Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Story of Aandal

From December 15 to January 15 is the Tamil month of Dhanus or Margazhi and reciting Thiruppavai in the month of Margazhi is considered to be auspious. Aandal is the composer of these 30 verses. Aandal (Tamil: ஆண்டாள்) is an 8th century (or earlier) Tamil saint and one of the twelve Alwars (saints) and the only woman Alwar of Vaishnavism.Alwars are saints having lived between the fifth and ninth centuries, in the Tamil speaking regions of India and these saints revitalized the Indian religious milieu, sparking a renewal of devotional worship throughout the subcontinent.

Aadi Pooram, also known as Aandal Jayanthi, celebrates the birth of Aandal - dedicated to her as she is believed to be an avatar (incarnation) of goddess Lakshmi. Aandal is very popular in Tamil Nadu especially among the Vaishnavaites (those who worship lord Vishnu). Aadi Pooram derives its name from Aadi (Ashata) the month (mid July to mid August) and Pooram (Poorva, Phalguni) the star, the day on which Aandal was born - a Tuesday coinciding with shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). According to the Sri Vaishnava belief Aandal was found in a flower garden in Srivilliputhur( we will be talking about her birth in detail a little later) during the Pandya dynasty.The exact date of her birth is not known but from studies it is found that she must have lived in 7th / 8th Century A.D. (Divya Suri Charita - hagiography of the Alwars -records that she appeared as a child in the 97 th year after the onset of Kali Yuga termed the Nala year, in the Tamil month of Adi in the Purva Phalguni asterism.) More identified with Aandal is the month Margazhi (Dhanur masa in Hindi) spanning from mid-December to mid-January, and during this month Thiruppavai a composition of 30 verses composed by Aandal is recited in homes and temples of Tamil Nadu. It is said that she sang this on each day of the month and on the 30th day due to her supreme devotion to the lord she got married to Sri Ranganatha at Srirangam.The life of Aandal is remarkable in its romantic simplicity.
Aandal was the adopted daughter of Vishnu Chittar who later came to be known as Peria Alwar. Periya Alwar, is believed to be an incarnation of Garuda (the vehicle of lord Vishnu). Before going into the story of Aandal, it would be logical if we knew about the life of her father, Vishnu Chittar.
Vishnu Chittar : Vishnu Chittar was born to Mukunda Bhattar (a scholar and devotee of Vishnu) and Padma Valli who lived in Sriviiliputtur. The small town of Srivilliputtur itself has a story of how it came into being. There were two hunter brothers Villi and Kandan who lived in a village adjoining Puttur in the Pandya kingdom. While on a hunting spree, Kandan was killed by a tiger but Villi escaped miraculously. He attributed this to the grace of god. Shortly after this Villi became very rich and built a temple for Lord Vishnu and the village that mushroomed around it was called Villiputtur. Mukunda Bhattar and his wife were one of the early settlers here.
Vishnu Chittar means one who always keeps Vishnu in his mind, and all that he does is for the lord. Growing up Vishnu Chittar did not wish to study the vedas(Sacred Texts of Hinduism) or sastras(the law codes of Hinduism, both secular and religious) for he thought that time could be fruitfully spent serving his Lord as he desired only to receive the lord's daya (compassion). Bearing in mind the story of lord Krishna who gave importance to a flower vendor made maalai- kainakaryam(physical functions intended to be used in the service of the lord) his way of attaining mukthi (liberation). The legend goes that when Krishna came to Mathura to kill king Kamsa while getting down from his chariot at Mathura he saw a malaikaran ( the garland maker) taking flower garlands for the king. On seeing this lord Krishna stopped the malaikaran and asked him for a flower garland .The malaikaran respectfully replied "so many rishis and mahapurushas(great souls/beings) perform penace to get your divine darsanam (sight/vision)and you who are so elusive to them came before an ordinary person like me and gave me your darsanam out of your own will and have asked me for a garland.What more grace can I expect" saying this the malaikaran picked out his best flower garland and offered it to the lord.The lord was very happy in receiving the garland and then left for Kamsa's palace. This story left a deep-seated impression on the mind of Vishnu Chittar and he realised that preparing and offering flower garlands to the lord was the best kainkaryam. According to the Srivaishnava sampradayam (the tradition or established doctrine of teaching from master to pupil through the ages), kainkaryam is very important, for by performing selfless kainkaryam to the lord, it is believed that one can easily obtain the lord’s blessing to follow a path of incessant bhakti (devotion)and finally mukthi. So he bought a small piece of land, converted it into a garden with a variety of flowers and tulasi ( a kind of basil plant, sacred to Hindus)plants and spent his time making flower garlands for lord Vishnu in the temple of his town- lord Vishnu here is in the form of Sri Vatapatrasayee (Lord Vishnu is in a reclining posture -the temple still exists and on the side is a tulasi garden, believed to be the one cared by Vishnu Chittar. There is also a shrine dedicated to Peria Alwar next to the tulasi garden).
From Vishnu Chittar to Peria Alwar :During this period, the Pandian king, Vallabha Deva, was ruling the kingdom from Madurai the capital city. He used to take inspection rounds at night in disguise. During one such night the king saw a Brahmin sitting alone in a mandapam (roughly translates into porch of a temple/ an open hall supported by pillars). While conversing with him he was very impressed and asked the Brahmin to share with him some worthy philosophy. This is what the Brahmin said : “"One has to gather everything necessary for the rainy season when the sun shines. One has to save for old age by working hard during the younger days. Similarly, one has to search for the ultimate reality in this birth to benefit in the next birth." This question set the king thinking and he shared it with his ministers. One minister, Selva Thambi, suggested that there should be a congregation of scholars to enable the king to understand what the ultimate reality was and to arrive at answers to various philosophical questions, especially as regards whom one should worship in order to attain everlasting peace ie moksha. Announcements were then made inviting learned scholars to participate in a debate. There would be a handsome reward of a bag of gold coins.A bag of gold coins was tied to a long vertical pole and an announcement was made about the contest in which the gold coins was to go to the scholar who could bring it down with his faith. A number of scholars tried in vain to do this with their scholarly works, eloquent speeches and heated debates.
Vishnu Chittar who had not studied the Vedas or any holy texts, had a dream, in which lord Vatapatra asked him to go to Madurai to take part in the debate announced by the king. Vishnu Chittar therefore went to Madurai to attend this great debate. As he started speaking, due to some divine flash the Vedic philosophy just kept pouring out of his mouth. He explained to the enthralled august gathering that Vishnu is the Narayana and the parabrahmam (that which is beyond Brahman...for a rough translation and for simple understanding God can be called as Parabrahman,and Brahman as the soul)and that he is the beginning and end of all creation and only through his krupa (mercy) can one achieve moksha. Then to every ones surprise the bag of gold that was hanging on the ceiling of the assembly hall fell on the lap of Vishnu Chittar as if to signify that he was the undoubted victor. No need to say the entire congregation stood up in respectful devotion and accepted him as a true master. The victory was celebrated by taking Vishnu Chittar on the royal elephant in a procession on the streets of Madurai. It is said that Lord Narayana himself witnessed this event by appearing in the skies with his consorts on Garuda, his vehicle. Visnu Chittar who was afraid that the people’s dhrushti (evil eye) might affect the lord appearing brilliantly in the skies does mangalasasanam immediately and bursts out singing “Pallandu Pallandu,” using the bells of the elephant as metre. This has come to be known as the famous Thirupallandu, a song blessing the god himself. It is from this time onwards that he came to be known as Peria Alwar.
The Birth of Aandal: The story of Andal really begins with Varahavatharam [Varaha (Sanskrit: वराह) is the third avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a boar,in order to defeat Hiranyaksha].Legend has it that the demon Hiranyaksha had pushed Mother Earth(Bhoomi Piratti/Bhooma Devi) down into oceans and lord Vishnu appeared as Varaha, the boar incarnation, to rescue her. As the story goes Hiranyaksha started troubling saints, humans and the devas.
Finally, he decided to drag and throw the earth into the ocean. When he did it Mother Earth gave a huge cry and Vishnu appeared in the form of Varaha and fought and killed Hiranyaksha and restored Mother Earth. Bhoomi Piratti asks her lord Srimannarayana what was the reason for his decision to take the avathar of a boar and that her friends were sure to make fun. of her. Lord Varahaswamy then makes a promise to his goddess that he would take the avathar of the lord in Srivilliputhur and marry her as Aandal on Panguni Uttiram day. It is this promise of lord Varaha that results in the avathar of Andal and her thirukalyanam (marriage) with the lord Sir Ranganatha Perumal at Srirangam.
Just as Sita the wife of lord Rama was found in the royal gardens of Mithila by Janaka Maharaj, Aandal too was born as the incarnation of Bhudevi/Bhooma Devi in the garden of Vishnu Chittar under a tulasi plant in his tulasi nandanam (garden). Vishnu Chittar, having found this beautiful girl child nestled among the tulasi plants and being childless, considered the child, a gift from Bhooma Devi. He and his wife Vrajai raised Andal with great love, affectionately calling her as “Godai” or “Kodai”.The word Godai or Kodai has several meanings: one who bestows the power of speech and expression, one who is bestowed by the Earth, one who has sweet curls, one who is like a flower garland and one who has control over the senses.
Vishnu Chittar, being an ardent devotee of lord Krishna imparted to Godai, his own love for lord Krishna, enchanting her with stories of Krishna.Vishnu Chittar sang songs to Godai on his treasured lord Krishna, told her all the stories and taught her the philosophy he knew, and she grew up sharing his love of Tamil poetry.Each day, as Vishnu Chittar went to his garden and collected flowers to adorn the lord, Godai would go along along with him hoping that she would meet the lord. Each day, as Vishnu Chittar sang in praise of lord Krishna, he told her stories of the Krishna and her fascination for the lord grew. A child prodigy and fostered lovingly she grew into a beautiful maiden and became an embodiment of love for lord Krishna. Steadily her love for the lord deepened in her. Even as a child, Godai made up her mind to marry none but the lord . Toying with this idea deeprooted in her, she fantasized what it would be like to be the lord’s bride. She often played the role of the lord’s beloved.
As a daily routine Vishnu chithar would weave a garland of tulasi leaves and flowers that he had collected from the garden and keep it sacredly rolled in a flower basket so that he may, after attending to his household duties, take the garland to the temple for offering to the lord. The child Andal in her profound innocence would take out the garland daily without her father's knowledge, adorn herself and look into the mirror to satisfy herself on whether the garland was suitable enough for the lord. Lord Krishna will wear this very same garland... she would think to herself.Also thinking herself to be the bride of the lord she thought it appropriate to deck herself daily with the garland of flowers that was prepared for the diety at the temple. She would then put the garland back, for her father to take to the temple and offer to the lord. On one occasion Vishnu Chittar noticed a strand of hair on the garland. Finding that it was Godai’s hair he discarded it after scolding her for her misdemeanour. He was shocked for it was a great defilement. He fasted that day as a penance and did not offer that garland to the lord, and took a fresh one. But the fresh garland fell off from the lord's neck and it continued so in spite of several attempts by Vishnu Chittar. That night Vishnu Chittar saw the lord in his dream and the lord told him that he would be more than pleased to be adorned in the garland once worn by Godai and said that he will in fact only wear the garland first worn by her. To his wonder Vishnu Chithar found that the tulasi mala worn on the previous day by Andal, which was hanging from a nail in the wall in his room had not faded, but was fresher than a freshly made garland. Thereafter, he always offered the garland to the deity after being first worn by Godai. He became conscious of her spiritual greatness and the strength of Godai’s love for the lord. This is how she got the name Aandal- the girl who “ruled” over the lord.Aandal is also respectfully remembered as Soodi Kodutha Nachiar...."the bright creeper-like woman who gave her garlands after wearing them".
Aandal's Marriage: When Aandal was of marriageable age Vishnu Chittar was trying to find a suitable match for her but she thwarted his efforts with the assertion that she was destined to be the bride of none other than lord Vishnu and that she had spent her youth in purposeful pursuit of her aim to realize oneness with the lord. She urged him to describe to her the attributes of Vishnu enshrined in several of the shrines that he knew of. Therefore, Vishnu chithar narrated all the kalyana gunas (auspicious qualities )of all the aracha-murthis (forms of the lord which can be easily appreciated by the common man) of the one hundred and eight Sri Vaishnava kshetras. When she heard of the soundarya (beauty) of lord Srirangam-Lord Ranganatha-tears of joy came over her and her heart prayed to HIM to come and accept her in wedlock.Periya Alwar wondered how Aandal could get married to the lord.But one day lord Ranganathar, appeared in Periya Alwaar's dream asking him to bring Aandal to the temple at Srirangam, where he would marry her.He also came in the dream of the temple priest and instructed him to go to Srivilliputhur with all the things needed to welcome a bride and accompany the bridal party. The lord also came in the dream of the Pandya king Vallabadevan and instructed him to arrange for a pearl palanquin to bring the bride to Srirangam. Following the divine ordinance, Periya Alwaar led Aandal in a bridal procession to the grand temple at Srirangam, where Aandal walked in with a sense of purpose. She was drawn to him like a magnet, she went near the lord, climbed on the serpent bed and became one with Him.She had embraced lord Ranganatha and disappeared in a blaze of glory, having joined her Lord.
She attained a state of bliss by the total surrender of body, mind and soul Atma samarpanam.She was only fifteen years old at the time.

Peria Alwar's house, which is adjacent to lord Vishnu's temple, has now been converted into a temple in honour of Aandal and it still has the well in which Godai admired her reflection while wearing the lord's garlands.
Aandal was a great poetess too.Her two most noted works are Thiruppavai and Naachiyaar Thirumozhi.
In Thiruppaavai, Andal and her companions, observe the ancient religious rite of "Pavai Nombu" which the cowherdesses observed in the bygone age to obtain lord Krishna's hand in marriage. It contains thirty verses and each and every one of the verse contains many hidden inner wisdom of high philosophical meanings.
Her Naachiyaar Thirumozhi has one hundred and forty three verses, wherein Aandal pours her love out for her lord Krishna. One can feel the deep emotions of the love-lorn state and the pining that her heart feels for the lord.

End Notes:

1.The Alwars are 12 outstanding devotees in the Sri Vishnavism tradition, appearing in south India over a period of several centuries. They are responsible for the basis of what would later on become the four Vaisnava sampradayas.
2.Vaishnavism (Sanskrit: वैष्णव धर्म]) is a school of Hinduism, wherein its worship of Vishnu or his associated avatars, principally as Rama and Krishna , are considerd as the original and supreme God. Between the 6th and 9th centuries, the twelve Alvars (poet-mystics) laid the foundations for the Shri Vaishnavas based in Shri Rangam, South India. However their founder-theologian is Ramanuja (1017–1137).
3.Vaishnava sampradayas (preceptoral successions)Their founder-theologian is Ramanuja (1017–1137). After him emerged three other sampradayas headed by Nimbarka (1125–1162), Vishnuswami (1200–1250) and Madhva (1238–1317.
4.Jayanthi is derived from Sanskrit jayavanta meaning "possessing victory"
5.Garuda is the king of birds,( maybe depicted as an eagle being much larger than a kite) popularly known as the vahana or vehicle of vishnu.His stature in Hindu religion can be gauged by the fact that an independent Upanishad, the Garudopanishad, and a Purana, the Garuda Purana, is devoted to him.An Hindu equivalent of the constellation Aquila. Aquila in Latin is eagle.
6. Parabrahman: Term used in Hindu religious philosophy to denote the supreme absolute transcendental reality-the non-personal divine even beyond manifestation as gods and goddesses....Supreme Cosmic Spirit.
7.Mangalasasanam means 'singing praise of the holy shrines'.
8. Pavai Nombu is performed by young girls for prosperity and to get good husbands. The history of Pavai Nonbu is more than 2000 years old and is mentioned in the early Tamil scriptures.