VI.115 This beautiful poem is written in the Āṭavĕladi metre, rarely used in this text. ‘ran out’ has been added.
THE WEDDING
VI.116 The remainder of the epic poem depicts the wedding of Goda and Raṅganātha. It seems to be based on the sixth chapter of Āṇḍāḷ’s Nācciyār Tirumoli which begins with vāraṇam āyiram, literally ‘a thousand elephants’, describing Goda’s fantastical dream in which she marries the Lord.
VI.117 Compare this hospitality (ātithyambu) to Viṣṇucitta’s actions at the end of Chapter I.
VI.118 ‘his daughter Śrī’ has been added for clarity. Lakṣmi was born from the Ocean of Milk (payodhi), but she is also considered the daughter of the sage Bhṛgu. Legend says that he gave her away as a bride to Lord Viṣṇu. The reference appears to be based on Chapter VIII of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, a section that answers the question of Bhṛgu’s fatherhood and contains a beautiful passage about the inseparability of Lakṣmi and Viṣṇu.
‘If that was right, then there’s no injustice here’, iṭe anyāyambe, may be in reference to the fact that Viṣṇucitta is technically Goda’s foster father.
VI.119 ‘Easy-going people’ is culkani narulu, literally ‘light/easy men’.
VI.120 ‘His great lordship makes him the Ultimate Sovereign’ is prabhuta parama-īśvaruṇḍu aina. For Śūra, see Note IV.17. ‘For it is he who creates the costumes …‘is tānĕ kaṭṭina bhūmika dālcu māku ghanata idi mammu ceyuṭa tanadu ghanata. Although this statement is in reference to Viṣṇucitta alone, I have translated it as a universal. The plural pronouns māku and mammu are actually honorific plurals used for a father-in-law, corroborated by VVS 539 (śvaśura) and TKR 685 (māma-gāri aina māku). The feeling here is resonant with Viṣṇucitta’s sentiments at the end of poem II.91 (see also Note II.91).
VI.121 ‘singing songs’ has been added.
VI.122 ‘highway of stars’ is uḍu-vīthi. ‘troops’ is the medieval Hindi-Urdu word(?) pauju or pavuju (see Brown 502). The word śata-kōṭi is used twice in succession to mean ‘thunderbolt’ as well as ‘a hundred million’.
VI.123 This rich vacanam describes the procession of the groom and his wedding party to the bride’s home (vadhū-gṛha-āgamana), commonly known today as the barāt. ‘perfectly spaced guesthouses’ is viḍidi-paṭṭu viḍisi. ‘Water Bearers’ are dhārā-dharambulu, i.e. clouds. ‘white like titanium’ is kaladhauta dhavaḷa. ‘He was a living ornament’ is a translation of bhūṣā-vibhūṣituḍu.
VI.124 The next six poems (VI.124–129) describe the adornment of the bride (pĕḷḷi kūturu ceyaṭam). Even today, it is a common Āndhra tradition for women to gather before the wedding day and sing songs about Sīta and Rāma’s marriage. In North India this function is known as the saṅgīt.
VI.126 ‘marriage rites’ are vaivāhika-dīkṣa, glossed by TKR 688 as vivāham annadi ŏka kratuvu (sacrifice) kanuka dāni kanuvaina dīkṣa (ritual), which relates to the religious nature of a traditional Indian wedding. ‘Queen of the World turned from woman to goddess’ is jagat-īśvariki velpu abala ortu. TKR 688 notes that the description given here is the traditional abhiṣekam or ablution performed for the idol of the goddess.
VI.128 This sīsa padyam employs various words for woman or friend (Tel ativa, paḍati, vĕladi, etc.), and the repeated word ortu, meaning ‘one.’ The repetition builds excitement and conveys how all of Goda’s friends want a hand in decorating the bride to be.
For ‘lac water’, see Note V.34. Toerings (mĕṭṭĕlu) are special ornaments for married women. The reference to nĕrika, a petticoat worn as an undergarment, has been omitted. ‘wedding band’ is kaṭakamulu (cf. VI.134). sīmanta vīthi cercukka, a jewel worn at the part of the hair, is an important adornment for brides.
VI.129 ‘chaplet’ is a translation of lalāmakamu, variously identified as a cercukka (VVS 543, cf. Note VI.128), bāsikam (TKR 690, cf. Note I.53, V.20), ‘a coronet of flowers’ (Brown 664) and ‘a chaplet or wreath of flowers worn on the forehead’ (Monier-Williams 898, Apte 813).
VI.130 ‘auspicious moment’ is lagnam (also muhūrtam or su-muhūrtam), a precise, astrologically determined time for a Hindu wedding to take place (cf. VI.131). ‘twelve holy flames’, paṇḍrĕṇḍunu diviyalai, refers to the twelve Ālvārs (cf. I.10). ‘Lord of Rivers’ is sindhu-pati, i.e. the ocean.
‘Nature’ is prakṛti, a reference to the Vedāntic concept of puruṣa and prakṛiti as male and female energies. ‘God of Fire’ is Agni and ‘God of Rain’ is Parjanyuṇḍu, i.e. Indra.
‘ancient verses’ is prācīna pāṭhambulu, and ‘royal chronicles’ is biruda prabandhambulu, glossed by TKR 691 as rājugāri caritra kaivārālu. The sage Nārada (vidhi-nandana), along with Sananda, Sanaka, Sanātana and Sanatkumāra are said to have been born from the mind of Lord Brahma.
The comparison of Garuḍa to a wild elephant, vihaṅga puṅgavuṇḍu matta-mātaṅgambai, may be a reference to an old South Indian practice of the groom arriving at the wedding on an elephant, similar to the present-day North Indian custom of riding in on a horse. ‘supernatural procession’ is a-prākṛta vaibhavambunam jani.
According to tradition, anyone entering an Indian home is offered water to wash their feet. The discarded water (āmukta, if you will) is normally disposed of, but here it becomes consecrated holy water (cf. tīrtham Note V.94). ‘Me first’ is aham-pūrvikan.
The ‘sixteen different ways’, ṣoḍaśa upacāras, are offerings reserved only for god; they are as follows—āvāhana/dhyānam (meditation), āsanam (seat), pādyam (water for washing feet), arghyam (water for washing hands), ācamanam (water for sipping), snānam (bath), vastram (clothes), yajña-upavīta (sacred thread), gandham (sandalwood paste), puṣpam (flowers), dhūpam (incense), dīpam (lights), naivedyam (food), tāmbūlam (betel nut), nīrājanam (camphor) and mantra-puṣpam (hymns).
madhu-parkambu, glossed by TKR 692 as bĕllam kalipina pĕrugu, ‘a mixture of yogurt and brown sugar’, is a traditional offering made by the father of the bride to the groom. Apte 737 adds ‘“a mixture of honey”, a respectful offering made to a guest or to the bridegroom on his arrival at the door of the father of the bride; its usual ingredients are five: dadhi [yogurt], sarpi [ghee], jalam [water], kṣaudram [honey] and sitā [sugar].’ My thanks to Professor P. Ramanarasimham and Dr. G. Indira for their helpful assistance with this prose passage.
VI.131 The pĕn-tĕra which I have translated as ‘long cloth’/’veil’, is a cloth curtain held between the bride and the groom during the wedding ceremony. ‘Between the couple’ has been added for clarity. For ‘auspicious moment’, see Note VI.130.
‘jaggery sweetened cumin’, guḍa jīrakambulu, is said to repesent the bitter-sweet nature of life.
VI.132–133 These two poems are based on that part of the wedding ceremony when the bride and groom pour raw rice (sesa-prālu), or in this case, pearls (muttĕpu-prālu), over each other’s heads.
VI.134 ‘wedding necklace’ is maṇgaḷa-sūtram, and ‘wedding bands’ is kaṅkaṇambulu (cf. Note VI.128).
VI.135 ‘altar of fire was made with dried out grains’, lājulu velpiñci, is a reference to the traditional fire of Vedic rituals (homam).
The Seven Steps or sapta-padi are a critical part of the wedding ceremony wherein the couple walks around the fire and takes their solemn vows. Later, the groom points to the star of Arundhati in the Pleiades, as well as the Pole Star or North Star known as Dhruva. Arundhati, the wife of the great sage Vaśiṣṭha, is the epitome of an ideal wife, and Dhruva, meaning ‘fixed’ or ‘firm’, is a prince who attained heaven due to his love and devotion. Both these figures represent the ideals that the married couple should emulate. ‘Constellation Formed of the Seven Sages’ has been added (cf. Note II.16).
‘And though he ruled the universe …’ is a free translation of kantu sāmrājyam eliñci karuṇa cittamu ŏlayu jagamulu pāliñcucu unnavāḍu.
GLOSSARY OF NAMES & PLACES
Adi
ti: Mother of the gods (devas).
Ādityas: group of six or seven devas born from Aditi and Kāśyapa. The number was later increased to twelve in order to represent the sun in each of the twelve months.
Ādiśeṣa: Also known simply as Śeṣa, literally The Remainder, he is the thousand-hooded serpent that remains in constant existence even after the dissolution of the universe (pralaya). Because he is the first being in each cycle of creation, he is ādi, the beginning. He is also invoked with the name Ananta, the Endless One, building on the metaphor of a moulting snake, repeatedly shedding its skin but continuing to live on. In iconography, Ādiśeṣa is depicted as the cosmic bed for the reclining form of Viṣṇu.
Agastya: An ancient sage who humbled the Vindhya Mountains, the traditional boundary between North and South India. He is believed to have settled in South India and is often associated with the transmission of Vedic culture to the area.
Agni: The ancient Vedic god of fire.
Amarāvati: The capital city of deva-loka, the realm of the immortal gods.
Ananta: See Ādiśeṣa.
Āṇḍāḷ: See Goda.
Āndhra Viṣṇu: A regional form of Viṣṇu worshipped in Śrīkākulam.
Balarāma: The plough wielding brother of Lord Kṛṣna. He is believed to be a manifestation of Śeṣa.
Bhūdevi: A form of the goddess Lakṣmi worshiped as the Earth. Goda is believed to be a manifestation of Bhūdevi.
Bhṛgu: One of the sapta-ṛṣis or Seven Sages of ancient India. He was a Mind-Born Son of Lord Brahma and father of the goddess Lakṣmi.
Brahma: The primal creator god with four faces, symbolizing the four Vedas. His consort is the goddess Sarasvati.
Cola: A powerful medieval empire of South India centred around the Kāveri River valley. They had capital cities at Urāyur (modern-day Trichi/Śrīraṅgam) and Kāñcipuram.
Daityas: A group of asuras born from Diti and Kāśyapa. Their eternal enemies are their cousins the Ādityas.
Diti: Mother of the demons (asuras).
Drāviḍa: A general term that applies to the peoples and languages of South India.
Dvāraka: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s island capital on the west coast of India.
Gaṅga: A celestial river, deified as a beautiful goddess in a white cīra. She is believed to have descended to earth due to the extreme tapas of Bhagīratha who wished to sanctify the ashes of his 60,000 ancestors.
Gaṇeśa: The jovial, elephant-headed son of Śiva and Pārvati. He is the god of beginnings and the remover of obstacles.
Garuḍa: The mighty eagle vehicle (vāhana) of Lord Viṣṇu. He is the epitome of a dutiful servant, often depicted in sculpture as a kneeling man with wings and a beak.
Goda: The historical Tamil saint (Āṇḍāḷ) who is believed to be a manifestation of Bhūdevi. As a young woman she sang about her love for Viṣṇu and ultimately merged with him at Śrīraṅgam.
Hara: See Śiva.
Hari: See Viṣṇu.
Indra: An ancient rain deity extensively mentioned in the Vedas. In later mythology, he is subordinated to the Trinity and depicted as the amorous King of the Gods.
Kaliṅga: An ancient empire on the east coast of India that probably included parts of modern-day northern Āndhra and southern Orissa. During medieval times, this empire was ruled by the Gajapatis who Śrī Kṛṣṇadevarāya conquered.
Kāma: The god of love. He wields a bow made of sugarcane and shoots flower-tipped arrows. He is also known as Manmatha, Maru Kantu and Kandarpuṇḍu.
Kaṁsa: The evil uncle of Lord Kṛṣna who ruled from his capital Mathura. He was ultimately slain by Kṛṣṇa and his brother Balarāma.
Kāśyapa: An ancient sage who fathered the gods, demons, snakes and humans. He is one of the Seven Sages (sapta-ṛṣis).
Kaustubha: A fine red jewel that adorns the chest of Lord Viṣṇu, it is one of the fourteen ratnas (precious treasures) that was obtained during the churning of the Milky Ocean.
Koumodika: The divine mace presented to Kṛṣṇa by Agni after the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.
Kṛṣṇa: A manifestion of Viṣṇu, critical to the development of Vaiṣṇava bhakti. His adventures as a playful cowherd, divine counsellor and god-king are described in the Bhāgavatam and Mahābhārata.
Lakṣmi: The consort of Lord Viṣṇu, she is the embodiment of compassion, good fortune and prosperity. She is the Earth goddess in her form as Bhūdevi. She is also known as Śrī, Śrīdevi and Nīḷa.
Malaya: A famous peak and mountain range in south-western India known for fine sandalwood forests. It is also the term that designates the perfumed wind that blows down from these mountains.
Madhura: Modern-day Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu. This ancient city was an important centre for the development of early Tamil (saṅgam) literature. In medieval times it served as the capital city of the Pāṇḍya kingdom.
Mandara: The famous mountain that was used as a churning stick when the devas and asuras stirred the Ocean of Milk.
Meru: The central mountain in Hindu cosmology around which the sun revolves.
Nāgas: The mythical race of snake-people who live in a subterranean realm of water.
Nandaka: The divine sword of Viṣṇu.
Nārada: A celestial sage and Mind-Born Son of Brahma. Throughout Hindu mythology, he is depicted as the mischievous troublemaker who instigates contests and love quarrels.
Narasiṁha: The man-lion avatāra of Lord Viṣṇu who appeared on Earth to slay the evil asura Hiraṇyakaśipu, father of the devout bhakta Prahlāda.
Nārāyaṇa: See Viṣṇu.
Padmanābha: An epithet of Lord Viṣṇu as the God with a Lotus Navel. Lord Brahma is believed to have taken birth from Viṣṇu’s navel while the latter rested in a peaceful slumber on the waters of creation.
Pāñcajanyam: The white conch fashioned from the bones of the demon Pañcajana who was killed by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
Pāṇḍya: One of the four great dynastic kingdoms of South India. In medieval times, their capital city was Madurai and their state emblem was the fish.
Pārvati: The consort of Lord Śiva, she is the embodment of śakti, the divine feminine energy of creation.
Rāhu: One of the nine ‘planets’ (nava-graha) of Hindu cosmology. Although Rāhu was decapitated by Viṣṇu, his immortal head continues to swallow the sun and moon, thereby creating the solar and lunar eclipses.
Rati: Literally ‘sexual passion’, Rati is the wife of Kāma, the god of love.
Revati: The wife of Balarāma.
Sarasvati: The consort of Lord Brahma and the goddess of both language and music. She is often depicted sitting on a swan playing a vīṇa.
Śeṣa: See Ādiśeṣa
Śiva: One of the two central gods of Hindu bhakti. He is depicted as the yogic god of destruction. His consort is Pārvati.
Sudarśana: Lord Viṣṇu’s divine discus.
Sumāli: A demon killed by Viṣṇu after the churning of the Milky Ocean during the war between the devas and the asuras.
Sūrya: The Hindu sun god.
Śrīkākulam: A small town in the Kṛṣṇa District of Āndhra Pradesh. The temple to Śrī Āndhra Mahā-Viṣṇu is still there with a memorial to Śrī Kṛṣṇadevarāya. Not to be confused with the larger city of Śrīkakulam in northeastern Āndhra.
Śrīraṅgam: The prathama divya-deśam or principal holy place for Śrī Vaiṣṇavas, this vast temple city on an island in the Kāveri was home to great bhaktas and philosophers. It was repeatedly praised in song by the Ālvārs, and was known simply as Kovil (temple). It is also referred to as Bhūloka Vaikuṇṭham, Heaven on Earth, and today it the largest functional temple in the world.
Śrīvatsa: A white birthmark that adorns the chest of Lord Viṣṇu. It is depicted as a sacred symbol resembling a cruciform flower.
Śrī Villiputtūr: The birthplace and home of both Viṣṇucitta and Goda, located about 50 miles southwest of Ma
durai. As one of the 108 Vaiṣṇava divya-deśams or holy places, Villiputtūr is always referred to as Śrī Villiputtūr. Even in Tamil, the Sanskrit word Śrī is used instead of the common Tiru, because Tiru Villiputtūr could be interpreted as tiru-(v)-illi-puttūr, or the inauspicious city. In Sanskrit it is known as Dhanvipuram.
Tāmraparṇi: A river in southern Tamil Nadu that marked the historical southern boundary of the Pāṇḍya kingdom. It is mentioned in Aśokan inscriptions and is often associated with Sri Lanka. In Pāli the related name Tambapaṇṇi is an ancient name for Sri Lanka.
Triśaṅku: A mighty king of the Solar Lineage who sought to enter heaven with his mortal body. He was denied assistance from Viśiṣṭha and his sons, but got help from Viśvāmitra who used his powers to lift him into heaven. Angered by this act, Indra forced him back down and there he remained suspended between heaven and earth.
Trivakra: Literally ‘bent in three’, Trivakra is the name of the hunchback servant who prepared fine ointments for the evil King Kaṁsa.
Uma: See Pārvati.
Vaikuṇṭham: The glorious heaven of Lord Viṣṇu.
Vāmana: Viṣṇu’s avatāra as a dwarf who grows to fill the universe and kill the demon King Bali with three steps. Also known as Trivikrama.
Vĕṅkaṭa: A range of hills in the far southeast of modern-day Āndhra Pradesh where the great temple to Lord Vĕṅkaṭeśvara is located at Tirupati/Tirumala. These hills were the traditional northern boundary of the Tamil country.
Vibhīṣaṇa: The brother of the asura Rāvaṇa and a great bhakta of Lord Rāma.
Vijayavāḍa: Also known as Bezawāḍa, this is an ancient city built on the Kṛṣṇa River. Today it is the third largest city in Āndhra Pradesh and occupies an important cultural and political position in the state.
Viṇāyaka: See Gaṇeśa.
Viṣṇu: One of the two central gods of Hindu bhakti. He descends to earth in various forms (avatāras) in order to preserve the universe. His consort is Lakṣmi.
The Giver of the Worn Garland KRISHNADEVARAYA'S AMUKTAMALYADA Page 19