THIRUPP AVAI INTRODUCTION.

INTRODUCTION:Sri AndAL, as spoken by guruparamparA prabhAvams, is the incarnation of Sri Bhoomi Devi, one among the many Divine consort of Sriman Narayana.Her avathAram, as Sri Manvaala Maamunigal says, "emmakkAgavandRO ingu AndAL avatharithAL", was to teach the greatness of saranAgathi and liberate us from the sufferings of this material world. The sweet songs that she sang, numbering 30, more popularly called as "ThiruppAvai" is believed to express the quintessence of Sri Vaishnava Sampradaayam as a whole. She herself declares that those who master these 30 with their meanings will be blessed with peace, prosperity and more importantly the causeless mercy of Sriman Narayanan.The most special aspect of this prabandham can be understood by the way our poorvAchARyAs hailed it. They made it customary that all the 30 songs be chanted everyday at our homes and in temples. We might get to think that AndAL is actually trying to perform a religious ritual by conducting a vow to satisfy the Supreme Lord. But actually one should understand that all that she did is to pray to be granted the boon of "divine service, lasting to eternity", as she says,"iRRaikkum EzhEzh piRavikkum unthanIdu uRROmE yAvOm, unakkE nAm AtseivOm", Divine service at the lotus feet of Sriman Narayana, for all times to come, is the sole goal of all SrivaishnavAs and showing us the way to achieve that in short is what ThiruppAvai is all about.

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