Sri Ramanujaya Namaha
Sri Vedhantha Desikaya Namaha Srimate
Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri NarayanaYatindra
Mahadesikaya namaha
Dear Bhagavathas !
Kindly read the following article prepared , keeping in mind the starting of
the current month of Margazhi , youth of today for their understanding of the
topic , based on informations collected after detailed study and listening to
various lectures. Trust bhagavaths would find it interesting . May Sriyapathi
bless us all.
Regards
yours- Ramanuja Dasan G.Sampath.
Quote
Self Realization.
Andal Vs Meera.- a comparative study .
The process of self realization involves understanding of Lord Krishna and
one?s eternal relationship with Him. Lord Krishna Himself in Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 15, verses 7 and 19, has narrated very clearly that all living entities
in this conditioned world are the eternal fragment parts of Him and whoever
knows the Supreme personality of Godhead , without doubt , has the knowledge of
every thing and so engages himself in the full service of the Lord. Constant
chanting of Lord?s name is the simplest way to reach that self realization. In
Srimad Baghavadam , it is said that Namasankeerthanam is the only way to save
us all from all our sins ( " Namasankeertanam yasya sarva papa pranasanam " ).
Only persons who have performed all kinds of penance and sacrifices and have
thoroughly understood the glory of the Lord with a high degree of total
surrender to Lord alone can do such chanting with strong passion and attain the
desired self realization. In our Ithihasas , Puranas and history we
have plenty of examples to substantiate the above. To name a few Prahlad ,
Andal and Meera could be taken .
In line with the topic under consideration , out of the above , the two ladies
Andal and Meera are classic examples of how a child can attain that self
realization even at prime youth .So let us try to understand their life pattern
, on a comparative study , to know how they were able to achieve their life
objectives .
Even though we all know the life stories of both Andal and Meera , I am
inclined to dwell a bit on each , only to bring out the salient features , for
us to understand the topic. This is just for the benefit of modern youth , who
probably may not be aware of . As such I would request you all to pardon me for
a bit long note and lend me your valuable time to appreciate the thoughts .
First let us take the case of Andal.
While she is well known in south India , especially among Srivaishnava family ,
only a very few know her in North. During Pandya Dynasty , in Kaliyug 98 in the
month of Adi ( Aashada month) , sukla chathurthi , Tuesday , on the day of
Puram , Andal ( her real name was Kothai, meaning garland) was supposed to have
been found in Srivilliputtur (a small town in the Virdunagar district of Tamil
Nadu) , under the Tulsi plant , in the flower garden of Perialwar ( real name
Vishnuchittar , meaning an ardent devotee of MahaVishnu ) . Accordingly, her
date of birth is supposed to be , 8th of June 3004 B.C. But modern historians
fix the date as the first half of the 8th century A.D.
In Srivilliputtur is situated the temple of Vatapathrasayee and it is one of
the 108 Srivaishnavaite Divya desams . Added to this it happens to be the
birthplace of Vishnuchittar , the ardent devotee of Vatapathrasayee.
Vishnuchittar brought up Kothai in a most simple and Godly surroundings natural
to a pious devotee and so the child grew up in an environment of devotion and
austerity. Right from her childhood Kothai developed a strong love and passion
for Sri Krishna. Vishnuchittar used to narrate the various Avatars of Lord
Sriman Narayanan and also the Thirukalyana Gunas of Lord Krishna and other
forms of Mahavishnu , covering the 108 Divya Desams and as such the child ,
having heard those narration very attentively, developed a strong devotion and
love for the Lord Himself.
Hearing the leelas of Srikrishna in Vrindavan during Dwapara Yugam , the child
started enacting the same scenes in Kaliyug in Srivilliputtur itself at that
young age . She considered herself as one of the Gopikas , Vatapathrasayee as
Lord Krishna , Vatapathrasayee temple as the palace of Krishna in Dwaraka and
Srivilliputtur as Vrindavan. She enjoyed herself in such dramatic scenes and
actions and felt that she is one with Lord Krishna Himself . Such was her true
devotion to Lord.
Vishnuchittar was doing the pushpa kainkaryam to Vatapathrasayee and every day
he would weave a garland of Tulsi leaves and other flowers in his garden and
then keep it sacredly rolled in a basket. When he went to temple he used to
take that garland for offering to the Lord. Child Kothai , due to her innocence
, used to take out the garland from the basket without her father?s knowledge ,
adorn herself and look at the mirror ( her reflection in well water ) to make
herself sure that she is the right match for the Vatapathrasayee . Then she
would keep the garland back in the basket. She was doing this for quite a
number of days. When Vishnuchittar used to garland the Lord , the deity , would
look different and would be beaming with extra beauty and glory.One day
Vishnuchittar noticed the act of his daughter and was shocked . He brought to
her attention the wrong act of hers and refused to take that garland to temple.
He fasted that day for Kothai?s act . In the night he had a dream.
In his dream came Lord Vatapathrasayee and said that He relished the garland
worn by the child Kothai , as she is His ardent devotee. He also told
Vishnuchittar that Kothai is not an ordinary mortal child like others . In the
morning when Vishnuchittar went to see that Tulsi garland worn by Kothai , it
had not faded and still looked fresh . So he could understand the glory of his
daughter. From then on the Lord used to get His garland only after it was worn
by Kothai . Hence Kothai was called "Choodi Kodutha Sudarkodi ".
When Kothai attained her marriageable age, her father was trying to find a
suitable match for her. But, Kothai being a divine child was adamant and said
that she would not marry anyone except lord Krishna Or Ranganatha Himself . The
Thirukalyana Gunas of Lord Ranganatha attracted her so much , that she said to
her father to take her to Sri Rangam and offer her to Lord Himself.
Vishnuchittar meditated to Sri Ranganatha , to advice him further course of
action. Lord Ranganatha said in his dream , that Kothai is none other than
Bhoodevi Herslf (one of the consorts of Lord Mahavishnu ) and as such He is
waiting to marry her.
Simultaneously the lord ordered the officials in charge (sthanikas ) of
Srirangam to go to Srivilliputhur and bring Kothai in a palanquin in all
royalty. King Vallabhadeva along with his attendants joined the procession from
Srivilliputhur to Srirangam with Kothai in a palanquin. The whole route was
decorated on either sides with flowers and finely weaved green saplings (called
thoranam). As Kothai entered the sanctum sanctorum or the inner shrine of Sri
Ranganatha, the magnetic beauty of the lord instantly attracted her. She boldly
mounted up His serpent couch ( Adisesha) and joined the eternal lustrous light
of Sri Ranganatha in the presence of the entire gathering. She was then named
Andal by Lord Ranganatha Himself ,as she conquered Him by her sheer love and
devotion.
Andal wrote many verses in praise of Lord Krishna or Ranganatha, the deity at
Srivilliputhur. Among them the Thiruppavai is very popular with its 30 verses.
In Gokulam , during Dwapara Yuga , in the month of Margazhi ,the Gopikas
observed Kathyayani Vritham for 30 days . In the early morning they would get
up and have a bath in cold water in yamuna river and sing the praise of Lord
krishna and do pooja to Kathyayani Devi to help them get Krishna as their
Nayaka. Keeping this in mind Andal , in Kaliyuga , in the month of Margazhi ,
sang 30 Thiruppavai verses for 30 days , all in praise of Lord Krishna , with a
view to attain Him in wedlock. Andal also wrote the Nachiyar Thirumozhi in 143
verses. She attained the status of an Azhwar because of her total devotion to
the Lord Ranganatha.
Thus we could notice that the child , may be the Avatar of Bhoomadevi Herself ,
developed such a passion and love to Supreme Godhead and went to the extent of
telling her father that she would not marry any one other than the Lord Himself
and held her view till she attained her wish. So she could have that self
realization even at that young age . This was possible because she had that
implicit faith and strong conviction that Sriman Narayanan alone is the saviour
and can offer Moksha to a mumukshu.
Now let us try to understand the devotion of Meera.
In the present Kaliyug , more than 500 years ago, the kingdom of Rajasthan in
India was a land of warriors , sages, sadhus and kings. The Rajputs of
Rajasthan believed themselves to be the descendants of the Kshatriyas , the
ancient warrior caste .The Rajputs vary in profession from aristocrats and
warriors to farmers. Most Rajputs are Hindus.
Meera , was a Rajput princess and lived during the period 1498 to 1547 A.D. (
she was born after, nearly 1400 years of Andal?s time ) . She was born in
Chaukari village in Merta District of Rajasthan (about 40-50 miles north-east
of Ajmer) in Northern India . Her father, Ratan Singh, was the second son of
Rao Dudaji, a descendent of Rao Jodhaji Rathor, the founder of Jodhpur .
Meera was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna right from her childhood . When she
was a child , a holy man named Jiva Goswami came to their palace with a
beautiful idol of Lord Krishna. Knowing that Meera would love to have it, her
mother gave her that little Krishna . Meera used to listen from her mother ,
the stories and leelas of Lord Krishna and thus slowly developed a passion for
the Lord . Meera started thinking of only Krishna and nothing else . Whole day
she used to sing in praise of Krishna, dance with the Krishna idol , holding it
to her heart. Thus a small light of devotion implanted in her by her mother ,
started becoming a big fire and became uncontrollable. Meera's mother died when
she was four or five years old. She then started living with her grandfather .
Vikram Dev is the elder brother of Meera?s father. He succeeded to the throne.
He was responsible for Meera?s marriage with the handsome warrior Prince Bhoj
Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of the house of Sisodiya . Meera got married
at her tender age of 13. Her wedding was celebrated in an elaborate way in
accordance with the custom of the Rajputs. The members of her family were all
inclined towards Vaishnava practices and culture . In that environment Meera?s
own religious sentiments could grow freely.
Initially her husband tried to support her , in her devotion to Lord Krishna
and went to the extent of honoring her request for the construction of a
separate temple for "Giridhar Gopal" inside the palace . Meera started spending
most of her time in the temple itself in the company of sadhus and used to
dance before the image of Lord Krishna in pure devotion . She used to forget
herself in that state of devotion and never considered herself a princess.
Just to oblige her father , Meera married the Rajput prince . But she always
believed in her heart that she belonged to Lord Krishna only . Even though she
was a princess , she renounced every worldly thing and lived like a sadhu , a
life of total detachment from all worldly things . She neglected her marital
responsibilities even and did not concentrate on anything other than the
service to Lord Krishna and singing His praise. She felt strongly that it was
impossible for her to be married to a king when she was already married to Lord
Krishna in her childhood itself . Her thought was always about Krishna and His
leelas with Gopikas.
During Meera?s time , there was widespread political and social turmoil in
India. Conflicts on petty matters for meager selfish gains , disrespect for
human life and hatred for one another were the order of the day at that time .
Meera was surprised to see people behave in that odd way and could not
understand all that was going on around her. She was in constant search of
mental peace herself . She found the secret of true happiness. in the hearts of
the Lord?s devotees . So she dedicated her life to the love and service of Lord
Krislina.
The king prince was unhappy at the stance of Meera and her ardent devotion to
Krishna .The relatives of the prince threatened to poison her food but Meera
never moved by those threats . She had the full faith that in the presence of
Lord Krishna , poison cannot harm her , as she is His property. Uda, the
prince?s sister, warned prince Bhoj that Meera will have to change herself and
should abide by the ways of their family and the rules of the palace . Bhoj was
horrorstruck to find that Meera started spending all the time in the temple to
chant with other devotees of Krishna. With bells tied to her ankles, Meera used
to dance in the temple of her Lord . This was against the custom of Rajputs.
In the village, Meera heard the teachings of a humble shoemaker Ravidas, and
felt that she found her master to guide her in her path . The family of Prince
Bhoj is disgraced by Meera?s behavior. Once again, Prince Bhoj and his sister
Uda begged Meera to stop, but nothing can come between Meera and her Krishna.
The teachings of Ravidas further inspired Meera?s devotion. And Ravidas, in
turn, was deeply moved by Meera?s sincere devotion to Krishna . He gave her a
sitar, which she played as she chanted to her Lord . Meera?s voice and devotion
become known throughout India.
The great emperor Akbar himself came to visit Meera , after hearing her glory .
Even though he belonged to a different religion ,he was thrilled by her true
devotion . With profound gratitude, he presented her with a jeweled necklace ,
which Meera adorned to her Lord Krishna idol .
One day Meera decided to leave the palace and took that action . She felt happy
that she was no longer a queen and has now become a free bird to sing the
praise of Lord Krishna. The prince?s relatives , in their pride and anger
determined to kill her. They sent her a gift, which was supposed to be a
garland of flowers for Krishna. But really it was a poisonous snake hidden
inside a basket. The king?s attendants brought the deadly snake to Meera
telling her that it was a garland for her Lord. Meera?s faith in Krishna was so
strong that when she reached into the basket, instead of finding a snake she
pulled out a beautiful garland .
Meera travelled to the towns where Krishna spent His time, including Mathura .
She started seeing Krishna every where and in every thing. She started spending
her time mostly in Vrindavan. One of her meeting in Vrindavan with Jiva
Goswami, a renowned Vaishnava of the Chaitanya school was a notable one. Jiva
Goswami at first refused to meet with her, since she was a woman. He did not
know it was the same Meera whom he met in the palace and gave her the Krishna
idol . Meera immediately retorted to his devotees saying " I used to think that
the Lord Krishna was the only man in Vrindavan and that all the rest of the
inhabitants were gopikas to service the Lord . Now I have discovered that
there?s someone else here besides Lord Krishna who thinks himself to be a man."
On hearing this Jiva Goswami felt ashamed and then on , he became her ardent
devotee .
She also visited Dwarka in Gujarat and sung in praise of Lord to open the doors
of sanctum sanctorum , which was closed for quite some time , due to the anger
of God when Meera was poisoned by her own people earlier in the palace . This
incidence shook every one who witnessed the scene , including Jiva Goswami.
Krishna Himself felt that the time had come for Meera to join Him as He Himself
could not bear the separation . So one fine morning in 1547 A.D. , He took
Meera with Him after her prayers and thus the union of Meera with Krishna was
completed .
Meera was a born poetess. She composed numerous bhajans, which are very popular
even to this day. The Bhajans are in praise of lord Krishna and held in great
esteem for their high literary value. They are full of devotion and feelings
for the Almighty . She composed hundreds of poems in simple style. Her poems
gained a unique popularity and are sung by the rich and the poor alike, even to
this day. Meera is a beloved saint in the hearts of the people , who are
devoted to Lord Krishna . She is a great Hindu woman saint and will always be
remembered .
We thus notice from the life of Meera that , her implicit faith on Lord Krishna
, as the only male and all others are gopikas , meant to do service to Him for
His happiness and that all are married to Lord Krishna only in celestial
wedlock for His service , gave her the opportunity to have that self
realization even at that young age.
Let us now briefly do the comparative study on both the lives of Andal and
Meera.
Andal , even though was very young had the strong conviction that she belonged
to Lord Krishna or Ranganatha only and refused to oblige her father for
marrying some one else. She was a strong Srivaishnavite . Where as Meera ,
obliged her father , having belonged to a Royal family . But in her mind she
held the same view like Andal and did not do her marital obligations to her
prince. She only did service to Lord Krishna.
Vishnuchittar , himself is a Srivaishnavite and an ardent devotee of
Vatapathrasayee. He was doing Pushpa Kainkaryam . Andal ,being an Avatar of
Bhoomadevi Herself , it was not so difficult for Vishnuchittar to develop the
devotion to Krishna in her mind . Where as Meera?s parents were Rajputs and
they had their own life in the palace. However, Meera?s mother kindled the
devotional fire in Meera at her tender age by telling stories about Lord
Krishna . She in fact encouraged her to follow that path.
Andal was conscious that she had to be the right match for Lord Krishna and
hence tested her beauty by garlanding herself with that Tulsi garland meant for
Vatapathrasayee. Where as Meera saw Krishna every where and in every thing. She
never bothered about her look , dress etc.
Andal enacted the scene that happened in Dwaparayugam in Vrindavan , in
Srivilliputtur itself in Kaliyug and considered herself to be one of the
gopikas meant for the service of Lord Krishna. Meera also considered herself to
be one of the gopikas in the service of Lord Krishna.
In the case of Andal , being an avatar of Bhoomadevi , Lord Ranganatha Himself
ensured all course of action for Andal?s wedlock with Him. In the case of Meera
, she herself mentally got married to Lord Krishna in her youth and started
behaving like a bride to Krishna in her service to Him.
When Andal was taken to Srirangam Ranganathar?s sanctum sactorum , she herself
climbed the serpent couch ( Adisesha ) to unite with the Lord. She could do
this , since her body was not made of the conventional panchaboothams. (
Prithvi, appu, tejas, vayu and water) .In the case of Meera , as she was not an
avatar and only a devotional saint , she had to leave this sthoola sareeram to
unite with Lord Krishna and only the inner Jyothi joined the Lord.
Andal had her father Vishnuchittar as her Acharyan and Meera had her mother as
her Acharyan , to show the right path of devotion for them .
However, in both cases , we can clearly note that only by true and sincere
devotion to Lord with implicit faith in Him, they were able to achieve self
realization. Once we achieve that stage Lord Himself will pull us to Him as He
cannot wait any further .
So to have that kind of devotion we should first approach an Acharyan , who
would guide us in the right path of total surrender to Almighty and once we get
that initiation done , we should follow that path with all sincerity and with
implicit faith for reaching our life objective .
Here we should never forget the incidence in our purana. Till Droupathi lifted
her both hands, realizing that she had no power to save her shame and only
Krishna can do it , Lord Krishna never acted. The moment she lifted her both
hands and cried for help to Krishna , Lord was there to oblige her request and
helped her out in that central hall of Duriodhana?s durbar , where Durchasana
tried to remove Droupathi? s saree in public to put her to shame.
Hence , the principles of Ananyagathithvam ( no other place to go other than
Sriman Narayanan ) , Aakinchanathvam ( nothing in our hands to offer to Lord ,
which does not belong to Him) and poorna Viswasam ( implicit faith in Lord that
He alone will save us, as we are all His property ) alone can help us attain
the state of self realization and there by reach our life objective of
Mokshaprapthi .
Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu !
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
G.Sampath.
Unquote.
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