thirup pAvai - part 15 - ANDAL's vaibavam at Srirangam

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Dear bAgawathAs, mArgazhi day 9, 5:30 AM

 

ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

(*) In Hindu family, "thanthai" or Father is considered the

achAryAL, as he seeks the alliance (holy matrimony or eternal

union) and finalises the date to get married and arranges the

ceremony "ritual" and facilitates it as well. by doing kaNNiga

dhAnam (a type of vyAja). Hindu marriage ceremonies symobilically

illustrates many of these aspects. The upadEsams or aRivuRai or

"advises" the Mother would provide to the girl (jivAtmA) becomes

the mantra upadEsam (dwayam) (or mode of her conduct ie to

do a selfless service to their pathis) that serves as the vehicle

for the rest of the life for the girl (jivAtmA) in her "pukkAm"

known as Husband's house (Here it is Srivaikundam). ie., one

becomes a dAsi or dAsan when surrenders to the Lord and they have

no adikAram or "sakhthi" over anything (**). Everything is

realised as the thiru uLLam of the purushan and henceforth the

dAsi will only do everything as ordered by the purushan (Lord Sri

Krishna).

 

periAzhwAr was coming in his pallakku (palenquin) with his

daughter ANDAL and other "thaay veetu seer" (certain gifts etc.,

from the mother). He was travelling as the (AcharyaL) Father to

SriRangam to perform this "ritual"(prapatti) known here as the

marriage (earlier was sought through the thirup pAvai "nOnbu" by

Sri ANDAL). His marriage party was consisting of his suRRam or

relatives and friends. They were proceeding from srivillippuththur

for getting her married to Lord Sri Krishna (as Lord ARANGAN). They

set out to Srirangam as Lord Sri Krishna (ARANGAN) HIMSELF, appeared in

periAzhwAr's dream and *invited* him to bring his daughter to

Srirangam (para upakAram of Lord). When they approached the

outskirts of Sriranagam, Sri ANDAL suddenly vanished (***). It is

said that sooner periAzwAr rushed to

Sri Krishnan's sannithi (****) (Lord Arangan), and there he was

blessed with the darshan of the thiruk kalyAnak kOlam of

Sri ANDAL and Sri Krishnan as Sri Arangan in moolavar the

sannithi.

 

 

ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan

 

 

(*) Though Several refernces can be written for this, only

some brief and core concepts are presented to help understand the

fundamental and follow the flow of the article. Future artciles

on this pAsuram will contain more on this.

 

(**) - (ie., in its pure meaning the word dAsi or dasan

one has no adikAram over anything. One will conduct themself as

per the thiru uLLam of the Lord expressed in the ShAstram and

sometimes conveyed through AchAryAL or fellow prapannAs or

directly commanded by the Lord.

 

(***) There is a "marabu" or tradition believed to be true in

Srirangam even today. If someone comes with the desire (that was

earlier prompted by theLord HIMself) to surrender to the Lord Sri

Krishna (Lord Arangan) in Srirangam, it is said that the Lord

HIMself comes to the entrance of the city and receives them. One

can say in loose words that the Lord "pick them up" at the

thershold or outpost itself. The above story of sri ANDAL is just

presented to underline the fact that it was perumaL Lord

Sri KrishnA who initiated the thought on the nOnbu for Sri ANDAL,

and it was SriperiAzhwAr (through perumAL's thiru aruL in his

dream) who chose the "date" and "time" for the marriage (as an

AchAryA who will do baranyAsam He perfomed this marriage as the

Father) and it was Sri KrishanA who also received or picked them

up and it was Sri Krishan who finally got married to HER in the

form of Lord Arangan. The unique quality or nature of Lord Arangan

to come and receive his bhakthALs at the entrance of Srirangam is known

as "Abimukyam". Swami Desikan describes this in Sri Bagawath

dhyAna SopAnam as

 

sAbibrAya smitha vikasitham chAru bimpAtharOshtam

dhukkAbAya praNayini janE "doora datth Abimukyam" |

kAntham vakthram kanaka thilahAnkritham ranga bartthu:

swAnthE kAdam mama vilakathi swAga thothAra nEthram ||

 

Simple meaning:

Sri RanganAthar's thiru muga maNdalam is always smiling and is

always meaningful (HE always has something to do when such smile

is sported). His thirumuga maNdalam has a beautiful mouth that is

red and similar to the opening of a flower. ie the smile in HIS

face opens his mouth a little bit similar to a flower opening its

petals. His thirumuga maNdalam wears the kasthuri pottu. And HIS

eyes convey HIS Love through HIS Look. Lord comes with Such thiru mugam

maNdalam to the outskirts to receive those who comes to surrender

to HIM and receives them and such thiru muga mandalam is registered deep

in my mind.

 

(****) Sri RanganAthar moolavar sannithi can be called as

Sri krishnan's sannithi. Thirup pAnA AzhwAr saw Sri Krishna here

and delivered as "vennay unda vAyan, .. en amuthinai kaNda kaNgaL"

ie I see the mouth that swallowed the butter and those eyes of Sri

Krishna that is similar to the amirtham (nectar)". In Srirangam

moolvar sannithi, it is belived that when the doors are opened for

the moolavar in the early morning for performing the thirup paLLi

ezhucchi, the smell of a fresh butter is sensed by some even today.

 

 

____

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