Aandaal’s Expansive Bhakti: Remembering Rama while Seeking Krishna...
Aandaal’s Thiruppaavai is not merely a devotional hymn but a versatile literary masterpiece where geography, season, imagery, epic lores and spiritualism merge seamlessly.
The twelfth paasuram is a call to Narselvan Tangai, Narselvan's sister. Aandaal and her friends have reached her house in the cold dawn of Margazhi, only to find the courtyard slushy and muddy with milk, 'mulaivazhiye nindru paal chora' because the unmilked buffaloes have let their milk overflow while thinking of their calves, ' kannaittilaṅg katterumai kandruk kirangi' Added to it is a misty fog enveloping the place intensifying the winter chill. 'pani talai vīzhanin vaaśal kaḍai patti'
Yet, nothing deters the Gopikas. Even the physical discomfort of cold, slush, and fog cannot stop their spiritual devotion.
Aanddal’s genius lies in how effortlessly she sanctifies the ordinary. The milk-slushed courtyard is not just a rural scene, it symbolises abundance, maternal instinct, and the overflowing grace of bhakti. Even disorder becomes sacred when touched by devotion.
Aandaal knows that Narselvan Tangai is a Rama bhakta so she cleverly uses her epic consciousness by invoking Rama’s compassion and righteous anger by saying ,
"cinattinaal ten ilangai kōmaanai cetta | manattukkiniyaanai paaḍavum nee vaay tiṛavaay" . We know that Rama destroyed Rāvaṇa when His wife,Sita and Bhakta Hanuman were harmed, so at least join us singing praises of Rama.
This isn't any mythological confusion but spiritual unity. For Aandaal , Rama and Krishna are not separate both are Narayana.
Therefore in essence, Aandaal declares, “If not for Krishna, then just come for Rāma!”
But finally the goal is not individual salvation as Aandaal insists on togetherness "inittān ezhundirāy itenna pēr uṛakkam |
anait-illat tarum aṛindelor empaavaai."
So she once again pleads to the Gopika and says get up at least now as we all have come and let us all go together to receive Narayana's blessings.
The twelfth Pasuram of Tiruppāvai stands as a testament to Aandaal's unmatched devotion, scriptural mastery, and emotional intelligence. She moves effortlessly from cowsheds to epics, from fog-covered courtyards to cosmic spiritualism. By invoking Rāma while seeking Kṛṣṇa, she teaches us that true devotion is expansive, never restrictive.
In Aandaal’s world every name leads to Him, every path is sacred and every dawn of Margazhi is an invitation to wake up and to remember God.
Aandaal Thiruvadigale Sharanam...
Aanddal’s genius lies in how effortlessly she sanctifies the ordinary. The milk-slushed courtyard is not just a rural scene, it symbolises abundance, maternal instinct, and the overflowing grace of bhakti. Even disorder becomes sacred when touched by devotion.
Aandaal knows that Narselvan Tangai is a Rama bhakta so she cleverly uses her epic consciousness by invoking Rama’s compassion and righteous anger by saying ,
"cinattinaal ten ilangai kōmaanai cetta | manattukkiniyaanai paaḍavum nee vaay tiṛavaay" . We know that Rama destroyed Rāvaṇa when His wife,Sita and Bhakta Hanuman were harmed, so at least join us singing praises of Rama.
This isn't any mythological confusion but spiritual unity. For Aandaal , Rama and Krishna are not separate both are Narayana.
Therefore in essence, Aandaal declares, “If not for Krishna, then just come for Rāma!”
But finally the goal is not individual salvation as Aandaal insists on togetherness "inittān ezhundirāy itenna pēr uṛakkam |
anait-illat tarum aṛindelor empaavaai."
So she once again pleads to the Gopika and says get up at least now as we all have come and let us all go together to receive Narayana's blessings.
The twelfth Pasuram of Tiruppāvai stands as a testament to Aandaal's unmatched devotion, scriptural mastery, and emotional intelligence. She moves effortlessly from cowsheds to epics, from fog-covered courtyards to cosmic spiritualism. By invoking Rāma while seeking Kṛṣṇa, she teaches us that true devotion is expansive, never restrictive.
In Aandaal’s world every name leads to Him, every path is sacred and every dawn of Margazhi is an invitation to wake up and to remember God.
Aandaal Thiruvadigale Sharanam...
R.Vimala, IAS,
Resident Commissioner & Secretary,
Government of Maharashtra, &
PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay
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