{"id":340,"date":"2020-11-09T03:09:23","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T03:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/?p=340"},"modified":"2020-11-14T03:58:32","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T03:58:32","slug":"andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Andal \u2013 women&#8217;s mystical Poet from South India."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#A_brief_biography_of_Andal_and_the_significance_of_Andals_Thiruppavai\" >A brief biography of Andal and the significance of Andal\u2019s Thiruppavai<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#The_transmission_of_Andal_into_a_spiritual_discipline\" >The transmission of Andal into a spiritual discipline<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#The_nature_and_greatness_of_Andal\" >The nature and greatness of Andal<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#Andals_desire_towards_the_Lord_Krishna\" >Andal\u2019s desire towards the Lord Krishna<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#Andals_imagination_of_Srivilliputtur_as_Nandavraja\" >Andal\u2019s imagination of Srivilliputtur as Nandavraja<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#Lord_Krishna_and_the_Gopikas\" >Lord Krishna and the Gopikas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#God-consciousness\" >God-consciousness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#Tiruppavai_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\" >Tiruppavai Pasuram \u2013 1<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#A_brief_explanation_of_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\" >A brief explanation of Pasuram \u2013 1<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#Summary_of_the_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\" >Summary of the Pasuram \u2013 1<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/09\/andal-womens-mystical-poet-from-south-india\/#Commentary_of_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\" >Commentary of Pasuram \u2013 1<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_brief_biography_of_Andal_and_the_significance_of_Andals_Thiruppavai\"><\/span><strong>A brief biography of Andal and the significance of Andal\u2019s <em>Thiruppavai<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thiruppavai<\/em> is a delightful flower- a garland of thirty <em>Pasurams<\/em> (thirty chapters) created by Godadevi who is referred to as Andal a pious reverence of <em>Vatapatrasayi<\/em> of Srivilliputtur temple which is located in Tamil Nadu. Andal is said to be found in a garden who was generally called as an adopted daughter of Vishnuchitta<em>,<\/em> also well-known as Bhattanatha and distinguished as Peri \u2013 Alwar of Dravidian Vaishnava sect.&nbsp; &#8220;Andal\u201d is the title conferred by the Peri \u2013 Alwar signifies as &#8220;our reigning force.&#8221;&nbsp; <em>Pasurams<\/em> (the hymns) are chanted by Andal who visualized herself as a Nandavraja milkmaid.&nbsp; Gopikas in Repalle with Andal at the forefront to carry on from door to door at the sunrise singing the hymns to wake up other gopikas asleep to go to Nanda&#8217;s mansion to carry out services to Lord Krishna. Thereupon it has developed into a popular ritual to perform the <em>Pasurams<\/em> (the hymns) in <em>Margasira<\/em> month as <em>&#8216;Dhanurmasa-Snana-Vrata-Sankirtan\u2019<\/em> just preceding Pongal (Sankranti) festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andal\u2019s <em>THIRUPPAVAI <\/em>is a special poetical work that interlinks ecstatic devotional fervor with the pleasant lyrics in a fine blend. Andal transcreates the anguish and longing of a lovelorn Gopika in a dream-like vision and gets captivated by the music played on the moon lightened banks of the Yamuna. <em>Dhanurmasa Vrata<\/em> also known as <em>Margasira Snana Vrata<\/em> is a holy ritual observed by Sri Vaishnavites from the hoary past. \u201cIt is incumbent on the participants to recite the <em>Tiruppavai<\/em> consisting of thirty <em>Pasurams<\/em> or hymns, every day and understand and implement in practice the spiritual truths gathered therein. Andal, whose intense devotion found spontaneous expression in this garland of hymns, has enshrined in them a way of spiritual discipline which leads the aspirants to their highest end&#8221;.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though a Brahmin, Vishnuchitta was not trained in the disciplines of Vedic lore; yet he was engrossed fully in devoted services to the Deity, such as offering flower \u2013 garlands at the time of worship.&nbsp; While Vishnuchitta was engrossed in loosening the earth in the Tulasi garden, he found a female child among the plants, in the same way as Janaka found Sita while plowing the earth for his sacrificial rite (<em>Yajna<\/em>).&nbsp; As Vishnuchitta has no children, he brought up this little child with great fondness and love, naming her <em>&#8220;Kodai\u201d<\/em> (flower \u2013 garland).&nbsp; And here <em>Kodai<\/em> and <em>Godadevi<\/em> referred to as other names of Andal. In the same way, as <em>Tulasi<\/em> has its natural fragrance, <em>Kodai<\/em> has spread from her birth the knowledge, devotion, and renunciation,&nbsp; and displayed an enthusiastic interest in things divine. As <em>Kodai<\/em> grew up into adolescence, she passionately desired the hand of Lord Krishna in marriage. Having heard from elders that, in the past, gopikas performed <em>Katyayani Vrata<\/em> to realize a similar ambition, <em>Kodai<\/em> undertook to go through the same discipline, which consisted of the daily ritual of taking an early morning bath throughout the month of <em>Margasirsa.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_transmission_of_Andal_into_a_spiritual_discipline\"><\/span><strong>The transmission of Andal into a spiritual discipline<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Andal transmitted this spiritual discipline to succeeding generations in the form of a sacred book of songs called <em><u>Tiruppavai<\/u><\/em>. Between the worldlings who identify the body with the true self and the seers (<em>Rsis<\/em>) who attain to self \u2013 realization by the practice of a course of spiritual discipline (<em>Yoga<\/em>), there is as much difference as there is between an atom and a mountain.&nbsp; The same difference separates the seers from the great saints (<em>maha bhaktas<\/em>) who, without any effort on their part and by the pure grace of God, get completely engrossed in God \u2013 Consciousness. Among the great devotees, Vishnuchitta or Peri \u2013 Alwar occupies the pre-eminent place.&nbsp; The Supreme Being showered grace on this devotee and made Vishnuchitta establish in the Court of Vallabhadeva, the Pandyan King, that Sriman Narayana was the&nbsp; Supreme and the Absolute. Then the treasure, demarcated as a prize and intended for the establisher of truth in this religion controversy, fell, of its own accord, at his feet.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp; King and the assembly felt delighted and honored the victor by taking him on an elephant \u2013 ride in a&nbsp; procession.&nbsp; Sriman Narayana accompanied by consorts, Lakshmi and Bhudevi,&nbsp; came down to the earth,&nbsp; riding on&nbsp; Garuda,&nbsp; to witness this grand reception.&nbsp; When Peri \u2013 Alwar saw this vision,&nbsp; he was overpowered by his love for the Lord;&nbsp; and apprehending evil \u2013 eye&nbsp; (<em>drsti dosa<\/em>)&nbsp; and to avert it,&nbsp; he recited the&nbsp; <em>Pallandu \u2013 Mangalam<\/em>,&nbsp; a&nbsp; hymn invoking&nbsp; &#8216;safety&#8217;&nbsp; for the Lord,&nbsp; <em>Pallandu Mangalam<\/em> precedes the recitation of any of the scriptures in&nbsp; Tamil as invariably as&nbsp; Pranava preceded the recitation of&nbsp; Vedas.&nbsp; Hence it is that Vishnuchitta is supposed to be the&nbsp; &#8216;Peri \u2013 Alwar&#8217;,&nbsp; the foremost among all the great saints&nbsp; (<em>Bhaktas or Alwars<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_nature_and_greatness_of_Andal\"><\/span><strong>The nature and greatness of Andal<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Andal is superior to&nbsp; Peri \u2013 Alwar.&nbsp; The <em>Alwars <\/em>were those who were immersed in sleep&nbsp; (<em>andai mayaya suptah<\/em>)&nbsp; and were bereaved of all knowledge of Self under the influence of&nbsp; Beginningless&nbsp; Illusion&nbsp; (<em>Maya<\/em>),&nbsp; until the Lord&nbsp; Himself,&nbsp; of&nbsp; His own accord,&nbsp; humiliated to rouse them from their inactivity and to reveal&nbsp; Himself to them.&nbsp; Then only could they see&nbsp; God?&nbsp; The greatness of Andal,&nbsp; on the other hand,&nbsp; lies in that Andal has herself to the Lord.&nbsp; Hence it is that Andal is given the pride of place among the <em>Alwars<\/em> as an example, after whom people may mold their lives.&nbsp; In the same way, as&nbsp; Lakshmana loved&nbsp; Sri Rama from his childhood, Andal loved Bhagavan Sri Krishna from her childhood and immersed in contemplating Bhagavan Sri Krishna qualities.&nbsp; The other&nbsp; <em>Alwars <\/em>were men in physical form;&nbsp; they acquired femininity in their minds by intense imagination;&nbsp; then they took the&nbsp; Supreme Being&nbsp; (<em>Parama Purusha<\/em>)&nbsp; to be their Lord and fell deeply in love with the Lord Sriman Narayana.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andal who was by inherent nature feminine, both in an outward and inward mold and who had been absorbed from her childhood in Lord Krishna and attributes,&nbsp; could easily reach the climax&nbsp; (<em>Parakasta<\/em>)&nbsp; in her love for Lord Krishna.&nbsp; Under the appearance of a&nbsp; ritual of daily \u2013 bath in the month of&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em>, &nbsp;she reached&nbsp; Bhagavan Sri Krishna and prayed to him thus: &#8220;This self of me belongs in every way to you;&nbsp; it is yours.&nbsp; Let it not come to grief by losing sight of its meaning and purpose.&nbsp; Grant it the privilege of rendering such services to you as are consistent with its nature.&nbsp; Pray, bestow&nbsp; that&nbsp; this&nbsp; soul&nbsp; devotes&nbsp; itself&nbsp; to&nbsp; your&nbsp; service&nbsp; as&nbsp; long&nbsp; as&nbsp; it&nbsp; exists.\u201d&nbsp; This is the essence of this rite.&nbsp; Inculcated with a love of&nbsp; God from childhood, Andal has chosen Lord Krishna as her lover and wished to marry Lord Krishna.&nbsp; With this intense desire, Andal selected Vatapatrasayi, the presiding deity of&nbsp; Srivilliputtur,&nbsp; for her lord.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Andals_desire_towards_the_Lord_Krishna\"><\/span><strong>Andal\u2019s desire towards the Lord Krishna<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Failing to secure this consummation, she became dejected and began making inquiries whether there were people who aspired for and obtained Lord Krishna and enjoyed Him as their&nbsp; Lover. Andal learned that the milkmaids of&nbsp; <em>Nandavraja<\/em> had entertained such a&nbsp; wish,&nbsp; and in fulfillment of it enjoyed Lord Krishna as their Lover.&nbsp; But this was in a different epoch altogether.&nbsp; The thought that in the present time it was not possible to attain&nbsp; Sri Krishna made her unhappy.&nbsp; Let this thought alone!&nbsp; Were it possible even to see the region of&nbsp; Yamuna or&nbsp; Brindavan where Lord Krishna wandered about,&nbsp; or the&nbsp; Govardhanagiri which he raised aloft on his little finger, Andal would touch them and try to keep alive! Andal lacked the strength of&nbsp; Sita who could realize her wish by having a&nbsp; bow for a&nbsp; wager.&nbsp; Nor could Andal,&nbsp; like&nbsp; Niladevi,&nbsp; prescribe that only he who could control and yoke the seven refractory bulls could lay claim to her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Andal with Ranganatha Swamy\" class=\"wp-image-342\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-1.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Andal with Sri Ranganatha Swamy. (Andal with her consorts), Krishna Mandhiram Temple, Khammam, Telangana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Her only absorbing thought was how to get Lord Krishna;&nbsp; in case of failing to do so,&nbsp; how to keep alive.&nbsp; An anecdote of the gopis experience came to Andal\u2019s mind in a&nbsp; flash. Andal heard from the elders that,&nbsp; on one occasion,&nbsp; while the gopis were led into an ecstatic trance in their dalliance with the&nbsp; Divine&nbsp; (<em>Rasa \u2013 Krida<\/em>),&nbsp; Lord Krishna desired to bring down the happiness to the range of their experience by eliminating the excess \u2013 emotion.&nbsp; So he disappeared from the scene.&nbsp; Not finding Lord Krishna in their midst,&nbsp; the gopis wept with agony and tried to keep alive by imitating the sporting tricks (<em>leelas<\/em>)&nbsp; of&nbsp; Sri Krishna. On recalling this to mind,&nbsp; Andal felt that she too could do likewise.&nbsp; So Andal decided that by adopting the rite performed by the gopikas to secure Lord Krishna&#8217;s union,&nbsp; she could in the intensity of her imagination realize the same happiness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Andals_imagination_of_Srivilliputtur_as_Nandavraja\"><\/span><strong>Andal\u2019s imagination of Srivilliputtur as Nandavraja<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Andal has imagined&nbsp; Srivilliputtur to be&nbsp; <em>Nandavraja<\/em>&nbsp; (Nanda&#8217;s village), and her companions to be gopikas,&nbsp; and the temple of&nbsp; Vatapatrasayi to be&nbsp; Nanda&#8217;s mansion, and Vatapatrasayi to be&nbsp; Lord Krishna. Andal is now in&nbsp; Nanda&#8217;s village;&nbsp; and she is no longer&nbsp; Andal but a&nbsp; gopika.&nbsp; In the intensity of her imagination, Andal became identified with a&nbsp; gopika,&nbsp; acquiring in the process the gait,&nbsp; the mode of dress,&nbsp; the hairstyle,&nbsp; the accent, and even the peculiar smell associated with the milkmaids. Andal could secure&nbsp; Lord Krishna as her spouse by performing this rite in the manner indicated above. Lord Sri Ranganatha is no other than&nbsp; Lord Krishna,&nbsp; manifesting&nbsp; Himself in&nbsp; Srirangam;&nbsp; and&nbsp; Andal reached fulfillment in eternal union with Lord Sri Ranganatha.&nbsp; Let us proceed to&nbsp; <em>Nandavraja<\/em>,&nbsp; Nanda&#8217;s village.&nbsp; Desiring to do the favor to <em>jivas<\/em>&nbsp; (individual selves),&nbsp; the&nbsp; Supreme Lord has endowed them with bodies enriched with all the sense \u2013 faculties;&nbsp; created this universe for their delight;&nbsp; given them&nbsp; Vedas and&nbsp; Sastras which show them the way to salvation;&nbsp; in fact,&nbsp; kept ready for their use all the instruments that enable them to reach the Lord.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite all these favors,&nbsp; the <em>jivas<\/em> decline to tread the straight path and straying into devious ways get immersed in the stream of sense \u2013 pleasures, and come to grief.&nbsp; Unable to endure their sad plight and wishing to elevate them,&nbsp; the Lord has assumed their human form and manifested&nbsp; Himself amidst them.&nbsp; Wishing to bring them under&nbsp; His spell by&nbsp; His beauty and character and miraculous acts and carry them with&nbsp; Him,&nbsp; the Lord has made His descent into&nbsp; <em>Nandavraja<\/em> as&nbsp; Lord Sri Krishna. <em>Nandavraja<\/em> is a rural complex with five lakh families.&nbsp; The gopikas of the place has developed as an inescapable and lasting attachment to&nbsp; Lord Krishna from their childhood.&nbsp; They have even felt that without him they have no existence at all.&nbsp; At all times and in all states,&nbsp; they have found life worth living only if they have the company of&nbsp; Lord Krishna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lord_Krishna_and_the_Gopikas\"><\/span><strong>Lord Krishna and the Gopikas<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As time moved along thus,&nbsp; they grew into adolescence;&nbsp; and with them,&nbsp; Krishna too!&nbsp; The elders decided that as&nbsp; Lord Krishna was a mischief\u2013monger (<em>dhurta)<\/em>&nbsp; the young girls should not be allowed to come within his sight. So they confined them in the interior parts of the houses. But in a&nbsp; few days,&nbsp; to the good fortune alike of&nbsp; Lord Krishna and the gopikas,&nbsp; the village was caught up in drought;&nbsp; and both the villagers and the cattle famished for food.&nbsp; Cattle were the wealth of the villagers;&nbsp; rains were essential for their fodder.&nbsp; The elders thought about how best they could remedy the situation.&nbsp; Some of them,&nbsp; who were conversant with tradition,&nbsp; suggested that a&nbsp; particular rite,&nbsp; to be performed only by gopikas,&nbsp; could bring them relief.&nbsp; But the only one skilled in conducting this rite of fruition was Lord Krishna,&nbsp; the son of&nbsp; Nandagopa.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It became inevitable for those elders,&nbsp; who decided to keep the young girls out of&nbsp; Lord Krishna&#8217;s sight,&nbsp; to fetch them and entrust them to his care and request him to see that they perform the prescribed rite properly and bring about rain. But Lord Krishna stiffened with his innate mischievousness and declined the task as beyond his capacity. As they pressed him on with appeals, he gradually yielded and finally undertook it as an inescapable necessity. The elders departed,&nbsp; leaving the girls to&nbsp; Lord Krishna&#8217;s care.&nbsp; That night&nbsp; Lord Krishna remained with all the gopikas to the banks of the&nbsp; Yamuna and enjoyed,&nbsp; as on the night of&nbsp; <em>Rasakrida<\/em>,&nbsp; complete at \u2013 one \u2013 moment with them in transcendental consciousness&nbsp; (<em>Mahabhava Samadhi<\/em>).&nbsp; Bringing them out of this exalted experience,&nbsp; Lord Krishna sent them to their respective homes after exhorting them to assemble for the rite before dawn and he left to rest at&nbsp; Niladevi\u2019s mansion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the gopikas went on meditating upon their experience with&nbsp; Lord Krishna and could not regain consciousness of their surroundings. While things stood thus,&nbsp; Andal who got up first gathered some gopikas and,&nbsp; rousing others who were still asleep proceeded to the mansion of&nbsp; Nandagopa where&nbsp; Krishna was resting.&nbsp; This rite extended over a&nbsp; month.&nbsp; And with a&nbsp; hymn for every day,&nbsp; <em>Tiruppavai<\/em> contains thirty songs. Rousing ten gopikas and reaching&nbsp; Nandagopa\u2019s mansion,&nbsp; they managed to awaken&nbsp; Nandagopa, Yasoda,&nbsp; Balarama,&nbsp; Niladevi, and finally&nbsp; Lord Sri Krishna.&nbsp; They then made their hearts wish known to&nbsp; Him and secured the privilege of companionship with&nbsp; Him if only to render service to&nbsp; Him as long as their souls would last.&nbsp; Let us examine the secret of&nbsp; Nandavraja.&nbsp; All the villagers are simple,&nbsp; unsophisticated herdsmen. Lord Krishna,&nbsp; who was born as a&nbsp; child of&nbsp; Devaki and&nbsp; Vasudeva in&nbsp; Mathura, came to the village to become the child of&nbsp; Nanda and&nbsp; Yasoda.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having become a&nbsp; cowherd,&nbsp; he acquired similarity with the others in the village,&nbsp; without affecting difference in name or form or deeds.&nbsp; God&nbsp; Himself reached the village assuming a&nbsp; different and easily \u2013 accessible form as&nbsp; Krishna. This village is the world of samsara,&nbsp; the world of non \u2013 self-bound by birth and death.&nbsp; There are three different types of people in it;&nbsp; some are ill-disposed to&nbsp; Krishna;&nbsp; some others are well\u2013disposed towards him, and the rest are indifferent.&nbsp; These attitudes are due to the influence of the three&nbsp; <em>Gunas&nbsp; &#8211; Sattva,&nbsp; Rajas, <\/em>and<em>&nbsp; Tamas.&nbsp; Sattva guna <\/em>&nbsp;(purity)&nbsp; inclines them towards him;&nbsp; <em>Rajas<\/em>&nbsp; (pride)&nbsp; sets them against him.&nbsp; The village elders are proud and believe that they are independent;&nbsp; and hence their tendency to oppose&nbsp; Lord Krishna.&nbsp; The damsel,&nbsp; on the other hand, is pure by nature;&nbsp; and they believe that they belong to&nbsp; Lord Krishna and none else.&nbsp; This sense of belonging,&nbsp; not only tends them towards Lord Krishna but also makes them fully engrossed in him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"God-consciousness\"><\/span><strong>God-consciousness<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Though&nbsp; God-consciousness is inlaid in every soul,&nbsp; Primal Nature&nbsp; (<em>Prakriti<\/em>)&nbsp; throws it into oblivion and prevents&nbsp; <em>Sattvaguna<\/em> from turning to&nbsp; God.&nbsp; This is why the gopa elders obstruct gopikas meeting&nbsp; Krishna.&nbsp; But when faced with a&nbsp; crisis,&nbsp; which is beyond their power to solve with their effort,&nbsp; even the proud have no alternative but to turn to&nbsp; God,&nbsp; if only to gain their worldly ends.&nbsp; When a drought threatens the destruction of their cattle \u2013 wealth,&nbsp; the elders,&nbsp; who have been,&nbsp; till then,&nbsp; opposed to the free movement of the young girls,&nbsp; gladly surrender them to&nbsp; Krishna&#8217;s care.&nbsp; While the external objective is being gained and inwards experience grows,&nbsp; the obstruction of pride gradually subsides.&nbsp; The tendency to purity mingles with the&nbsp; Divine and in course of time,&nbsp; forgets itself in&nbsp; God-consciousness to the delight even of the proud and settles down to a&nbsp; state of eternal surrender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-343\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.51.jpeg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption>Lord Krishna with Andal, Krishna Mandhiram Temple, Khammam, Telangana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The elders thought of this particular rite to obtain rain.&nbsp; The gopikas to whom,&nbsp; it was entrusted agreed to perform it;&nbsp; Krishna directed and completed it;&nbsp; the god of rain was pleased and fulfilled their prayer.&nbsp; The gopa elders who were averse to their daughters ever coming within&nbsp; Krishna&#8217;s sight,&nbsp; were now beside themselves with joy.&nbsp; They got what they wanted \u2013 rain.&nbsp; The gopikas got what they wanted,&nbsp; the refreshing showers of intimate contact with&nbsp; God. &nbsp;With this,&nbsp; all the obstacles were removed to their everlasting union with&nbsp; Lord Krishna. How exceptionally fortunate were they!&nbsp; How inexhaustibly merciful is the&nbsp; Supreme Self!&nbsp; In this mundane world which appears so detestable even to us, in this physical body which we consider so repugnant,&nbsp; without any distinguishing form or name to signify&nbsp; His real nature,&nbsp; He has chosen to identify&nbsp;&nbsp; Himself with us and live in our midst as one of us.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enduring all impediments with patience,&nbsp; He gradually brings under control all those who are either opposes or indifferent to&nbsp; Him by developing their sattvic character and goes to their aid and enables them to attain&nbsp; Him.&nbsp; This is the&nbsp; <em>Margasira Vrata<\/em>,&nbsp; the&nbsp; Ritual of&nbsp; Bath in&nbsp; <em>Margasira <\/em>month.&nbsp; By performing it,&nbsp; people can gain external ends,&nbsp; such as material prosperity;&nbsp; and inward benefits such as the experience of the&nbsp; Divine.&nbsp; Andal is the gopika who,&nbsp; by performing this rite,&nbsp; has gained union with&nbsp; God.&nbsp; Wishing that we too should attain that bliss, &nbsp;she has given us this scripture of&nbsp; <em>Tirrupavai<\/em> as a means for our salvation.&nbsp; <em>Tiruppavai <\/em>means&nbsp; &#8216;Sri Vratam&#8217;,&nbsp; a&nbsp; rite that bestows&nbsp; (<em>Aishwarya<\/em>)&nbsp; affluence \u2013 material and worldly happiness&nbsp; (<em>priyam<\/em>)&nbsp; as well as spiritual and otherworldly bliss&nbsp; (<em>sreyam<\/em>) \u2013 in consecrated service to,&nbsp; and eternal union with&nbsp; God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tiruppavai_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\"><\/span><strong><em>Tiruppavai Pasuram <\/em>\u2013 1<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8221; Margalittingal&nbsp; madrinirainda&nbsp; nannalal ;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>niradappoduvir !&nbsp; podumino,&nbsp; nerilaiyar !<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sirmalgumayppadi&nbsp; ccelva&nbsp; ccirumirgal !<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>kurvel \u2013 kodundililan&nbsp; nandagopan&nbsp; kumaran,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Erarnda&nbsp; kanni&nbsp; yasodai&nbsp; yilancingam,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>karmeni&nbsp; ccengan&nbsp; kadirmadiyampol&nbsp; mugattan,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Narayanane&nbsp; namakke&nbsp; paraitaruvan,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>paror&nbsp; pugalappadindelo&nbsp; rempavay.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_brief_explanation_of_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\"><\/span><strong>A brief explanation of <em>Pasuram <\/em>\u2013 1<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding that a suitable time has arrived for the performance of the solemn rite,&nbsp; Andal and her companions&nbsp; (imitating the gopikas)&nbsp; sing the praises of the season at the outset.&nbsp; Then they decide as to who are worthily qualified to perform the rite.&nbsp; They muse over what they should obtain as the fruit of this ritual and of the instrument that can bring about the desired end.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_of_the_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\"><\/span><strong>Summary of the Pasuram \u2013 1<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now has arrived the month of <em>Margasira<\/em>.&nbsp; The days are auspicious and the nights are filled with moonlight.&nbsp; You, the beautiful young women, enjoying all the comforts of the prosperous village&nbsp; Vrepalle and wearing strange and attractive ornaments!&nbsp; Listen, all those who wish to participate in the morning bath,&nbsp; join us, and move ahead.&nbsp; Krishna is the son of&nbsp; Nandagopa,&nbsp; who in his solicitude for his son,&nbsp; ever keeps alert,&nbsp; with his sharp Velayudha always poised,&nbsp; to punish severely those who intend harm to him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Krishna is the beloved lion \u2013 cub of &nbsp;Yasoda who contemplates him with her large beaming eyes;&nbsp; Krishna with his body shifting with the color of a&nbsp; dark cloud,&nbsp; with his eyes bright as a red lotus \u2013 petals,&nbsp; with his divine face radiating the mingled beams of the bright sun and the mellow moon \u2013 this Krishna is no other than Sriman Narayana Himself.&nbsp; He is ready to give, only to us (people who never seek anything from any but him)&nbsp; what we badly need,&nbsp; namely,&nbsp; the instrument&nbsp; <em>&#8220;para&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp; which is required for the fulfillment of this ritual.&nbsp; Therefore, join us in all your numbers in this ceremonial rite and make the world of onlookers happy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Commentary_of_Pasuram_%E2%80%93_1\"><\/span><strong>Commentary of <em>Pasuram <\/em>\u2013 1<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After enjoying the night with&nbsp; Krishna,&nbsp; the gopikas leave promising to meet again.&nbsp; Some of them fall into a sound sleep. Some others are so absorbed in their late experience that it is difficult to determine whether they are awake or asleep. A&nbsp; few could not sleep at all,&nbsp; and they set out to awaken others.&nbsp; The leader of this band, Andal feels happy that at last, the time has come to attain&nbsp; Krishna.&nbsp; So she begins to sing,&nbsp; first of all,&nbsp; the praise of time&nbsp; (<em>Kala<\/em>)&nbsp; which is beginningless and all-powerful.&nbsp; Under its influence, they have so long suffered the pangs of separation from&nbsp; God&nbsp; (Bhagavan).&nbsp; With the advent of&nbsp; <em>Margasira<\/em>,&nbsp; a&nbsp; change has come over the attitude of their elders;&nbsp; they have allowed their daughters to meet Lord Krishna freely and perform the ritual. The month is&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em>;&nbsp; that half of the month is the bright fortnight with the moon waxing in brightness, and the day the ritual begins is the most auspicious one.&nbsp; The girls, therefore, rejoice in their good fortune.&nbsp; The month of&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em> is especially dear to&nbsp; Vishnu.&nbsp; In the&nbsp; Gita, Sri Krishna declares that among the months he is himself&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em>. (<em>Masanam Margasirsoham<\/em>).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord Krishna is like the shade of a vast tree that cools those who are healed by the mid-summer sun and warms those who are frozen by the severe cold of winter. (<em>Vasudeva tarucchaya nati Sita na gharmada<\/em>)&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em>,&nbsp; identified among months as a&nbsp; form of&nbsp; Vishnu,&nbsp; is temperate in climate,&nbsp; neither torrid nor frozen.&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em> thus is a month congenial to the practice of God-consciousness.&nbsp; According to some astrologers, the starry sphere is in the form of a deer with the star&nbsp; <em>Margasira<\/em> at its head;&nbsp; and when the sun enters the star,&nbsp; a&nbsp; new year begins.&nbsp; So, this is the beginning of a new year;&nbsp; if we reckon a&nbsp; year as a&nbsp; day,&nbsp; the month of&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa <\/em>becomes the dawn,&nbsp; the&nbsp; <em>Brahma Muhurta<\/em>.&nbsp; Dawn is the time for the upsurge of the primary tendency of <em>sattva<\/em> or purity; and that is the time is fit for enjoying&nbsp; God-consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.48-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-344\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.48-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.48-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.48-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/scimonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-11-07-at-19.58.48.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Pallakki of Andal. ( Goda Devi, which is used for possession called Pallaki Utsavam Seva)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The night is the time of separation from God.&nbsp; Dawn heralds the sunrise and the radiating rays slowly spread over the horizon.&nbsp; When the night of separation passes and when hope arises that the time suited to &nbsp;God-consciousness is approaching,&nbsp; we experience the&nbsp; <em>Brahma \u2013 muhurta<\/em> of our lives.&nbsp; The living creatures have only one night and one day.&nbsp; At the time that is spent without a&nbsp; thought of&nbsp; God is night.&nbsp; The moment the hope of knowing&nbsp; God strikes the mind and grows into&nbsp; God \u2013 union,&nbsp; the dawn has come into our lives;&nbsp; and night returns not thereafter.&nbsp; As&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em> represents this dawn for them,&nbsp; they sing glorifying it in glowing terms.&nbsp; The gopa elders cannot venture out so early for fear of cold.&nbsp; So the gopikas are happy that they van freely meet Sri Krishna.&nbsp; It is the time that has oriented them towards Krishna;&nbsp; and so they glorify it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not the unlettered gopikas alone that have sung the praises of&nbsp; <em>Kala<\/em>&nbsp; (time).&nbsp; The seer&nbsp; Valmiki praises the month&nbsp; <em>&#8220;Chaitra&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp; that it has arrived at the moment that&nbsp; Dasaratha thought of the coronation of&nbsp; Sri Rama.&nbsp; He begins his verse with the praise of the month&nbsp; <em>(&#8220;Chaitra Sriman Ayam Masah Punyh Puspita Kananah&#8221;<\/em>).&nbsp; Months take their names after the star,&nbsp; the month is called&nbsp; <em>Chaitra<\/em>;&nbsp; if it is&nbsp; <em>Margasira<\/em> it is called&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em>.&nbsp; Possibly,&nbsp; in those days,&nbsp; months are reckoned from&nbsp; Full moon day to the next&nbsp; Full moon day.&nbsp; The greatness of time depends on the plenty that it gives.&nbsp; <em>Chaitra<\/em> is the month when the dry trees shoot forth fresh buds. And Margasirsa is the time when the land smiles in plenty.&nbsp; <em>Chaitra<\/em> was marked out for the coronation of&nbsp; Sri Rama as&nbsp; King;&nbsp; and&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em> for the coronation of the gopikas as&nbsp; Krishna&#8217;s devotees and servants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the lunar calendar, <em>Chaitra<\/em> is the month to be mentioned first, similarly, Rama is worthy to be uttered foremost by anyone.&nbsp; Like&nbsp; Rama,&nbsp; <em>Chaitra <\/em>is attended by&nbsp; Sri or prosperity.&nbsp; Rama is bewitchingly beautiful and exactingly pure.&nbsp; So is&nbsp; <em>Chaitra<\/em>,&nbsp; pure with its fresh buds and exceedingly fascinating.&nbsp; While people had to beautify the capital for&nbsp; Rama&#8217;s coronation,&nbsp; the forests bedecked themselves to celebrate the occasion.&nbsp; If&nbsp; Rama puts on a&nbsp; crown of diamonds,&nbsp; the forests put on crowns of flowers.&nbsp; So it is that&nbsp; <em>Chaitra<\/em> has come to be described as&nbsp; <em>&#8216;Sriman.&#8217;<\/em> Similarly,&nbsp; the month of&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa<\/em> has turned into admirable of gopikas praise \u2013 with this difference.&nbsp; In <em>Margasira<\/em> the fields present the pleasant depiction of ripe crops,&nbsp; winding deeply to earth.&nbsp; The gopikas in whose minds the start of the desire of union with&nbsp; Krishna had sprung forth and grown for some time,&nbsp; reached fruition without any hitch and inclined on&nbsp; Krishna&#8217;s feet,&nbsp; there to enjoy the eternal union.&nbsp; But in the case of those who become worthy of&nbsp; God&#8217;s love by their tendency to pursue godliness,&nbsp; time purifies itself and follows them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The gopikas did not start their rite&nbsp; (<em>Vrata<\/em>)&nbsp; after ascertaining the auspicious moment.&nbsp; The moment they got the permission of the elders and the consent of&nbsp; Krishna,&nbsp; they began their&nbsp; Vrata.&nbsp; It so happened that the beginning of their&nbsp; Vrata was marked by an auspicious month,&nbsp; fortnight, and day.&nbsp; This was the first occasion when they met&nbsp; Krishna face to face,&nbsp; to see and be seen,&nbsp; in bright moonlight without fear of being taken to task. Before this,&nbsp; their meetings were clandestine;&nbsp; and they took place in darkness.&nbsp; The very&nbsp; God who threatened to fling them into a demon \u2013 wombs&nbsp; (<em>Ksipami<\/em>)&nbsp; has relented this day and agreed to give them&nbsp; (<em>dadami<\/em>)&nbsp; the instrument or means to reach&nbsp; Him.&nbsp; Moreover,&nbsp; this is the day on which people&nbsp; (here the gopa \u2013 elders)&nbsp; who stood up against&nbsp; God,&nbsp; saying that they could save themselves,&nbsp; bend with faith that&nbsp; He alone is the savior!&nbsp; Such a&nbsp; day must be considered very auspicious.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To the gopikas, the advent of the day,&nbsp; after which they have long been hankering,&nbsp; gave them greater happiness than actual union with the&nbsp; Supreme Self could have given. This is called&nbsp; <em>Margasirsa Vratam, Snana Vratam, <\/em>and<em> Dhanurmasavratam. Margasirsa<\/em> of the&nbsp; Lunar Calendar is the same as the&nbsp; <em>Dhanurmasa <\/em>of the&nbsp; Solar Calendar.&nbsp; What is required to be done in this period is the bath at dawn. It is already explained that <em>Margasirsa <\/em>represents the&nbsp; <em>Brahma Muhurta <\/em>&nbsp;(the dawn)&nbsp; when the tendency to purity&nbsp; (<em>sattva guna<\/em>)&nbsp; is predominant.&nbsp; Dusk is the period when the tendency to action&nbsp; (<em>rajas<\/em>)&nbsp; is uppermost;&nbsp; and under its influence,&nbsp; doubts arise as to the nature of things seen in twilight with a&nbsp; shade more of darkness.&nbsp; We know that there is a&nbsp; thing there,&nbsp; but the doubt arises as to its nature and form;&nbsp; for instance,&nbsp; whether it is a&nbsp; thief or a&nbsp; tree \u2013 stump.&nbsp; This is known as&nbsp; (<em>Anyathajnana<\/em>)&nbsp; misapprehension, and this is the effect of raja guna.&nbsp; We know that there is such a&nbsp; thing as&nbsp; God \u2013 phenomenon.&nbsp; But doubts lay into us;&nbsp; and that stage represents dusk in spiritual life.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A brief biography of Andal and the significance of Andal\u2019s Thiruppavai Thiruppavai is a delightful flower- a garland of thirty Pasurams (thirty chapters) created by Godadevi who is referred to as Andal a pious reverence of Vatapatrasayi of Srivilliputtur temple which is located in Tamil Nadu. Andal is said to be found in a garden [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,3,26],"tags":[32,49,48],"ppma_author":[334],"class_list":["post-340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civilisational-india","category-eastern-schools","category-yoga-and-meditation","tag-secrets-of-yoga","tag-south-indian-literature","tag-south-indian-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Andal \u2013 women&#039;s mystical Poet from South India. - Scientific Monk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Andal a pious reverence of Vatapatrasayi of Srivilliputtur temple which is located in Tamil Nadu. 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