A Different Margazhi

It has been a different Margazhi this time. I haven’t posted anything about any of the Thiruppavai pasurams till date. I could attribute a variety of reasons for this. But nothing could pardon me for not writing anything about Thiruppavai, which has shaped the way I live presently. I could not have ignored writing about this unusual Tamizh divine poem. It is not something I should have done. As gratitude towards Andal who has taught the world so much, I should have penned a few lines at least. I am not concerned about what she has taught the world as much as what she has taught me. Thiruppavai has changed my life so drastically that even people not so close to me can see the changes. It was by hearing Velukkudi Swami’s discourse on Thiruppavai that I learned what real devotion to God was. It was from these divine verses that I realized how wrong I was in the way I was praying to God.

But the one good thing about this Margazhi is that I could be at Her sanctum on the first of the month. The darshan of Andal on Margazhi first wasn’t something I had planned for, though it was in my mind when we started our trip. Thanks to my son-in-law and his excellent planning we were able to be in Her holy presence on that day. Not that day one day of being there would satisfy me. But it was something that was unexpected. Added to that was the pleasure of being at Srirangam the very next day, paying my obeisance to the Divine Lord Ranganathan, Andal’s consort. It was almost as if She had sent me there with a message. I don’t know what the message was. He would certainly know what it is.

I had missed writing anything for the 23 Pasurams that were sung in the past 23 days of Margazhi. But today I had to write a few words about this Pasuram. The 24^th one is my favorite. It is the Pasuram that marks Andal as above all the other Azhvars. Her father, the great Periyazhvar had worried about the well-being of the Lord Himself and sang for His long life. Andal has gone one step further and prayed for keeping His holy feet in good health. She frets about how people are only using His holy feet for their selfish purposes while not worrying about how much they would have pained when He used them to protect us.

In this Pasuram she lists out the various occasions where He used His feet to protect us. She worries about how they must have suffered when He walked miles in the forest in search of Ravana to finish him and rescue Sita. It is not only for Himself that He rescued Sita. Without Her holy presence, we have no way to salvation. She should recommend our case to the Lord and ask Him to pardon our sins and grant us the ultimate place alongside them in Vaikuntam. Let us also pray for the good health of His holy feet, which is the only tool for us to reach Vaikuntam.

Blind Faith

BLIND FAITH

Ask anyone who stands in the queue to board a flight whether they know who the pilots of the flight are, and you would most probably get a blank stare for an answer. Just see the blind faith people have in persons who they know nothing about and trust them enough to get into a metal tube to fly thousands of miles high above the earth. The same is the case with people boarding a train. This, despite several incidents where people have lost their lives due the sheer negligence of the people who they trust their lives with. Still, people don’t think twice before boarding a flight or train without knowing anything about the people or machines that are entrusted with carrying them safely. These are just examples. I don’t have to tell about people who hand themselves over to doctors without knowing anything about the background of these professionals. But then, why is it that when it comes to God and epics depicting is life are always viewed with suspicion, even by those who regularly pray to God.

If atheists seek proofs of His existence or the events mentioned in the epics, it is quite understandable. But we see that even those who claim to believe in His existence seem to constantly seek proof of that. It is also quite amusing that we try to explain Him and His feats using the knowledge as it exists today, while expecting Him to perform miracles for us. How can we explain His mysterious ways with our limited knowledge? Why is it that we take pains to explain to people as to why we believe in Him and His power? Why do we just not say that we trust him blindly without having to explain?

It is not just the common people who find it difficult to place blind faith on Him and admit of doing so. I have been reading certain commentaries on our epics, written by highly educated authors. They are well-versed in our scriptures and epics. Yet, in their commentaries we find them going out of the way to explain the various episodes using science as we know it today. Even as newer discoveries are being made and scientific truths themselves keep changing daily, we use them to explain God’s ways. Even these learned authors don’t seem to have complete faith in Him.

Why do we try to use modern science to explain mysteries of the past? Why do we depend on our limited knowledge to explain His actions? Shouldn’t we be using His powers to explain science? If we had complete faith in Him, shouldn’t we attribute all the miracles that we are unable to explain, to His powers? This is blind faith. And unless we have that blind faith we will never be able to experience Him and His powers.

Most of us spend our time and efforts trying to understand God and His mysterious ways. But in the process, we forget to experience Him. As long as we are trying to understand Him and find explanations for His doings, we will lose out on experiencing Him. If we really want to know Him we have to experience Him. For this we need to develop blind faith on Him.

My Spiritual Journey - Getting Closer to Him

Today began well with me being appreciated for the fact that my daughter was very much grounded. I don't know if you can call a person, who jumps up and down and squeals if she gets the right shade of pink for nail color, as grounded. Well in other more ordinary matters she is pretty grounded. Pink nail color is not something you take lightly. It is quite a serious matter. Anyway, I am writing this blog neither to discuss the values of nail colors nor to express how proud I am to be her father. Thinking deeper into the matter I realized that she was much pretty cool about most things and took both successes and failures in her stride without making much ado about them. It got me thinking about how she, and we became so.

My guru, Sri Velukkudy Krishnan Swamigal, says that, when Bhagavan Sriman Narayanan wants to bring somebody closer to Him, He takes away their material wealth first. Okay, that shouldn't make people worry about praying to Him anymore. What he means is that when there is all material pleasures available to us, we will be more attracted to them and won't move towards the Lord. This, He does, only when He thinks we are ready for that higher pleasure of His closeness. The more the material wealth the more our ego. And ego is the biggest obstacle in reaching Him. The principles of Sri Vaishnavam says that the only qualification one needs to surrender fully to Him, is to possess nothing and admit that we possess nothing - no Karma, Gnana or Bhakthi yoga. We will admit that only when we get rid of our egos. And the best way to make someone lose their ego is to deprive him of all his wealth. 

We started the millennium with a bang. Both my wife and me were employed in good companies and earning well. We were young, enjoyed life and we lived in Bangalore where there is every opportunity to enjoy life to the full. Our daughter was eight and she too was having a good life. We didn't miss any opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of life. Money, age and physical ability were to our advantage. If and when there was any lack of paper money there was always plastic. 

We were God believers at that time. I won't say God loving - but believers, yes. In fact it was in those years that we increased our visits to temples. We did what all God believers do. Regular visits to temples was a must. Daily prayers in the morning. Ensuring to keep flowers in front of the idol of God in the car. A brief visit to the temple every day on the way to office was done. The Ganesha at Jayanagar 4th Block was more than attractive to ensure that I didn't miss that daily visit. Life was good. And we believed we were doing everything to keep Him pleased. We will realize later those were the last of things to make Him happy.We didn't even think that we had to make Him happy, not for anything but just as a gratitude for all that He was done for us.

The downfall was quick and sudden. Like they advertise for tyres - 100 to zero in seconds. A couple of bad decisions and both of us were jobless with a daughter studying in school. Locations changed. Life was difficult. But for the immense amount of support that our friends and family provided, we don't know how we could have passed those years. Four years of struggle. A sudden change of place from Bangalore to Kerala. It would be an understatement to say it was a culture shock for my daughter. Different school, different friends, different culture - all made it difficult for her. That was when she matured into the person that she is now. She understood the meaning of compromise in life. That was probably when she became the person who began to accept and be happy with what she got. But the point of this article is not to describe her change.

It was not just my daughter who changed, but we too. We realized that life could be lived happily even without all those material pleasures that we enjoyed. We were probably one of the first households of those times to have had a computer at home. I used a mobile phone when it costed much even to just answer a call. From all that to being without any of those pleasures. Our life turned into spending more time at internet cafes sending applications for job. Small jobs came and went. Four years of life changed us a lot. Even after that it was an upward struggle for another two years for life to come back to normal. Those years were the time when we realized that being together was more fun than having all those gadgets around us. We realized that life will never be always the same. It was the time we all truly stopped worrying about whether we had all those material pleasures or not.

Probably by now you are all wondering what this has to do with my spiritual journey. It was after a few years that we started listening to discourses by Sri Velukkudi Swamigal that changed us from God believing to God loving. It is only now that we realize that those years of struggle was one way of taking us away from our dependency on those material pleasures. When we are made to stay away from those pleasures we also lose our need for them. He made us realize that life can be wonderful even without all that.

This is what I had mentioned in the earlier part of this article that when He decides to make us get closer to Him, He takes away all those distractions. In this age of Kali all of us are more attracted to those distractions. Only when we are forced away from them will we ever look at something that is even more attractive - the pleasure of hearing about Him and talking about Him.

The qualities of Bhagavan Narayana are so many and so high that we will never tire of talking about them or listening to them. Once we get into the habit of enjoying that higher pleasure we will never want to have these material pleasures again. It is not that we don't enjoy the pleasure of watching a movie or playing a game. But those become less important and less enjoyable. A visit to the temple or listening to a discourse gives more pleasure.

Looking back now, we realize that those few years were really not worth lamenting about, but were years that prepared us to enjoy higher pleasures. If anyone has a low period in life, they should realize God is giving them an opportunity to turn to Him and get closer to Him. He is giving them an opportunity to be indifferent to other pleasures. He is preparing them for something much much higher.

The intention of writing this about my life is to assure people that if God gives them a bad time in life it is with good intentions. They can be rest assured that He is doing it so that we can enjoy the pleasure of being close to Him and serving Him. Once we start to enjoy that pleasure nothing else really matters.

I end this essay by dedicating it to Sriman Narayana through my guru Sri Velukkudi Swamigal and Sri Mahalakshmi. I cannot conclude without expressing my gratitude to Sri Andal whose Thiruppavai was and will always be my guide in my journey towards reaching Him.

MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY – ONE SMALL STEP IS ALL IT TAKES....

My guru (though I never met him nor does he probably know of my existence) always says that Shriman Narayana is so kind and loving that all you need is to take one small step towards and He will not spare any effort to bring you closer to Himself.

I would like to place as a disclaimer in the beginning that wherever I mention the Lord or His various names, it means the Lord and His consort Shri Mahalakshmi together. She is the one who gives the Lord his quality of kindness and benevolence.

It was through listening to Shri Velukkudi Krishnan Swami – my guru – that my idea of God and prayer changed completely. Like millions of devotees I used to pray to and prostrate before all other Gods (or demi-Gods as is referred to by my guru) also, apart from Lord Vishnu. Though from my earlier days I had stopped asking for anything material when I pray, I am guilty of having turned to Gods in tough situations and asking their help. It was through Shri Velukkudi Swami’s discourses I understood the philosophy of Srivaishnavism and the pleasure of surrendering oneself completely to the mercy of Lord Narayana. He insists that we should not ask Him for anything except an escape from the cycle of birth and death, or Moksha as is said in Hindu philosophy. As the Supreme Lord, He knows very well what we need and He will bless us in the right time and as per what our karma entails. The Lord Himself has assured in the Gita that once we have surrendered ourselves to Him, our sins will be excused and Moksha will be granted to us. That doesn’t mean we will be exempted from experiencing the results of our actions. It just means He will make it easier for us to endure them. And He will make us endure all this in the present life and relieve us from the cycle of births and deaths at the end of this life.

Having full conviction on my guru’s teaching and having full faith in Shree Ramanujar and the Azhavars and gurus, we – my wife and I decided that we will try to follow the path of total surrender. This was the one small step that we took – cultivated the desire to achieve total surrender. My experiences which I am writing below are not a proof of my devotion, but of His kindness and His efforts in bringing a devotee closer to Him.

We started experiencing His efforts pulling us to Him at a time when my wife joined me in Africa. I had been living alone for over an year. During this time,  both of us had been listening to discourses by Shree Velukkudi Swamikal. As soon as she had come to Africa we got an invitation to join a Bhajan session by ISKCON. This was the first step to getting us closer to Him and His devotees. We even got the opportunity to hold a few sessions at our house. During this time we met some people who were interested in chanting the Vishnu Sahasranamam one day a week as a group. Already we had been chanting on a daily basis, though the pleasure of chanting loudly in a group is an experience in itself. This got us involved in more spiritual activities. Though we didn’t understand it at that time, this was the beginning of many incidences that showed us that He was constantly guiding and leading us.

On our first visit together to India from Africa we made a brief stopover at Mumbai where my wife’s sister resided. Her husband was very keen about taking us for a darshan at the famous Sidhivinayaka temple, though we weren’t too eager as we had completely turned to the Shrivaishnavite way of life. But then, we had no mind to disappoint him and hence we decided to visit the temple. As he had some work in the bank we decided to first go to the bank and then go to the temple. As we got down from the taxi at the bank we noticed a temple right opposite the bank. My wife, having lived in Mumbai earlier, identified it as the famous Kochu Guruvayoor temple. We felt that Shriman Narayana had made sure we had darshan of Him before we went anywhere else. This was our second experience. We felt overwhelmed.

During that visit we decided to visit Sree Rangam, the temple that occupies the place as number one among the 108 Divya Desams. After the prayers in the temple, we went searching for a pair of Lord’s Feet (Bhagavan Paadam) to be kept at our home and offered prayers. After we have purchased the Lord’s Feet the shopkeeper showed us a small idol of Lord Ranganatha. He said that this was a piece ordered by somebody else who didn’t pick it up and when he saw me he wanted to offer it to me. Being a sales person myself I don’t normally fall for such sales gimmicks. But the idol being made very beautifully and being that of Lord Ranganatha, I decided to purchase.

After returning to Africa I placed the idol at the altar and started daily prayers. I started offering holy bath to the idol on all Fridays. I remembered hearing in one of the discourses that holy bath on Lord Venkateswara is performed only on Fridays. I adopted this more to my convenience and lack of time in the morning. The weather remains cool during most parts of the year at the place where we live and hence we are habituated to taking bath in hot water daily. I found it not right to bathe the Lord in cold water while we enjoy a hot bath. Call this some kind of madness on my part. But I started the practice of offering holy bath to the Lord with hot water. It was quite recently that we heard in one of the discourses, to our sheer joy and surprise, that Lord Ranganatha is offered bath only in hot water. Both of us had tears in our eyes. Unknowingly we had followed a procedure that is being followed at Sree Rangam. This incident clearly proved that once we have surrendered to Him, He will guide us to do the right things.

During our last visit to India, in March 2016, we have many experiences that proved that He was looking after us in every sense. In Kanjeepuram Varadaraja Perumal temple we were offered the opportunity to fan the Lord for a few minutes. This was the daily duty of Thirukachchi Nambigal, with whom the Lord physically conversed regularly. When we visited the Thiruvidaventhai temple, I was very much disappointed that I could not have the darshan of the main idol (Moolavar) of the temple – Shree Varaha Perumal – as the temple was undergoing renovation. My love for this avatar of the Lord started when I started my involvement with Tiruppavai and Andal. My disappointment was beyond words. As we were browsing the various pictures and also looking at what Prasad to eat,(at the temple shop, inside), the main priest of the temple called us. He gave a call and as we looked around to see whom he was calling, he pointed to us and said he meant us. He called us to the temple kitchen and offered us hot Kesari, which had been offered by a devotee and had been offered to Shree Varaha Perumal(the moolavar), just then. I was overjoyed. He had made up for not giving us HIS darshan, by offering us the Prasad.

The latest one of our experiences happened a week back. We had no idea of placing a Salagramam ( a stone representing Lord Vishnu, similar to the Sivalinga which represents Lord Siva) at our altar. The reasons were many. The Salagramam is available only in Nepal, where we had neither plans nor the means to visit. I had no friends residing there or visiting frequently, to whom I could request to bring one for me. I didn’t know the price of a Salagramam. There was also the apprehension of placing one at the altar and in some way failing to follow the right prayer procedures. I also didn’t believe that I had become such a matured devotee to place one at home and offer prayers. Last week my sister and her husband visited us for a brief stay. As soon as they started unpacking they took an object from their bag and offered it to me. What looked like a black stone to me in the beginning turned out to the holy Salagramam itself. Our joy knew no bounds. Though I knew my sister was visiting Nepal I had not specifically asked her to bring a Salagramam for me for reasons mentioned above. She had remembered how I had talked about my change to Sreevaishnavism and our love and devotion to Lord Narayana. So she had purchased one for me. If the Lord wishes me to have a Salagramam at my altar, He will find ways to bring one to me. I later found from sources in the net that installing and offering prayer to Salagramam is a very simple procedure. The reasons mentioned is that the Salagramam, unlike other idols in which the power of  God has to be brought using prayers and poojas, is Lord Himself and He excuses small mistakes in the procedures. So now I have the Salagramam placed in my altar and daily prayers offered.

The above are just a few of our experiences. They continue to happen every day because He guides us in each and every activity. I have limited to a few incidents for fear of making this article too long and laborious to read.

The above experiences do not happen to me alone nor is it because of any special power of my prayers. These experiences happen in everyone’s life. He showers His love on everyone and guides us all in each and every one of our actions. The only way to realize this is to surrender oneself completely to God.  Once we start attributing every event in our life to Him, we will realize how much He takes care of us, how much He guides us and how much effort He takes in bringing us closer to Him. I only hope describing my experiences will make others realize Him and His love.

I dedicate this article at the feet of my guru Shri Velukkudi Swamikal, Shree Ramanujar, Goddess Mahalakshmi and Shriman Narayanan.

THE SABARIMALA CONTROVERSIES

Sabarimala, the divine hill abode of Lord Sri Ayyappa, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for quite a while. Firstly, it was the case of one of its Tantris being involved in a scandal. Following that there was the controversy surrounding the appearance of a lamp in the horizon during the Makaravilakku season. Recently it involved the argument whether women of a certain age can be allowed to visit the hill shrine. And now, it is the debate over whether the temple can be allowed to remain open all through the year. Despite all the controversies, neither the power of Sri Ayyappa nor the love of His devotees to Him, have reduced even a bit. The media, for dearth of better news, take up each of the controversies and run it again and again till they can find something juicier. Even this time, the news is almost dying as news about dog bites in many cities of Kerala has come into focus. Yet certain things run in my mind and I need to put them down on paper.

I don't mean to hurt the sentiments of anyone by writing this article. If it does so, I may be pardoned for the same.

In the earlier days the hill shrine was mainly visited by people of Kerala state. The journey was difficult and took many days to complete. Even the shorter route to be done on foot, which was earlier from Chalakkayam to the temple, took many days as transport facilities were not enough. The journey was also filled with dangers from wild animals and illness. People carried with them food and utensils to last them through the journey. It was even a practice for the people going to the temple, not to say farewell to the family as many have not returned from the journey having died on the way due to many reasons. However things have changed drastically. Today people can make the journey up and down from many parts of Kerala in a single day. The shorter walk to the temple has become easier now with vehicles being able to go up to Pampa river. 

Before the pilgrims started their journey they observed a strict 41-day vegetarian diet. Along with that they also abstained from consuming liquor and having physical contact with their wives. All this was necessary to prepare them physically for the arduous journey they had to undertake to reach the shrine. Today the journey has become a one-day affair and hence the strict observation of food and other restrictions have also diluted. So much, that many people wear the obligatory garland made of Basil seeds on the day they leave for the shrine and remove it the same night. Many would criticize this. I am not here to judge or comment on that. I am only saying that the formalities and obligations have been diluted mainly because such physical fitness is not necessary as was needed earlier. And the dangers that were present earlier are not there now. Many don't abstain from liquor, non-vegetarian food or sex for the obligatory 41 days. All these have not reduced, in any way, the devotion that people have for the Lord.

The temple was earlier open only during the Mandalam and Makaravilakku seasons. Later the temple was open for 5 days every month. It was open 10 days continuously combining the last 5 days of one month and the first 5 days of the following month. This was done for the convenience of the pilgrims as the numbers started rising and the rush was too high during the seasons. Certainly this was a break from the earlier traditions. 

Looking at the above deviations from traditions, which have happened time to time, I don't see any reason for the present controversy over a suggestion made by the Kerala Chief Minister, that the temple be kept open all round the year. What is wrong with keeping the temple open on all days? The poojas are going to be conducted in the same manner every day. In fact when it is open all the days, the poojas will be conducted every day. It is said that the more pooja conducted to a deity, the more powerful it becomes. So that should be good for the temple and its devotees.

Who are people objecting to this? Mainly it is the Dewaswom Board, the Tantris and some activists. The devotees should be happy because this will mean they can visit the temple any time, without the seasonal rush and worship their dear Lord. Not just that, more facilities will come, because the businessmen will be assured of customers all round the year. The Dewaswom Board, which administers the temple, should also be happy because this will mean more money for the upkeep and maintenance of the temple. The reason for their objection seems to be without any reason. The Tantri may be upset as he would have to spend the whole year at the temple without the break that he would have got otherwise. I don't really know if the Tantri presently has to stay there even during the breaks. 

One cannot fault tradition because almost all of the temples are open throughout the year. The only exceptions are those like Badrinath temple which, due to climatic conditions cannot be kept open all round the year. One cannot say that opening the temple daily will make pilgrims to defy the obligatory restrictions and this will invite the wrath of the Lord. Even now many pilgrims don't observe these requirements. In most other temples around the world, pilgrims don't observe any special restrictions, even at the most popular and most worshipped Balaji temple at Tirupati. 

There are some restrictions to be followed in temples, based on our scriptures. These need not be broken to keep the temple open on all days. But barring that, I frankly feel God will only be happier and more pleased to see more of His devotees come to Him. God is very kind and will pardon anything when you surrender to Him totally.

Swamiye Saranamayyappa.

BELIEVERS AND BELIEVERS

I have written a lot about belief in God and what change it brought to my life. I will go one step further and attempt to write my thoughts about believers. I will refrain from writing about the non-believers or atheists as they call themselves, because I never understood why someone should make so much noise about something, which they believe doesn’t even exist. It is about believers that I would dare to put down my thoughts. I seek your pardon if any of you find my writing to be arrogant or impertinent.

Believers, as we are called in general, don’t necessarily fall under one group. On the one end of the spectrum are believers who are fanatic enough to cause hurt and destruction in the name of their beliefs. On the other end there are those who would keep their beliefs to themselves, almost ashamed of admitting their belief in someone whom they haven’t seen heard or felt. But still they believe too, or it helps them in many ways to believe in a power that can do things which they can’t. I would leave the violent kind of believer out of this essay as I am of strong opinion that they shouldn’t even be called believers in God, because God would never want hurt to be caused to any one of His creations. I will only attempt to talk about the other believers, who would cause no hurt to others as part of their beliefs.

All believers basically aim at some form of communication with God. For many it is for seeking something from Him, mostly some kind of material benefit. For still others it is just to keep Him pleased so that their misdeeds are pardoned and they are not made to suffer for their actions. Then there are a few who will not seek anything from Him, but just thank Him for keeping them as they are. Whatever the purpose of seeking Him, we all feel the need to perform some sort of action to show this out. Not that He won’t understand our thinking and need without any action. But it is our need to perform some kind of action, for we feel the need to express our intentions through actions. These actions or activities are generally termed, sometimes wrongly, as religious practices or forms of worship. These practices are what generally come under criticism from various people or groups, if they are different from what they practice.

These practices vary with place, caste, family background and the Guru being followed. There are those who believe in the simple act of standing with palms together in front of God’s idol or picture in their homes, offering a flower or Tulsi leaves. Some believe in Shayana Pradakshinam or Anga Pradakshinam or in plain English rolling around a temple. Some believe in piercing metal objects through their tongue or their cheeks. Some may seek the help of God-men to lead them to God. There are many forms of offerings made to God including alcoholic drinks. All these form various practices to achieve the ultimate aim of communicating with Him for whatever purpose.

The main aim of writing this is to ask whether anyone has the right to criticize any form of religious activity, as long as it doesn’t hurt others in any way. We have seen one or the other form of religious activity being severely criticized in the media or social forums. Ironically, the most severe criticisms come from believers who themselves may be following one or the other kind of religious activity or worship. The most severe criticisms come from those who call themselves the “intellectual” or “evolved” believers. They form a group of persons who have read or claim to have read the scriptures. They take pains to point out that most of the practices are not mentioned in the scriptures and that this is not the right path to God. As we all know the original scriptures, at least as far as Hinduism is concerned, have been interpreted by various scholars and teachers and that these interpretations are not the same always. Nor are they understood in the way they were supposed to be. This being the case what right does one have to criticize the practices of another person? Forms of worship have changed over the centuries to suit the particular period and place. As long as the form of worship doesn’t hurt others, everyone should be allowed the freedom their way of reaching out to God.

Hoping that everyone would be tolerant to others’ practices, I dedicate this at the feet of my Guru, Shree Andaal and Shriman Narayanan.

THIRUPPAVAI - AN INTRO

Let me start this blog with an apology. The heading is in itself a misnomer. I am not knowledgeable enough to give an introduction to Thiruppavai. I am just penning down what I understood from the introduction given by my Guru Shree Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy. I have been attracted to Thiruppavai and its interpretations from when I started listened to the discourse by my Guru. The more number of times I listen to it, the more the joy in talking about it or writing about it. This is the reason for one more blog on Thiruppavai. Of course, how much ever it is being discussed, interpreted or talked about there will be no dearth for meanings and interpretations. It is an inexhaustible well of knowledge about Him and His ways, penned so succinctly by Aandal in just 30 stanzas.

Why did Aandal write Thiruppavai? How could a little girl of hardly 10 years put so much, in such language in so short a poetry? Her life on earth was only for a short period of around 12-14 years, before she achieved her union with the Lord. How did a little girl get so much knowledge? The answers lie in knowing who Aandal was.

Aandal appeared on earth as a little child in the garden of Shri Vishnu Chittar, or more commonly known as Periyaazhvar. Periyaazhvar was of Brahmin birth and did the service of growing flowers and making garlands out of them for the Lord. He lived in Sreevalliputhur in Tamizh Nadu. He is one among the ten aazhvaars who are in fact the human incarnation of the ten adornments and accompaniments of Lord Narayana. Periyaazhvar is the avatar of Shree Garudaththaazvar, the vehicle of Sriman Narayanan. Periyaazhvar has a special place among the Aazhvars in that he is the only one blessing Lord Narayana and praying for His well being, while all other Aazhvars have written in praise of the Lord.

Aandal appeared in the garden of Periyaazhvar on the day of Pooram Nakshatram in the month of Aadi. She was the incarnation of Shree Bhoo Devi or Mother Earth herself, who is one of the three consorts of Shriman Narayanan. The sole purpose of her appearance on earth during the Kali Yuga was to reassure us that the Lord is ever merciful and that once we totally surrender ourselves to Him, He will certainly lead us to salvation, notwithstanding the sins we may have committed. This is what Lord Krishna had promised to Arjuna in The Gita – that, He shall pardon our sins and lead us to salvation.

From a very young age Aandal was filled with love for the Lord, the knowledge in her soul that she is the consort of Lord Narayana Himself, expressing itself as love for the Lord.

It was Periyaazhvaar’s daily chore to pluck fresh flowers from his garden, make them into a garland and dedicate to Lord Shree Rangamannar. One particular day he saw that the garland he had made for the Lord was worn by Aandal. He admonished Aandal, made a fresh garland for the Lord. The same day Lord appeared in Aazhvaar’s dream and advised that he should not to get angry with Aandal and that he shall be adorned with the garland after being worn by Aandal. The Lord continued to tell Aazhvaar that Aandal was born to be united with Him and that He shall accept her at the right time. Every day, from then on, the Lord was dedicated the garland that was worn by Aandal. She came to be known as “Soodi Kodutha Nachiyar”.

Meanwhile the love of Aandal for Shriman Narayana was so intense that it struggled to find a way of expression. It was at that time she heard from a religious preacher that during the time of Krishna the women of the cow-herd clan had observed a period of fast and asceticism praying for union with Krishna. Aandal decided that following the same rituals would somewhat give vent to the intense feeling of love that she felt. In her mind and in her actions and behavior Aandal had become a woman of the cow-herd clan. Her imagination manifested itself as the divine poetry Thiruppavai. Through Thiruppavai Aandal not only tells us the procedure of the fasting period but also on how to worship the Lord and what we shall seek of Him. She goes on to conclude that the only aim in our life should be that of serving Him at all times and seeking salvation. By portraying herself as a woman born in the cow-herd clan, without any knowledge of religious procedures, she aims to tell us that the Lord does not expect us to be of high spiritual knowledge to grant us His blessings. All one needs to do is to surrender to Him unconditionally, and to Him alone.

Thiruppavai consists of 30 stanzas, which can first be divided into two parts – one of 29 stanzas and another of the last one. In the 29 stanzas Aandal portrays herself as a woman of the cow-herd clan. In the last stanza Aandal reveals her true identity as the daughter of Periyaazhvar and tells us that reading the Thiruppavai daily can in itself get us His blessings. In the 29 stanzas Aandal tells us of the Lord’s greatness, His mercy, His love for us and His mastery over all things. She also tells us how we can seek His favour and what we should ask of Him. She assures us that once we have admitted our inability to perform without His guidance and help, and once we have surrendered ourselves to Him, He will take it as a duty to protect and guide us.

The above, totally inadequate, introduction to such a divine creation was not in any way to show my knowledge. It was just a manifestation of my love for the Lord and my respect for Shree Aandal. I seek pardon at the feet of my Guru and Shree Aandal for all the deficiencies in my writing.

Let me conclude by paying obeisance at the feet of my Guru, Shree Aandal and Shriman Narayana.