Andal of Srivilliputhur, adopted Daughter of Vishnu Chitta, is the presiding Deity of Sri Andal Temple,Srivilliputhur.
Her praise of Lord Vishnu, Krishna in Thirty Songs is the famous Thiruppavai, which is recited by the Vaishnavaites in the month of Margazhi, December/January in South India.
She is classified as one of the Azhwars of Vaishnavism.
Sri Andal,Srivilliputuhr
In the poem number 20, there is a reference to Nappinnai, whom she says as the beloved of Krishna.
//முப்பத்து முன்று கோடி தேவர்களுக்குத் துன்பம் வரும்முன்பே சென்று
அவர்களின் நடுக்கத்தை போக்கும் வீரனே எழுந்திரு!
கருணையுள்ளவனே, வல்லமையானவனே, பகைவருக்கு
பயத்தைக் கொடுக்கும் பெருமானே! எழுந்திரு
தங்க கலசம் போன்ற மென் முலை, சிவந்த உதடு, சிறிய இடையை
உடைய நப்பின்னையே!, திருமகளே! எழுந்திரு
விசிறியும், கண்ணாடியும் உன் கணவனையும் எங்களுக்குக் கொடுத்து
எங்களுக்கு நீராட உதவி செய்வாயாக.//
I searched for this Nappinnai and came up with the information that she is the wife of Lord Krishna.
Nappinnai is an Avatar of Neela Devi, one of the wives of Vishnu.
The other two wives of Vishnu are Sri Devi(Lakshmi), Boo Devi(Earth, she is the mother of Narakasura).
Please refer Neela Suktham.
During the Krishna Avatar,Nappinai, an Avatar of Neela Devi, was born , an Ayar (Yadava) girl of the local chieftain of the Pandyan land .
Krishna Married her and had a daughter through her Pandiah, says Megsthanes.
Her household requirements of dairy products were taken care by 365 families of Yadavas – on a rotational basis of one each day finds similarity with the description in Silappadhikaram, a Tamil Epic.
As I have posted in many of my posts that Hinduism treats Gods as Human Beings and offer services that befit a King, Queen or a child.
Gods are treated and loved as one would love one’s own children, friend, Lady Love.
In Tamil Literature,there are Grammar Rules for composing Poems based on the Bhava or attitude to God.
It may be as a Child, a lady Love or various stages of a child growing up.
Poems were composed appropriate to these ages and offered to God.
Arayar Sevai
In the Sanatana Dharma, Vedic practice, there are 16 Upachaaras or ways of offering Obeisance to the Lord.
These were originally 64 .
I will be posting on this in detail.
A special practice in Tamil Nadu of offering Obeisance to Lord Vishnu has been in practice from the 10th Century AD.
One, a male, from a designated Family, performs Dance Drama with a special dress, singing poems from the Devotional text of the Sri Vaishnavas,The Naalayira Divya Prabhandam.
Though many a Vishnu Temple in Tamil Nadu follow this, SriRanagam, Srivilliputtur and Alwar Thirunagari are the three places which are traditionally following this custom and they are famous.
The right to perform belongs one family in Srirangam, two each in Srivillipuutur and Alwarthirunagari.
The Right is Hereditary.
The Pagal Pathu(10 day time) and Ra Pathu(10 day night time) festival is celebrated in the month of Margazhi(December–January) for twenty days. The first ten days are referred as Pagal-Pathu (10 day day time festival) and the second half as Ra Pathu(10 day night-time festival). The first day of Ra pathu is Vaikunta Ekadashi.[31] The eleventh day of each fortnight in Tamil calendar is called ekadesi and the holiest of all ekadesis as pervaishnavite tradition is the Vaikunta Ekadashi. Nammazhwar, one of the 12 azhwars.
During this period this Dance Drama is enacted.
This is called the ‘Arayar Sevai’
Arayar in Tamil means King, implying paying obeisance that befits a King.
Another meaning is’one who declares’
The Arayar, the one who performs, declares the devotion to Lord Vishnu through the Poems of the Alwars.
Other Names of the Arayars are,
Vinnappam Cheyvar – they speak directly and only to the lord and make their requests only to him.
Nampaduvan- the sing the praises of our lord Nam (Perumal)
Isai ariyum Peruman – Referring to their ability to sing the Prabandham.
Thambiranmar – Roots word are probably than-piran-mar meaning those who belong to the lord and indicative of the Arayar becoming an Azhvar himself when performing the Arayar sevai.
The Arayar is always a male and has to follow a specific dress code and perform a vow before each performance.
Songs used.
A)Periyaazhvar thirumozhi (473 songs)of Periyaazhvar, including Thiru Pallaand.
i. Siriya Thirumadal by Thirumangai Azhwar (40 songs)
j. Peria Thirumadal by Thirumangai Azhwar (78 songs)
5. Ramanuja Nootranthaati ( 108 songs) of Amudhanar and it was added to the text compiled by Nathamuni neither is it his own Vishnu nor is it by an Azhwar.
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