Pey

(7th c.) With Bhutam and Poygai, one of
the first three Alvars, a group of twelve
poet-saints who lived in southern India
between the seventh and tenth centuries. All Alvars were devotees (bhakta)
of the god Vishnu, and their stress on
passionate devotion (bhakti) to a personal god, conveyed through hymns
sung in the Tamil language, transformed
and revitalized Hindu religious life.
According to tradition, the three men
were caught in a torrential storm and
one by one took shelter in a small dry
spot, with each making room for the
next. As they stood next to one another
they felt a fourth presence, that of
Vishnu. The Alvars were such great
devotees that their combined energy was
sufficient to provoke Vishnu’s manifestation. Overwhelmed with ecstasy, each
burst into song, which formed the first of
each of their compositions. For further
information see Kamil Zvelebil, Tamil
Literature, 1975.