Guest guest Report post Posted July 6, 1995 >Mani Varadarajan <mani I think the word "aazhvaar" has two meanings. When used for the saints proper, it is usually interpreted as meaning "one who is immersed in the Lord". When used for others, such as kooratthaazhvaan or chakkratth aazhvaar it is added as a respectable suffix meaning "one who rules", or "one who is lordly". Someone else may be able to supply the exact Tamil etymology of the two words. Friedhelm Hardy suggests that the latter meaning was the original one even for the saints. Which is why he thinks that "aandaaL" is the feminine equivalent of "aazhvaar", i.e., "one who rules". Mani ___ But isn't the word for ruler "aaLvaar" and not "aazhvaar" ? Unless aazhvaar has this alternate meaning that i don't know about ... Raghu Seshadri Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
