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thirup pAvai - part 15 - ANDAL's vaibavam at Srirangam

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • December 24, 1998 


Dear bAgawathAs,                           mArgazhi day 9, 5:30 AM

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)  (or mode of her conduct ie  to
do a selfless service to their pathis)  that serves as the vehicle 
for the rest   of  the life for the girl (jivAtmA) in her "pukkAm"  
known  as  Husband's  house  (Here it  is  Srivaikundam). 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). 

        periAzhwAr was coming in his pallakku (palenquin) with his 
daughter ANDAL and  other  "thaay veetu seer"  (certain gifts etc., 
from  the  mother).  He was travelling as the (AcharyaL) Father to 
SriRangam to perform this "ritual"(prapatti)  known   here  as the 
marriage (earlier was sought through the thirup pAvai  "nOnbu"  by 
Sri ANDAL). His  marriage  party  was  consisting of his suRRam or 
relatives and friends. They were proceeding from srivillippuththur 
for getting her married  to  Lord  Sri Krishna (as Lord  ARANGAN).  They  
set out to Srirangam as Lord Sri  Krishna (ARANGAN) HIMSELF, appeared in 
periAzhwAr's dream and *invited*   him   to bring his daughter  to  
Srirangam  (para  upakAram  of  Lord).    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 was 
blessed  with  the  darshan of  the  thiruk    kalyAnak  kOlam of 
Sri  ANDAL  and  Sri Krishnan  as  Sri Arangan  in  moolavar  the  
sannithi. 


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.  Future   artciles 
on this pAsuram will contain more on this.

         (**) -  (ie.,  in its pure meaning the word dAsi or dasan 
one has  no  adikAram  over anything. One will conduct themself as 
per the  thiru uLLam  of  the  Lord expressed in the  ShAstram and 
sometimes  conveyed  through  AchAryAL  or  fellow  prapannAs   or 
directly commanded by the Lord.
        
(***)   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 SriperiAzhwAr   (through  perumAL's  thiru  aruL in his 
dream) who chose the  "date"  and "time" for  the  marriage (as an 
AchAryA  who  will do baranyAsam  He perfomed this marriage as the 
Father)  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. The unique quality or nature of Lord Arangan
to come and receive his bhakthALs at the entrance of Srirangam  is known 
as "Abimukyam".    Swami   Desikan   describes   this in Sri Bagawath 
dhyAna SopAnam as 

sAbibrAya smitha vikasitham chAru bimpAtharOshtam
dhukkAbAya praNayini janE "doora datth Abimukyam" |
kAntham vakthram kanaka thilahAnkritham ranga bartthu:
swAnthE kAdam mama vilakathi swAga thothAra nEthram ||

Simple meaning:
Sri RanganAthar's  thiru muga   maNdalam  is always smiling and is 
always meaningful (HE  always  has something to do when such smile 
is sported). His thirumuga maNdalam has a beautiful mouth that  is  
red and similar to the opening of a flower. ie the  smile  in  HIS
face opens his mouth a little bit similar to a flower opening  its
petals. His thirumuga maNdalam  wears the kasthuri pottu.  And HIS 
eyes convey HIS Love through HIS Look. Lord comes with  Such thiru mugam 
maNdalam to the outskirts  to  receive  those  who  comes to surrender 
to HIM and receives them and such thiru muga mandalam is registered deep 
in my mind.

      (****) Sri RanganAthar moolavar sannithi can be  called   as
Sri krishnan's sannithi. Thirup pAnA AzhwAr saw  Sri Krishna  here
and delivered as "vennay unda vAyan, .. en amuthinai kaNda kaNgaL"
ie I see the mouth that swallowed the butter and those eyes of Sri
Krishna  that  is similar to the amirtham (nectar)". In  Srirangam 
moolvar sannithi, it is belived that when the doors are opened for
the moolavar in the  early morning for performing the thirup paLLi 
ezhucchi, the smell of a fresh butter is sensed by some even today.


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