ANdAL series 1

srI:
srImathE satakOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImadh varavaramunayE nama:

ANdAL is the only female AzhwAr, born in srivilliputhUr, on an auspicious Tuesday, in the star of tiruvAdipUram, in the month of Adi. ANdAL, like her father periyAzhwAr, was very devoted to krishNa and went on to marry him. ANdAL composed tiruppAvai and nAchiyAr tirumozhi.

The puzzle below is the most popular photo of ANdAL, depicting periyAzhwAr finding her under a tuLasi bush(thiruthuzhAi bush), as well as her love for cows, as she wanted to be a cow herd girl, so that krishNa would relate to her and the very popular story of her wearing a garland set aside for perumAL, before perumAL had adorned it.

ANdAL classic photo

ANdAL and kaRavaigaL (cows)

The story of ANdaL is that, her father periyAzhwAr, also known as vishnu chithan, was very devout towards krishNa and the deity of srivilliputhUr, srI vatapathrasAyI emperumAn. With great devotion, periyAzhwAr made a garland for vatapathrasAyi, everyday. periyAzhwAr would teach ANdAL all the stories of krishNa. ANdAL grew to be so fond of krishNa, that she treated vatapathrasAyI emperumAN to be krishNa himself, and imagined the temple of vatapathrasAyI to be krishNa’s house. With great love, ANdAL would adorn the garland her father made and look at herself, in a mirror (in olden days, the mirror would be to look into a well with clear water, to capture the reflection). One day, periyAzhwAr sees that ANdAL has been wearing the garland, before it is even offered to emperumAN and is very disappointed in ANdAL. The puzzle below captures what ANdAL sees in the mirror and the shock of periyAzhwar.

ANdAL sees kaNNan in the mirror

It turns out that emperumAn actually loves the garland that has been worn by ANdAL and commands periyAzhwAr to only bring the garland, if we worn by ANdAL. ANdAL goes on to marry srI krishNa, eventually.