Dear bhAgavatas, A small clarification in my post about Andal's prayer to Kamadeva, particularly in relation to the note on devatAntara bhajanam. Worshipping the other dEvatas can be classified into two kinds. One is worshipping them for a very high cause, such as His mangaLam as done by Ayodhya-vAsis or PirAtti's prayer to the eight directions for Sri Rama's welfare. The other is praying for one's self or for worldly matters. The second kind is considered varjanam for Srivaishnavas - in fact, praying even to Sriman Narayana for selfish or worldly things is prohibited. If I may be so bold, I would claim that Andal's prayer fits the former category. Even though it might appear that she was seeking something for herself, the union of Bhumi pirAtti with Her consort cannot fit into the second category. Nevertheless, perhaps acharyas have classified that a prayer to Kamadeva that could not succeed (surely Andal knew that only He could grant her wish - only the greatness of her longing and love could have caused this to happen) has to come under agnyAnam. Please forgive my ramblings and correct them. adiyEn TCA Venkatesan
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