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thirup pAvai - part 15 - "nanda gOpan kumaran"

From the Bhakti List Archives

Rengarajan • December 25, 1997 


ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

       (*) In Hindu family, "thanthai" or Father is considered the
achAryAL,  as  he  seeks  the  alliance (holy matrimony or eternal 
union)  and  finalises  the  date  to get married and arranges the 
ceremony  "ritual"  and  facilitates  it  as well by doing kaNNiga 
dhAnam  (a type of vyAja). Hindu marriage ceremonies symobilically 
illustrates  many  of  these aspects. The upadEsams or aRivuRai or 
"advises" the Mother would provide to the girl  (jivAtmA)  becomes 
the  mantra  upadEsam  (dwayam) that serves as the vehicle for the 
rest  of  the life for the girl (jivAtmA) in her "pukkAm" known as 
Husband's house. ie., one becomes a dAsi or dAsan when  surrenders 
to  the  Lord and they have no adikAram or "sakhthi" over anything 
(**).  Everything  is  realised as the thiru uLLam of the purushan  
and henceforth the dAsi will only do  everything as ordered by the 
purushan (Lord Sri Krishna). 

        periazwar  was coming in his pallakku (palenquin) with his 
daughter ANDAL and  other  "thaay veetu seer"  (certain gifts etc., 
from the mother). He was travelling  to  SriRangam to perform this 
"ritual"known here as the marriage (earlier was sought through the 
"nOnbu" by Sri ANDAL) as the acharyaL is marriage party consisting 
of his suRRam or relatives and friends. They  were proceeding from 
srivillippuththur for getting  her   married  to Lord Sri  Krishna  
(as  Lord  ARANGAN), as  per  the  command  of  Lord  Sri Krishana 
(ARANGAN) HIMSELF, who appeared in periazwar's dream and *invited* 
him to bring his daughter to Srirangam. When they  approached  the 
outskirts of Sriranagam, Sri ANDAL suddenly vanished. It  is  said 
that  sooner  periazwar  rushed  to  Sri Krishnan's sannithi (Lord 
Arangan), and there he saw her in the sannithi in  thiruk kalyAnak 
kOlam. 

        There is a "marabu" or  tradition  believed  to be true in 
Srirangam even today. If someone comes with the desire  (that  was 
earlier prompted by theLord HIMself) to surrender to the Lord  Sri 
Krishna  (Lord  Arangan)  in  Srirangam,  it is said that the Lord 
HIMself comes to the entrance of the city and receives  them.  One 
can say in  loose  words  that  the  Lord "pick them  up"  at  the 
thershold or outpost itself. The above story of sri ANDAL is  just 
presented  to  underline  the  fact  that   it  was  perumaL  Lord     
Sri KrishnA  who initiated the thought on the nOnbu for Sri ANDAL, 
and it was Sriperiazwar (through perumAL's thiru aruL inhis dream)
who    chose   the   "date"  and  "time"  for  the marriage and it 
was Sri KrishanA who  also received  or  picked  them  up  and  it   
was  Sri Krishan who finally got married  to  HER  in  the form of 
Lord Arangan. 

ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan
        
        
        (*) Though Several refernces can be written for this, only 
some  brief and core concepts are presented to help understand the 
fundamental and follow the flow of the article.

         (**) -  (ie.,  in its pure meaning the word dAsi or dasan 
one has no adikAram over anything iw., when one writes he is dasan
of  so  and so he must atleast mentally have to accept that he has  
no adikAram over anything).