Andal: She Who Rules
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Andal: She Who Rules (based on a manuscript by C. Meenakshi, has been supplemented with material from Friedhelm Hardy, Viraha Bhakti, OUP, 1983, and Vidya Dehejia, Slaves of the Lord, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1988.) The twelve Alvars, from individual bronze figures. Periyalvar holds cymbals and Andal a lotus 34 MANUSHI “Utpana Dravide saham vriddhim that day, thinking it would be an offence continues that Andal, as she grew up, Karnatake gata kvachit kvachit to do so. It is believed that god then refused to marry, declaring herself the bride maharashtre gurjare jirnatam gata... appeared to Periyalvar in a dream and of Krishna: “I will end my life if any talk vrindavanam punah prapya navineva expressed his desire to wear the garland arises about my marriage to any mortal surupini jataham yuvati.” worn by Kodai. man.” Said to have received instructions “Bhakti was born in Dravida, grew to Overwhelmed with joy, Periyalvar from Vishnu, Periyalvar escorted the 16 womanhood in Maharashtra and called Kodai “Andal” from that day. She is year old Andal in bridal attire to the Karnataka, and became old in Gujarat. On also known as “chutikkotuttanachiyan” or Srirangam temple where she is believed to reaching Vrindavan, she again became a “she who offered the garland to god after have been absorbed into the stone image young and beautiful woman.” of Vishnu. (Bhagvat Mahatmya I, 48-50) This end signifies not only the Emotional Krishna bhakti seems to intensity of Andal’s devotion but of have originated with the Alvars, the Periyalvar’s too. In one song, in the person Vaishnav saints of south India, and the of the heroine’s mother, he laments the loss Nayanars, Shaiva bhaktas, from the of a daughter in a passage usually seventh century onwards. interpreted as a reference to his gift of The songs of the 12 Alvars are Andal to Vishnu: “I had an only daughter collected in the Prabandham, an and goddess like I brought her up: the fair anthology of 4,000 stanzas. Some of the eyed god has taken her.” (Tirumozhi, III. songs in this anthology are among the VI. 4) greatest Krishna bhakti poems in India. Andal composed a 30 stanza long The highly emotional form of bhakti, song, the Tiruppavvai, and 14 songs with characteristic of the Alvars, became a total of 143 stanzas, collectively known influential in the north only when as the Nachiyar Tiru-mozhi. Tiruppavai translated into Sanskrit. means “the song for pavai” Pavai means Andal, who probably lived in the ninth “doll.” Here, it refers to a sand image of century AD, is the only woman among the the goddess constructed by young girls Alvars. Along with Nammalvar, she is on the riverbank, early each morning, as accepted as holding the highest place part of a religious observance which among them in terms of literary merit. The probably originated in a fertility rite. The word “Andal” (she who rules) is the ritual, performed on every day of the month feminine form of “Alvar” (he who rules). Modern religious picture of Andal of Margazhi (December-January) by Andal’s signature line in her songs fasting girls, is supposed to bring indicates that she was the daughter of abundant rains to the land and good Vittuchittan (Sanskrit form Vishnuchitta), she had worn it.” husbands to the girls. also one of the 12 Alvars, known as In remembrance of Andal’s legendary The song is pervaded by numerous Periyalvar, or the great sage. According action, even today, a garland offered to descriptions of Krishna. Apart from many to the legend, she lived for only 16 years. her image at the temple in her hometown conventional epithets, there are some According to tradition, Periyalvar, Srivilliputtur is taken to the famous Tirupati charged with emotion, as when the girls, who was a Brahman and a priest at the temple on the occasion of Venkatesa’s standing before the bed on which he lies temple at Srivillipputtur, found Andal wedding festival, and to Madurai every asleep, ask him to wake up: under a basil bush and raised her as his year in the month of Chittirai (April-May) Will you not open daughter. She was named Kodai which to adorn the deity there. The legend slowly, means “flower garland.” As the daughter of the temple priest, Kodai used daily to weave a garland for The legend indicates that Andal led Periyalvar to a higher level of devotion — the image of the presiding deity, from ritualistic to self immersing bhakti. Andal may be seen as inverting a ritual, if we Vatapatrachayi, a form of Vishnu. As a little compare her action with a verse of Periyalvar wherein he praises god in these words girl, Kodai used to wear the garland herself describing the temple ritual performed by seven generations of his ancestors: before it was offered to the deity. One day, Periyalvar happened to see her wearing “We are such servants: wearing the yellow garment which you have worn and the garland and looking at herself in the then discarded, eating from your plate, and adorning ourselves with the tulsiflowers mirror. He did not offer the garland to god (...) which you have worn and discarded.” NUMBER 50-51-52 (January-June 1989) your lotus shaped, The mould and idiom in which the bell like eyes, Nachiyar Tirumozhi is cast is derived from eyes like the sun, classical Tamil poetry, also known as the moon, Sangam poetry, which flourished in the first and look on us, few centuries AD. This highly so that all maledictions sophisticated poetry was formally divided may be destroyed? into two categories — pur am (the outside) (22) dealing with war, politics, trade and, as a morning. Girls in Vaishnav homes are thus minor element, religion; and aham (inside) familiar with the song. In the month of dealing with love. Aham poems depict the Margazhi, Tamil Vaishnav temples love of a man and woman before and after throughout the country hold special marriage, in union and in separation. celebrations in which Andal is worshipped Classical Tamil poets had developed a along with Krishna. system whereby a particular landscape and The Nachiyar Tirumozhi (song of the season corresponded to a particular mood heroine) is much less known, probably of the lovers. The poem was never because of its frank use of sexual imagery. addressed by the poet to the reader, but The Tiruppavai has one stanza for It is never sung in temples or recited in was spoken by an unnamed character to each day of the month. Each stanza ends public. Only the sixth of the 24 hymns in another character. These were the hero, with a call to the girlfriends of the speaker: the Nachiyar Tirumozhi is well known. the heroine, the hero’s friend or messenger, “O my friends.” The song begins by This song is a dream related by the heroine the heroine’s friend, her foster mother, and awaking the girls to participating in the to her friend. She dreams of her wedding passers by. ritual, goes on to detail the observances The innovation of the Alvars was to they follow and their progress to awaken use the aham mode in the religious context the sleeping Krishna, and ends by their of the bhakta identified with the girl or asking him to grant them union with himself gopi, in communication with the lover, and to obliterate all desires from their Krishna. Seven Alvars have written songs minds except the desire to serve him. in the aham genre, and Nammalvar has The beauty of Krishna and the girls’ praise of him is also linked to the beauty and prosperity of the land. They say that whenever they sing his praise: to Vishnu. It gives an elaborate account of the wedding ceremony. This song is Rain will fall thrice a month recited at Tamil Vaishnav marriages even throughout the land, today: and no evil befall. Today and in endless future births Paddy saplings shoot up apace, Our Lord Narayana, my Nambi Fish merrily play, will be my constant companion — Shining bees sleep on with his holy lotus hands written the largest number of such songs. blooming flowers, upon the ammi stone he placed my The special quality of Andal’s songs And healthy cows, when approached foot— in the Nachiyar Tirumozhi is the use of fearlessly, This dream I dreamt, my friends. bridal and erotic imagery in a highly Each udder, when held steadily and passionate vocabulary to express longing pressed, for union with the lord and complete Will fill the pitchers with never surrender to him. Her being a woman diminishing wealth, seems to make more complete her O girls, O my friends! identification with the girl speaker of the (3) songs. The song begins with a description of All over Tamil Nadu, in the month of Krishna’s teasing the young girls, goes Margazhi, the Tiruppavai is recited every on to the speaker’s dream of her wedding day by women in Vaishnav homes. Radio with him, and her addresses to different stations broadcast the entire work each natural objects such as flowers, animals, 36 MANUSHI clouds, conch shell, and to her mother and climax in song 13: the nectar that never cloys friends, lamenting her separation from bring me that nectar Krishna and the pain caused by her let me taste it unfulfilled love. For example, she asks the In vain I waft for a sight of my dark it will wipe away my pain. conch shell which is held in Vishnu’s hand Lord I pine and languish and touches his lips when he blows on it: he knows not the sorrow of women I look but he cares not whether I live or for soft words die— Smell they of camphor but you pour acid into my open if I see that thief Govardhana or lotus blossom new? wound— that looting robber, that plunderer do they taste sweet Bring me the yellow silk the Lord wraps I shall pluck out by their roots his lips of coral hue? around his waist these breasts that have known no gain O tell me fan me with it I shall take them white conch from the vast deep sea cool the burning of my heart.