Poygai

(7th c.) With Pey and Bhutam, one of the
first three Alvars, a group of twelve poetsaints who lived in southern India
between the seventh and tenth centuries. All the Alvars were devotees
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu, and their
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, who was
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.