Tiruppavai 05

 20-12-25 | Bhagavatha , Gopika , Tiruppavai , Damodara

The Mayavi.

 

Everyone has a doubt. 

Does God talk to us? Does he mingle with us like normal folk? Can he sit amongst us to chat and have a conversation with us? Will he play with us? He answered all this with his avatar as Krishna - pure Joy. He also restores dharma. 

 

Andal calls Krishna as Maayavi. She elaborates the power of his Maya. He jumps out of a pillar as Narasimha, goes to Mahabali as Vamana and transforms into Thrivikrama, and now incarnates as Krishna, living amongst the cowherds.

 

That’s the wonderful power of Maya. He leaves his comfy snake-bed in Ksheerasagara and chooses Mathura as his home. It is here that Krishna does wonders — he played with everyone in the banks of the Yamuna. When the scriptures were searching for the Supreme, he enriched them with complete Brahmanubhava (the experience with the divine).

 

He chose to be with the cowherds and became a leading light of that community. The gopikas were overjoyed and celebrated Krishna for having chosen to be with them all. Above all, he allowed himself to be tied to a grinding mortar by his mother, Yashoda — showing that he can be won over by love. 

 

Now Andal tells the young gopikas about the ways to worship Krishna. She stresses primarily on purity of the mind. She says Krishna is here, as the antaryami. Where you are. A place which is pure and clean is where god resides. We need not go anywhere in search of him. The gopikas do not know how to string a garland. They just collect different flowers from the plants and offer it gently at his feet. 

Andal says one can sing his glories folding their hands (Anjali) and thinking about him in the mind. When the prayer is sincere, all their sins in the past, present and future will be erased without a trace like dust on fire. 

Narayaneeyam 11

 

02-11-25 | Yashoda Krishna , Krishna Leela , Bhagavatha , Gopika , Shloka , Damodara , Bala Leela , Narayaneeyam

Bala Leela - Damodara

 

Yashoda took the rope and bound it around the wooden mortar. Then she took the other end of the rope and bound it around Krushna’s midriff. It was two inches short. She tied another rope to it and tried again. Also two inches short. Krushna did not grow up like Vamana, to warrant additional ropes.

It was his Maya, which created that gap. No amount of extensions of the rope could possibly tie Krushna. She was being watched by her friends who smiled in wonder. Yashoda was perspiring and tired. She now didn’t have the desire to tie him up.  Seeing her struggle, Krushna,  out of compassion, allows himself to be tied to the mortar. Yashoda asked him to stay there, and went back home. 

 

Krushna stood there eating the butter which he hid in the cavity of the mortar. The gods who were observing all this, named him as Damodara (one whose stomach was tied with a rope).

 

From there, Krushna spots the two Arjuna trees. 

(Nalakubara and Manigriva, were sons of Kubera, the god of wealth. Their prosperity made them haughty. Sage Narada saw them in the river Ganga, intoxicated and unclad, surrounded by women, enjoying water sports. After seeing the sage, the women covered themselves. But these two, were unmindful of the sage’s presence.

The sage had a lot of compassion. He wanted them to have a calmness of mind, which in turn will lead to devotion of Hari. He said: “You two will remain as Arjuna trees in Gokula for a long time. On seeing Hari, you will regain your original state.”)

 

Krushna approached the Arjuna trees, pulling the mortar behind him. The mortar got stuck between the trees. They were decayed due to age.  A small tug, and the two trees fell. The two yakshas, the sons of kubera, emerged from the trees with great splendor. They worshipped him by singing hymns of praise. 

 

The gopas, hearing the loud and frightening noise of the trees falling, rushed to the place. Nanda looked at Yashoda, who felt ashamed, and released Krushna from the mortar. 

Narayaneeyam 10

 Tying Krushna to the mortar 

(Ulukala bandhanam)

Krushna was eager to have milk. Yashoda was in the midst of churning curd. He climbed on to her lap and was having milk to his satisfaction — when Yashoda saw that the milk boiling in the kitchen was about to brim over. She interrupted Krushna’s feed and rushed there.

When the joy from feeding milk was cut short, Krushna was angry. He took the churning rod and broke the pot which Yashoda was churned. Hearing the loud noise, she came out and saw the curd flowing all over the floor, like Krushna’s fame. 

Krushna was not to be seen. Yashoda was furious.  She searched for him, as one would seek the Supreme through the Upanishads. The fortunate mother had such easy access to Him. 

Krushna was sitting on the mortar, feeding fresh butter to a cat. 

For Yashoda, the anger multiplied. While her friends looked on, she caught him.  Fear was written all over his beautiful face — pretended fear. She fetched a rope to tie him up.

Andal in Vraj 07

22-12-24 | Krishna Leela , Gopika , Tiruppavai , Damodara

Keshava, the presiding deity of Margashira month.

Tiruppavai 05 Damodara

Tiruppavai 05 Damodara

20-12-24 | Krishna Leela , Krishnapremi , Gopika , Tiruppavai , Bala Leela

Andal celebrates Krishna as the lord of Maya. Krishna, Narasimha or Vamana - his appearance on earth is always a mystery. Mayavi! In the ‘Damodara’ Leela, he allows himself to be bound by Yashoda to a mortar. Merciful Mayavi. Andal asserts that by merely reciting his name and thinking of him, sins accumulated over time will be burnt to dust. 

Andal in Vraj 04

 

Andal in Vraj 04

19-12-24 | Tiruppavai

O Padmanabha! Your color is of the dark nimbus cloud as you absorb the waters from the ocean. Don’t hold back your grace!

With lightning like your Sudarshana and thunder like your Panchajanya, shower copious rains uniformly - at consistent intervals for the prosperity of the entire earth.

Damodara

 

Yashoda decorated Krishna with many ornaments and admired his beauty every day. Nevertheless, when she tied him up to the mortar as a punishment, that rope would be the most precious jewel that Krishna would cherish for all time. Damodara literally means a rope (Dama) tied around the stomach (Udara).

(Also)When Yashoda, wanting to punish Krishna, tries to tie him to a mortar - and always finds it two inches short. Even after umpteen attempts to extend the chord.

Gopika Geetam - Tiruppavai 15

Andal says Krishna is happy with His devotees. But he is happier when the devotee is His devotee’s devotee.  

At times there are conversations where there will be unnecessary blames, pointing out faults, albeit just to tease. 

When the devotee was a bit late in coming out to join the gathering, the girls make sarcastic remarks without knowing the actual reason. The devotee asks them to avoid harshness. Then she comes out and takes the blame upon herself although she was not at fault. This is the quality of a Bhagavatha bhakta. 

Andal is actually awakening the jiva to come out from the cage of worldly affairs to sing the glory of Krishna.

Yashoda Krishna

 

Damodara

 

Damodara

 

Damodara

 

Navaneetha Krishna

 

Yashoda Krishna

 

Damodara

The moment when he allows himself to be tied up. 

Damodara

 

Yashoda finds there is always a shortage of two inches while she tries to bind Krishna.  The two inches: Ahankara and Mamakara (Me and Mine).

Damodara

 

Damodara

 

Udhara Abharana

 

Damodara