| Great Devotees |
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| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
ANDAL |
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| 'Tiruppavai’ 'Tiruppavai' composed by Andal is a very beautiful collection of poems. She prays to Lord Krishna in a variety of ways and calls her fellow devotees to worship. The Bhagavatha is one of the famous religious books of India. The story of Shri Krishna's childhood is narrated in it; and it contains other stories about Him and His devotees. In one of the stories of the Bhagavatha some girls pray to Durga- katyayinidevi 'May we get good husbands and may we live happily after marriage' - this is their prayer. Andal has made use of this story.But inTiruppavai the devotee's prayer is different. She prays that God may become her husband. 'May I win Lord Krishna's love!' prays Andal. She prays, 'May Lord Krishna rise from his bed; my heart is His throne; and may He always shine on the throne of my heart! People who worship Shri Krishna believe that He is an incarnation of God. Shri Krishna was Devaki's son. Thinking that Kamsa would kill Krishna,Krishna's father Vasudeva took the baby to Nandagokula and left himthere. Yashoda brought him up in Nanda-gokula. Devaki, who gave birth to Krishna, and Yashoda, who brought him up, were both human beings.Recollecting this Andal prays to Krishna: 'we have come to you. Only you can fulfill our desires. We shall happily sing of the boundless joy you bestowed on us.' In one of the songs Andal wakes up a friend with these words: 'Birds are flying. Did you not hear the sound of the conch in the temple? All hermits are praising Shri Krishna, who pretending to suck milk killed the Rakshasi (the demon) Pootani. All the sages are praying to Lord Hari (Krishna). So wake up.' In another poem,Andal says to her friends: 'in the garden behind your house,theflower known as sougandhika has opened its lips. The lotus has closed its lips. The sun has risen. The sanyasis are going to worship God. So wake up. Let us also sing the praise of God.' Andal prays to God thus: 'it is our desire to worship you in the early morning and offer our services at your feet.You are a protector of cows;accept our lovingservice ; we shall be your servants in every birth.' Tiruppavai attracted all that followed the path of devotion. Shri Ramanujacharya appreciated it very much. He approved the
path of Andal and |
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