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Prajna News anuka:ra (enacting like Krushna) to make up for
his absence, A:nda:l wanted to do Gopika-anuka:ra
(enacting like gopikas). As a part of this, Andal
Andal and Thiruppa:vai imagines herself as one among the gopikas separated

from Krushna. The gopikas were causing too much
his is a lovely story about the Krushna’s trouble and commotion because of their Krushna
dearest devotee, Andal (Go:da De:vi). Way
Tback in the past, the great Periya:zhvar bhakti. Krushna, however, would simply tease them
(Sri Vishnuchiththa) was devoutly serving God all the time, leaving them in sadness. To resolve
this, the gopas isolated the gopikas without sight of
Vatapathrasa:yi of Srivillipuththur. One day, marked Krushna hoping that they would forget about him.
by the Pu:ram star in the A:adi month, Periya:zhvar But what happened was the exact opposite. Their
finds in his Thulasi Vana a divine baby girl, an avata:ra immense bhakti for Krushna only grew! This led them
of Bhu:devi herself. He names the baby Andal and to scheme up a way to unite with Krushna.
brings her up soaked in Krushna bhakti and filling
her up with stories of the divine pastimes of Krushna. They wished that a drought should happen in
Over time, this blossomed into intense love and Vrindavana. Why they wished so is because when
bhakti towards Sri Ranganattha, Krushna in deity Vrindavana suffered water scarcity in the past, the
form visible to her. gopas had the gopikas perform a ritual called the
Ka:tyayani vratha. In this vratha a most suitable gopa
Because of bhakti, she used to wear the garlands
made by her father for offering to God every day boy would be the vratha-na:yaka that would give the
gopikas a musical instrument called Parai, necessary
without his knowledge. He would offer them to for the vratha. Successful conclusion of this vratha
Vatapathrasa:yi . One day Periyazhvar finds out and performed over the month of Ma:rgazhi would beget
gets angry at her, and did not offer the worn garland rain. Thus the gopikas knew that if a drought happens,
to Peruma:l. That day, Peruma:l asks Periya:zhvar in the gopas would have the gopikas do the vratha, and
his dream as to why he did not offer the garland.
Krushna would be selected as the vratha na:yaka, in the
Periya:zhvar said, “I did not give you the garland pretext of which they could meet Krushna. Krushna
because Andal wore it already.” granted the drought that the gopikas wanted. And
then exactly as the gopikas imagined, the gopas had
But Peruma:l said “That is exactly what I want. I them perform the vratha with Krushna as the nayaka.
enjoy the garlands you make because they were worn
by Andal.”
The day before the first day of Ma:rgazhi, they
Thus, from then on, Periya:zhvaar would have meet Krushna and ask him for the Parai. Krushna tells
Andal wear the garland first and only then would he them all to wake up very early in the morning and
offer it to Peruma:l. then come to wake him up, after which they would all
go to Yamuna to bathe, and he would then give them
As this continued, Andal’s love and bhakti for the Parai. How this played out is what is narrated in
Peruma:l grew enormously, leading her to despair Thiruppavai. Andal describes in beautiful detail the
because she could not obtain him. She lays not process of the first gopika (herself) getting up very
knowing what to do, then the Krushna stories her early in the morning, waking up another gopika, those
father taught show her a way. She remembered what two gopikas waking up another gopika, and so on
gopikas did to overcome separation from Krushna until they all go and wake up Krushna and his family.
and emulated them. Just as the gopikas did Krushna- After this they all go to the river Yamuna, bathe, and

22 Bhakthi Nivedana Jan 2022