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Part 1
The following verse was written
by uyyakkoNDAr as a tribute to Sri ANDAL
| அன்ன வயற்புதுவை ஆண்டாள்
அரங்கற்குப் |
(anna
vayaRpudhuvai ANDAL arangaRkup) |
| பன்னு திருப்பாவைப் பல்பதியம்-
இன்னிசையால |
(pannu
thiruppAvaip palpadhiyam innisaiyAl) |
| பாடிக் கொடுத்தாள் நற்பாமாலை
பூமாலை |
(pADik
koDuththAL naRpAmAlai pUmAlai) |
| சூடிக் கொடுத்தாளைச் சொல்ல |
(sUDik
koDuththALaic collu) |
 Meaning:
ANDAL, from the land where swans wander (called pudhuvai or
SrivilliputhUr), sang sweet music in the form of a lovely poetic
garland of many verses of ThiruppAvai in praise of Lord nArAyaNa (RanganAtha).
Let us extol her
who wore the flower garlands before they were offered to the Lord.
Another hymn declares, “KOdhai
piRandha Ur GOvindhan vAzhumUr” (the place where KOdhai was born is
the same place where Lord Govinda lives)
The month of mArgazhi,
corresponding to December-January is a period for religious
observances and devotional singing in the Thamizh country.
ThiruppAvai and ThiruvempAvai will be sung by both young and old
after an early morning bath followed by a visit to the temple.
ThiruppAvai, composed/sung by ANDAL, is a must-recite in strict
VaishNavaite households all over the world. Sri ANDAL is one of the
12 AzhwArs. The word “AzhwAr” means “one who is deeply immersed” in
the thought of (and devotion to) the Lord.
AzhwArs and nAlAyira divya prabhandham:
The 12 AzhwArs (great VaishNavaite devotees) lived during the
period 5th-8th centuries CE. There were two kings among them and one
woman. Four among them, including Sri ANDAL, came into this world
without the normal conception-delivery method (ayOnija). nAlAyira
divya prabhandham, also called drAviDa vEdam, is a collective body
of 4,000 passionate hymns written/sung by the AzhwArs in praise of
Lord VishNu/Krishna. The scholar-saint nAthamuni, who lived in the
11th-12th century (?) period, compiled the scattered treasure-trove
into a single treatise.
 The
individual poems are called pAsurams (sacred poems) adoring the
deities of the 108 temples called divya dEsams (splendorous/sacred
countries). The poems employ every form of poetical grammar and
conform to proper prosody too and are thus considered religious gems
as well as literary masterpieces. NammAzhwAr and ThirumangaiyAzhwAr
were the two most prolific of all, accounting for more than half of
the 4,000 verses. In addition to the contribution of the 12 AzhwArs,
a section of 108 verses written by Thiruvarangaththu amudanAr (the
priest in charge of Srirangam temple in the 11th century CE) to
eulogize Sri RAmAnujar (founder of VishishTAdvaitam), was also
included in the collection of 4,000 verses. The two contributions of
Sri ANDAL in the divya prabhandham, ThiruppAvai (“sacred religious
austerity”) and nAcciyAr thirumozhi (literally means “sacred sayings
of the goddess”) consisting of 30 and 143 verses, respectively, are
included in the mudhal Ayiram (the “first thousand” verses).
Sri ANDAL’s Life History:
 Sri
ANDAL is considered the incarnation of bhUmi dEvi, the divine
consort of VishNu. She was found as a baby (born ayOnija) at the
base of a tuLasi plant in the garden of VishNucittar (also known as
PeriyAzhwAr).
VishNucittar was happy to have found her, named her gOdhA (kOdhai
in Thamizh) and raised her as his foster-daughter in the strict
VaishNava tradition.
He told her all the stories and exploits of Lord Krishna in
BrindAvanam and the love of the gOpis towards Krishna. The child
soon started loving Krishna, assuming herself to be a cowherd girl.
As she grew into a teenager she was determined to marry the Lord and
no one else.
PeriyAzhwAr
VishNucittar used to collect choice fragrant flowers from his
garden everyday, assemble them into garlands, and offer them to the
Lord in SrivilliputhUr. Unbeknownst to him, gOdhA used to wear the
garlands (before he took them to the temple) and enjoy her looks at
the reflection in the well water wondering whether she was suitable
to her Lord. One day VishNucittar caught her in the act of wearing
the garland and was petrified at the sacrilegious act. To add to his
misery, gOdhA admitted that she had been doing the same everyday.
VishNucittar’s grief knew no bounds. He discarded the garland, made
a fresh one and took it to the temple. That night the Lord appeared
in VishNucittar’s dream and asked him why he did not bring the
garland that was previously worn by his daughter saying that he
liked to wear the garlands only after gOdhA wore them. VishNucittar
realized then and there that his daughter was no ordinary mortal and
that she was near and dear to the Lord. In view of this episode,
ANDAL was known after her time by the moniker “sUDik koDuththa
suDark koDiyAL” - the sparkling creeper that wore (the garland) and
gave it (for the Lord to wear).
When it came to the consideration of her wedding, she prayed to
Manmathan (the lord of love):
.....ஊனிடை யாழிசங் குத்தமர்க்கென்ற
உன்னித் தெழுந்தவென் தடமுலைகள்,
மானிட வர்க்கென்று பேச்சுப்படில்
வாழகில் லேன்கண்டாய் மன்மதனே.
------nAcciyAr thirumozhi 1.5
 “...In
my body my large breasts are meant for the Lord who holds the conch
and the disc. If I were to be subject to a human being I would not
live, Oh Lord Manmathan!” She even dreamed of getting married to the
Lord thus: “maththaLam koTTa varisangam ninRUdha ……maiththunan nambi
madusUdhan vandhennaik kaiththalam paRRak kanAkkaNDEn thOzhI nAn”
(With the drums sounding and the conch blowing I dreamed of the Lord
MadhusUdhan taking hold of my hand in wedding) When the time came
for ANDAL’s wedding (she was 15 then), VishNucittar could not get
her married to anybody since she was adamant that she would wed only
the Lord. One night the Lord appeared in VishNucittar’s dream and
told him to bring his daughter to Srirangam and that he would
“marry” (take) her. VishNucittar accordingly arranged for a
procession enabling gOdhA to ride a palanquin (compliments of the
PANDiya king) from SrivilliputhUr to Srirangam. When the procession
reached Srirangam, gOdhA ran into the temple sanctum sanctorum and
upon reaching the Lord an effulgence departed from her body and
merged with Lord RanganAtha and gOdhA was seen no more. At that time
VishNucittar realised that she was the divine consort of the Lord
with whom he had the privilege of being associated for a few years.
He cried, “ANDAL”. In Thamizh “ANDAL” means “she ruled”. ANDAL ruled
over the Lord and everyone else. That name stayed forever.
ThiruppAvai: ANDAL sang 30 sweet hymns collectively known as
ThiruppAvai. In several songs it appears that she imagines herself
as a cowherd girl and exhorts her fellow girl friends to observe the
religious austerity (known as “nOnbu” in Thamizh) in order to reach
the Lord’s feet. PAvai in Thamizh has several meanings including
maiden, doll, and religious observance, especially for young
unmarried women. Hence, the title ThiruppAvai signifies the
religious austerity that is recommended by ANDAL to one and all to
attain salvation. In addition, the songs also glorify the Lord,
depicting his exploits in His avatars. Since the songs are intended
to be sung in the month of mArgazhi, each day in that month gets its
name from a pAsuram. For example the first day of mArgazhi gets its
name from the starting words of the first hymn, “margazhith thingaL”.
Singing the songs understanding the meaning is supposed to bring
divine grace. In addition it is believed, according to vEda pirAn
Bhattar (12th century CE), “…kOdhai aiyaindhum aindhum aRiyAdha
mAniDarai vaiyam sumappadhu vambu” (…If one does not know the 30
verses of ANDAL it is a burden for the world to carry that person).
The verses of ANDAL display religious and literary maturity that is
far beyond her teenage years. They indicate that ANDAL was sent to
earth to inculcate devotion in earthlings. The hagiography of ANDAL
is considered to have historical authenticity in that some of the
relics of her life history are still seen in SrivilliputhUr. The
tuLasi garden next to the temple is still preserved and the well
where ANDAL used to admire herself with bedecked garland is still
there. The erstwhile home of VishNucittar is now a temple for ANDAL.
We will try to grasp the sum and substance of the ThiruppAvai songs
in the next segment.
(To be continued)
Sethuraman Subramanian
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