CEKKILAR’S PERIYAPURANAM AND THE STORY OF KARAIKKAL AMMAI

Abstract

This article is a translation of the story of the life of Karaikkal Ammai, a sixth century saint poet of India. Her story has received considerable attention in the Tamil Saiva religious hagiography Cekkilar’s “Periyapuranam” which is a Hindu devotional text often referred to as the fifth Veda.  It contains the lives of the 63 saints of the Tamil land. The story of Karaikkal Ammai is unique even in the bhakti movement since she is the only woman saint poet who transcends gender to attain the divine union with the Lord. This is a humble translation made by me in poetic form since most of the translations have been made in prose and also because Cekkilar’s original composition was in a poetic form.