Andal's Divine Union With Sri Narayana

Jan 13, 2004, 12.56am IST

N N Subramanian.

The Tiruppavai, a 1,000-year-old collection of 30 Tamil songs in praise of Krishna , was composed by Goda when she was barely 15 years of age. It is sung during the month of Margazhi in Tamil Nadu, between mid-December and mid-January. The Tiruppavai is also called Godopanishad because it contains the quintessence of the scriptures.

An incarnation of Bhudevi, Goddess Earth, the consort of Mahavishnu, Goda's appearance was to show us the pathway to God through bridal mysticism - looking upon God as the bridegroom.

One day, Vishnuchittar Periyalvar was gathering flowers for the daily puja at the temple when he found a child under a Tulsi bush in his garden. He took her home and brought her up as his own child. He named her Goda (or Kothai, in Tamil), meaning 'maiden' or 'song-girl'; also 'giver of cows, speech or light'.

Goda grew up listening to the sweet tales of Krishna her father narrated to her. Goda's dream was to marry the Lord. Daily, she would wear the garlands her father strung for the temple deity and peer into the well to admire her reflection in the water. One day, her father saw this and saddened by her impiety, he forbade her from ever touching the flowers meant for the Lord.

The next day Periyalvar took the garlands to the temple. That night the Lord appeared in his dream and said that only the garlands worn by his daughter were dear to Him. From then on, Goda would wear the garlands first and then send them to the temple. Soon she came to be known as Sudikkodutta Sudarkodi (the lady who offered garlands to God after first wearing them).

Goda became lovelorn. Long before dawn, she would go door-to-door, rousing her friends. Singing loudly the praises of Krishna, they would arrive at the palace of Nandagopa, and wake up everyone there, including Krishna. They would appeal to the Lord to provide them with conches, drums, lamps, flags and festoons. They also wanted Him to reward them for singing His praises. Finally, Goda would disclose to Krishna the true purpose of their visit - to be granted one boon that they could be with Him always.

Goda's Nacciyar Tirumozhi (poems of the Lord's bride) is a longer composition of 143 verses in which she expresses her love for Krishna in moods ranging from the agony caused by the pangs of separation from Him to the ecstasy born of union with Him.

As Periyalvar watched with grave anxiety his daughter's boundless love for Krishna grow, he was perplexed; how could he arrange a marriage between a mere human being and the Supreme Lord of the Universe? Krishna announ-ced to Periyalvar in a dream that He would take care of that. Krishna spoke to the temple priests of Srirangam and told them to go to Srivilliputtur and escort His bride-elect to Him. On the appointed day, Goda, in bridal finery, was taken in a palanquin from Srivilliputtur to Srirangam right into the sanctum sanctorum. Softly stepping down from the palanquin and proceeding with a swan-like gait towards the deity reclining on Adisesha, Goda climbed onto the serpent-bed. Then she just disappeared, getting absorbed into Him.

At Periyalvar's request, the Lord agreed to a traditional marriage ceremony which was performed on the panguni uthiram at Srivilliputtur. Every Vaishnavite temple in Tamil Nadu has a shrine for Goda who came to be known as Andal, 'she who rules', because she rules over the heart of Lord Narayana Himself; and Andal's divine marriage is celebrated to this day, every year, on the panguni uthiram day.