Swetha Sundaram - Thiruppavai Godas Gita vol 2

Thiruppavai Godas Gita

Volume 2

Swetha Sundaram

Copyright 2016 Swetha Sundaram

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13:

978-1721766093

ISBN-10:

172176609X

FOREWORD

It gives me immense pleasure to write the foreword to this wonderful commentary which is a compilation of all that is the best in all the classical commentaries of THIRUPPAVAI and also lecture by authentic scholars on Thiruppavai by Ms Swetha Sundaram. She also underwent a kalakshepam of the commentary of Periyavachchan Pillai the Three Thousand Padi on Tiruppavai to enrich this work.

Though there are many books on Aandaal Nachiyar's Thiruppavai, this book thus stands out as a unique one as it encompasses all the commentaries extensively in one place.

Francis Bacon says:

Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.

This book, no doubt, belongs to the third category.

I was very much elated on viewing the author's way of presentation and her pragmatic approach to the chaste verses of Aandaal.

Her interest in studying our ancient scriptures is worth mentioning. She is also learning the works of Bhagavad Ramanuja.

She has published many other books on various subjects like Krishna The Butter Bandit, Green Banana & Lentil Diet, etc which are both informative and educative.

I convey my best wishes to the author and am sure she will get the blessings of Aandaal and Her elder brother Bhagavad Ramanuja.

I am sure, the readers of this book will have a wonderful and sui generis experience of Thiruppavai.

Yours sincerely,

V.S.Karunakaran.

Foreword

Durmukhi Samvatsaram ,Vrucchika Maasam

Kaisika EkAdaSi , GitA AvatAra Jayanthi dinam

December 10, 2016

I am happy to respond to the request of Kumari Swetha Sundaram of Calgary, Canada to write a foreword for her excellent book Thiruppavai Godas Gita, ANDALS Celestial Song on the divine ThiruppAvai Prabhandham of the Soodikkoduthta NaacchiyAr from Srivilliputthur. She is the foster daughter of PeriyAzhwAr.

ThiruppallANDu prabhandham of PeriyAzhwAr is considered as the essence of PraNavam and ANDAL's Thiruppaavai is recognised as the quintessence of "namO NaarAyaNAya" sabdham. Together, ThiruppallANDU and ThiruppAvai constitute thus the Maha Mantram of AshtAksharam.

Kumari Swetha is from an AastikA Family in Srirangam and is a devoted Sishyai of Sri AhObila Matam AchArya paramparai. She is a skilled Instrumentation and Controls Engineer by profession and is working in Calgary, Canada for an Oil and Gas Engineering Corporation. She has links to SuNDapALayam U.Ve. RamabhadrAcchAr Swami and KozhiyAlam Swami Vamsams on her parents' side.She has received SamASraYaNa BharanyAsa anugraham from HH Srimad Ranganatha Yateendra MahA Desikan, the 46th Pattam Azhagiyasingar and the current pontiff of SrI Ahobila Matam.

Kumari Swetha Sundaram is an avid reader of our sampradhAya Grantams and attends many KaalakshEpams as well as santhai classes of illustrious Sri VaishNava AchAryAs and Scholars via skype. She has written an eminently readable book entitled "KrishNa the Butter Bandit ". It has been well received.The current book on Thiruppaavai released by her is based on the distillation of the essence from her notes from the Marghazhi UpanyAsams of renowned AchAryAs like Srimad Mukkur Azhagiyasingar, Srimad Villivalam Azhagiyasingar , Thirukkudanthai Andavan , Sri U.Ve Mukkur Lakshmi NarasimhAchAr of MattappaLLi AasthAnam and the author of Godhayin Paathai , Sriman U.Ve NavalpAkkam VaasudevAcchAr Swamy ,Sriman Villur NadathUr KaruNAkarAcchAr Swamy and many others. She has also benefited from the attendance of Santhai classes on Swamy Desika StOtra Grantams and divvya Prabhandhams. Currently, she is attending the Kaalakshepam classes on Sri BhAshyam conducted by U.Ve. Sriman Karunakaracchar Swami. Kumari Swetha Sundaram is sharing the excerpts from the Thiruppavai UpanyAsams of legendary AchAryAs and has brought out their rich anubhavams and interpretations of literal and esoteric meanings of the words and groups of words chosen by ANDAL for the Thirty paasurams of Her Sanga Tamizh Prabhandham of ThiruppAvai. This kaimkaryam on the part of Kumari Swetha Sundaram is a welcome illustration of her success in keeping up with our rich traditions of Ubhaya Vedantham while pursuing a busy career in Engineering. It is my pleasure to congratulate Kumari Swetha for her outstanding initiative to bring out this rich monograph and wish her all success in releasing it. The First of the six volumes on Thiruppavai by Kumari Swetha will be released in a few days to celebrate the arrival of this year's Marghazhi Thiruppavai season. This would please our Thiruppavai Jeeyar, GodhAgrajar, Parama Krupa nidhi, AchArya Ramanuja, whose Millennium Thirunakshatram we are celebrating now.

ThiruppAvai has 30 Paasurams and it is eulogised as GodhOpanishad since it summarises the sacred meanings of the Upanishads. Govindan, the object of ANDAL's worship in ThiruppAvai has blessed us with Srimad Bhagavad Gita, which contains 700 slOkams. It is also Upanishad Saaram and hence it is revered as GitOpanishad. Both GitOpanishad and GodhOpanishad belong to the noble category of adhyAtmika Saastrams enjoying Bhagavad GuNAnubhavams and the five VedAntic doctrines (artha panchakam) linked to our quest for Moksham. One of the AchAryAs has hence described GodOpanishad as the dispeller of our sins and revealer of the sacred feet of the Lord as our unfailing refuge ( , ) . Swamy ParAsara Bhattar expresses his gratitude to Godhai for Her MahOpakAram in his Sanskrit Taniyan through many SaastrA-ordained namaskArams ( : ) . Swami ParAsara Bhattar expressed his gratitude to GodhA for reminding KrishnA about His sworn duties of offering rakshaNam for those who sought the refuge of His sacred feet instead of lazing away His time enjoying the bliss of the lofty breasts of His dear consort , Nappinnai.

ANDAL is an incarnation of BhUmi Devi, who pleaded with Her Lord, JnnappirAn ( VarAha BhagavAn) to bless the suffering jeevans /samsAris through the upadEsam of a laghu upAyam ( easy means) to gain mOksham ( the liberation from the repeated cycles of births and deaths). The ever-compassionate VarAhappirAn responded to His Devi's request blessed the jeevans with VarAha charama slOkam, which is easy to practice for gaining the Parama PurushArtham of Moksham from never ending cycles of births and deaths. BhUmi Devi in Her avatAram as ANDAL expressed Her gratitude to Her Lord through the samarpaNam of the fragrant garland of poems of ThiruppAvai ( ) .

Our Kasthurirangan married ANDAL at Srirangam and then returned to Srivilliputthur ThirumALikai of His divine consort and the Divya Dampatis bless us now from ANDAL's birthplace.

The essence of ThiruppAvai is that ANDAL observed the month- long Paavai vratam to perform nitya kaimakryam to the Lord and gain the ultimate PurushArtham of gaining the Lord as Her husband. The month chosen to observe this vratam was Maarkazhi. She joined with the young gopa kannikais to observe this noble vratam.

During the observance of this Vratam, ANDAL considered SrivilliputthUr as the AayarpAdi in the north, the girls of Her birth place as Gopis and Herself as one of the Gopis and the temple of Vadapatra Saayee as NandagOpan's home and Vadapatra Saayee as Lord KrishNa Himself. This feeling state ( bhAvanai) ripened and led to the divine thirty paasurams of ThiruppAvai. ANDAL shows us the way to observe the Vratam in a spirit of Bridal Mysticism to gain the Lord's ParamAnugraham to serve Him forever at His Supreme abode.