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Sri Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vedhantha Desikaya Namaha Srimate 

Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri NarayanaYatindra 
Mahadesikaya namaha 

Dear Bhagavathas ! 

Kindly  read the following article  prepared , keeping in mind the starting of 
the current month of Margazhi  , youth of today  for their understanding of the 
topic , based on informations collected after detailed study and listening to 
various lectures. Trust  bhagavaths  would find it interesting . May Sriyapathi 
bless us all. 

Regards 

yours- Ramanuja Dasan G.Sampath. 

Quote

Self Realization.

Andal Vs Meera.- a comparative study .

The process of self realization involves understanding of Lord Krishna and 
one?s eternal relationship with Him. Lord Krishna Himself in Bhagavad Gita 
Chapter 15, verses 7 and 19, has narrated very clearly that all living entities 
in this conditioned world are the eternal fragment parts of Him and whoever 
knows the Supreme personality of Godhead , without doubt , has the knowledge of 
every thing and so engages himself in the full service of the Lord. Constant 
chanting of Lord?s name is the simplest way to reach that self realization. In 
Srimad Baghavadam , it is said that Namasankeerthanam is the only way to save 
us all from all our sins ( " Namasankeertanam yasya sarva papa pranasanam " ). 
Only persons who have performed all kinds of penance and sacrifices and have 
thoroughly understood the glory of the Lord with a high degree of total 
surrender to Lord alone can do such chanting with strong passion and attain the 
desired self realization. In our Ithihasas , Puranas and history we
 have plenty of examples to substantiate the above. To name a few Prahlad , 
Andal and Meera could be taken . 

In line with the topic under consideration , out of the above , the two ladies 
Andal and Meera are classic examples of how a child can attain that self 
realization even at prime youth .So let us try to understand their life pattern 
, on a comparative study , to know how they were able to achieve their life 
objectives . 

Even though we all know the life stories of both Andal and Meera , I am 
inclined to dwell a bit on each , only to bring out the salient features , for 
us to understand the topic. This is just for the benefit of modern youth , who 
probably may not be aware of . As such I would request you all to pardon me for 
a bit long note and lend me your valuable time to appreciate the thoughts . 

First let us take the case of Andal.

While she is well known in south India , especially among Srivaishnava family , 
only a very few know her in North. During Pandya Dynasty , in Kaliyug 98 in the 
month of Adi ( Aashada month) , sukla chathurthi , Tuesday , on the day of 
Puram , Andal ( her real name was Kothai, meaning garland) was supposed to have 
been found in Srivilliputtur (a small town in the Virdunagar district of Tamil 
Nadu) , under the Tulsi plant , in the flower garden of Perialwar ( real name 
Vishnuchittar , meaning an ardent devotee of MahaVishnu ) . Accordingly, her 
date of birth is supposed to be , 8th of June 3004 B.C. But modern historians 
fix the date as the first half of the 8th century A.D. 

In Srivilliputtur is situated the temple of Vatapathrasayee and it is one of 
the 108 Srivaishnavaite Divya desams . Added to this it happens to be the 
birthplace of Vishnuchittar , the ardent devotee of Vatapathrasayee. 

Vishnuchittar brought up Kothai in a most simple and Godly surroundings natural 
to a pious devotee and so the child grew up in an environment of devotion and 
austerity. Right from her childhood Kothai developed a strong love and passion 
for Sri Krishna. Vishnuchittar used to narrate the various Avatars of Lord 
Sriman Narayanan and also the Thirukalyana Gunas of Lord Krishna and other 
forms of Mahavishnu , covering the 108 Divya Desams and as such the child , 
having heard those narration very attentively, developed a strong devotion and 
love for the Lord Himself. 

Hearing the leelas of Srikrishna in Vrindavan during Dwapara Yugam , the child 
started enacting the same scenes in Kaliyug in Srivilliputtur itself at that 
young age . She considered herself as one of the Gopikas , Vatapathrasayee as 
Lord Krishna , Vatapathrasayee temple as the palace of Krishna in Dwaraka and 
Srivilliputtur as Vrindavan. She enjoyed herself in such dramatic scenes and 
actions and felt that she is one with Lord Krishna Himself . Such was her true 
devotion to Lord. 

Vishnuchittar was doing the pushpa kainkaryam to Vatapathrasayee and every day 
he would weave a garland of Tulsi leaves and other flowers in his garden and 
then keep it sacredly rolled in a basket. When he went to temple he used to 
take that garland for offering to the Lord. Child Kothai , due to her innocence 
, used to take out the garland from the basket without her father?s knowledge , 
adorn herself and look at the mirror ( her reflection in well water ) to make 
herself sure that she is the right match for the Vatapathrasayee . Then she 
would keep the garland back in the basket. She was doing this for quite a 
number of days. When Vishnuchittar used to garland the Lord , the deity , would 
look different and would be beaming with extra beauty and glory.One day 
Vishnuchittar noticed the act of his daughter and was shocked . He brought to 
her attention the wrong act of hers and refused to take that garland to temple. 
He fasted that day for Kothai?s act . In the night he had a dream.
 In his dream came Lord Vatapathrasayee and said that He relished the garland 
worn by the child Kothai , as she is His ardent devotee. He also told 
Vishnuchittar that Kothai is not an ordinary mortal child like others . In the 
morning when Vishnuchittar went to see that Tulsi garland worn by Kothai , it 
had not faded and still looked fresh . So he could understand the glory of his 
daughter. From then on the Lord used to get His garland only after it was worn 
by Kothai . Hence Kothai was called "Choodi Kodutha Sudarkodi ". 

When Kothai attained her marriageable age, her father was trying to find a 
suitable match for her. But, Kothai being a divine child was adamant and said 
that she would not marry anyone except lord Krishna Or Ranganatha Himself . The 
Thirukalyana Gunas of Lord Ranganatha attracted her so much , that she said to 
her father to take her to Sri Rangam and offer her to Lord Himself. 
Vishnuchittar meditated to Sri Ranganatha , to advice him further course of 
action. Lord Ranganatha said in his dream , that Kothai is none other than 
Bhoodevi Herslf (one of the consorts of Lord Mahavishnu ) and as such He is 
waiting to marry her. 

Simultaneously the lord ordered the officials in charge (sthanikas ) of 
Srirangam to go to Srivilliputhur and bring Kothai in a palanquin in all 
royalty. King Vallabhadeva along with his attendants joined the procession from 
Srivilliputhur to Srirangam with Kothai in a palanquin. The whole route was 
decorated on either sides with flowers and finely weaved green saplings (called 
thoranam). As Kothai entered the sanctum sanctorum or the inner shrine of Sri 
Ranganatha, the magnetic beauty of the lord instantly attracted her. She boldly 
mounted up His serpent couch ( Adisesha) and joined the eternal lustrous light 
of Sri Ranganatha in the presence of the entire gathering. She was then named 
Andal by Lord Ranganatha Himself ,as she conquered Him by her sheer love and 
devotion. 

Andal wrote many verses in praise of Lord Krishna or Ranganatha, the deity at 
Srivilliputhur. Among them the Thiruppavai is very popular with its 30 verses. 
In Gokulam , during Dwapara Yuga , in the month of Margazhi ,the Gopikas 
observed Kathyayani Vritham for 30 days . In the early morning they would get 
up and have a bath in cold water in yamuna river and sing the praise of Lord 
krishna and do pooja to Kathyayani Devi to help them get Krishna as their 
Nayaka. Keeping this in mind Andal , in Kaliyuga , in the month of Margazhi , 
sang 30 Thiruppavai verses for 30 days , all in praise of Lord Krishna , with a 
view to attain Him in wedlock. Andal also wrote the Nachiyar Thirumozhi in 143 
verses. She attained the status of an Azhwar because of her total devotion to 
the Lord Ranganatha. 

Thus we could notice that the child , may be the Avatar of Bhoomadevi Herself , 
developed such a passion and love to Supreme Godhead and went to the extent of 
telling her father that she would not marry any one other than the Lord Himself 
and held her view till she attained her wish. So she could have that self 
realization even at that young age . This was possible because she had that 
implicit faith and strong conviction that Sriman Narayanan alone is the saviour 
and can offer Moksha to a mumukshu. 

Now let us try to understand the devotion of Meera. 

In the present Kaliyug , more than 500 years ago, the kingdom of Rajasthan in 
India was a land of warriors , sages, sadhus and kings. The Rajputs of 
Rajasthan believed themselves to be the descendants of the Kshatriyas , the 
ancient warrior caste .The Rajputs vary in profession from aristocrats and 
warriors to farmers. Most Rajputs are Hindus. 

Meera , was a Rajput princess and lived during the period 1498 to 1547 A.D. ( 
she was born after, nearly 1400 years of Andal?s time ) . She was born in 
Chaukari village in Merta District of Rajasthan (about 40-50 miles north-east 
of Ajmer) in Northern India . Her father, Ratan Singh, was the second son of 
Rao Dudaji, a descendent of Rao Jodhaji Rathor, the founder of Jodhpur . 

Meera was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna right from her childhood . When she 
was a child , a holy man named Jiva Goswami came to their palace with a 
beautiful idol of Lord Krishna. Knowing that Meera would love to have it, her 
mother gave her that little Krishna . Meera used to listen from her mother , 
the stories and leelas of Lord Krishna and thus slowly developed a passion for 
the Lord . Meera started thinking of only Krishna and nothing else . Whole day 
she used to sing in praise of Krishna, dance with the Krishna idol , holding it 
to her heart. Thus a small light of devotion implanted in her by her mother , 
started becoming a big fire and became uncontrollable. Meera's mother died when 
she was four or five years old. She then started living with her grandfather .

Vikram Dev is the elder brother of Meera?s father. He succeeded to the throne. 
He was responsible for Meera?s marriage with the handsome warrior Prince Bhoj 
Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of the house of Sisodiya . Meera got married 
at her tender age of 13. Her wedding was celebrated in an elaborate way in 
accordance with the custom of the Rajputs. The members of her family were all 
inclined towards Vaishnava practices and culture . In that environment Meera?s 
own religious sentiments could grow freely.

Initially her husband tried to support her , in her devotion to Lord Krishna 
and went to the extent of honoring her request for the construction of a 
separate temple for "Giridhar Gopal" inside the palace . Meera started spending 
most of her time in the temple itself in the company of sadhus and used to 
dance before the image of Lord Krishna in pure devotion . She used to forget 
herself in that state of devotion and never considered herself a princess. 

Just to oblige her father , Meera married the Rajput prince . But she always 
believed in her heart that she belonged to Lord Krishna only . Even though she 
was a princess , she renounced every worldly thing and lived like a sadhu , a 
life of total detachment from all worldly things . She neglected her marital 
responsibilities even and did not concentrate on anything other than the 
service to Lord Krishna and singing His praise. She felt strongly that it was 
impossible for her to be married to a king when she was already married to Lord 
Krishna in her childhood itself . Her thought was always about Krishna and His 
leelas with Gopikas. 

During Meera?s time , there was widespread political and social turmoil in 
India. Conflicts on petty matters for meager selfish gains , disrespect for 
human life and hatred for one another were the order of the day at that time . 
Meera was surprised to see people behave in that odd way and could not 
understand all that was going on around her. She was in constant search of 
mental peace herself . She found the secret of true happiness. in the hearts of 
the Lord?s devotees . So she dedicated her life to the love and service of Lord 
Krislina. 

The king prince was unhappy at the stance of Meera and her ardent devotion to 
Krishna .The relatives of the prince threatened to poison her food but Meera 
never moved by those threats . She had the full faith that in the presence of 
Lord Krishna , poison cannot harm her , as she is His property. Uda, the 
prince?s sister, warned prince Bhoj that Meera will have to change herself and 
should abide by the ways of their family and the rules of the palace . Bhoj was 
horrorstruck to find that Meera started spending all the time in the temple to 
chant with other devotees of Krishna. With bells tied to her ankles, Meera used 
to dance in the temple of her Lord . This was against the custom of Rajputs.  

In the village, Meera heard the teachings of a humble shoemaker Ravidas, and 
felt that she found her master to guide her in her path . The family of Prince 
Bhoj is disgraced by Meera?s behavior. Once again, Prince Bhoj and his sister 
Uda begged Meera to stop, but nothing can come between Meera and her Krishna. 
The teachings of Ravidas further inspired Meera?s devotion. And Ravidas, in 
turn, was deeply moved by Meera?s sincere devotion to Krishna . He gave her a 
sitar, which she played as she chanted to her Lord . Meera?s voice and devotion 
become known throughout India. 

The great emperor Akbar himself came to visit Meera , after hearing her glory . 
Even though he belonged to a different religion ,he was thrilled by her true 
devotion . With profound gratitude, he presented her with a jeweled necklace , 
which Meera adorned to her Lord Krishna idol . 

One day Meera decided to leave the palace and took that action . She felt happy 
that she was no longer a queen and has now become a free bird to sing the 
praise of Lord Krishna. The prince?s relatives , in their pride and anger 
determined to kill her. They sent her a gift, which was supposed to be a 
garland of flowers for Krishna. But really it was a poisonous snake hidden 
inside a basket. The king?s attendants brought the deadly snake to Meera 
telling her that it was a garland for her Lord. Meera?s faith in Krishna was so 
strong that when she reached into the basket, instead of finding a snake she 
pulled out a beautiful garland . 

Meera travelled to the towns where Krishna spent His time, including Mathura . 
She started seeing Krishna every where and in every thing. She started spending 
her time mostly in Vrindavan. One of her meeting in Vrindavan with Jiva 
Goswami, a renowned Vaishnava of the Chaitanya school was a notable one. Jiva 
Goswami at first refused to meet with her, since she was a woman. He did not 
know it was the same Meera whom he met in the palace and gave her the Krishna 
idol . Meera immediately retorted to his devotees saying " I used to think that 
the Lord Krishna was the only man in Vrindavan and that all the rest of the 
inhabitants were gopikas to service the Lord . Now I have discovered that 
there?s someone else here besides Lord Krishna who thinks himself to be a man." 
On hearing this Jiva Goswami felt ashamed and then on , he became her ardent 
devotee . 

She also visited Dwarka in Gujarat and sung in praise of Lord to open the doors 
of sanctum sanctorum , which was closed for quite some time , due to the anger 
of God when Meera was poisoned by her own people earlier in the palace . This 
incidence shook every one who witnessed the scene , including Jiva Goswami. 

Krishna Himself felt that the time had come for Meera to join Him as He Himself 
could not bear the separation . So one fine morning in 1547 A.D. , He took 
Meera with Him after her prayers and thus the union of Meera with Krishna was 
completed .

Meera was a born poetess. She composed numerous bhajans, which are very popular 
even to this day. The Bhajans are in praise of lord Krishna and held in great 
esteem for their high literary value. They are full of devotion and feelings 
for the Almighty . She composed hundreds of poems in simple style. Her poems 
gained a unique popularity and are sung by the rich and the poor alike, even to 
this day. Meera is a beloved saint in the hearts of the people , who are 
devoted to Lord Krishna . She is a great Hindu woman saint and will always be 
remembered .

We thus notice from the life of Meera that , her implicit faith on Lord Krishna 
, as the only male and all others are gopikas , meant to do service to Him for 
His happiness and that all are married to Lord Krishna only in celestial 
wedlock for His service , gave her the opportunity to have that self 
realization even at that young age. 

Let us now briefly do the comparative study on both the lives of Andal and 
Meera. 

Andal , even though was very young had the strong conviction that she belonged 
to Lord Krishna or Ranganatha only and refused to oblige her father for 
marrying some one else. She was a strong Srivaishnavite . Where as Meera , 
obliged her father , having belonged to a Royal family . But in her mind she 
held the same view like Andal and did not do her marital obligations to her 
prince. She only did service to Lord Krishna. 

Vishnuchittar , himself is a Srivaishnavite and an ardent devotee of 
Vatapathrasayee. He was doing Pushpa Kainkaryam . Andal ,being an Avatar of 
Bhoomadevi Herself , it was not so difficult for Vishnuchittar to develop the 
devotion to Krishna in her mind . Where as Meera?s parents were Rajputs and 
they had their own life in the palace. However, Meera?s mother kindled the 
devotional fire in Meera at her tender age by telling stories about Lord 
Krishna . She in fact encouraged her to follow that path. 

Andal was conscious that she had to be the right match for Lord Krishna and 
hence tested her beauty by garlanding herself with that Tulsi garland meant for 
Vatapathrasayee. Where as Meera saw Krishna every where and in every thing. She 
never bothered about her look , dress etc. 

Andal enacted the scene that happened in Dwaparayugam in Vrindavan , in 
Srivilliputtur itself in Kaliyug and considered herself to be one of the 
gopikas meant for the service of Lord Krishna. Meera also considered herself to 
be one of the gopikas in the service of Lord Krishna.

In the case of Andal , being an avatar of Bhoomadevi , Lord Ranganatha Himself 
ensured all course of action for Andal?s wedlock with Him. In the case of Meera 
, she herself mentally got married to Lord Krishna in her youth and started 
behaving like a bride to Krishna in her service to Him. 

When Andal was taken to Srirangam Ranganathar?s sanctum sactorum , she herself 
climbed the serpent couch ( Adisesha ) to unite with the Lord. She could do 
this , since her body was not made of the conventional panchaboothams. ( 
Prithvi, appu, tejas, vayu and water) .In the case of Meera , as she was not an 
avatar and only a devotional saint , she had to leave this sthoola sareeram to 
unite with Lord Krishna and only the inner Jyothi joined the Lord. 

Andal had her father Vishnuchittar as her Acharyan and Meera had her mother as 
her Acharyan , to show the right path of devotion for them . 

However, in both cases , we can clearly note that only by true and sincere 
devotion to Lord with implicit faith in Him, they were able to achieve self 
realization. Once we achieve that stage Lord Himself will pull us to Him as He 
cannot wait any further . 

So to have that kind of devotion we should first approach an Acharyan , who 
would guide us in the right path of total surrender to Almighty and once we get 
that initiation done , we should follow that path with all sincerity and with 
implicit faith for reaching our life objective .

Here we should never forget the incidence in our purana. Till Droupathi lifted 
her both hands, realizing that she had no power to save her shame and only 
Krishna can do it , Lord Krishna never acted. The moment she lifted her both 
hands and cried for help to Krishna , Lord was there to oblige her request and 
helped her out in that central hall of Duriodhana?s durbar , where Durchasana 
tried to remove Droupathi? s saree in public to put her to shame. 

Hence , the principles of Ananyagathithvam ( no other place to go other than 
Sriman Narayanan ) , Aakinchanathvam ( nothing in our hands to offer to Lord , 
which does not belong to Him) and poorna Viswasam ( implicit faith in Lord that 
He alone will save us, as we are all His property ) alone can help us attain 
the state of self realization and there by reach our life objective of 
Mokshaprapthi . 

Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu !

Adiyen Ramanuja dasan 

G.Sampath. 

Unquote. 


                
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