GodhA PiraaTTi [Sri ANdAL) Thirunakshathram today- Adi pooram

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

 

Dearest srivaishnavas,

 

Today (July 21st – Adi pooram) is the Most

compassionate, most merciful, our dearest Mother-

GodhA PiraaTTi- SrI ANdAL's Thirunakshathram.

Let us meditate on most merciful Divine Godha PiraaTTi

and surrender to Her Lotus feet.

 

Swami Desikan starts off the GodhAsthuthi, which is

reported to have been sung by Swami, when he was

greatly captured by GodhA's Divine Beauty in the

streets of Sri Villiputthur during a procession

(Uthsavam) on the day of which Swami was observing

Mouna vratham (perhaps, PradhOsham time).

 

GoDhA looked gracefully at Swami and allured him as if

she says "Hm.... Sing .. Come 0ut..VedantaAchAryarE!"

Swami blessed us with 29 excellent verses of

GOdhAsthuthi. (one less than 30 pAsurams of

ThiruppAvai to pay respects to her wonderful

granthams)

 

vaidEsika: sruthi girAmapi bhooyaseenAm

varnEshu mAthi mahimA na hi mAdrusAm thE /

iththam vidanthamapi mAm sahsaiva gOdhE!

MounadruhO mukharayanthi guNA: tvadheeyAh //

(GOdha Sthuthi SlOka 2)

 

Meaning

Oh! GOdhA PirAtti! I resolved to remain silent because

I realized that the limitless vEdas themselves had

become speechless unable to complete the task of

praising your abundant glory. I realized too that a

common folk like me with mere limited Lowkika

knowledge it would be beyond my capacity to attempt

where 'Vaidika vAk' had failed. But, your auspicious

qualities would not bear with my silence. They know

the art of making a mute person loquacious! It is they

which have impelled me to compose psalms of praise

about you. [from Sri Anbil Swami’s translation]

 

SrI AndAL- blessed us with two works namely

Thiruppavai (30verses) and Naacchiyaar Thirumozhi 143

verses. But it is Srimad Ramayanam which is also from

GodhA PiraaTTi -24000 verses in Saksrit.

 

What? ….. yes..

 

Sri GodhA is none other than the avathAram of Bhumi

PiraaTTi (Bhooma Devi). When the hunter was doing his

thapas there was an ant hill covering him completely

and hence called Vaalmeeki (valmeekam- ant hill). Thus

through the ear (of BhUmi Devi- namely the anthill)

and thereby from ANDAL- came this Vaalmeeki Ramayanam;

- says Swamy Desikan beautifully in GodhA sthuthi

[valmeekatha sravaNayO:]

 

Her Thiruppavai is the essence and seed of All Vedas-

vedam anaaitthukkum vitthu.

 

pAthagangaL thIrkkum paraman aDi kATTum

vEdham anaitthukkum vitthAgum - godhai

thamizh aiyyaindum aiyndum aRiyAda mAniDarai

vaiyyam Sumappadum vambu

 

ANDAL’s composition tiruppAvai has the power to

eliminate the greatest of sins, take us to the Divine

Feet of emperumAn so that we get the bhAgyam to do

kaimkaryam to Him for ever, and in fact GodhA’s

compositions are the very essence and seed of what the

veda-s teach us i.e. the bliss of uninterrupted

kaimkaryam to Him is the ultimate object that the soul

should strive for the same; It shows the way to attain

Him and the goal of every soul. It depicts our eternal

inseparable relationship of jeevan with the Lord. In

fact, this taniyan declares that one who has not

learnt the essence of tiruppAvai is not worth being

supported by this earth!

 

Sri Manavala Maamuni says:

 

inRO Thiruvaadippooram;- emakkaaga

anRO inghu ANdAL avatharitthaaL-

kunRaadha vaazhvaana vaikuntha vaan bhOganthannai

igazhdhu

AzhwAr ThirumagaLaaraay.

 

Beautiful and simple: Maamuni says: Today is

Thiruvaadipporam. Andal appeared only for us; She

sacrificed Her eternal Vaikunta enjoyment and

living and appeared here as the human daughter of

AzhwAr. (What a compassion of Bhumi Piraatti!)

 

pirATTi’s essential role in protecting the jeevathmas

from His wrath for all the infinite and ceaseless sins

that we revel in, is well known in our sampradAyam.

BhagavAn’s incarnations are meant for the protection

of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the

establishment of dharma in this world [paritrANAya

sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dushkRtAm, dharma

samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge); pirATTi’s

incarnations remind us of the infinite mercy that She

has for us, which she uses in every way to influence

Him in order to protect us.

 

Swami Desikan vividly illustrates this over and over

again in SrI dayA Satakam, which is a whole

composition of over 100 Slokams praising Her dayA or

Mercy towards us. In Godhasthuthi, Swami Desikan

again refers to this guNa of pirATTi- the reason why

bhagavAn forgives the cetana-s who have taken a vow to

commit sins against Him, is because of the

intervention of piraTTi who first binds Him to her

using whatever means she can bring to power at her

disposal including her beauty, and then makes Him do

whatever she wishes, to protect the cetana-s against

His wrath. In godA?s case, He is subservient to her

because He was blessed with the garland that she wore

on her head, and she also composed intensely

devotional praise on Him through her SrI sUkti-s (tava

mauLi dAmnA, tantrI ninAda madhuraiSca girAm

nigumbhai: niyamitah - godA stuti – 5th verse).

 

If none of this yields the desired result towards the

sinner, then she expresses her displeasure by her

facial expression which is beauty itself (bhoga

rasAnukUlah tava bhrU-kshepah eva - godA stuti 25),

and He gives in and does whatever she wants to protect

the cetana.

 

Not only was this the significance of her incarnation,

but the whole of the southern part of the bhArata

deSam was blessed in a special way thus far unknown,

because of her birth in SrI villiputtUr. This is

pointed out by none other than svAmi deSikan in SrI

godA stuti:

 

dik dakshiNApi paripaktrima puNyalabhyAt

sarvOttarA bhavati dEvI tavAvatArAt |

yatraiva ranga patinA bahumAna pUrvam

nidrAkunApi niyatam nihitA: kaTAkhsA: ||

 

Until godhA was born in the southern part, everyone

had implicitly believed that the northern part is the

more blessed place by His kripa [grace]. The sacred

gangA flows in the north, Lord Krishna was born in the

north (brindhAvana caram vallavI jana vallabham),

Lord rAma was born in the north, He married sItA

pirATTi in mithilA in the north, He incarnated as nara

and nAraNa in badri in the north, and on and on. All

this was true till godhA decided to bless the south by

being born in SrIvilliputtUr. By her birth, the south

became the northernmost to everything that was

considered north or blessed.

 

The birth of godhA also earned the name periyAzhvAr-

for her dear father, vishNucittar (tvan mouLi gandha

subhagAm upahRtya mAlAm, lebhE mahattara padAnuguNam

prasAdam) vishNucittar pleased emperumAn so

immensely by offering to Him the garland that godai

had first worn, that the Lord conferred on him the

title periya AzhvAr.

 

[The above godhA sthuthi reference is an extract from

Smt Kalyani Krishnamcahri’s brilliant write up as

introduction to Nacchiyar Thirumzhi translation- the

entire English translation of Sri AnDAL’s Nachiyar

Thirumzhi [143 verses] is available in bhakti list

archives- written and posted by Smt Kalyani

Krishnamachari few years ago- and it is to be read,

re-read and enjoyed.- Thanks to her for granting

permission to post here]

 

Azhahiya MaNavALa PerumAL nayanAr summed up in a

beautiful verse the substance of what GodhA Piratti

taught us:

 

etttezhutthin iNaipporuLum irandain poruLum

iyal valitthEr arucchunanakku Iraivar tammaith--

totttu vaittha maRai iruthipporuLai yellaam

tOnrum vahai PuduvairkOn Godhai

kavi paadal poruL teriyakkAttinALE

 

The daughter of the seer of Srivilliputthur revealed

to us through Her paasurams, the meanings

(rahasyaarthams) of the AshtAkshari, Dvayam and the

charama slokam given to the Mahaarathi, ArjunA by our

Lord Parthasaarathi.

 

Let us mediate at the lotus feet of Sri GodhA PiraaTTi

reciting the first sloka of GodhA sthuthi [from Sri

Sadagopan mama's translation

 

SrivishNuchittha kulanandana kalpavaleem

Srirangaraaja harichandana yoga drusyaam |

SakshAth KshamAm karuNayA KamalAmivAnyAm

GodhAm ananya saraNa: SaraNam prapathyE ||

 

(Meaning): O GodhE! I perform Prapatthi at Your sacred

feet as one, who has no other recourse ! I have no one

else to save me. You are the Kalpaka creeper adorning

the Lord standing as the auspicious HarichandanA tree

in the flower garden of the Kulam of VishNuchitthA,

your father. The darsanam of You united with Your Lord

tightly as the divine kalpakA creeper and the

celestial HarichandanA tree is a blessed sight to see.

 

In Your infinite patience with the aparAdhis, You

appear verily like Bhumi dEvi and in your limitless

compassion , You resemble Maha Lakshmi Herself. I

offer my Prapatthi at your sacred, lotus feet as the

one, who has no other means!

 

Srimanyai VishNu chitthaaryamanOnandhanahEthavE!

nandhanandha sudharyai gOdhaayai Nithya MangaLam!!

-Sri Manavaala Maamunigal's mangalasasanam to GodhA

PiraaTTi

 

Please learn to recite Thiruppavai and be saved.. !

godhA tasyai nama idamidam-bhUya yevAstu bhUyaha ||

 

May I offer obeisance again and again to Goddess AndAL

alias GodhA

AndaL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayanan

dAsan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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