Tirumālai
{{Italic title}}{{Infobox religious text|religion=Hinduism|author=Tondaradippodi Alvar|language=Tamil|caption=Murti of Ranganatha adorned with garlands.|image=File:Lord Sri Ranganathaswamy statue.jpg|verses=45|period=9th–10th century CE|name=Tirumālai|previous=Tiruchanda Viruttam|next=Tirupalliyeḻuchi}}{{Short description|Tamil Hindu work of literature}}
The Tirumālai ({{Langx|ta|திருமாலை|lit=sacred garland}}) is a work of Tamil Hindu literature written by Tondaradippodi Alvar, comprising 45 verses.{{Cite book |last=Jayaraman |first=Dr P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UpmeDwAAQBAJ&dq=tirumaalai&pg=PA76 |title=A Brief History of Vaishnava Saint Poets : The Alwars |date=2019 |publisher=Vani Book Company |isbn=978-93-89012-69-9 |pages=76 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Pillai |first=P. Govinda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sep5EAAAQBAJ&dq=tirumaalai+alvar&pg=PT70 |title=The Bhakti Movement: Renaissance or Revivalism? |date=2022-10-04 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-78039-0 |pages=70 |language=en}} Each of these verses is regarded in popular tradition to be a flower, woven together to produce a garland for Ranganatha, a form of the deity Vishnu. It is part of the compendium of the hymns of the Alvars, the Nalayira Divya Prabandham.{{Cite book |last=Cuppaiyā |first=Pon̲ |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W71kAAAAMAAJ&q=tirumaalai |title=முதுநிலைத் தமிழ்ப் பாடநூல் : தமிழரல்லாதார் தமிழை இரண்டாம் மொழியாகக் கற்பதற்கு |date=2003 |publisher=Intiya Mol̲ikaḷin̲ Naṭuvaṇ Nir̲uvan̲am |isbn=978-81-7342-097-9 |pages=13 |language=ta}} The verses of this work are often existential and indicative of regret, reflecting the sorrow of the author for not having spent more of time in the veneration of his deity, wondering if salvation lies ahead of him.{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/mudalayiram-k-r-krishna-swami-4000-divya-prabandham-series-vol-04-2009 |title="Mudalayiram" - K. R. KrishnaSwami [4000 Divya Prabandham Series, Vol. 4, 1st edition, July 2009, A & K Prakashana]}}{{Cite book |last=Makarand Joshi |url=http://archive.org/details/thesacredbookoffourthousand01nalayiradivyaprabandhamsriramabharati2000 |title=The Sacred Book Of Four Thousand 01 Nalayira Divya Prabandham Sri Rama Bharati 2000 |pages=175}}
Hymns
The first two hymns of this work extol the deity and his abode of Srirangam:{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/mudalayiram-k-r-krishna-swami-4000-divya-prabandham-series-vol-04-2009 |title="Mudalayiram" - K. R. KrishnaSwami [4000 Divya Prabandham Series, Vol. 4, 1st edition, July 2009, A & K Prakashana] |pages=6–7}}
{{Vaishnavism}}{{Blockquote|text=You, the very cause of this world who creates and swallows the Universe, the Lord of Srirangam. We have overcome the sins from beginningless time and heralding the same, we walk freely on the heads of Yama's henchmen.|source=Hymn 1|title=Tirumālai}}{{Blockquote|text=O Lord of Srirangam resembling a massive green mountain, with coral lips, red eyes - if I were to be given in exchange of praising you thus the kingdom of Indra, I shall not take it.|source=Hymn 2|title=Tirumālai}}
See also
{{Tamil literature}}