ANDAL Thoughts

[Guest guest]

"SrImatE rAmAnujAya namah"

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ANDAL THOUGHTS

 

- by T.S. Sundara Rajan.

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The asterism 'tiru-vADippUram' (the next one falls

on Aug 6 Wednesday) marks a fragrant day in our

calendar, as the 'tiru-nakshatram' of ANDAL. This

blessed day is highlighted by SrI maNavALa-mAmunigal

in the 'upadESa-ratnamAlai' stanza ~

 

"periyAzhvAr peNpiLLai-yAi ANDAL piranda

tiruvADip-pUrattin SIrmai, oru nALaikku

uNDo? manamE uNarndu pAr, ANDALukku

uNDAgil oppu idaRkum uNDu."

 

On this day, the 'rathOtsavam'/'tiruttEr' festival

is celebrated in SrIvilliputtUr, when ANDAL in her

bridal finery and her winsome consort SrIrangamannAr

mount the imposing 'ratham' (the loftiest in the

country), to course through their domain. This is

verily a heavenly celebration of the profoundest of

mystical and literary traditions of the country.

 

ANDAL is venerated as divinity per se. The great

hagiographer pinbazhagia perumAL jIyar affirms this

by citing the SlOkam ~

 

dEvasya mahishIm divyAm AdAu gOdAm upAsmahE |

yan-mAuli-mAlikAm prItyA svIkarOti svayam prabhu: ||

 

It is said that for the mental peace of a disciple

who confessed to restlessness, SrI parASara bhaTTar

composed two SlOkam: the first one, "bhUtam saraScha

mahadAhvaya..." naming the ten 'divya sUri' (AzhvAr)

and SrI uDaiyavar, and the second one, "nILA-tunga-

stana-giri-taTI-suptam..." exclusively devoted to the

'daivatam' (ANDAL). These two SlOkam constitute

important 'taniyan' to 'aruLic-cheyal anusandhAnam'

(recitation of 'divya-prabandham).

 

'kOdai' and 'gOdA'

------------------

 

'kOdai' was the first name periyAzhvAr gave to ANDAL.

This Tamil word stands for 'a string of flowers'. In

the golden quadrangle of tirukkuRunkuDi, vAnamAmalai,

AzhvAr-tirunagari and SrIvilliputtUr, girl-children

were commonly named 'mAlA-nAcchiyAr'. When the Tamil

name was Sanskritised as 'gOdA', it yielded a rainbow

of meanings. In Sanskrit, the root 'gAuh' means,

inter alia, the 'vEdam'; hence, 'gOdA' signifies one

who gives of the 'vEdam'.

 

ANDAL Book is scripture

-----------------------

"vEdam anaittukkum vittAkum kOdai tamizh" is how

SrI vEdappirAn bhaTTar affirmed tiruppAvai's scriptural

status. As SrI parASara-bhaTTar perceives it, ANDAL

in her Book seems to instruct ISvara Himself on his

majesty, on the several proofs of the Sruti, in his

being One without a second: "kr*shNam pArArthyam svam

Sruti-Sata-Siras-siddham adhyApayantI". This was no

parochial or denominational boast.

 

It was given to SrI kAnchI (prativAdi-bhayankaram aNNA)

svAmi of blessed memory, to identify the several vEdic

sources of not only tiruppAvai but of 'nAcchiyar

tirumozhi' as well. In the best of poets' traditions in

all climes and languages, the ANDAL Book reisters many

an echo of revelations in the smr*ti as well. The well-

known line "achalAm Sriyam ApnOti" (in the 'sahasranAma

phalaSruti') reads as "nIngAda Selvam niRaindu" (in the

'Ongi ulakaLanda...' tiruppAvai).

 

"sakhEti matvA prasabham yad-uktam...

ajAnatA mahimAnam tavEdam... tat kshAmayE..."

(from SrImad-bhagavad-gItA 11:41-42) reads as

"aRiyAda piLLaikaLom, anbinAl untannai

SiRu-pEr azhaittanavum SIRi aruLAdE,

iRaivA!"

(in the 'kaRavaikaL...' tiruppAvai).

 

The dear and auspicious 'rukmiNI-pariNayam' chapter of

SrImad-bhAgavatam contains rukmiNI-dEvi's heart-rending

appeal to SrIkr*shNa to rescue her from being forced in

marriage to SiSupAla. She urges that a lowly character

like SiSupAla be not allowed to appropriate the offering

(that is, herself) already dedicated to SrIkr*shNa.

 

"mA vIrabhAgam abhimarSatu chaidya ArAd

gOmAyuvan-mr*gapatE: balim ambujAksha!"

 

These charged lines, we know, translate into nAcchiyAr

tirumozhi (1:5) as

 

"vAniDai vAzhum avvAnavarkku

maRaiyavar vELviyil vakutta avi

kAnidait-tirivadOr nari pukundu

kaDappadum mOppadum Seivadoppa..."

 

One could stray outside of SrIvaishNavam and discover in

the Bible books of Solomon's Song and the Psalms several

parallelisms (of lyrical expression, sentiment, episodic

situation and even doctrine) with texts from nAcchiyAr

Book, and from the entire run of aruLiccheyal. Thus,

the following texts read like translations of each other:

~ "the smell of thy garments..." (SSong 4:11)

~ "peNNin varuttam aRiyAda perumAn araiyil pItaka-

vaNNa-vADai..." (nAcchiyAr 13:1);

 

~~ "his lips like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh"

(SSong 5:13)

~~ "karuppUram nARumO, kamalap-pU nARumO?

tirup-pavaLac-chevvAi tAn.." (nAcchiyAr 7:1)

 

The 'aruLiccheyal' occasionally brings up to an episode or

two which are not traceable in the popular Sanskrit canon.

I for one could not guess the source of "Amai-yAi gangai-yAi"

of periyAzhvAr (4:9:5) till I came across a 'rasOkti'

essay of SrI kAnchi-svAmi tracing it to harivamSam. Likewise

ANDAL speaks of a fine point of ritual procedure in,

"muLLum illAc-chuLLi eri maDuttu

muyanRu unnai nORkinREn kAmadEvA!" (nAcchiyAr 1:2).

I discovered (and I regarded the discovery as a blessing

of ANDAL) from the relatively less-known 'vishNu-dharmOttara-

purANam' that the pippala (ficus indicus?) samit (twigs

offered in hOmam/oblation) with spiky notches were prescribed

for 'black' rites (abhisArika yajna) provided for in the

(AitarEya?) brAhmaNa; accordingly, in organising the rite for

winning over tiruvEnkatam-uDaiyAn, this young prodigy takes

care to select for her sAttvika-hOmam the notch-free twigs.

These are only a few illustrations of ANDAL Book as scripture.

 

ANDAL in SrIrangam

------------------

It is important to note that as many as three shrines are

dedicated to ANDAL in Srirangam. It is well-known that to-day's

chitra (originally, mADa) vIthi constitutes the seventh and last

of the dedicated enclosures (tiru-vIthi / prAkAram) of periya-

perumAL. There is an eighth enclosure, known as 'aDAiya-

vaLAindAn' (meaning, 'all-embracing'). [Even though this eighth

enclosure is the 'outer' one, its name served as a metaphor for

a gloss ~ aDAiya-vaLAindAn arum-pada-urai ~ on tiruvAimozhi,

written after the IDu.] At the time when periyAzhvar escorted

ANDAL on pilgrimage to Srirangam, the present-day uttara

(trivikraman) and chitra (mADa) vIthi were tenanted by only the

temple functionaries; accordingly, the AzhvAr (and, of course,

ANDAL) put up in the south-western part of 'aDaiya-vaLaindAn',

so as to be within easy reach of the streamlet 'tirumanjana-

kAvEri'. On this site came up the first ANDAL sannidhi in

Srirangam. Here ANDAL is represented in the 'seated' posture

and is worshipped only in the 'mUla' form; since the sannidhi

is on the 'veLit-tirumuRRam' [outer yard] of the periya-kOyil,

it is referred to as the 'veLi ANDAL sannidhi', and it could be

almost as ancient as the SrIvilliputtUr ANDAL sannidhi. This

sannidhi is administered by SrI kOyil kandADai aNNan tirumALigai.

 

The second ANDAL shrine (commonly referred to as the 'uL ANDAL)

is approached from the 'ranga-vilAsam'; the 'utsava mUrti', also

in the seated posture, was moved here from the veLi ANDAL sannidhi.

SrIrAma is also worshipped in this sannidhi, and one can notice

a replica of uDaiyavar's 'tAn-Ana tirumEni' in a sub-shrine here.

It is on this spot that the enchanting episode of "vAraNam Ayiram"

is recalled, after namperumAL dismisses the Anai-vAhanam

(elephant mount) and pauses to exchange garlands with ANDAL.

 

A few steps to the east of chandra-pushkariNI, and across

SrI-kOdanDa-rAman sannidhi, is the parama-pada-nAthan sannidhi

where all the AzhvAr are in 'sAlOkyam' with perumAL. In this

sannidhi, ANDAL (in standing posture as in SrIvilliputtUr) is

worshipped in a sub-shrine. In simhAchalam (near viSAkhapatnam),

uDaiyavar had raised a shrine for ANDAL (in the same stance) near

the SrI varAha-nr*simha sannidhi, to recall the 'mAri-malai

muzhanchil mannik-kitandu uRangum SIriya Singam..." tiruppAvai.

 

periyAzhvAr's darling child

---------------------------

 

'archA' or vigraham or pratimA, for the SrIvaishNava, is

the sentimentally satisfying and self-sufficient proof, and

manifestation of the Deity; this is the case in every one of our

108 'divya-dESam'. The Lord beckons to each of us and admits us

to His epiphany in a 'divya-dESam' of his choice; the entirety

of 'aruLic-cheyal'/'divya-prabandham' is but a luminiscent

record and testament of each AzhvAr's experiences during such

ecstatic visitations. Just to gaze ('sadA paSyanti) at ANDAL

at SrIvilliputtUr is indeed such transport; one verily is

reminded of periyAzhvar's remembrance (8:1) of ANDAL ~

 

"oru-makaL tannai-yuDaiyEn, ulakam niRAinda pukazhAl

tirumakaL pOl vaLarttEn, SenkaN-mAl tAn konDu pOnAn!"

 

periyAzhvar is consistent in the memory of his precious child

ANDAL. His initial book tirup-pallAnDu declares that he had

'no want', being in the service of the Lord:

 

"ennAL, emperumAn! un-tanakku aDiyom enRu ezhuttuppaTT annALE

aDiyOngaL aDik-kudil vIDu-petru uindadu kAN!"

 

ANDAL having attained mystic union with 'periya-perumAL' in

SrIrangam, periyAzhvAr returned all by himself; nevertheless,

he exclaims (in his final decad) in fulfilment, "Who in this

world but me can be so blessed as my being yours?":

 

"ninnuLEnAip-peRRa nanmai ivvulakinil Ar peRuvAr?"

 

ANDAL's shrine in SrIvilliputtUr

--------------------------------

 

We cannot but marvel at the manner in which ANDAL shrine

dominates that of SrI-vaDa-perum-kOyil-uDaiyAn ('vaTa-patra-

SAyI) in SrIvilliputtUr; just the same with nammAzhvAr

shrine and that of Adip-pirAn in AzhvAr-tirunagarI, of

uDaiyavar and of SrI AdikESavap-perumAL in SrIperumpudUr.

 

The vaTa-patra-SAyI 'gOpuram' at SrIvilliputtUr acquired a

distinction of recent history when it was adopted as the

emblem of the government of Tamil Nadu; the sacred temple's

lofty gOpuram is presently in near-ruin condition

nevertheless. Not much is being spoken of the huge and

surpassingly beautiful terra-cotta images of

lakshmI-nArAyaNa and SrI-nr*simha cresting this gOpuram.

The fine-carved wooden images in the courtyard (tirumuRRam)

of vaTa-patra-SAyI, like the breathtaking stone freizes on

the interior of tiruk-kuRun-kuDi gOpuram, deserve notice.

 

We should learn to contemplate a divya-dESam in its entirety.

When great souls like uDaiyavar visited any of these, they

absorbed everything that was to a place: the streams, the

mountain-stretch, the orchards and arbours, the approaches

and streets around the temple, et al. In SrIvilliputtUr,

there is a whole street (to the north of the temple) named

after the 'kandADaiyAr' clan which yielded jewels of AchArya

like SrI mudali-ANDAn (uDaiyavar's nephew), SrI kOyil aNNan,

tirumaNi appan svAmi, sholingur (SOzha-singha-puram)

doDDAchar who wrote the well-known 'chanDa-mArutam'

commentary on svAmi-dESikan's 'SatadUshaNI'.

 

SrIvilliputtUr happens to be among the places where

SrInAthamuni's institution of aRAiyar / viNNappam-seyvAr

(reciters of 'aruLiccheyal') has survived. Other places are

SrIrangam, AzhvAr-tirunagari, tiruk-kuRun-kudi and mElkOte/

tiru-nArAyaNapuram. It is blessed soil, this place named

after the wild bowmen tribe of 'villi'; mutter to yourself

the verse of vEdappirAn bhaTTar if you sought to know how

rich it is in vibrations:

"kOdai piranda Ur, gOvindan vAzhum Ur,

SOdi maNi-mADam tOnRum Ur -- nItiyAl

nalla pattar vAzhum Ur, nAn-maRaigaL Odum Ur,

villiputtUr vEdak-kOn Ur !"

 

While in SrIvilliputtUR, wait for the bewitching moment when

aRAiyar recites svAmidESikan's hymn-consummate 'gOdA-stuti' ~~

 

"SrI-vishNuchitta-kula-nandana-kalpa-vallIm

SrIrangarAja-harichandana-yOgadr*SyAm

sAkshAt kshamAm karuNayA kamalAm-ivAnyAm

gOdAm ananya-SaraNaS-SaraNam prapadyE !"

 

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

ANDAL tiruvaDikaLE Saranam.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~