AchArya RaamAnujA becoming the elder brother of ANDAL (GOdhAgrajan).

[Guest guest]

Dear SrI Sreekanth:

 

You asked as to Why ANDAL is saluted as

younger sister of AchArya RaamAnujA .

 

Once AchArya RaamAnujA was travelling to

SrIvilliputthUr to visit NaacchiyAr ThirumALigai

to worship ANDAL and Her Lord SrI RangamannAr. .

On the way from SrIrangam to SrIvilliputthUr , he stopped

at Azhagarkoil for worshipping Sundararaaja

PerumAL .At Azhagar Koil ,AchArya RaamAnujA

was reflecting two NacchiyAr Thirumozhi Paasurams

(9.6 and 9.7) of AndaL on SrI SundararAjan ( Azhagar) .

 

In the first Paasuram, " NaaRu naRum pozhil

MaalirumchOlai nampikku--", ANDAL gave Her word to

present a hundred pots of sweet butter and hundred

full pots of Sweet rice cooked in milk (akkAra adisil)

and asked the Lord of ThirumAlirumchOlai whether He will

show up and accept Her samarpaNam . She was longing to

see Him and have samyOgam with Him . She was tempting

Him with this delightful offering knowing that He loved

butter and went through a lot to get at butter in the house

of Gopis. She also knew that He loved PaayasAnnam . She offered

both the objects of His desire and expected in return for Him

to come before Her so that She can lovingly "feed " Him .

 

In the next paasuram , " InRu vanthi Itthanayum amudhu

seythidap-peRil--" , ANDAL continued Her conversation

with Herself :" If My Lord who lives in green groves

wafting exquisite fragrance of mountain flowers accepts

My invitation for the feast and comes before Me , I shall

multiply My offerings by a thousand-fold and then serve

Him with great love. Would He present Himself and reside

in my lowly heart ?" .

 

AchArya RaamAnujA reflected on these paasurams and sensed

the pathos behind ANDAL's manObhAvam , when She made these

sweet offerings to Lord SundararAjan. He was not sure whether

ANDAL did indeed offer the many vessels of butter and akkAra Adisil

as She promised. He decided therefore to make those offerings

in a spirit of fulfilling ANDAL's wish. He felt fulfilled .Thereafter,

He continued his journey to SrIvilliputthUr. When he reached

the ardha maNDapam of ANDAL's ThirukkOil, what he witnessed

was beyond anything he could have imagined. From Her

sanctum sanctorium , ANDAL had travelled to the Ardha MaNDapam

to greet RaamAnujA ;She greeted RaamAnujA ( The ThiruppAvai Jeeyar)

as Her elder brother since he had taken on the role of a responsible

" elder brother" to fulfill the promise of his "Little sister" ,

(ANDAL) to Lord SundararAjan of ThirumAlirumchOlai(Her Lord).

>From then on ,ANDAL did not return to Her Garbahgraham .

This wonderful happening and the respectful gesture

shown by ANDAL earned RaamAnujA the title of the elder of

ANDAL( PerumbhUthUr Maamunikku PinnAnAL VaazhiyE).

 

ANDAL has a wonderful way of meeting AchAryAs. On one pradhOsham

day , when Swamy Desikan was visiting SrIvilliputthur ,

ANDAL could not wait to meet Swamy Desikan. She routed Herself

on that evening away from the main streets to present

Herself before a surprised Swamy Desikan and recieved his

spontaneous devotional samarpaNam "SrI GOdhA Sthuthi" .She is

proactive in Her ways to bless BhakthAs. She is indeed an avyAja

KaruNA Moorthy.

 

SrI ANDAL THiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

V.Sadagopan