Some historians suggest that the Alvars and Nayanars initiated a movement of protest against the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas or at least attempted to reform the system. The importance of the traditions of the Alvars and Nayanars was sometimes indicated by the claim that their compositions were as important as the Vedas. You (Vishnu) manifestly like those "servants" who express their love for your feet, though they may be born outcastes, more than the Chaturvedins who are strangers and without allegiance to your service.
The lines left out of the passage also name the composer of the verse addressed to Vishnu. Who composed it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Tondaradippodi
Option (1) Tondaradippodi — Correct. The verse is by Tondaradippodi, an Alvar who was a Brahmana. Even so, he holds that Vishnu prefers devoted "servants" born outcastes over Chaturvedins without devotion.
Option (2) Andal — Incorrect. Andal was a woman Alvar who saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu. Her verses express her own love for the god.
Option (3) Appar — Incorrect. Appar was a Nayanar, a devotee of Shiva. His verse mocks those who quote the law books and asks people to bow to Shiva of Marperu.
Option (4) Sambandar — Incorrect. Sambandar was a Nayanar whose poems form part of the Tevaram. He sang in praise of Shiva.
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