Andal Thiruvadigale Saranam ! – A humble tribute to Kothai – on her Thirunakshatram day falling on 28-7-2006 .

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15-7-2006

Andal Thiruvadigale Saranam ! – A humble tribute to Kothai -on her Thirunakshatram day falling on 28-7-2006 .

Dear Bhagavathas !

Adiyen is sure ,that the articles submitted regularly in this site, by

the writer , in line with our sampradayam are found by you as

meaningful , interesting to read and beneficial for life . Please

note that these are submitted for the benefit of the

Srivaishnava modern youth, some of whom , are probably

are not lucky enough so far , to have an exposure to these

subjects .

The writer is a retired executive , settled in Chennai , India and enjoys

the reputation of being a Senior citizen of India , having served the

Indian Industry in multinationals , both within and outside the country

for nearly 40 years . Above all , an Ahobila Mutt disciple , now trying

to spend most of the time , in finding out ways to expose the modern

youth to the greatness of our Srivaishnava community , as a sort of

Kainkaryam to the community .

The articles are written based on the details collected during the

various lectures and Upanyasams attended by the writer and also

reading some of the relevant books on the subject.

May Sriyapathi bless us all . Regards .

yours- Ramanuja Dasan G.Sampath.

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Andal Thiruvadigale Saranam ! – A humble tribute to Kothai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha !

Srimathe Vedhantha Desikaya Namaha !!

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya namaha !!!

Sriyapathi , Sriman Narayanan , due to His kaarunyam on these

‘Jeevathmas ’,( created by Him to fulfill His leelas ) , wants the souls

to come back to Him after leading a meaningful life on this earth , only

to enjoy His Thirukalyanagunas in the ‘Samyapathi Moksham ’ state

in Srivaikuntam . ( This is our Srivaishnava philosophy . ) For this He

took nine different Avatars , mostly in the Northern part of India , in

the‘ Kritha Yugam ’, ‘Thretha Yugam ’ and ‘ Dwapara Yugam’ . He

also gave the ‘Jeevathmas ’, the Vedas , the Sruthis , the Smirithis ,

the Puranas and the Bhagavad Gita . They were gifted to us in

Sanskrit language.

Unfortunately , we the ‘ Jeevathmas ’ continued to find comfort

only in the maya of this materialistic world and never understood the

noble objective of the Lord . As and when He came nearer to us ,

we were pulling away from him , due to our own karma .

But ‘ Paramathma ’, never gave up in His attempts to save all of us .

Hence in Kaliyugam , he decided to send ten Alwars to be born in

South India to preach His philosophy in simple Dravidian language

through the‘ Naalaayira Divya Prabandham ’. He probably could

have felt that ‘Jeevathma ’ , being a different category from Him ,

is not accepting the ‘ Paramathma ’ and also His teachings . May be ,

if some one in the same category of the ‘Jeevathma ’ , either a male

or a female , could preach the same doctrines , then it could create

the desired result .

In that context , the births of ‘ Vishnuchittar ’ ( alias Perialwar - meaning an ardent devotee of MahaVishnu ) and his foster daughter, Sri Andal , who is

none other than the ‘Bhoomi Piratti Herself , are quite significant ..

During Pandya Dynasty , in Kaliyug 98 , in the month of Aadi

( Aashaada month ) , sukla chathurthi , Tuesday ,on the day of Pooram ,

Andal ( her real name was Kothai - meaning garland or a person who

has conquered all the sense organs ) , was supposed to have been

found in Srivilliputtur (a small town in the Virdunagar district of Tamil

Nadu), under the Tulsi plant , in the flower garden of Perialwar .

Accordingly, her date of birth is supposed to be , 8th of June 3004 B.C.

But the modern historians fix the date as the first half of the 8th century

A.D. For a Srivaishnavan , this day of every year ( Thiru Aadi-pooram) ,

is supposed to be , a very auspicious day , because Bhoomi Piratti

took the Avatar of Andal only for the salvation of “ Jeevathmas ” like us.

Andal spent all her youth , as an ardent Shishya of Perialwar , in Godly

surroundings , learning from him , the glories of Vatapathrasayee . Even

though , Andal was the incarnation of ‘ Bhoomadevi ’ , she played

her role of a ‘ Shishya ’ to her father very well . Perialwar was her

‘ Guru ’. This pair is a classic example of a ‘ Guru – Shishya Lakshanam ’.

Right from her childhood Kothai developed a strong love and passion

for Sri Krishna. Perialwar , during leisure time , always narrated the

Avatars of Lord Sriman Narayanan and the Thirukalyanagunas of Sri

Krishna to the child . Andal , on her part , listened to them very

attentively and developed a strong devotion and love for the Lord

Himself. After hearing the leelas of Sri krishna in Vrindavan during

Dwapara Yugam , constantly from her father , the child started

enacting the same scenes in Kaliyug in Srivilliputtur itself at that young

age of five or so . She considered herself as one of the Gopikas ,

Vatapathrasayee as Lord Krishna , Vatapathrasayee temple as the

palace of Krishna in Dwaraka and Srivilliputtur as Vrindavan . She

enjoyed and immersed herself in such dramatic scenes and actions and

felt that she is one with Lord Krishna Himself . She developed a true

devotion to the Lord .

Vishnuchittar was doing regularly the pushpa kainkaryam to

Vatapathrasayee . He would weave a garland of Tulsi leaves and other

flowers in his garden and then keep it sacredly rolled in a basket. When

he went to temple he used to take that garland and offer it to

Vatapathrasayee. One day , the child Kothai , out of her true

devotion and love to the Lord , took out the garland from the basket

without her father’s knowledge , adorned herself and looked at the

mirror ( her reflection in the well water ) to make herself sure that she is

the right match for the Lord Vatapathrasayee . The Lord Himself

accepted her act and from then on she was called "Choodi

Kodutha Sudarkodi ".

When Kothai attained her marriageable age, her father was trying to

find a suitable match for her. But, Kothai being a divine child was

adamant and said that she would not marry anyone else , except

lord Krishna Or Lord Ranganatha Himself. Due to the ordain of the

Lord in the dream of Vishnuchitter , Andal was married to Lord

Ranganatha in Srirangam.

Andal sung many verses in praise of Lord Krishna and Ranganatha, the

deity at Srivilliputhur. Among them the Thiruppavai is very popular with

its 30 verses . Andal also gave us the Nachiyar Thirumozhi in 143 verses..

She attained the status of an Alwar because of her total devotion to

the Lord Ranganatha. Her works narrate to us the easiest way to

reach Almighty . All her works are considered to be equivalent to the

‘ Vedas ’and the Bhagavad Gita , both given by the Lord Himself to

the ‘Jeevathmas’ .

Both Perialwar and Andal attained their self realization stage due to

their implicit faith and strong conviction that Sriman Narayanan alone

is the saviour and can offer Moksha to a mumukshoo . They never gave

importance to the worldly material pleasures and understood that

these were all induced by ‘ Maya ’ . They both concentrated in

developing ‘ Saathvik Gunas’ in them through Bakthi and devotion

to the Lord . They were keen in attaining ‘ Mokshaprapthi ’ and

attained it.

Reading the lives of the above two , we would learn the following

basic lessons .

Sriman Narayanan is the only Lord , who could give ‘Mokshaprapthi ’

to a mumukshoo.

If we do , even a simple kainkaryam to the Lord , which is approved

by Him in the scriptures and His teachings , in a very sincere manner ,

then we would be blessed with children , with all good and noble

‘Saathvik ’ qualities. Perialwar could attain the enviable position of

the father - in - law of Paramathma Himself. Even though Andal is

only his foster child , he attained that status , due to his ardent

devotion to Vatapathrasayee.

It we teach our young children all the good things in life as laid down

in our scriptures and the teachings of Sri Krsihna , with all sincerity ,

only after ourselves observing them in toto , then such children would

grow in this world , as very noble ones and lead a healthy and happy

meaningful life . The world then would become , a place to live

peacefully and do the Kainkaryam to the Almighty with a calm mind.

In this ‘ Kaliyugam ’ , Naama Sankeerthanam and Saranagathi to

Sriman Narayanan are the only solace , for the ‘ Mumukshoo ’ to

attain sallvation . Hence , on this Thirunakshatram day of Sri Andal ,

let us all invoke her choicest blessings to help us , to do our meaningful

‘ Saranagathi ’ to Sriman Narayanan.

Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu !

“ Thiruvadipoorathu Jagathuthithal Vazhiye ! Perialwar petru

edutha pennpillai Vazhiye ! Andal Thiruvadigale saranam ! ” .

Adiyen , Ramanuja dasan – G.Sampath. Unquote.

 

 

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