आमुक्तमाल्यदा (विजयनगर सम्राट् श्रीकृष्णदेवराय - गोदा देवी आण्डाल भक्ति एवं साम्राज्य-नीति)

4 God's Garland of Devotion
their hearts they give Him joy and themselves love in the ecstasy
of the Ananda consciousness. Goda Devi refers to this in the sixth
verse of Tiruppāvai: "As the dawn comes with the twittering of the
birds...the rishis and yogis repeat gently the name of Hari whom
they hold in their hearts". They repeat His name 'gently' lest He
be troubled by noise and wake up with a shock, explains a fond
commentator of Tiruppāvai! Such is the truth of the Greater Rea-
lism which envisions Narayana residing in the Alwars' heart.
The Preamble then moves on to a dramatic moment in his-
torical time: "Sometime ago I had decided to defeat Kalinga in
war. Leading my army I spent a few weeks near Vijayawada, in
the holy place of Srikakulam where the presiding deity is Andhra
Vishnu. Having fasted on the Ekadesi day, I rested in the temple
at night. Towards dawn I was vouchsafed a wonderful vision.
Darker than the rain-bearing clouds, with eyes that were far more
beautiful than lotuses, wearing garments that were a brighter gold
colour than that of Garuda's wings, with the Kausthuba gem
shining like the early morning sun, accompanied by Lakshmi
holding a lotus in one hand and the other promising Grace, Andhra
Vishnu appeared smiling and commanded me".
What could such a vision mean for a King who was looking
forward to the blood, sweat, toil and tears of a battle? The time was
meant for sharpening the sword and straightening the lance. Had
the Lord come to advise him on the strategy to be followed? Pre-
sently we hear what the Lord has to say. Not a word about assault,
counter-attack, or the push of aggression:
"You have written several works in Sanskrit. Write a poem
in Telugu that would please me. Let the theme be my marriage
with Goda Devi at Srirangam It was with some distaste that
I had received the garland offered to me by the garland-maker
in Mathura. By describing the tale of Goda Devi who gave me
her garland, you will make me happy".
Could there have been a trace of hesitancy on Krishnadeva
Raya's face as he heard the Lord? A King, a well-respected scholar,
and a renowned poet: can he 'descend' to write in Telugu? The
author of Madalasa Charitra, Satyabhama Parinaya, Sakalakatha San-
graha, Jnana Chintamani and Rasamanjari to write in Telugu, a
'regional language'! But the Lord goes on: