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Meaning of kOdhai

From the Bhakti List Archives

srini • August 4, 1998 


> -------------- MESSAGE bhakti.v003.n013.6 ---------------
> 
> From: Mani Varadarajan 
> Subject: Tamil meaning of "kOdai"
> Date: 24 Jul 1998 21:25:20 -0000
> 
> I was browsing the archives and came upon an
> article written last year by Sri T.S. Sundararajan:
> 
>    'kOdai' and 'gOdA'
>    ------------------
>    
>    'kOdai' was the first name periyAzhvAr gave to ANDAL.
>    This Tamil word stands for 'a string of flowers'. In 
>    the golden quadrangle of tirukkuRunkuDi, vAnamAmalai, 
>    AzhvAr-tirunagari and SrIvilliputtUr, girl-children 
>    were commonly named 'mAlA-nAcchiyAr'.   When the Tamil 
>    name was Sanskritised as 'gOdA', it yielded a rainbow 
>    of meanings.   In Sanskrit, the root 'gAuh' means, 
>    inter alia, the 'vEdam';  hence, 'gOdA' signifies one 
>    who gives of the 'vEdam'.
> 
> The full text of the article is:
> 
> http://thondar.busi.utc.edu/bhakti/archives/aug97/0002.html
> 
> aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
> Mani

Yes in Tamil "kOdhai" means garland. Some girls are
named poongOdhai. The derivation of the word goes further.

In thirumangai aazhvaar's peria thirumozhi moonRaam paththu:

3046:
pugazhu_nal oruvan en_gO!
  poruvilseerp boomi yen_gO,
thigazhumthaN paravai en_gO!
  theeyen_gO! vaayu en_gO,
nigazum_aa kaasa men_gO!
  neeLsudar iraNdum en_gO,
igazviliv vanaitthum en_gO
  kaNNanaik koovumaaRE! (2)     3.4.1

3047:
koovumaa RaRiya maattEn
  kunRangaL anaitthum en_gO,
mEvuseer maari en_gO!
  viLanguthaa ragaigaL en_gO,
naaviyal kalaigaL en_gO!
  NYaana_nal laavi en_gO,
paavuseerk kaNNan emmaan
  pangayak kaNNa NnaiyE!        3.4.2

3048:
pangaiyak kaNNan en_gO!
  pavaLassev vaayan en_gO,
angathir adiyan en_gO!
  ancana vaNNan en_gO,
sengathir mudiyan en_gO!
  thirumaRu maarvan en_gO,
sangusak karatthan en_gO!
  saathimaa Nikkath thaiyE!     3.4.3

3049:
saathimaa Nikkam en_gO!
  savikOLpon muttham en_gO,
saathi_nal vayiram en_gO,
  thavivilseer viLakkam en_gO,
aathiyaNY sOthi en_gO!
  aathiyam purudan en_gO,
aathumil kaalath thenthai
  acchuthan amala NnaiyE!       3.4.4

3050:
acchuthan amalan en_gO,
  adiyavar vinaikedukkum,
naccumaa maruntham en_gO!
  nalangadal amutham en_gO,
acchuvaik katti en_gO!
  aRusuvai adisil en_gO,
neyccuvaith thERal en_gO!
  kaniyen_gO! paalen gEnO!      3.4.5

3051:
paalen_gO! naan_gu vEdhap
  payanen_gO, samaya neethi
noolen_gO! nudangu kELvi
  isaiyen_gO! ivaRRuL nalla
mElen_gO, vinaiyin mikka
  payanen_gO, kaNNan en_gO!
maalen_gO! maayan en_gO
  vaanavar aathi yaiyE! 3.4.6

3052:
vaanavar aathi en_gO!
  vaanavar theyvam en_gO,
vaanavar bOgam en_gO!
  vaanavar muRRum en_gO,
oonamil selvam en_gO!
  oonamil suvarkkam en_gO,
oonamil mOkkam en_gO!
  oLimaNi vaNNa NnaiyE! 3.4.7

3053:
oLimaNi vaNNan en_gO!
  oruvanen REttha ninRa
naLirmathic sadaiyan en_gO!
  naanmugak kadavuL en_gO,
aLimagiznN thulakamellaam
  padaitthavai Ettha ninRa,
kaLimalarth thuLava Nnemmaan
  kaNNanai maaya NnaiyE!        3.4.8

Thirumangai aazhvaar refers to Lord as "kO".
"kO" normally means "king" in Tamil.
"thaa" is derived from "dhaththa"(Sanskrit) meaning "give" (kodu).
(or the otherway around, which ever you would like to believe).
{ Incidentally, kO-il  is the "house (illu/illam)" of the Lord (kO) }

A garland is what is given to the King (as well as to perumaaL)
So kOdhai means what is "given to perumaaL", including garland.
In case of Aandal the word takes on the fundamental meaning
itself. It can also meen, "given by the Lord", as she was found
near the thiruththuzaay chedi.

I can not find these explanations in any
authoritative book. So please accept my excuses, if
there are errors in this explanation.

adiyEn

K. Srinivasan
srini@Canada.com