Thiruppallandu is a composition in twelve verses in honor of Bhagavan Vishnu or Sri Narayana. It was composed by Vishnuchitta, or Periyalvar, one of the twelve Alwars (or Vaishnavite saints) of South India. It finds a place at the very beginning of the first part of Nalayiradivyaprabandham, a collection of verses by the twelve Alvars and a sacred scripture of the Vaishnavas. While all Alvars sang hymns as expressions of their love for Vishnu, Periyalvar’s Thirupallandu reveals his anxiety that no harm should come to Bhagwan Vishnu. Periyalwar’s fear that some calamity could befall Vishnu is evident in the very first verse of Tiruppallandu – ‘Many years, many thousands of years, many crores and millions of years, O Lord of blue emerald hue and great shoulders (arms), may your bewitching, beautiful pair of feet be protected.’ In Thiruppallandu, with mangalasasana (well wishes), the devotee-composer actually assumes the role of a protector of Bhagavan Vishnu. Manavalamamuni, a famous