Re: Andals Thiruppavai - Thiruvadarai Thiruvadarai is the star Arudra. The prefix Thiru denotes its enormous size (several crore times bigger than the sun). The only other star with this prefix is Thiruvonam, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The festival Thiruvadarai is celebrated on the day that the star occurs in the month of Margazhi (December-January). It is the day on which Lord Shiva as Nataraja is believed to have performed his cosmic dance. Arudra signifies a red flame. Lord Shiva in the form of light performs his functions of creation, protection, destruction and concealing. The temple at Chidambaram celebrates the day with a great abhishekam. The offering of Kali (a sweet dish made of pounded rice and jiggery) is made to the Lord and then distributed amongst devotees, who accept this as a gift of bliss from the Lord himself. There is a story about how Kali came to be the neivedyam. Sendanar, a devout follower of the Lord, would eat only what was left over from the food that was offered to the Lord. One Thiruvadarai day in Margazhi he offered a humble repast of Pittu and Kali, with the regret that he could not offer anything better. The Lord was so pleased wtih his devotion, that he showered Sendanar with Pittu and Kali. Ever since that miracle occurred, Kali is made as the main offering to Lord Nataraja on this day. It is served with a koottu which has seven varieties of vegetables. In Sirgazhi, this day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Saint Thirugnanasambandar, commemorating the day when the saint as a baby was breastfed by Parvati. In Thirupperundurai, the day is observed as the birth anniversary of Saint Manickavasagar.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - SRI ANDAL- A BRIEF LIFE-SKETCH About Andal Andal was a 10th century Tamil poet who is revered as a saint in the southern parts of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1lace>. Infact, she is considered as one of the twelve Alvars (saints) and the only woman Alvar (saint) of Vaishnavism (a cult devoted to Lord Vishnu). She is also believed to be an incarnation of Sri Bhumi Devi, the Divine Consort of Sriman Narayana (a manifestation of Lord Vishnu). Andal Thiruppavai, the compilation of devotional poems sung by her, is still recited by devotees during the month of Margazhi. Early Life The life history of Andal tells us that a person named Vishnucitta found her, as a little baby girl, under a Tulsi plant in the temple <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on">garden</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Srivilliputtur</st1laceName></st1lace>. He gave her the name of Goda, meaning 'the gift of Earth'. Vishnucitta brought her up in an atmosphere of love and devotion towards the Lord. The intensity of her love and dedication towards the Lord grew so much that she decide to marry Sri Ranganatha, a form of Lord Vishnu. Unusual Offering As per Andal biography, as she grew, her determination to marry Lord Ranganatha also increased. She also started making a unique offering to the Lord. She used to wear a flower garland first herself and then offer it to God. As an explanation, she said that first wanted to see whether the garland looked good or not by wearing it herself and looking in the mirror. Only after she was convinced that the garland looked nice, did she offer it to God. One day, her father saw her doing this and admonished her from repeating this act. Goda made a new garland for the Lord. It is said that the same night, Vishnucitta received a vision from the Lord, who told him that He heartily accepted Goda's offerings. From that day onwards, Goda came to be known as "Andal", the girl who "ruled" over the Lord. Marrying the Lord As Andal reached the marriageable age of 15, her father asked her to get married. She replied that she would marry only Sri Ranganatha. It is believed that after this incident, Vishnucitta again received a divine vision, in which the Lord instructed him to send Andal to <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Sri</st1laceName> <st1laceName w:st="on">Ranganatha</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Temple</st1laceType></st1lace>. At the same time, the priests at <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Sri</st1laceName> <st1laceName w:st="on">Ranganatha</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Temple</st1laceType></st1lace> also received a vision where the Lord ordered them to prepare for the marriage. It is said that after reaching <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Sri</st1laceName> <st1laceName w:st="on">Ranganatha</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Temple</st1laceType></st1lace>, Andal married the Lord. Andal Thiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli Andal composed two poetic works in her lifetime, both in Tamil. Even though she compiled the poems in her teenage years, they display a high level of literary and religious maturity. Her first work is known as Andal Thiruppavai. It is compilation of thirty verses, in which she imagines herself to be a cowherd girl who longs to serve Lord Krishna. The second compilation is known as Nacciyar Tirumoli, consisting of 143 verses. Through this poem, she disclosed her passionate yearning for Lord Vishnu.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - PASURAM 26 maalE! maNivaNNaa! maargazhi neeraaduvaan mElaiyaar seyvanagaL vEnduvana kEttiyEl NYaalaththai ellaam nadunga muralvana paal anna vaNNaththu un paancha sanniyamE pOlvana sankangaL pOy(p) paadudaiyanavE saala(p) perum paRaiyE pallaandu isaippaarE kOla viLakkE kodiyE vidhaanamE aalin ilaiyaay aruLElOr empaavaai In this verse, Andal and her maids seek from Kannan all the prerequisite materials for their nombu ritual that was being observed on the banks of the river Yamuna. Having obtained Kannan, their only wish was to have a blissful time with Him. They decided then to continue with the nombu and prayed for the materials from Kannan. To spend the time delightfully with Kannan, a serene place of solitude is of much need. On the pretext of performing the nombu ritual, they planned to take Him to the outskirts of the city to the banks of the river Yamuna, which is a place of solitude and serenity. The nombu ritual helped them to behold the visage of Kannan in front of their dwellings. It helped them to recite the infinite names of Kannan with devotion and also enabled the elders to accept the Gopis mingling so freely with Kannan. The Gopis say, “Oh Maale! Who preserves limitless affection for those who seek Him. Oh Manivanna! Whose divine form is of a dark bluish hue. Sri, who was born in a beautiful lotus stood captivated by your charm and took Her throne in the cosmos of your heart. Similar to the preserving of the precious stone in the tresses of one’s attire, you have so humble a nature that enables others to rule you over so easily.” Kannan then requests them to speak out their wants. The Gopis reply “maargazhi neeraaduvaan” – It is considered fortunate to take a holy dip in the sacred rivers during the months of thula and maasi. Similarly, in the month of margazhi, it is prescribed to bathe very early in the morning and to observe this nombu ritual. Kannan then questions them about the authority of this practice, as He was unaware of it. The Gopis reply “mElaiyaar seyvanagaL” – We are only following the footsteps of our wise ancestors. Have you forgotten your statement in the Bhagavad Geetha, that the practices followed by posterity based on the footsteps of their ancestors is to be considered as authoritative. Kannan then says “vEnduvana kEttiyEl” – Fine. Please ask your needs and it shall be bestowed. NYaalaththai ellaam nadunga muralvana paal anna vaNNaththu un paancha sanniyamE pOlvana sankangaL – We need conches similar to the milk white conch Panchajanya that you hold in your hand. But we do not need the conches whose resound shivers the whole universe. Especially we do not need the kind of conch that you made use of on the battlefield of Kurukshetra that had sent shivers down Duryodhana and his allies. We only need a conch that may be used to awaken everybody from their morning slumber. pOy(p) paadudaiyanavE– We need percussion instruments that are wide and well sounding. They may be used during processions. pallaandu isaippaarE– We need savants who would sing the songs of Pallandu. kOla viLakkE – We need auspicious lamps for everyone to carry along on the path. kodiyE vidhaanamE– We need tall flag posts to let know that we are observing the nombu. To keep us away from the showering mist we need a pandal to be erected. Pray grant us with all these requistes. Kannan then says that he does not have all these in His possession. The Gopis reply “aalin ilaiyaay” – You donned the guise of a small baby and swallowed the entire universe and reclined on the palm leaf. Is there anything that you do not possess? Kannan then says “Fine. Here it is. I have given you all. Take it and retire back. Gopis say “aruL” – Retiring back? Where would we go without you? Just as how, a day without the Sun, a night without the moon and cattle without the ox, do not have any appeal and do not bear any exquisiteness, similarly we are nothing without Kannan. We therefore pray unto you to bless us with your benign grace and to come along with us to the banks of the Yamuna for the nombu. The Gopis reinstate with clarity that without His volition, not even an atom would move.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - Koodaraivalli Koodaraivalli is a function celebrated based on Andal's 27th pasuram "KOODARAI VELLUM SEER...". Every year, margazhi 27 is celebrated as "koodaravalli" hence. In this day, the andal with her friends have completed their fasting and started enjoying themselves for the rest three days. The song "vaiyathu vazhveergal..." should be think of before entering into Koodarai vellum pasuram. In the pasuram, "Vaiyathu vaazhvirgal", andal is telling us how to involve in the fasting and what are all the procedures. You should always chant the bhagavannama for the whole day of fasting, avoid ghee, milk, take bath early in brahmamuhurtha, dont decorate yourself, dont do avoided things (eating outside, speaking unnecessary words, etc.), help others, so on... In the pasuram, "koodarai vellum" she is concluding the fasting. koodaarai vellum seer gOvindhaa undhannai(p) paadi(p) paRai kondu yaam peRum sammaanam naadu pugazhum parisinaal nanRaaga(ch) choodagamE thOL vaLaiyE thOdE sevip poovE paadagamE enRanaiya palagalanum yaam aNivOm aadai uduppOm adhan pinnE paaR chORu mooda ney peydhu muzhangai vazhi vaara(k) koodi irundhu kuLirndhElOr embaavaay These girls are wearing so many ornaments and decorated themselves and went to temple. Their they sung the praise of narayana. They wore new garments. Eat well the milk-rice (Finishing their fasting by eating milk itself). How to prepare that milk-rice? Since all these days, they avoided milk and ghee, now they poured the ghee in amount so that it covered the rice itself. How to quantify that? It is very simple. When you take the rice in your hands, the ghee should flow free from that it should fall from your forearm. The final punch is very important. "Koodi irundu kulirnadelo" Share and enjoy the same food with everyone present there. In perumal temples, (I dont know whether they are preparing Paal soru) Sweet, ghee sakkara pongal will be prepared and in houses, they prepare chakarapongal and offer it to god and then to other houses and then they eat. By keeping this fasting and ending this with cheerfulness, makes our enemies to drive away from us. Andal is a psychiatrist, Dietician, beautician, what not I think. The enemies she is telling is the uncontrollable mind only. By doing fasting, then preparing delicious dish and then sharing the same with others make our mind cool and harmless. After a dieting, if we loaded ourselves with ghee and milk, the proteins will get accumulated into appropriate places and necessary amino acids will start secreting. Sri Andal Nachiar sang Thirupavai containing 30 verses in praise of Lord Narayana in the month of Margazi. While singing 27th verse "Koodaarai vellum seer Govinda..." Lord Narayana blessed Sri Andal with Thirukalyana Varam. Hence the 27th day of Margazhi month is celebrated as Koodaravalli. Devotees will go to temple, offer Ghee filled Akaravadisal to Lord Govinda and end fast on this day. Many will do Annadanam on this day. Koodaravalli is celebrated on January 12 2012 (Thursday). It is on this day Lord Narayana blessed Sri Andal with marriage boon.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - AKKARA ADISIL (AKKARAVADISAL) Though all the days in the month margazhi are important, Vaikunta Ekadashi and Koodaraivalli have the sanctity in worshipping the Lord. This "Akkara adisil" is prepared on the koodaravalli day (27th day of margazhi) and offered to the Lord. In the 27th poem "Koodaraivellum" of "Tiruppavai" Sri Andal says "Mooda nei peidhu muzhangai vazhivaara"and so we prepare the akkara adisil with lot of ghee & "Koodi irundu kulirndhaelo" meaning share and enjoy the food with everyone present. The akkaravadisal given in temples as prasadam has its own unique taste, as there were enormous cows in "ayarpadi" (AKKARAVADISAL). INGREDIENTS: Raw rice 1/4 cup Moong dhal(yellow split) - 1 tablespoon Jaggery crushed - 1/4 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup Saffron - 1 pinch Cashews – 12 Kismis(dry grapes) – 15 Pachaikarpooram - a pinch Cardamom – 2 Milk - 1 litre Ghee -6 tablespoons Wash rice and dhal. Drain the water completely. Heat a deep and heavy bottomed vessel (preferable pressure cooker) , & roast the rice dhal mixture till it changes colour and slightly yellow. Now add 1/2 litre of milk and allow it to boil in the milk. (OR) pressure cook for 4 whistles. When done, mash the rice well. Soak saffron in a tablespoon of hot milk. Crush jaggery, dissolve in very little water, strain out the dust and add it to the mashed rice alongwith sugar. Now add 1/2 of the ghee and the remaining milk mix well and stir for a while. The consistency should be semi-solid. Add powdered cardamom, saffron and pachaikarpooram. Add in the remaining ghee. Garnish with fried cashews and kismis. NOTE: The dish should be semi-solid and you can add more milk to get the desired consistency.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - Hi Anu, Happened to see your thread today only. Really, you have taken lot of efforts to translate Thiruppavai. Hats off to you. chanting Thiruppavai in this month is really a blessed thing. thanks for sharing.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - PASURAM 27 koodaarai vellum seer gOvindhaa undhannai(p) paadi(p) paRai kondu yaam peRum sammaanam naadu pugazhum parisinaal nanRaaga(ch) choodagamE thOL vaLaiyE thOdE sevip poovE paadagamE enRanaiya palagalanum yaam aNivOm aadai uduppOm adhan pinnE paaR chORu mooda ney peydhu muzhangai vazhi vaara(k) koodi irundhu kuLirndhElOr empaavaai The Gopis had stumbled upon their biggest ever accomplishment having obtained the company of the invaluable supreme soul, Kannan in solitude. They answer to the question from Kannan as to their needs. koodaarai vellum seer gOvindhaa – You should shower your affection on us similar to the way you shower compassion on the cattle. We should indeed drown in the ocean of your compassion without reaching the shore. Even in your previous incarnations, you have won over all those who have been your sworn enemies, those who ran against you with the might of their strength or the might of their penance. You have given yourself to us after all this. Many a suitors tried in vain to win the hand of Sita by stringing the mighty Shivadhanus. You came as Sri Rama and strung the bow with power, only to break it and bring the heads of the other suitors down in shame. Oh <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">Krishna</st1lace>, who won the hand of Sita during Raamaavathaaram, pray shower your benevolence on us. The adversaries quote that the world is a delusion. The reality is void alone. There are no celestial worlds. There are no Jeevathmans. The supreme exists neither. Everything perceivable is only an illusion. You by means of your imparts through the Bhagavad Githa, have refuted all these adversaries thoroughly. Oh Govinda! You have affirmed with clarity that everything perceivable is absolutely true and real. You are one who has won over your adversaries with arrows and weapons. At the same time, with your affection, mercy, beauty and high mindedness you have also won those devoting themselves to your lotus feet. We have been observing this nombu ritual for the past twenty six days. You are our sole object of attainment and means of attainment. We pray to you along with your consort Nappinnai to bestow upon us the highly acclaimed merit that befits us duly. undhannai(p) paadi(p) paRai kondu yaam peRum sammaanam naadu pugazhum parisinaal nanRaaga, they said. Kannan then asks as to what merits are they aspiring for. The Gopis reply, “When Sri Rama was about to be crowned, Sita came down till the doors and garlanded Him with her beautiful glances and saw Him through. Sri Rama then removed His garland and decorated Sitha with it. We seek such merits from you Oh Kanna”. choodagamE thOL vaLaiyE thOdE sevip poovE paadagamE enRanaiya palagalanum yaam aNivOm– The wonderful hands that do service to your lotus feet, need to be bejewelled with bangles that are enmeshed with the finest of all the nine gems. The hands that cuddle you need to be adorned with the finest of shoulder jewelry. You adorn the makarakundalas (ear rings) on your ear. To match the greatness of these, you should bestow a pair of diamond earrings to the beautiful ears that listen to your sweet flute all the time. These ears should be decorated with flowers (chevippoovu) as well. You would touch our feet during the observance of ammi midiyal during our holy matrimony. Such legs need to be decorated with the ornament of jingles (paadagam). You should thus grant us with all the jewellery that we seek. Women decorate themselves with jewels before clothing themselves. For this we need finest and fragrant most silk attires worn by you. Kannan then says “But I do not possess so much to be given to all of you”. The Gopis say, “Pray get us our attires from the same place from where you granted Draupadi with rolls and rolls of attire, when she pleaded unto you taking your holy names like <st1lace w:st="on">Krishna</st1lace>, Govinda”. adhan pinnE paaR chORu mooda ney peydhu muzhangai vazhi vaara(k) koodi irundhu kuLirndhElOr – Until we attained you, we were determined not to take ghee or milk and not to decorate our tresses with fragrant flowers. But we have won you now. From now on, we shall bejewel ourselves, wear grand silk attire, get our tresses decorated by you with flowers and we shall relish the sweetness and delicacy of ksheeraannam (milk rice) and take great delight in enjoying your unending company with us. The milk rice should look like as if being taken out after having dipped in a trough of ghee. While relishing it, the ghee should drip down the wrist till the elbow. We should enjoy the supreme bliss with you here, similar to that which is enjoyed by the nityas and the muktas in Srivaikuntham with you Oh Sriman Narayana.
Re: Andals Thiruppavai - PASURAM 28 kaRavaigaL pin senRu kaanam sErndhu uNbOm aRivu onRum illaadha aay(k) kulaththu undhannai(p) piRavi peRundhanai(p) puNNiyam yaam udaiyOm kuRai onRum illaadha gOvindhaa undhannOdu uRavEl namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu aRiyaadha piLLaigaLOm anbinaal undhannai siRu pEr azhaiththanamum seeRi aruLaadhE iRaivaa nee thaaraay paRaiyElOr empaavaai In the first verse Andal says “naaraayaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvaan” – The Lord is one who is to be attained by us. He is also the means of this attainment. Andal elaborates on this in this verse and the verse to follow. The path of sharanagathi has been told here on the pretext of nombu observance. Kannan says, “I have already accepted to give you all those things that you have asked me for, starting from “choodagamE”. But yet, it seems you have something else to ask me of. What is it?” The Gopis reply, “Our earlier pleads were meant for our own. You also consented to observe the nombu ritual with us. But now our sole aim is to attain the bliss of your divine communion.“ Kannan asks, “That fruit is indeed deliverance. In order to attain that, one should follow the paths of either bhakti or sharanagathi. What path have you chosen? One should perform the sacrificial oblations without fail, as per one’s status and should refrain from seeking the fruits of the actions thereof. One should realise the essential nature of the self and should behold the supreme soul that is the indweller in all sentient and nonsentient orders. Such a supreme soul needs to be incessantly meditated upon and at His lotus feet should a soul surrender itself. Now, what have you done?” The Gopis reply, “kaRavaigaL pin senRu kaanam sErndhu uNbOm” – The unwise is often compared to a cow. We do not possess a good mind like that of a cow. We only follow the cows and take them to the forest to graze. We take our food there and come back with the cattle in the evening.“ Kannan continues, “That aside, not being knowledgeable is not a big issue. Have you at least sought imparts from a noble teacher?” The Gopis say, “To us, the cattle are like the revered preceptors Vasishta and Vishwamitra. We partake the milk that is given by these cattle. Where else could we get a more relishing fodder? Moreover, we do not live in the lands that are the habitat of noble souls who would bestow their fellowmen with all good and auspicious things. We live in the dense grasslands. Moreover we hail from the ancestry of the naïve and the unintelligent cowherds. Kannan says, “Set that aside. At least you should have grazed your cattle in the forests of my liking like Ahobilam, Naimisharanyam, Badarikashramam and Veeksharanyam in order to aspire for moksham. The Gopis say, “Oh we were not choosy about the forests that we took our cattle to graze. We just followed the cattle and the day as it went by”. Kannan comes back, “Do you at least have any good merits (punyam) on your side. How will I be able to give moksham to you, with no good merits of any sort? Gopis come back, “We do not know the purports of the shastrams. But we know “undhannai(p) piRavi peRundhanai(p) puNNiyam yaam udaiyOm” – We have done such good deeds to have made you, the supreme Lord to take birth in our lineage. Is it not our merit that we are bestowed with the fortune of being able to say that Kannan, the Lord, belongs to our Yadavakulam? Though we are not deserving, yet, you are the unblemished and the unsullied “ kuRai onRum illaadha gOvindhaa”. You are perfect and absolute. Whatever be the want of the devotees, you bestow it on them plentifully. Have you not taken your birth amongst us to relieve us from all our torments and to grant us with the wealth of emancipation?” undhannOdu uRavEl namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu– The Gopis say, “You are our close relative. Our relation may neither be disowned by you nor may be renounced by us. It is also not plausible for both of us to relinquish this relation. In the master servant relationship, the master is the one who ordains and the servient does it to the delight of his master. We have many such bindings between us. Oh Naaranane! I am not there without you and you are not there without me. This is established beyond doubt. aRiyaadha piLLaigaLOm anbinaal undhannai siRu pEr azhaiththanamum seeRi aruLaadhE– Having forgone your virtue of supremacy, you have come and taken birth amidst us in the lineage of the Yadavas. You have endeared yourself to us unassumingly. Apart from your supremacy, you are the indweller, the supporter, the innercontroller, the object of attainment and the means of attainment. We had addressed you with the term “Narayana”, that reflects all these purports completely. Have you been made indignant? Moreover your supremacy is unmatched and we have been addressing you singularly as Yadava, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">Krishna</st1lace> and others. Has that made you indignant? If that is so, with your abundant mercy, kindly forgive us for all those transgressions. We might have committed many transgressions out of our unbounded love for you. If one’s hands and legs commit mistakes, then is it correct for him to punish them? If the teeth bite the tongue, then do we tear the tongue off? Is it not your responsibility to bear with all the transgressions of your dimwitted subservients? We therefore surrender ourselves unto you for forgiveness.” iRaivaa nee thaaraay paRai– Oh Lord, pray bestow on us the object of our desire. Though we adore and worship the Lord with utmost devotion, at the end of it we should seek His forgiveness and express our gratitude to Him for bearing with all those transgressions that we might have committed in the name of Bhagavad-aradhanam. This is the hidden purport of this verse.
