Andal: A Devotion Beyond Boundaries

Periya Alwar, or Vishnuchitta, is a highly revered Tamil poet-saint from Srivilliputtur. Known for his deep devotion to Lord Vishnu, he lived a humble life, crafting garlands and tending to sacred Tulasi plants. 

One morning, while tending to his sacred basil plants, Vishnuchitta discovered a little girl peacefully asleep among the leaves. Seeing her as a divine gift, he brought her home, named her Goda, and poured all his love into raising her. She became known as Naachiyar and Andal.

Andal grew up during the peak of the bhakti movement. By then, the first Alwars had already sung praises of the Lord, and people embraced these songs as if they were the Tamil version of the sacred Vedas, cherished for their musical, literary, and spiritual depth. For Andal and her friends, singing these pasurams became a beloved pastime.

In her father Vishnuchitta’s home, Andal developed a quiet, deep admiration for Lord Krishna, the favorite deity of her father. Andal was captivated by visions of Krishna, inspired by his stories in the Puranas. Like legendary devotees Rukmini, Radha, and Satyabhama before her, Andal too fell in love with Krishna and dreamed of marrying him. She constantly thought about him, sang about him, and dedicated garlands to him in the temple. Andal often wondered if she was beautiful enough to be worthy of him, and she would adorn herself with the garlands she had woven for Krishna, admiring her reflection in the mirror.

Vishnuchitta was a devoted father. He taught Andal the rich religious knowledge of their land and felt great joy as she grew into a wise and beautiful young woman.

One day, to his surprise, he found a strand of her hair in the garland he was preparing to offer at the temple. Shocked, he soon discovered Andal’s habit of wearing the garlands meant for the Lord. Upset, he scolded her, and from then on, she stopped wearing them. Yet, Vishnuchitta noticed that the Lord’s image in the temple seemed less radiant. Troubled, he prayed for an answer.

That night, Lord Vishnu appeared to him in a dream and revealed that He preferred the garlands first worn by Andal, as they brought Him special joy and brilliance. Accepting the Divine Will, Vishnuchitta allowed Andal to wear the garlands before they were offered to the Lord in the temple.

The deep spirituality of her home, combined with the Lord’s acceptance of her devotion, intensified Andal’s love for Krishna. In her dreams, He appeared to her as a bridegroom. Her waking hours were filled with thoughts of Krishna, and her heart ached with longing. As she grew, her love only deepened, leading her through the intense stages of a mystic’s journey, including times of spiritual darkness. This love caused her father, Vishnuchitta, great worry, for he did not know how to ease her suffering.

Misunderstanding her feelings, Vishnuchitta asked her to choose a human husband, offering to arrange a marriage. But Andal firmly refused; her only chosen bridegroom was Lord Vishnu Himself. She insisted that her vow, her pavai nonbu, was no light promise. 

In a mystical vision, Andal imagined her wedding ceremony, singing a song of union:

'The drums beat,  

The conch blew  

Beneath the pearl-decked  

Wedding place;  

Madhusudana, my Lord,  

The hope of all,  

He came; and I dreamt  

That he held my hand.'

Vishnuchitta, concerned for Andal, prayed fervently. One night, Lord Vishnu appeared in his dream, assuring him that He would indeed marry Andal. Vishnuchitta was instructed to bring her to the Srirangam temple for the wedding. When they arrived, the priests welcomed them, and Andal entered the temple’s inner shrine. There, she had a divine vision of Lord Ranganatha. Merging with the Lord in a flash of light, Andal was forever united with Him. An ethereal voice then comforted Vishnuchitta, affirming that Andal was now joyfully wed to the Lord.

Following this, Vishnuchitta returned to Srivilliputtur and installed images of Andal and Ranganatha, building a temple in her honor. In these few years, Andal had ruled his life with love. Through her devotion, Andal’s legacy as a divine bride lives on, and she is remembered with reverence to this day.

Andal’s songs hold a unique place among the works of the Alwars. She is the only woman poet among them, and while the other Alwars are rich in wisdom and experience, Andal’s poems captivate with their simplicity and melodic beauty. Like many mystics of East and West, the Alwars saw God as a divine lover. But while other Alwars had to imagine themselves in a feminine role, Andal did so naturally.

Her works, Tiruppavai and Nachiyar Tirumozhi, are expressions of her intense devotion to Lord Vishnu. Nachiyar Tirumozhi, consisting of 153 verses, portrays Andal’s spiritual journey, focusing on her longing for the Lord. She openly declares her goal to her father, Vishnuchitta, refusing marriage to any mortal and expressing her desire to be with Lord Vishnu alone. Her verses reveal her struggles with desire, the pain of separation, and the challenges of human gossip, as she waits with deep hope to meet her divine beloved.

Andal’s devotion, as reflected in her writings, is deeply emotional and transcendent, merging human love with spiritual longing. Her verses express an intense yearning to be united with Lord Krishna, whom she envisions as her divine lover and husband. Andal’s devotion moves beyond traditional forms of worship and takes on the form of nayaka-nayaki bhava, where she sees herself as the bride and Krishna as the bridegroom. This intimate approach allows her to engage with the divine in a deeply personal way, filled with tenderness and the complexities of human love.

In Tiruppavai, one of her most famous works, Andal portrays herself as a young maiden rising early in the morning with her friends, embarking on a ritualistic bath and singing praises to Krishna. While on the surface it mirrors a cultural custom of young girls praying for good husbands, Andal’s verses go beyond, focusing on the desire to be spiritually united with the Lord. She calls out to Krishna, invoking his grace and hoping to enter a divine realm beyond worldly attachments. In one verse, Andal addresses Krishna with heartfelt words:   

'Light, color, thought, sleep—  

All have left me. O clouds,  

I shall sing praises to Govinda  

And ask my soul to wait.  

In the garden of Tirumal, I rest,  

With woven garlands, waiting.  

When will I hear the Lord's conch,  

And the twang of Saranga’s bow?'

Here, Andal’s love for Krishna is consuming; she is 'God-intoxicated,' her devotion taking over all aspects of her being. Her language is filled with both longing and surrender, a call for Krishna to reveal himself and fulfill her heart’s desire. Her verses reveal a deep mystical experience where Krishna is not an abstract deity but a living presence that she passionately longs for.

In another verse, Andal speaks directly to Krishna, as though he is physically present, urging him to wake and enter the world to bring her solace. This powerful imagery is captured as she likens Krishna to a lion stirring from sleep, awakening with a roar. Her desire is for a relationship that transcends ritual and enters the realm of personal connection. Andal’s love is such that she even asks for forgiveness, recognizing that her closeness to Krishna might blur the line between human and divine. She humbly acknowledges:

'We follow our cows to the woods  

And take our meal there.  

Though we’re just simple shepherd folk,  

We’re lucky to have you with us.  

Govinda! You are perfection itself!  

Our bond will never break.'

In Vaaranam Aayiram, Andal describes her dream wedding with Krishna, each verse celebrating the marriage rituals and envisioning Krishna’s arrival. This composition remains popular at Tamil weddings, highlighting Andal’s vision of her union with Krishna as a divine event, beyond the earthly. In her dream, she witnesses Krishna entering the wedding hall with grace, adorned by the sounds of conches and drums, surrounded by a celestial procession.

Andal’s devotion is marked by purity and selflessness. She seeks not wealth or material gains but an eternal bond with Krishna. In her writings, Andal transcends the limitations of mortal life, seeking a mystical union with Krishna that goes beyond worldly concerns. Her verses reveal a devotion that is pure, intense, and transformative. Today, her poetry continues to inspire, embodying an unwavering love for the divine that has earned her a lasting place in Tamil literature and the hearts of devotees worldwide.

Knowledge Bank

Dhanurveda is a Upaveda of which Veda?

Rigveda.

Andhatamisra

Someone who takes food without providing for the spouse goes to this Naraka. Here, the sinners are bound by ropes that go on tightening around them. In unbearable pain, they faint.