five forms in one

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Five Forms in One

Episode III:

 

In the third Episode when Lord Ranganatha in Archa revealed HIS “Vibhava” was

that of Godha of Srivilliputhur. Sri Vishnuchitta, a Vaishnavite Brahmin was

very much devoted to the presiding deity of Srivilliputhur viz. Lord

Rangamannar. He was very much engaged in the service of Lord by carrying

garlands made of flowers and Tulasi. For this purpose he developed a garden

wherefrom he picked the fresh flowers and Tulasi with dew on them. While on this

divine duty in the garden he stumbled on a beautiful female child which he

carried home and become her foster father. It was the Tamil month of “Adi” and

the star was “Pooram” on that day. The foundling was brought up by Vishnuchitta

in an atmosphere which exuded nothing but divine fragrance. As the Tulasi plant

possessed the natural smell, the child had the instinct of divinity in her. She

was given the name “Godha” which according to scholars carries different meaning

and connotations.

 

She was influenced by the stories on Bhagavatham and Ramayanam from his foster

father who was fully immersed in “Krishnamritham” as is seen from his

“Thirumozhi”. He deals with Lord Krishna’s childhood and his pranks in the form

of Tamil hymns. It is considered to be a compendium of Bhakavatham in Tamil so

to say. She likened Srivilliputhur to Brindavanam and the damsels of the place

to “Gopikas” and herself assumed the role of a leader of those innocent Shepard

ladies. She enacted what all happened in dwaparayuga forgetting that she was in

Kaliyuga. Godha was so much involved in Bhakthi that she did not realize what

she was doing by adorning herself with the garland that was kept by her father

to be taken to Vatapatrasai. She saw her reflection through the placid waters of

well within the temple complex, with a view to satisfying herself as a suitable

match for the Lord. She then kept the garland back in its original place and was

silent as if nothing happened. On returning home

from the garden Vishniuchitta went straight to carry the garland to the temple.

He was aghast to find a bit of hair in it. He was upset that the garland had

been desecrated. He questioned his daughter whether she knew anything about it.

Godha accepted her folly and displayed penitence. A fresh garland was made and

Vishnuchitta took it to the sanctum sanctorum of Vatapadrasai, when he heard the

divine voice proclaiming that He preferred only the garland that was worn by

“Godha”. Vishnuchitta concluded that his daughter was not of that ordinary but

had divinity in her. From that date onwards Godha is called “Choodikodutha

Nachiyar”

 

In her immortal songs numbering thirty called “Thirpavai” in which Godha has

given to the world the quintessence of Vedas. On becoming an adult Godha

appealed to Lord of seven hills, the Azhagar of Thirumalirunsollai of her state

of being forlorn and her desire to join Lord Rangantha of Srirangam. Her

expressions of love and seperation from the Lord in the form of Tamil verses are

called “Nachiyar Thirumozhi” numbering one hundred and forty three.

 

When Vishniuchitta disclosed his desire to find a suitable spouse for Godha she

immediately reacted in the nature of a repartee saying that her physical frame

is intended only for the lord, and warned that if any attempt is made to marry

her to mortal, she would no more be alive. Vishnuchitta in a quandary without

knowing what to do and concluded that his daughter was referring from some

psychic condition. At last Vishnuchitta had to yield t o the wish of Godha and

decided to take her to Srirangam and for that purpose he requisitioned two

palanquins one for himself and the other for Godha from Vallabha Pandian. They

set off for the Holy place and it was dusk when they reached the banks of

Cauvery. Vishnuchitta took leave of his daughter for a while to reach the river

for the evening oblation. After completing the ritual he returned to the place

where his daughter was waiting in the palanquin and was alarmed to find it

vacant. He had to guess that Lord Rangantha had taken he away to

his abode and bemoaningly he declared that He had only one daughter and that he

had brought her up as Mahalakshmi; perhaps Lots eyed “Thirumal” had carried her

away.

 

Thus Godha obtained the name Andal and joined Lord Rangantha of Srirangam. This

is also an instance of Vibhava out of Archa. We can deduce that lord Ranganatha

is very much in Vibhava as He is in Archa and Srirangam mnay be taken as the

confluence of Five forms of Lord Vishnu and is being called Bhooloka Vaikunta.

 

This article was written by Late Sri L.P.Sampath Iyengar

 

Comments and feedback are welcome to suprajaiyengar

 

CONCLUDED

 

 

 

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