தூபம் கமழத் துயிலணைமேல் கண் வளரும்
மாமான் மகளே மணிக் கதவம் தாழ் திறவாய்
மாமீர் அவளை எழுப்பீரோ உன் மகள் தான்
ஊமையோ அன்றி செவிடோ அனந்தலோ
ஏமப் பெருந் துயில் மந்திரப் பட்டாளோ
மாமாயன் மாதவன் வைகுந்தன் என்றென்று
நாமன் பலவும் நவின்றேலோர் என்பாவாய்
In the gem studded hallway with lamps lit all around
and incense filling the air, the one sleeping on the cozy bed
Oh! the daughter of my mother's brother, Please open the door.
My dear aunt! Please wake up your daughter.
Is she dumb? or deaf? or intoxicated?
Is she under the spell of this long lasting sleep?
The great illusionist Madhava, the one who resides in Vaikuntha
Let us rejoice in chanting these holy names of the Lord!
(Thiruppavai, 9)
The Thiruppavai hymns of Andal are household prayer even today in the month of Margazhi. Vaishnavaites regard these 30 verses as the essence of the Upanishads elaborating on the nature of the relation between the human soul and the divine. Indeed these seemingly simple verses have in them some of the loftiest philosophical ideals that define our religion. From a cursory overview these characteristic pavai hymns are exchanges between adolescent women. It may take a keen eye to understand the layers of metaphors and appreciate the sense conveyed by them.
The vaishnavaite interpretation of Thiruppavai is a very interesting one that reinforces the supreme position held by bhagavatas (devotees of the lord) that is equal to the Lord himself. The different verses in order are considered as waking call for the different alwars, acharyas and the devatas before Andal finally surrenders to the lord himself. Her lady friends or 'thozhi's referred to in the verses are considered to be the other Alwars. Her references to existing prabandham hymns of the alwars in a number of her verses is indicative of her respect and adulation.
As most other verses of the Thiruppavai, here too, the scene described is of a group of women standing at the doorstep of their friend's house early in the morning asking her to wake up and open the door. The setting described by Andal in the first line is one of irony. The hall is filled with the light from the lamps lit everywhere around and the fragrance from the incense sticks envelopes the space. And yet their friend is asleep on her bed? May be it is not the routine slumber of physical rest?
In popular explanations by scholars, this verse is considered an address to Thirumazhisai alwar. The alwar deeply engrossed in the divine experience, is oblivious to the external world and Andal calls for him to open himself to the external world and join everyone in celebrating the glories of the Lord by chanting his name and singing praise. Like a tortoise withdrawing itself into its shell, the senses of the Alwar no longer react to external stimuli as they are absorbed in God. He hence appears deaf and dumb. His blissful ecstatic state of inactivity appears as sleep. An interesting reference is made by Andal through her address as her mother's brother's daughter. The Alwar was born to bhargava of Brighu's lineage and Mahalakshmi who took birth as Brighu's daughter can be considered sage bhargava's sister - hence the relation.
The verse speaks of the glories of chanting the Lord's name. And the names that are chosen here present another interesting reference. This time to the following verse from Thirumazhisai alwar's Naanmugan thiruvandhadhi as Andal chooses to use the same names as the Alwar himself - Mayan (same as Maal in tamizh), Madhavan and Vaikunthan.
மாலவனை மாதவனை யாதானும் வல்லவா
சிந்தித்திருப்போர்க்கு வைகுண்டத்தில் இல்லையோ இடம்
The master of illusions, the lord of maya and the one of unsurpassed greatness,
those that think of him, will they not have a place in his abode vaikuntha?
(The picture above is a file picture of the temple tower at Srivilliputtur, the birthplace of Andal. It features in the state emblem of Government of Tamilnadu. File source: Wikipedia)
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