons were reared personally by Thirumal.
One day, a grand ceremony was organized for the naming of the children. The whole
pantheon of Gods and Goddesses attended the ceremony.
The eminent
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
Sivan/Iswaran (
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
) gave them the first name as
Chanars
The Santror are the seven boys who were brought to life by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds, by Thirumal, to the Seven Virgins through their instrumentality, according to Ayyavazhi mythology. It also represents their descendants. Ac ...
because, one of the characteristics of these people was ‘perseverance in seeking and obtaining even the invisible goal’. The sage Vetha ''(
Vethamuni)'' gave a name as
Santror to signify the characteristics of nobility and integrity, Thirumal called them as
Natalvar. Similarly, other gods and goddesses gave them very prestigious titular names. Having named them with great attributes, all the deities sang lullabies in praise of their glory.
Sarasvati
Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati.
The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...
, the popular deity, praised them as children born with powers of knowledge, wisdom, and artistic skills and as the future kings who were going to rule the earth with justice, righteousness, and love.
Feeding the children
According to
Ayyavazhi mythology
Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the South Indian Hindu denomination religious faith known as Ayyavazhi, which is officially considered a Hindu sect. The main source of Ayyavazhi mythology is the Ayyavazhi scripture, Akilathirattu A ...
the
Santror Makkal born of
Seven Virgins were named and after the
naming ceremony
A naming ceremony is a stage at which a person or persons is officially assigned a name. The methods of the practice differ over cultures and religions. The timing at which a name is assigned can vary from some days after birth to several months o ...
, Shiva and Thirumal, wanting to feed the children with celestial nectar, commanded the celestial attendants to bring the same. When they went to bring the nectar, they found it emptied by a priest and his wife who while ‘dressing themselves as per the rules of the scriptures’, had been drinking the whole measures of nectar to their full. By this, they had increased the fat in their own body, depriving others of their share. When the celestial attendants reported this matter to
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
and
Thirumal
Perumal ( ta, பெருமாள் , translit=Perumāl) or Tirumal ( ta, திருமால், translit=Tirumāl) is a Hindu deity. Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora, who ...
, the later rebuked the Priest and his wife, and made them grow as
Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...
trees on earth to feed his children perpetually by giving back the Celestial nectar in the form of
Palm-juice.
Fostering the children
Now, the illustrious deity
Badrakali
Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tradi ...
, being commissioned by Isvaran to subdue
Takkan, a wicked ruler who had squeezed the labour of the people, stood in
tavam
Tapas (Sanskrit: तपस्) is a variety of austere spiritual meditation practices in Indian religions. In Jainism, it means asceticism (austerities, body mortification); in Buddhism, it denotes spiritual practices including meditation and se ...
to get the sons of Mayon (Thirumal) to support her in her battle. Granting the prayer, the children were entrusted to Badrakali to be fostered with full dignity and honour. She was warned that in case of any danger befalling the sons, she would be imprisoned once for all. Badrakali accepted the condition, and received the sons. As per the instruction of
Isvaran
''Sivan'' (Hebrew: סִיוָן, Standard ''Sīvan'', Tiberian ''Sīwān''; from Akkadian ''simānu'', meaning "Season; time") is the ninth month of the civil year and the third month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a ...
, she taught them various martial arts, occupational skills, and fine arts. The children grew into adults, made progress in different trades and occupations. They also became adept at fighting wars. Once they excelled in war, Badrakali took them to wage the war against Takkan, and in the war, they crushed the forces of the enemy with extraordinary courage and valour.
As the seven sons attained the age of marriage, Badrakali arranged for their marriage with the seven daughters of
Nirupathirajan, the famous king. The nuptial ceremony, being attended by the whole assembly of divinities, took place with all pomp and glory, having the brides and bridegrooms dressed in exquisite clothes and adorned with glistering ornaments. The couples lived happily under the tutelage of Badrakali and their progenies flourished. They undertook the trades of precious metals that earned them quite opulence. They excelled in martial prowess and were sought after by the kings of
Chola kingdom. Even as they were living with fame and name, they drew their strength and courage from the milk they obtained from the palmyra tree that supported them. All these events took place during the last phase of the
Dwapara Yukam
According to Akilathirattu Ammanai the holy text of Ayyavazhi the present universe has eight aeons and we are in the seventh aeon, Kali Yukam.
In the sixth aeon called Dwapara Yukam, the fifth fragment of Kroni, the primordial personification o ...
.
See also
*
Ayyavazhi mythology
Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the South Indian Hindu denomination religious faith known as Ayyavazhi, which is officially considered a Hindu sect. The main source of Ayyavazhi mythology is the Ayyavazhi scripture, Akilathirattu A ...
*
List of Ayyavazhi-related articles
*
Ayya Vaikundar
Ayya Vaikundar (c.1833 –c.1851) ( ta, அய்யா வைகுண்டர், sa, अय्या वैघुण्ढर्) also known as Vaikunda Swami is the first and the foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran born to Lor ...
References
* G. Patrick, ''Religion and Subaltern Agency'', University of Madras, 2003.
* Ari Sundara Mani, ''Akilathirattu Ammanai Parayana Urai'', Ayya Vaikundar Thirukkudumbam, 2002.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santror, The
Ayyavazhi mythical figures