ANDAL'S THIRUPPAVAI — Sublime Poetry of Mysticism: Vankeepuram Rajagopalan- Book review from The Hindu

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Mystical hymn of Andal

 

ANDAL'S THIRUPPAVAI — Sublime Poetry of Mysticism:

Vankeepuram Rajagopalan; Pub.by the author, No.3

(N/5), 3rd Canal Cross Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar,

Chennai-600020.

 

Rs. 150.

 

THE PRESENT book on Thiruppavai is unique and

different from any other study. It is divided into

three chapters. First is the introduction; next is the

translation of the original text and the rest is the

author's short notes on the Vedas, the Brahmasutras

and modern philosophy.

 

In the introduction, the author in his note on the18th

verse of the Thiruppavai, discusses the Lord's

"leela", creation, sustentation and destruction and

quotes the Brahma Sutra 2-1-33 following Ramanuja's

commentary. At the end of the introduction, he quotes

from Rabindranath. It shows his scholarship and gives

the valuable contribution of Andal.

 

The author says that just as the Goddess of the Earth

took the form of Andal, the Upanishad became her Tamil

work Thiruppavai. While commenting on the word

"Vaikunta" in the ninth verse he quotes from the Rig

Veda and elaborates the meaning of the word based on

its hymns.

 

One of the verses of Andal refers to a unique cosmic

phenomenon of Venus (Sukra) visible in the morning sky

two hours before the sunrise and the disappearance of

Jupiter. Based on this reference L.D. Swamy Kannu

Pillai well known astronomer and Tamil scholar M.

Raghava Iyengar, have determined the date of Andal in

the Eighth Century A.D.

 

He has discussed the words "Chanku" (conch) and

"Chakra" in verse 14 which say the conch is the symbol

of sound.

 

K. K. A. VENKATACHARI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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