| Great Devotees |
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| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
ANDAL |
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| The Great Alwar It was Vishnuchitta who sang thedevotional poem 'Tiruppallandu' (may you prosper). He never asked for anything for himself. 'May God bless all mankind, and may all turn towards God' - so he prayed. In the first stanza of his poem he prays God as follows: 'May your feet, which are like red lotus, illumine the world forever and forever! Oh Lord, whose dark blue shoulders over come the strongest wrestlers, may the beauty of your lotus feet illumine the world for ever!' After eleven years of prayer and worship he concluded Tiruppallandu with the vow that he would always meditate on Lord Narayana. Tiruppallandu is sung every day in many Shrivaishnava temples. Vishnuchitta came to be called'Periyalwar'. 'Alwar' means one who always loves God; the devotees of an Alwar believe that God is so pleased with his devotion that he follows his wishes. Vishnuchitta is the 'Great Alwar'. It was natural that a man of boundless devotion, who yet said he wished for nothing for himself, should come to be called the Great Alwar. There is only one woman among the Alwars of the Shrivaishnava sect, and she is Andal. It was Vishnuchitta who adopted and brought up the girl. Andal, pure of heart, was the adopted daughter of Vishnuchitta, himself pure of heart-and father and daughter were both fortunate. The adoption of Andaf by Periyalwar is itself a very interesting story. |
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