Sri ANDAL-To follow or not to follow?

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Sri ANDAL

To follow or not to follow?

 

The extreme passion of Sri ANDAL, our beloved kOdhai nAchiyAr, made her restless. As pointed out by Sri Pillai lOkAchAryas, Azvar-s are immersed in the ocean of auspicious qualities of EmperumAn and submerged in the ocean of love towards Him. The longing for Him, the immediate requirment to have His divine vision divert their otherwise orthodox procedures to deviate into rather different and unheard of terrain.

 

All this is due to this immense devotion and engulfing love and passion which is termed as Sri PiLLai lOkAchAryA as

'bakthi pAravyasathAlEa AzvArgaL ' Sri vachana BHUshaNam 43;

 

This no doubt moots them into wierd acts of appraching other deities -dheivangAL en seigEan?- threat of publicising EmperumAn's so called betrayal -madal eduthal and

sending emissaries -dhUthu vidal.

 

Such of these activities which spring out from love -premam is observed during AzvArs- transforming themselves into the mindset of females -thalaivi-s ( PrEmathil PeN pEachu -AchArya Hrdhyam ) GOdhA being a female Herself had this natural advantage and therefore it is aptly concluded that thiruppAvai and its innate sense of such emotions come naturally for femine mindsets

"mulai ezhundhAr padi"-avathArikai of ThiruppAvai.

 

Souls like us, declares Sri PiLLai lOkAchAryAr - and due to naichiyam he includes himself -are bereft fo knowledge -'agnAnathAlE prapannar asmathAdigaL' Sri vachana bhUshaNam 43;

AchAryAs are epitome of knowledge and strictly go by such knowledge in a linear manner and therefore they are termed as

'gnAnAdikyathAlEa AchAryargaL' -Sri vachana bhUshaNam 43;and AzvAr-s as seen earlier are overpowered by yearning and love towards EmperumAn and the knowledge about Him -like He will come and rescue and we have to wait for His call- are eclipsed by towering affection unto Him.

 

The first Thirumozhi in nAchiyAr thirumozhi calls upon another dEvathA to get Her to the Lord Almighty.

 

The clamour for EmperumAn makes Her send the clouds to ThiruvEnkatamudaiyAn seeking Him.

 

The lakshmaN rEkhA is pierced when ANDAL crosses the line and appeals for putting her in midnight at Sri NandaGopan's doorsteps.

'Nandha gOpAlan kadaith thalaikkEa naLLirutkaN ennai vuithidumin' NAchiyAr thirumozhi 12-3;

Last but not the least She demands from EmperumAn Himself that He appear to Her in person and reply to Her queries seeing Her couneteance.

"meimmai solli mugam nOAkki vidai thAn tharumEal miga nanREA' 13-9;

 

Sri ANDAl being the visual concept of extreme such passions and AndAL is aptly described as 'pinjAi pazhuthAL' by none othe than Sri mAmunikaL in his upadEsa rethinamAlai.

The oft repeated question " AzvAr-s have detoured into these unimaginable terrtory of threatening Him with madal, approaching other deities, sending emissaries and queistioning His actions/inactions and so why cant we ? We should and can follow her footsteps? is a frequently asked question, questioning the basic tenets of our philosophy.

 

AzvAr-s and ANDAL are in an entirely different platform, in a separate elevated level in platonic degree of love and affection emerging from His blessings. Their lack of knowledge has been comprehesively obliterated by His blessings - mayrvu aRA mathi nalam aruLinan -

and this knowledge is then overpowered by overwhelming passions.

 

We neither possess such knowledge (gnAnAdhikyam) and such bakthi (bakthi pAravasyam)

Therefore, it is comprehensively illogical to compare ourselves to those who are in an exalted state and in entirely a different league altogether.

 

Is it not?

 

dasan

vanamamalai padmanabhan