Bhakti List Archives

thirup pAvai - part 3 - ANDAL

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • Fri Dec 18 1998 - 04:00:22 PST 


Dear bAgwathALs,				Amrgazhi day 3	
                                                5:00AM
Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam
(An attempt is made to deal the meaning for the tamil word ANDAL).
     While the azwArs  delivered so many  pAsurams and enjoyed the
immense  beauty  of  the  lord  it  is  said   sometimes  in  some
perspective that they also did so, for themselves.  But it is said
by some vyAkyAana karthAs that periyAzwar who saw the Lord in kali
didn't  want the lord to get the bad omen from the eyes of many of
the kali folks.  Hence he delivered pallANdu for the Lord, wishing
the  Lord  many  thousands  of years of life.  HE is ever  present
i.e., present  beyond the measure of the time.  However the notion
such as this to wish someone, is spontaneous in good people's mind 
and that makes them tens of thousands of time  superior to others.  
i.e.,
pala muRai  periya azwar anAr ivar.  But his daughter  ANDAL, sang
pallANdu for the thoNdars and bAgwathALs by delivering the essence
of the upAyam that she  undertook  for the benefit of the kaliyuga
vAsis.  Thus she stands as "pala kOdi  periyavaL  and thus she not
only rules the ithayam or heart of the Lord (She is living  there,
in Lord's chest ie.,"thiru  mArbinan",)  but  also  rules over all 
of our hearts and hence known as "ANDAL" or "the one who rules our  
hearts".  

    ie., The word AndAL means one who ruled our hearts and souls. 
One may ask, as to whethr this is referring only  to  past  tense.
ie "ruled". In tamil, this word is also split as : Andavanin AvaL"
or in short "ANda AvaL" became ANDAL.ie .,She is one who is   not 
only ruling our hearts and souls but the one who belongs  to  the 
Lord as HIS patthini. Since ANDAL beccame the bAryAL for the Lord
She also became Andavanin udaiyavaL ie "ANDAL".   By  Associating 
with the ever present ANDAVAN, she and her "kAviyam" (literature) thirup 
pAvai are also ever present and is present in every chthur yugam.
 
thirup pAvaiyum thirup palliezhuchchiyum seyalAl peyar peRRavai.ie
The  whole of thiru  pAvai  is  itself  considered  as Nonbu  ie.,
undertaking "saranAgathi or surrender at the feet of the Lord" and
it is  considered  that one who is  chanting  these 30 verses  and
surrender  to  the  Lord,  the  Lord  accept  it as a  paripoorana
saraNAgathi. Since ANDAL does this upadEsam of this mode, she also
represents the achArya sthAnam at this time. Hence  her  thaniyans 
will be dealt in the next few parts.

     It is believed  that Sri ANDAL has  delivered  the essence of
all the upanishads in 30 pasurams known as thiruppAvai.  Among the
several upAyams to attain the Lord, undertaking saraNagathi at the
feet of the Lord  and  requesting  HIM to be the (siddha) "upAyam"  
HIMself is considered   easiest  and    feasible  for  many of the 
jivAtmAs of this kali yugam. Though this  is not  the  first  time  
around  that saraNAgathi  mArgam is demonstrated  to the jivAtmas, 
It is believed by vyAkyAna  karththAs that Sri ANDAL has taken the 
important role  in showing  us all the  niceties  of this  "nOnbu" 
of  saraNagathi through these 30 verses.

Sri ANDAL thiruvadaikaLE saraNam
Sri Boomi dEvi thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE
saraNam
Sri padmAsani thAyAr samEtha Sri vEnkatAchalapathy perumAL
thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan

note: Plese note that there are additions in all these  materails
to what was posted last year.


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