Nammazhvar is unique in many ways. He helped in the rediscovery of the Divya Prabandham. When Nathamuni heard pilgrims from Melkote sing Nammazhvar’s verses, he set off to discover the Divya Prabandham. Secondly, other Azhvars did not mention their names in their verses. So if some other Azhvar’s verses had been sung by the pilgrims, Nathamuni would not have had a clue about the authorship, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. Thirumangai Azhvar also mentioned his name at the end of each set of verses. But he did not say that that set was part of a thousand verses. Whereas, Nammazhvar concludes each decad by saying that these ten verses were composed by Kurugur Sadagopan (Nammazhvar), and that these were part of the thousand verses which he had composed. So at the end of every decad, we get to know that there were thousand verses in his Thiruvaimozhi.
There are more causes to celebrate Nammazhvar. When Nathamuni went to Kurugur, he met one who had come in the tradition of Madurakavi Azhvar. Madurakavi was the only one whose verses in the Divya Prabandham are not about Lord Narayana, but are about his Acharya Nammazhvar. When Nathamuni recited the eleven verses of Madurakavi before the Nammazhvar shrine in Kurugur, Nammazhvar gave him knowledge of not only his own works, but of the entire divine output of the Azhvars.
Nammazhvar’s works give us the essence of the Vedas. His verses are recited in temples during utsavas, and Kamban says that if not for such recitation, what is the charm in utsavas? Vedanta Desika says that with the help of Nammazhvar’s works, we understand the esoteric meaning of the Vedas. Acharya Hrudyam says that when Ramanujacharya wrote Sri Bhashya, his commentary of Brahma Sutra, he took the help of Thiruvaimozhi.
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