Thirupaavai : Andal Devi's Fifth Pasuram : Mysterious Krishna, The Lord of Mathura, Our Saviour...

Thirupaavai :  Andal Devi's Fifth Pasuram : Mysterious Krishna, The Lord of Mathura, Our Saviour...

Today is the fifth day of the divine month of Marghazhi and Andal Devi is fully immersed in singing praises to Lord Krishna.
I was amazed by the diversity of her thoughts in the fifth paasuram. On the one hand she describes Lord Krishna as Maayan, the mysterious,  who ruled over Mathura and on the other she elucidates his playful pranks on the river Yamuna as a member of the cowherd clan. She also depicts his dual role as the light in Yashoda's life and as a prankster whom she punished by tying him with  a rope due to which he is known as Damodar, the one with a mark on his body.
The highlight however is her words of wisdom which guide us to think of Lord Krishna either by offering flowers or chanting his glories and meditating on him with an assurance that He would exonerate us of any sin which we may have committed knowingly or unknowingly.
In short, all our obstacles will be burnt to ashes and we will achieve salvation thanks to His Divine grace.
The expanse of Saint poet Andal's  thought in the fifth pasuram is mind blowing.  Based in Srivilliputtur, a remote town near Madurai in Tamilnadu her verse extends to far North in Mathura revealing the mystique of a Bhakta. So even as she describes Lord Krishna as mysterious we realise that Andal Devi was no less than an enigma.
Listen to her fifth pasuram if possible on the link  https://www.jiosaavn.com/lyrics/maayanai-nithyasree-mahadevan-lyrics/PSkidEMFeQM

"Māyanai mannu vaḍa , Madurai maindanai |
Tūya perunīr , yamunai turaivanai |
āyar kulattinil , tōndrum aṇi-viḷakkai |
Tāyai kuḍal viḷakkam, cheyda dāmodaranai |
Tūyōmāy vandu nām, Tūmalar tūvit tozhudu |
Vāyināl pāḍi, manattināl chindikka |
Pōya pizhaiyum  puhudaruvān ninndranavum |
Tīyinil tūśāhum, cheppēlōr empāvāy || " 

Uttaman and third pasuram of Thiruppavai...

Uttaman and third pasuram of Thiruppavai...

Andal, the revered saint poet from Tamilnadu has composed the 'Thirupaavai' comprising of thirty verses which have immmortalised her bhakti for Lord Krishna or Ranganathan.

A hymn is devoted to each day in the Tamil month of Marghazhi leading the bhaktas to salvation. Andal was one among the twelve Azhwaars who dedicated their lives to Sri Vaishnavism
The third day of Margazhi today presents Lord Krishna as the Supreme, the Uttaman who in the avatar of a dwarf conquered the three worlds. Andal propagates total surrender like Lord Mahabali who did not hesitate to offer his head for the third step to Lord Vishnu.
The hymn beautifully puts for the point that when we surrender ourselves to Krishna there will be abundance and prosperity.
The Rain Gods would be generous leading to good yields. Nature would be bountiful with water for the fish and honey for the bees in the blooming flowers. Milch cows would yield plenty of milk. In short their devotion to Lord Krishna would bring them unbridled prosperity.

The three steps taken by Lord Vishnu embody our physical world, the mental world and our ego or individuality. Mahabali's surrender of his head symbolises giving up of our egos at the feet of the Lord leading to our salvation.

This is what Andal extols to her friends and bhaktas in the third verse of the Thiruppavai - 
"Ongi ulagalanda uthaman per paadi
Naangal nam paavaiku chaatri neeradinaal
Theenginri nadellaam thingal mummaari peidu
Ongu peru sennal oodu kayal ugala
Poomkuvalaip podhil porivandu kannpaduppa
Thengaade pukkirundu seertha mulai patri
Vaangak kudam niraikkum vallal perum pasukkal
Neengade selvam niraindhuel or em paavaai."

Andal Thiruvadigale Saranam...