It is said that during the Lord’s Varaha Avatar, when He rescued the earth, Bhu Devi prayed to Him to save the rest of humanity from the cycle of birth. The Lord then assured Her that He would always be by the side of His devotees and lead them in the right path. Prompted by the desire to teach people how to reach God through devotion, She decided to incarnate and chose the ideal place and family for this purpose, pointed out Sri R. Rangarajan in a lecture.
What better place than the Pandya kingdom of Madurai and what better family than that of Periazhwar to incarnate for this purpose? Madurai had always fostered religious and spiritual traditions, and the Pandya kings were renowned for their uprightness
and devotion and Periazhwar the best Acharya from
whom she could imbibe the highest truths.
Periazhwar, also known as Vishnuchitta, was a great devotee of Vata Patra Saayi at Sri Villiputhur, and sincerely practised the dictates of the Sastras and is
a role model of devotion for all of us. This Azhwar established the supremacy of the Lord during a
religious conference held in the Pandya court. The king arranged for a procession of the Azhwar as
a mark of honour to his scholarship. It is said the Lord appeared in the skies on this occasion, and the Azhwar was overwhelmed at the Lord’s magnanimity. His devotion now morphed into the anxiety of a parent — a bhava that makes haste to ensure that
no evil eye be cast on the child. Despite the fact that the Lord is the cause of the universe, and He sustains it as well at all times, the Azhwar spontaneously sang
a benediction wishing longevity for the unmatched effulgence of the auspicious Lord, His consort in His chest, discus and conch as well.
Andal chose to be his daughter so that she could learn and imbibe these nuances of worship and propagate these to posterity. Andal asks us all to sing the glory
of the Lord who resides in the milky ocean and is for ever concerned for the welfare of the universe and the beings He has created. The boundless compassion
of the Lord and His consorts is always manifest in the
way they care for humanity and guide them to the path for salvation.
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