Product Description
by Swetha Sundaram (Illustrator), Swetha Sundaram (Author)
ThiruppAvai has 30 Paasurams and it is eulogised as GodhOpanishad since it summarises the sacred meanings of the Upanishads. Govindan, the object of ANDAL's worship in ThiruppAvai has blessed us with Srimad Bhagavad Gita, which contains 700 slOkams. It is also Upanishad Saaram and hence it is revered as GitOpanishad. Both GitOpanishad and GodhOpanishad belong to the noble category of adhyAtmika Saastrams enjoying Bhagavad GuNAnubhavams and the five VedAntic doctrines (artha panchakam) linked to our quest for Moksham.The essence of ThiruppAvai is that ANDAL observed the month- long Paavai vratam to perform nitya kaimakryam to the Lord and gain the ultimate PurushArtham of gaining the Lord as Her husband. The month chosen to observe this vratam was Maarkazhi. She joined with the young gopa kannikais to observe this noble vratam.This book contains the description of this vratam and the teachings of Goda in a conversational format. During the observance of this Vratam, ANDAL considered SrivilliputthUr as the AayarpAdi in the north, the girls of Her birth place as Gopis and Herself as one of the Gopis and the temple of Vadapatra Saayee as NandagOpan's home and Vadapatra Saayee as Lord KrishNa Himself. This feeling state ( bhAvanai) ripened and led to the divine thirty paasurams of ThiruppAvai. ANDAL shows us the way to observe the Vratam in a spirit of Bridal Mysticism to gain the Lord's ParamAnugraham to serve Him forever at His Supreme abode.
Author Biography
Swetha Sundaram lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is an Instrumentation and Controls Engineer working in Calgary. She graduated from B.S. in Engineering Honours Program from University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.She was born in the temple city of Sri Rangam in Tamil Nadu, India. From childhood, she has been influenced by the Sri Vaishnavite philosophy. With her background and upbringing in the Sri Vaishnavite philosophy, she felt should write about Lord Krishna for the modern day readers. She is interested to know about ancient cultures. Her interests led her to study more about the ancient Vedic culture. She listens to many traditional lectures on Sanatana Dharma. She has been writing about some key points of Sanatana Dharma on her blog. She fondly recalls listening to stories from the life of Swami Ramanjacharyar narrated to her by her parents at dinner time. Like any child raised in a Hindu household, she loved to listen to stories about Lord Krishna. She wished to make some of the stories she had heard from childhood available in a format appreciated by the present day youth.
