Second Day of Dhanur Maasam : Tribute to GodhA Piratti

[Guest guest]

Dear Memebrs of the Bhakthi group :

 

Prior to writing about the GodhA Devi's celebration of

the unsurpassed valour of Sri RamachandrA , I wish to share

with you the special and personal reasons for my reverence

for GodhA Piratti . It is associated with my dear sister ,

Kaimkarya Sri PadmA Veeraraghavan .

 

My sister has been blessed to create a devout society of ladies

in T.Nagar called " the GodhA PriyA Samithi " for the exclusive

purpose of performing Kaimkaryam to Nanda Nandana Sundari

of Srivilliputthur . She has taught dozens and dozens of ladies

GodhA sthuthi set in different RagAs and TaaLAs and collected money

through concerts to create and offer two Mutthu Kondais to Srivilliputthur

AndAL ..

My sister has also been blessed to receive contributions from

devotees in this manner to commission and consecrate the Vigrahaas

of AndAL and VeNugopalan with devis for the Nanganallur Temple .

She is now in the middle of generating funds for another kondai for

AndAL of Srivilliputthur known as RaaNi Mangamma Kondai . She had to

slow down somewhat because of the enormous effort that went behind the

RathnAngi/Mutthangi Kaimkaryam for Sri Bhoomi Devi sametha

Oppiliappan . She has given carnatic music concert in front of AndAL

on Aadi Puram day at Srivilliputthur at the special invitation of the Bhattars

and Koil adhikAris . Her whole life is devoted to AndAL . This utter dedication

of her life to AndAL of Srivilliputthur and the AndAL of Oppiliappan

Koil seems to have left its mark on me .

 

I went with her to Srivilliputthur one time and had a blessed darsanam of AndAL

and Rangamannar at the ardha mantapam , where she has stayed

since coming out of the Garbha graham to meet her "elder brother /

GodhAgrajar " , Sri RamanujAr . Suddenly , the Archakar was inspired and

"dragged " me into the garbha graham , where no one other than the

Archakas are allowed to enter . I was with a trustee of the temple and he

also had to join me. Later he said that in all his life as a native of

Srivilliputthur ,

he had never stepped beyond the Ardha Mantapam , where the Uthsava murthys are .

I had a wonderful darsanam of the Moolavar and even today I shudder at the

thought of the special bhagyam of being within two feet of the Moolavar.

I am sure that I do not deserve this special maryAdhai , but I think

AndAL out of her infinite mercy and compassion blesses even those

who have sambhandham with her Kaimkarya parAL .

 

My sister went on to compose krithis on ThiruviNNagarappan and

Bhumi Devi in 72 MeLa karthA ragas and completed that work

a month ago . Some of them were released in Mylapore during

July of this Year in a sadas presided by Sangeetha Kalanidhis

Semmangudi SrinivAsa Iyer and K.V. NarayaNaswamy Iyer .

Please forgive me for this display of pride in my sister . Her

special and deep Bhakthi for AndAL has blessed me in many ways .

To my sister , BhumA Devi of Oppiliappan Koil and GodhA PirAtti of

Srivilliputthur are one and the same Vasudha saluted by Swami Desikan.

 

With this rather lengthy introduction , I will share with you the thoughts

of Sri P.M. Saanthamurthy housed in a paper associated with the 1985

special conference on AndAl attended by great scholars like our own Sri Lakshmi

Tatachar of Melkote . He had contributed an article in the proceedings

of that conference under the title of " Concept of MangalAsAsanA in the works

of AndAL . " I will use that conference proceedings heavily to construct this

series of postings and back them up with other sources .

 

The MahA veeran that AndAL visualized and saluted

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Although AndAL considered herself as a Gopi of BrindAvanam

and wanted the union with Govindha and prayed for that Bhagyam

and Nithya Kaimkaryam to Him as a sub-teen ager in her divine

Thiruppavai and as a teen ager in her NacchiyAr Thirumozhi , her affection

and revrence for Rama has a unique and different flavor .

 

Her extraordinary tribute to Raghuveeran is recorded at three different

Paasurams of Thiruppaavai :

 

1. SinatthinAl TenilankhaikkomAnai cheRRa , MANATTHUKKINIYAANAI

paadavum nee vAi thiravAi -- Pasuram 12

 

2. pollA arakkanai kiLLIkkalaindAnai keerthimai paadippoY

-- pasuram 13 , a tribute to RavaNAri , who cut the ten heads

of the evil ogre and showed unsurpassed heroism in the battle filed.

 

This tribute to the Mahaveeran comes right after the tribute to

KrishNA , who killed the rakshasa , who had assumed the form

of a huge bird . KrishnA's valour is described as " PuLLIn vAi

KeendAnaippaadi. "

 

3 . senRangu tennilankhai seRRAi tiRal pORRi

---- pasuram 24

 

When one puts all these three tributes together, one

appreciates the depth and distinctionn of AndAL 's

bhakthi for Rama , the MahAVeeran, beomes clearer.

 

The experience of AndAL reminds me of the Thirucchazhal

pasurams of Thirumangai ( Periya Thirumozhi 11.5 ) . Here two

sets of gopis engage in a mock quarrel about the greatness

and otherwise of Rama and KrishNaavatharams .

 

AndAL had described as a Gopi the torments of KrishNA

and begged him not to destroy her sand castles . She had

complained severely about his indifference and cried over her

unbearable anguish in being separated from him .

 

AndAL however had a great regard for the trouble that RamA took to

recover SitA from the prison of RavaNA and his sense of

inconsolable loss over separation from her as a result of the

trecherous kidnapping by the cowardly RavaNA . KrishNA on

the other hand was always playing pranks with the Gopis and

" tormenting " them . He came near and then disappeared.

RamA on the other hand was steady as a rock to the one and only

woman , whom he married . This certainly impressed AndAL

as a woman deeply in love with the two avatharams of Sriman

NarayaNA . In this context PeriyavAcchAn Pillai comments that

RamA was ManatthukkiniyAn ( delectable to the mind ) compared to

the anxieties and sufferings caused by KrishNA . Hence the VyAkhAyana

chakravarthi says that AndAL enjoyed to her great satisfaction the

story of RamA and his highest regard for woman kind . RamA to her was

like cool and comforting breeze . He was like the cool touch of fragrant

sandal paste on a moon lit summer night. The eka patni vratham of

Rama also appealed to her , when she had to compete for the

attention of KrishNA , who did not limit his attention to her or to

any other Gopis .

 

In tomorrow's posting , I will cover the other Pasurams

of AndAL , wher she pays tribute to the other aspects of

the multifacted embodiment of DharmA (viz)., Sri RamachandrA .

 

Srimathyai GodhAyai Nitya MangaLam

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan