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

Goda Devi 33
Ashada month, and a chathurdasi. It is significant that Sita Devi
discovered by King Janaka while ploughing a field and Goda Devi
found by Vishnuchitta when digging in a garden are both asso-
ciated with Mother Earth, Bhu Devi. One of the abundant myths
concerning Goda Devi has Bhu Devi asking Narayana: “My
Lord, whom do you love most among human beings?” “I love all
my devotees who have affection and regard for me. But those who
offer me flower garlands (poo maalai) and verse garlands (paa maalar)
have a special place in my heart.” This set her thinking. She re-
membered Vishnuchitta who was making such twin-offerings to
the Lord. Immediately she decided to incarnate as Goda Devi
and follow the footsteps of the illustrious devotee of Srivillipputtur.
Vadivazhakiya Nambi Dasar’s Soodi-k-kodutha Nachiyar Pra-
bhandham poetically describes the scene when Bhu Devi appeared
on the earth. Red lotuses blossomed like golden lamps, peacocks
danced, bees buzzed, and the cuckoos sang a lullaby to the divine
babe seen mid a sprinkle of flowers. Vishnuchitta gazes at this
tender shoot of compassion (Karunayin kozhundu). He takes the child
to the temple of Vatapatrasayi: here is a unique blossom to offer the
Lord!
“You will learn of the significance of her birth later. Take
her now home and bring her up as your own daughter!”
Such was the command of the Lord issued through the priest.
Vishnuchitta went home and handed over the baby to his wife
Viraja Devi. They showered their love upon the child and brought
her up in an atmosphere of beauty, music and piety.
The Divyasuri Charitra says that “Vishnuchitta foresaw that
this child would speak in praise of the Lord; so he named her Goda
in an auspicious moment”. The word ‘Goda’ signifies “one who
helps one’s speech”. It may be remembered that a poetess of the
Sama Veda is known as Goda. Again, Goda means ‘giver of cows’,
of Illuminations, a garland. Just as Vishnuchitta is known as
Bhattarpiran and Perialwar, Goda Devi is also known as Āndāl
(One who Rules) and Soodi-k-kodutha-Sudarkkodi (the flame-creeper
who gave the garland worn first, Amukta Mālyada). M. Raghava
Iyengar, who has conducted deep research in the hymns of Goda
Devi, has remarked that she must have lived in the early 8th cen-
tury.
3

34 Goda's Garland of Devotion
Goda Devi's hymns in the Divya Prabhandham are full of auto-
biographical intimations. Her childhood was itself a time of playful
devotion to the Lord, when she and her friends built sand castles
using tiny winnows, sand, water and pots:
Noble lion who smashed the pride
Of the elephant! One who sleeps
On the ocean with clear waves!
Don't you frighten us with your eyes,
We, who loved you at first sight!
We have sieved thin sand granules
And built these castles with care.
Don't you break them down!
Poets like Azhakiya Chokkanatha Pillai have written at length
imaginatively about the childhood of Goda Devi. Even at a tender
age the Villipputtur citizens found her unusually intelligent, a star
apart:
Aware of forms to which our eyes are closed,
Conscious of nearnesses we cannot feel,
The Power within her shaped her moulding sense
In deeper figures than our surface types.
An invisible sunlight ran within her veins
And flooded her brain with heavenly brilliancies
That woke a wider sight than earth could know.¹
Krishnadeva Raya swiftly moves towards Goda Devi's youth-
ful felicity and reserves the best flowerings of his poetic art to this
phase. As the life and hymns of Goda Devi are one long passionate
wait for the Lord's grace, there is a certain appositeness in the
poet's choosing to limn with loving care the contours of the golden
girl who is now revered as a goddess.
The twenty verses describing Goda Devi's youthful form in
Āmukta Mālyada are a splash of colourful images, all of them related
to the divine form of the Lord in some way or other. Her tresses
were a mass of bright curls as if they wished to defeat by numbers
the single curly Sudarshana in Narayana's hand. The dark curls
dancing around her face seemed to be the writings of Brahma to

1. Sri Aurobindo, Savitri (1954), p. 356.

Goda Devi 35
indicate that she was endowed with the best auspicious signs among
all woman kind. As her attendants raised her face to apply collyrium
to her eyes, she appeared like the moon on the fourth day of the
lunar month. Indeed, was it not the moon that received its glow
from her face?
Krishnadeva Raya weaves an ingenious utpreksha alankara with
Goda Devi's face, the musk deer and the moon. This is followed by
another hyperbole: the large eyes with quickening glances appeared
as cupid's bow being readied for a strike. Further :
"The eyelashes were like the chains binding an elephant
from falling into a well being drunk, as the eyeballs looked
intoxicated".
Poetic apostrophes have a field day upon the palm-leaves in
Krishnadeva Raya's hands. Goda Devi's ears are like Lakshmi
(as the word Sri in Telugu script has the shape of an ear) ; the act
of putting on an ear-ring is seen in terms of the familiar idea that
a brother should not see his sister's undecorated ear (Lakshmi and
the moon are both ocean-born). The description that began with
the tresses (this is to be kesadi paada varnanam) now moves to the nose
which is likened to a champak blossom; the bees that get frightened
by the champak's scent are again attracted by her sweet breath
and take her teeth to be jasmine buds. Well, one can see the bees
reflected in the teeth! Though Goda Devi's neck was fashioned
like a conch by Brahma, it was constant application of sandal
paste in her youth that rendered it white.
Music was evidently a major occupation for Goda Devi and
her friends. The hymns composed by her are also meant to be sung
and she repeatedly refers to singing in the Tiruppavai. In the early
morning hours they go about singing the praise of the Lord (Kesa-
vanai paadavum, Pankaya kannanai paadelo) to wake up one another in
the Margasirsa month. The poet remembers this and gets ready a
meaningful compliment: the three folds on her throat signified her
ability to sing effortlessly in the three reaches of base, middle and
high. Lotus stalks were her hands while her chest was like the
nuptial crown tied by Cupid on the face of Rati Devi. The breasts
rebelled at the control imposed by the dress and grew close to each
other as the pair of chakravaka birds that had been released from
Rama's curse (Rama had cursed the chakravakas in the forest

36 Goda's Garland of Devotion
when he was undergoing the pangs of separation from Sita Devi).
The line of hair from the navel to the breast had a darkling sheen
and appeared like a snake moving on mountains
The folds in the navel were golden sheets. The behind, the
thighs, the calves, the feet: loveliness was strewn everywhere with a
prodigal hand. Her golden green complexion shone with a supernal
beauty:
"As she was an incarnation of Mother Earth, due to the
friendships of the earlier life, Nagakanyas took birth in the
neighbouring houses of devotees as Maralika, Ekavali, Harini,
Manojna and Sragvini. Together they celebrated dolls' marri-
ages quite often and sang hundreds of prayerful songs. These
songs described the wedding of Lakshmi and Narayana
Listening to these songs and herself taking part in the singing,
due to the effect of her past lives, Goda Devi was drawn irresis-
tibly to the nectarean stories about the Lord's several incar-
nations."
As mentioned earlier, Goda Devi is considered an incarnation
incorporating several aspects of Sri Devi, Bhu Devi and Neela Devi.
The Sri, Bhu and Neela Suktas are of special interest in this con-
text. While Sri Devi is the image of the Lord's compassion, Bhu
Devi represents prosperity that is granted to us by Narayana, and
Neela Devi (or Nappinnai, as referred to by the Alwars) is the ideal
of enjoyment and happiness. As the great commentator Peria
Achan Pillai avers:
"Sri Devi forgives the wrongs done by devotees; Bhu Devi
sees no wrong anywhere; Neela Devi (Nappinnai) is Patience
(kshama) incarnate. Sri Devi is the Lord's prosperity; this
prosperity is caused by Bhu Devi; it is enjoyed by Neela Devi".
Goda Devi is seen as the synthesis of all these three aspects.
Hence the opening verse of Vedanta Desika's Sri Goda Stuti reads:
I take refuge in Goda Devi
The wish-yielding creeper
In the grove of Vishnuchitta's family;
That clings to the sandalwood tree
Of Rangaraja;
She is lovely and incarnates

Goda Devi 37
The Patience of Mother Earth
And the compassion of Mahalakshmi.
I seek no other refuge.
Goda Devi’s re-creation of Gokula in the Tiruppavai is an indi-
cation of all that is spoken in Bhu Sukta. Prime importance is
given to rain and cows, both of which are associated with plenty
since Vedic times. Bhu Devi is Vasundhara (carrying precious
stones), Vasavi (image of corn) and Sadana (residence for all beings)
who wears the garment of ocean (Samudravati) and has the Sun
as the saffron-mark (Savitri).
The brief Neela Sukta names her Ghrutavati (maker of ghee)
and Payasvati (maker of milk). She is Aghora (cool, gentle), Asha
(guardian) and is ever associated with happiness for she walks in
beauty. As the milk and ghee give pleasure for our body, Neela
Devi’s beauty gives joy for our soul. Looking at her, a figure of
infinite beauty and compassion and patience, our sorrows are
destroyed. A strange ecstasy thrills through our being and we feel
a closeness to the Divine. Even as Goda Devi has described Neela
Devi (Nappinnai) as a ravishing beauty (such a divine cool figure
that flowers don’t fade when worn on her tresses throughout the
night—kothalar poonkuzhal Nappinnai), Krishnadeva Raya has des-
cribed Goda Devi’s beauty with infinite aesthetic joy. Because she
is, “we draw nearer to God”.
As we walk into the central area of this glorious theme, a rich
mythological and legendary feast is laid before us. Krishnadeva
Raya, who inaugurated a Hindu renaissance in South India,
gives us rich glimpses of our Arya Sampath. The immediate con
text is Goda Devi’s entry into the portals of the Palace of Divine
Love:
“Vishnuchitta, though grown prosperous due to the grace
of the Lord, continued to perform his pushpa kainkaryam
to the temple. He spent the rest of his time explicating the
Vishnu Purana to his devotees”.
The maiden’s consciousness, imbibing the figure of Krishna
and watching the lovely garlands being offered to Him, was fixed
upon the loveliness of the fresh flowers. Attracted by them and
wishing to decorate herself, she began wearing the garlands and

38 Goda's Garland of Devotion
ornamenting her tresses with some of them. For a while she would
watch her reflection in the waters of the lake. Satisfied, she would
then replace the garlands in Vishnuchitta's basket.
It is not surprising that this 'misdemeanour' went undiscovered
for quite some time, though Vishnuchitta was an expert garland-
maker and would have noted any disturbance or crumpling up of
the blossoms. Since Goda Devi was no ordinary human being but
an incarnation of Nappinnai, flowers did not fade when worn by
her.
So the drama goes on in Āmukta Mālyada. Goda Devi bathes
after rubbing turmeric all over her body. She wears washed clothes,
and decorates herself with Kasturi paste. Then she puts on the gar-
lands prepared for Vatapatrasayi. Taking them off after a while
she sighs deeply and tells her friends plaintively:
"My friends! I wonder at your songs praising Hari's
deeds. Which girl who has fallen in love with Him has been
saved by Krishna? Better He is incarnate in every yuga as a
fish, a tortoise, a boar and a lion than take a human form as
Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, and Buddha and torture
innocent women. There were no women during the other
incarnations. Even if there were, the natural enmity between
humans and animals would have kept them apart. This (pro-
blem of falling in love with the Divine) would not have occurr-
ed."
And she continues:
"It is no untruth that the creation is one's personal handi-
work. After all, we can lessen somewhat the pangs of separa-
tion by conversation with the like-minded, and music and
dance. What can the poor animals do, for they cannot even
talk!
In the ages past this same Srihari had made his beloved
gopikas shed tears and suffer tingling of the skin due to in-
tense emotion. This was truly a sin. He had to suffer the
effects of these sins by moving in waters (as fish and tortoise)
and going about with stiff bristles (as a boar and a lion). As
for his activities as Vamana, Parasurama and Rama, giving
endless pain to women, O friends, hear me speak.

Goda Devi 39
Remember Vishnu cutting off the head of Bhrigu’s wife?
He incarnates as Vamana and proclaims he is Brahmacharin,
leaving behind beloved Lakshmi Devi, who never likes to be
away from Her Lord”.
And now an epic simile which compares Parasurama destroy-
ing the Kshatriya Kings several times over and doing tarpana in
their blood to the playing of a lute in all the three reaches and
using the seven swaras several times over leading to enjoyment
(anurakti). Parasurama’s giving away the earth as charity to Sage
Kasyapa was a blot upon his honour. Fortunately, Bhu Devi being a
pativrata, preferred to be born as Kasyapa’s daughter and became
famous as Kasyapi.
Krishnadeva Raya continues with his archful ninda stuti. As
Rama, Vishnu had spurned Sridevi, another lady, Surpanakha,
lost her nose and ears because of her love for him. If only Rama
had agreed to wed her, Surpanakha’s brother Ravana would not
have stolen Sita, thereby condemning her to a long separation. Or
he should at least have sent Surpanakha away expressing his inabi-
lity to marry her. Why make fun of her and disfigure her, and
thus heap additional shame upon her?
Of course we have heard of the sublime beauty of the Rama
incarnation. Even men fell in love with him (pumsam mohana roo-
paaya). When the sages fell in love with him, he could easily have
converted them into women and satisfied their longing. After all,
he could convert even a piece of stone into the lovely damsel Ahalya.
Instead, Rama went out of the way to promise the sages that in
some distant future he would incarnate again and then marry them.
They had to wait for a yuga for this to happen. How long the
suffering!
Having been born as gopikas, one would have thought that
their long wait would be rewarded by a prolonged union with the
Supreme Lord. But no! The hard-hearted Lord must needs make
Akrura come to take Him away to Mathura. Did these ladies meet
Krishna again? Certainly not. They had to spend the rest of their
lives away from their beloved who had become a royal personage
in a distant city. Does this not prove that Hari is ever heartless
towards ladies?

40 Goda's Garland of Devotion
Ajomukhi and Surpanakha were disfigured because they were
women. And ugly as well. Remember how, as Balarama, the Lord
married Revati who was tall beyond human reach? When he want-
ed he could easily transform the hunchback Trivakra into a lovely
damsel. Which goes to prove that there is little logic and plenty of
whimsicality on the part of the Lord when it is a matter concerning
women.
As we now read these passages in Āmukta Mālyada, we can
easily visualise the intense maiden Goda Devi, her eyes flashing
angrily at some distant object, lips a quiver, speaking to her friends
in a plaintive tone, her hands unconsciously plucking at the fresh
garland of red roses in her hand.
The passages in Āmukta Mālyada which form an archful nindā
stuti criticising the Lord for His harsh treatment of ladies are elo-
quent testimony to Krishnadeva Raya's close acquaintance with
the hymns of the Divya Prabhandham. For instance, the poetic pro-
secution of Rama was surely inspired by Tirumangai Alwar's
Siriya Tirumadal which is in the form of a letter written by a love-
lorn lady pining for union with the Lord.
The letter opens with a reference to Bhu Devi "who has the
mountains for breasts, the ocean for garment, the Sun for the saffron-
mark on the forehead, the rivers for her necklaces, the rainy clouds
for her tresses and the waters beyond space as her guardian moat."
This is followed by a description of the lady's dressing-up and a
chance meeting with her Lord. Was it a deliberately contrived
meeting on His part? From that moment the lady had become mad
with love for the Divine. At last a gypsy finds out the truth. The
lover is dark-hued Narayana!
The rest of the letter is a magnificent description of the several
avatars with particular reference to the Rama and Krishna incar-
nations. How to overcome this impossible desire to possess the Divine
who is apparently beyond human possession if we consider his
superhuman activities? The only way is to show the world that the
days to feel shy are over. Confess this desire openly and if people
laugh at me, let them! Vasavadutta had done it before when she
followed the fettered Vuthsa Udayan. "I too shall go where He is,
to Venkata Hill, to Kanchi, to Vellarai, indeed to all the holy places

Goda Devi 41
where He resides in the archa form. I shall walk the main streets
shouting his Sahasranāma.”
If Rukmani’s letter to Krishna was the cry of the aspirant’s
anxiety, the Tirumadal of Tirumangai Alwar and the speech of
Goda Devi in Amukta Mālyada are the outbursts of a soul tried to
the utmost. Krishnadeva Raya adds further sly barbs to the quiver
when Krishna is on the dock.
‘“In the Brindavan he gathered into his arms one cowherdess
and condemned another to the sorrow of disappointment.
His partiality towards Radha is well known. Why should he
thus torture us all the time?”
Goda Devi’s angry laughter did not deceive her friends. They
realised that she had fallen in love with Krishna and was now im-
mersed in His presence. However, they tried to make light of the
whole affair:
“It is common for women to criticise their lovers when the
latter are far away; but as soon as the beloved returns home
he is Indra and Chandra according to them. You had
praised Him before. We cannot think you to be really indiff-
erent now”.
Goda Devi bit her lips and seemed to control her anger. She
then began playing with the garland in her hands After some
desultory conversation the friends told her that it was obvious her
consciousness was full of Krishna. So hot were her sighs that the
pearls of her necklace crumbled to powder. What a torture is this
love for the Divine!
Krishnadeva Raya actually follows the autobiographical
strain in the 143 verses that make up the Nachiyar Tirumozhi, where
we go through all the stages of a mystic’s path—aspiration, waiting,
vision, dark night of the soul, longing, union—as the individual
soul journeys from the human consciousness to the Divine. Goda
Devi’s verses reflect clearly her pure heart, her utter simplicity,
her cultured upbringing, her sincere aspiration and her lovable
nature.
There was the time of childhood when innocence met the
Divine as a mischievous trouble-maker. She and her friends made

42 Goda's Garland of Devotion
tiny sand castles that were broken up by Krishna in what seemed
fun for him. "What fun do you get out of troubling innocent child-
ren?" asks Goda Devi. The question is no different from the one
asked by elders when suffering comes upon them: "Why does He
play with our lives so?" And then Goda Devi grew up, suddenly
as it were, and found herself a victim of an intense thirst, the thirst
to gain the nectar of Krishna's presence.
Written in the Nayaka-Nayaki bhava, Goda Devi's verses
have a special edge as she was by birth a woman. There was no
need for her to seek Krishna-anubhava by imposing a feminine
colour upon her thoughts as Nammalwar (Parankusa Nayaki)
and Tirumangai Alwar (Parakala Nayaki) had to when they
sought to pour down in verse form their intense aspirations for
the Divine. The first decad of Nachiyar Tirumozhi is itself a prayer
to Kama Deva for success in her efforts. The Margasirsa vrata
is over; during the forty days of the following Thai and Maasi
months, Goda Devi has cleaned the temple of Kama, decorated
it with rangoli, offered Datura and Palasa blossoms as also other
favourites of Kama like the makara fish and the Yak. The year-
end (Panguni month) sees her perform every worship marked by
tradition at the temple of Cupid. Observing this vrata, her tresses
have gone dry, lips have become pale and the skin has lost its
sheen. It is time Kama helped her meet Narayana.
The rest of Nachiyar Tirumozhi is one long recollection of the
Lord's avatars (with the Krishna incarnation in particular) and
anxiety for reunion with the Divine. As the traditional accounts
point out, childhood and girlhood in Vishnuchitta's household
were a profound education in the itihasas and puranas which speak
of the glory of the Lord. Krishnadeva Raya says that Vishnuchitta's
time was spent in expounding the Vishnu Purana to his devotees.
Thus it is not surprising that, for one who was brought up in such
an atmosphere, devotion to Krishna became a way of life. Indeed,
the passion for the Divine came upon her with such great intensity
that it made Goda Devi a physical wreck almost.
The visual scene of Goda Devi's anxious wait for the Lord
is made dramatic by Krishnadeva Raya when her friends take the
stage. Marali tells Harini that Goda Devi's hot sighs make it im-
possible to apply musk on her forehead. Sragvini says that her body

Goda Devi 43
is as dry as a garland of flowers thrown in the hot sun, and Goda
Devi has become as light as a doll made of cork.
But Goda Devi silences them. From whence so much anxiety
on their part? There really is nothing wrong with her! But, of
course, she is like a piece of metal being heated in the fire (puta
paaka prakarambagu viyoga dhava durbharamu) as she undergoes the
pangs of separation. When alone, she gives expression to her sorrow,
for the flute-player of Brindavan has entered her very being:
"The left shoulder that appeared soft and gleaming like
a blue lotus fresh blown, held up the makara ear-rings; the
eye brow shaped as a neem leaf seemed to be a guardian to
keep away the evil eye from the unequalled loveliness of the
face; slightly bent lips that were a hibiscus-red; eyes long and
bright that look on sweetly; music that flowed like seven
floods pleasing the ladies in the seven worlds; all this, O
Govinda, from you as your fingers danced upon the flute
created soulful music. How have you managed to charm the
Yadava maids!"
Goda Devi's identification with the gopikas of Brindavan
is so complete that she finds herself back in space and time and
suffers like one of the hundreds in the woods The cause of this
discomfiture is Radha!
"O Radha! like droves of deer the gopikas came braving
the wrath of their in-laws, drawn by the irresistible call of
Krishna's flute. Is it right for you to draw him away from the
rest and enjoy his company in selfish isolation?"
In that bhoga bhoomi of divine love, one sight after another
assaults Goda Devi. Here are the footmarks of Krishna that have
pressed deep into the mud. He must have been carrying a weight,
surely the weight of a gopika whom he was leading to a trysting
place! These are Yadava maidens lying on the banks of Yamuna,
suffering the flaming darts of love. What else can one expect on
the banks of a river who also happens to be the daughter of fiery
Surya and a sister of death-dealing Yama!
Goda Devi's efforts to contain the rising tides of passion by a
bewitching smile do not deceive her friends. They tell her that her
suffering is logical and is of a piece with her past lives. "How so?"

44 Goda’s Garland of Devotion
is her astonished query. Why do they talk as if they were sages who
knew the past, the present and the future? Who was she in her life
past? One of her friends replies:
“Oh dear! Are you not the Satyabhama who was jealous
because your co-wife Rukmani received the Parijatha blos-
soms? Did you not make a mountain out of a molehill and
desire the Parijatha tree itself to be brought from the heavens
and planted in your private garden?”
These words are a revelation. As the objects in a house are
illumined when the lamp is lit, a new understanding comes upon
Goda Devi. The days of intense love spent in the company of
Krishna assault her being. Tears spring to her eyes. Her body
shudders and she falls down in a swoon. Frightened at her con-
dition, the friends blame themselves for having aided her collapse.
They cool her figure by using fans sprinkled with rose water. Goda
Devi opens her eyes but closes them again as if to hold on to the
memory of the Lord’s feet (tan Mukunda charanaamruti nischalatan).
Opening them at last she looks at her friends and asks them who
they are. “We are Naga Kanyas”. Goda Devi embraces them with
great love. Then she says:
“I was indeed the beloved of Murari in that past birth.
Now I am born in this Kali Yuga to undergo the tortures
of separation. If my father desires to give me away in marriage
to a human bridegroom, I will give up my life and reach the
feet of my Lord. The very thought of separation from one’s
beloved should help a woman give up her life. Of such stuff
are the truly chaste women”.
Taken aback by the intensity of her passion, the friends calm
Goda Devi. “Sri Krishna of Yadavas is now incarnated as the pre-
siding deity of Srirangam. You should worship Vatapatrasayi here
to gain Ranganatha as your consort”.
Goda Devi’s heart is a string of sapphires and pearls, assailed
by doubts and quietened by the loving words of the friends by
turns. However, as the days pass, she is increasingly victimised by
the arrows of Cupid. There is now only one way out. She must come
face to face with Krishna! Towards that end she decides to fix her

Goda Devi 45
concentration. By worshipping Vatapatrasayi with soulful intensity
she would surely gain proximity to Lord Krishna.
The 143 hymns of Nachiyar Tirumozhi record this phase of
Goda Devi's life. She goes through the vicissitudes of desire, the
'existential shock' of meeting Him in person, the despair of rejec-
tion, and the physical and mental turmoil due to separation. There
are also the tribulations of living in a society of human beings
with the attendant gossip. Many of the verses that describe her long
vigil are spelt out in terms of despair and hope:
Light, colour, thought, sleep—
These have left me—O ye clouds!
I shall sing Govinda's praises
And ask my soul to wait.
I rest with the golden garlands
In the garden of Narayana
Waiting; when will I hear
The sound of the Lord's conch
And the twang of the Sarnga bow?
How does one prepare oneself for a tryst with the Divine?
The ancients have opened up several pathways to attain the Sup-
reme. Of these, the path of devotion has been closest to the human
heart because here an individual's entire experiential world can
be turned to the wave lengths of the Universal in terms of aesthesis.
There is the human psyche deep within us that responds per-
fectly to the call of the Spirit. A love of beauty in the universe—
in terms of service, art, nature—holds the secret of Bhakti Yoga
Goda Devi's pathway to the Divine was through a love of beauty
in nature and art. Krishnadeva Raya brings out this in his descrip-
tion of Goda Devi's Bhakti Yoga:
“The lotus-faced Goda Devi woke up at dawn from her
silent quietude. Along with her friends she carried a golden
plate with turmeric and soap-nut powder as also other toilet
preparations, freshly laundered clothes and towels to the
pond behind her house. She walked to the pond in her garden
reciting the Divya Prabhandha hymns. After her bath, she
dried her body glistening with the golden colour of turmeric.
Pushing her tresses to the back she drew an uprising mark of
white paste and a saffron image in the shape of pumpkin seed.

46 Goda's Garland of Devotion
She wore a white-and-ochre coloured sari and set about drying
her thick tresses with scented smoke".
Goda Devi would then go to the temple carrying garlands of
red lotuses and a bunch of ripe bananas. At that early hour the
temple would be deserted. She would sweep the prākāras and draw
lovely rangoli decorations all over the place. Pouring ghee made
from the milk of a tawny cow, she would light the lamp. Reciting
the Dvaya mantra affirming absolute self surrender, she would
decorate the deity with lotus garlands, prepare aloe-wood scented
smoke, and offer the sweet ripe plantains along with sugar and
ghee. Pieces of betel-nut, dried ginger and camphor would be
mixed by her and placed before the Lord with deep devotion. Only
after making all these offerings at dawn would Goda Devi join her
friends. Together they would circumambulate the sanctum sanc-
torum and receive the satagopa blessing from the priest as also the
holy water (charana teertha). Decorating her tresses with the garland
blazoning the Lord's pleasure, Goda Devi would then wend her
way home.
Such was her daily routine. Back home she would once again
become a prey to depression caused by the exile from the Lord's
presence. To overcome this she would spend her time singing the
hymns of the Divya Prabhandham that glorify the deeds of Krishna.
If Krishnadeva Raya gives brilliant descriptions of the sum-
mer and rainy seasons when dealing with the episodes of Vallabha-
deva and Yamunacharya respectively, he excels himself in the
unforgettable description of spring while delineating the life of
Goda Devi. The Margasirsa month had just ended. Goda Devi
had indited the Tiruppavai during the preceding thirty days.
Makara Sankrama had taken place now, the Sun having turned
towards the North. The poet archfully declares that this was
because the Sun could not bear the scorching flames of separa-
tion that engulfed Goda Devi who resided in the South. The Sun
raced towards the North to cool himself in the Himalayan ranges!
More such conceits mark the layers of description, and the poet's
powers of observation constantly jerk us into joyous recognition.
Spring had come and so people had stopped wetting their lips with
tongues (as the lips crack during winter); cool breeze from the
South enveloped the atmosphere, as if the breeze wished to give

Goda Devi 47
trees the scent of sandalwood high up in the Southern mountains;
maidens gave up wearing blouses (kuppasamulu); the nightingales
began to warble; nature put on her most colourful garments; Cupid
found that his jasmine-arrows had ceased to be, but he took up the
daggers of tender shoots to assault the lovers; abundant pollen
poured out from a variety of blossoms filling the air with the heady
scent of spring.
Various scenes of lovers' trysts dotted the countryside. The
laughter of women in love had the power to make trees thrill with
blossoms! The different trees remind Kirshnadeva Raya of their
mythological associations with the heroes and heroines of the past.
The Asoka that had been Sita Devi's retreat in Lanka is here aflame
with flowers.
Vasanta Rithu, in Āmukta Mālyada, was the earth made a
heaven. The nether worlds were filled with the honey from the
spring flowers; the earth with blossoms; the skies were choked with
pollen. Thus did Cupid measure the three worlds with his feet,
as Madhava did in his Trivikrama incarnation, and cooled the rays
of the Sun. Since the bees lay thick on the ground drinking the
dripping honey from the flowers, the earth beneath the trees looked
dark throughout the day irrespective of the movement of the Sun.
To overcome the assault of spring, Goda Devi began to sing the
Megharanjani raga. Immediately the clouds gathered and winds
blew over the flower clusters. Shuddering, she swooned. Coming
to herself, she began to play the lute. But there was no peace here
either.
She then began to draw the portrait of Narayana, as if she
needed it for worship. Actually this action gave her a chance to
watch lovingly the beloved limbs of the Lord. However, when she
came to the image of Lakshmi on the Lord's breast, she grew sad
due to the pangs of jealousy (talledillu eesun taapamun meeragun).
Her friends found it impossible to bring down the fever of her desire,
though they did try their best by pouring rose water on her limbs.
It was only when her pet swan began spewing out the cast-off lotus
garland, which it found hot , did Goda Devi smile. This smile was a
source of reassurance to her friends.
So the days of spring passed by. Goda Devi sang, aspired,

48 Goda's Garland of Devotion
wilted, suffered. The inner spaces of her being were one vast ocean
of passionate yearning to meet the Divine. Her condition naturally
brought on depression over her home.
Vishnuchitta's household had always been overflowing with
joy, for Krishna bhakti filled the home. And Krishna is Ananda-
maya. The coming of Goda Devi to the household had added
lustre to the joy. In Goda Devi's growing up, Vishnuchitta re-
lived the Gokula days when Krishna had entered Nanda's house-
hold. So much loveliness, devotion, music! And suddenly every-
thing was hushed. Goda Devi increasingly withdrew into herself and
laughter fled from the home of Vishnuchitta.
He was flabbergasted. His life had always taken a calm course.
The brief excitement of the Madura triumph had not affected his
retired life at Villipputtur. He was a stranger to violent passion,
and the condition of Goda Devi frightened him. Himself a devotee
of Krishna, he decided that his daughter was undergoing a tapas,
an askesis, a yoga for union with the Divine. As her body grew
weak, Vishnuchitta's concern also increased. One day he opened
his heart to the presiding deity of Villipputtur:
“O Lord, my daughter who is devoted to you is now observ-
ing a tapas which is strange to behold. She is my sole life's
light. I have not heard of sleepless nights when observing
Narayana's festivals. We wear garlands of lotus seeds and not
of lotus roots (which Goda Devi wears to cool her passion-
racked body). The flowers of the Lord are worn by us on the
ear and not used as a bed. We sip the charana amrita whereas
she pours it on her body! When we take food during vrata,
she gives up her meals. When we draw the breath in for prana-
yama, she lets out breath as hot sighs. We place our fingers
near our heart in chinmudra but she places her fingers on her
forehead (as she gets lost in thought). We use barks for a
tapasvin's dress; she puts on garments woven with tender
shoots. We praise the full moon but she curses it. What is
this austerity that is totally different from the ones followed
by us? Ignorant as I am, you will have to explain this strange
tapas being observed by my darling daughter”.
Vatapatrasayi smiled gently. How explain to Vishnuchitta
the strange ways of the Divine? How bring home to him the truth

Goda Devi 49
about Goda Devi’s incarnation? The Lord begins to tell a story, and
Krishnadeva Raya takes up the last of the digressions in Āmukta
Mālyada.
There was once a devotee of Narayana born in the panchama
caste who used to worship the Lord by singing the Mangala Kowsiki
raga. He was an honest fellow and was very much like a jewel
bound up by the dusty cloth of a ‘low’ caste. Twanging his lute,
tears streaming down his eyes, this Mala Dasari would sing soul-
fully and dance in self-forgetful ecstasy, lost in the vasts of god-
consciousness. After offering worship outside the temple for a long
time, he would take the water that flowed out of the sanctum
sanctorum when it had been washed, and drink the same as prasad.
He would also be given some left-over food by a passing devotee or
pedestrian.
One night a cat entered the hen-coop in his cottage and the
cock crowed. Mala Dasari mistook the call and decided that dawn
had come near. He got up and proceeded towards the temple
to perform his worship. He crossed the fields and entered a deserted
path on his way. Here stretched uncultivated fields where many a
vicious animal had prepared its lair. Alas, it was night still and he
had lost his way. He entered a forest where a big banyan tree
confronted him. Skulls, hair and dried pieces of flesh lay strewn
all over the place presenting a dreadful sight.
Now appeared before him a dire apparition, a Brahmarakshas.
Wearing a corpsc as an undergarment, dread-faced, the spirit had
clephantine legs and a pot-head. “Move not, you have been dis-
covered”, roared the spirit. Presently the Brahmarakshas and his
demon-wife caught hold of the devotee who, however, did not
forget the name of the Lord. The two strove for a while. The
Brahmarakshas said :
“The fat of your body pleases my desire. I would drink your
blood with red meat, sharing it with this demoness. My appe-
tiser would be wine filled in these skulls! You gave me quite
a bit of trouble. I will not kill you the easy way.”
The Mala Dasari spoke gentle words of good import (dharmamu
eriginchu sooktin) :
“O demon, even gods cannot defeat you. I am indeed food
that has reached your plate. Don’t get angry. After all, I
4

50 Goda's Garland of Devotion
have no attachment to my body either. It is best I am rid of
this chandala form. To see heavens at close range is a happy
thought. Our good example is Emperor Sibi who exchanged
his body for Moksha. Is it not better to die for satisfying the
pangs of hunger of a fellow-being than be killed in an accident
or by sickness?"
Then the devotee proceeded to speak words of deep wisdom.
After all a Brahmarakshas is high-born and can think like humans.
What price murder! Indeed, what is the use of sustaining one's
body through killing others? Demons like Ravana and Hiranya-
kasipu had to go the way of all flesh. Yama takes charge of tor-
turing humans and demons alike, to match the sinful deeds per-
petrated by them on the earth. And our deeds are regulated by
sattva, rajas and tamas within us; these again are conditioned by
the kind of food we eat. The gods live long happily because they
eat the offerings poured into the fire of holy yajnas. One could go
on describing the importance of our gods and goddesses.
The demon laughed: "Don't talk to me of Vedas and Shastras!
Fie upon your old wives' tales! I am going to kill you!"
Mala Dasari changed the track of his speech and decided to
make one more attempt to persuade the Brahmarakshas to give
him a last chance to worship the Lord with his favourite raga.
The original tale of Mala Dasari occurs in the Varaha Purana.
Krishnadeva Raya has introduced a few changes to suit his plan of
expounding Visishtadvaita. Indeed, we soon forget that the episode
is a digression and we have been detained at an important point
in the tale of Goda Devi. Such is the power of the Raya's sublime
poetry.
When shastraic lore failed to convince the demon, Mala
Dasari said that having spent some time conversing under the
aswatha tree, a fraternal bond had been forged between the two.
Hence the demon should have some pity for the Dasari's desire
to fulfil a vow. Nearby was the temple of Kurungudi. He would
go there, fulfil his vow of offering musical worship and return to
the demon to be eaten. Because of the worship, the Dasari's body
would have become prasada. Surely such holy food would be wel-
comed by the Brahmarakshas!

Goda Devi 51
The dread spirit smiled and touched the Dasari lightly on the
cheek. The fellow was pretty clever! Fancy a land where one fellow
would give up the food that has fallen to his portion or another
who would give up his life to keep a word! No, he would not be
diddled out of his juicy dinner.
“Narayana! Narayana!” recited the Dasari and made several
promises. Finally, the musician said very much in the style of
Pothana’s Gajendra:
“From whom is this universe formed? In whom does it stay?
In whom does it end? It is Vishnu. Should I break my promise,
may the sin of having worshipped a God other than Vishnu
be mine!”
The Brahmarakshas now released the Dasari who went to the
temple and sang the glories of Lord Narayana in the Mangala
Kowsiki raga. Returning to the forest he called out:
“O demon! I have come here having rid myself of all desires
by worshipping the Lord. Also I have returned with all my
limbs intact. Check for yourself!”
The power of Truth is immeasurable. The Brahmarakshas
was taken aback. Huge and repulsive, he approached the Dasari,
circumambulated him with great humility and prostrated before
him. “In this wide world, among gods, demons and kings, there is
none as truthful as you are. This truth is scripture. There is none
equal to you. You have been swimming in the floods of music
with the help of your lute’s calabash shell. You have received the
grace of Lord Nambi, the presiding deity of Kurungudi. You have
heroism, knowledge, truth, devotion to the Lord. Who can equal
you?”
The Dasari embraced the demon with love. After all, the
greater was the demon’s sacrifice in voluntarily giving up his prey!
Was it not this which enabled the Dasari to complete his vow?
Now Dasari is here to be eaten. “I call upon the Lord to be witness
to my sincere self-offering!”
The Brahmarakshas shuddered.
“How can you be so pitiless? I have sustained this repulsive
body with human flesh all these days. Long has been my wait

52 Goda's Garland of Devotion
for that person who is pure of heart and habit and who alone
can save me from this hateful life. If sincere devotees like you
cannot come forward to help the like of us, where then is hope
for me? People like you can save us just as the Philosopher's
Stone transforms iron into gold".
Then he told the Dasari how he had been condemned to be a
sinful demon. If the Dasari could give him the fruits of his musical
worship of the Divine, the demon would be freed from the curse.
But the Dasari would not part with his good deed. Giving up the
fruits of Vishnu bhakti for saving one's skin was like exchanging
camphor for salt. "Not even half of the fruits? Does the sea-water
grow less because the fish drinks it?" The demon appealed to the
Dasari's pity.
How can a devotee of Narayana be so hard-hearted? There
was Ramanuja who braved the fires of hell and the wrath of his
guru to be able to teach the common humanity the Great Truth.
He had got up the spire of the temple and blazoned forth the Tiru-
mantra, the Dvaya and the Charama sloka. It was this great teacher
who had converted ignorant followers of non-Vedic religions at
Tirunarayanapuram to Vaishnavism. He had travelled all over
areas like Andhra Pradesh and taught people to revere Vishnu.
Donning the ochre robe Ramanuja had illumined the spaces of
philosophy, cleared the shadows within the human psyche and
disseminated the message of Narayana-bhakti. Again, there was
Vedanta Desika, an unswerving devotee of Lord Hayagriva. This
teacher had lived a frugal life and written scores of volumes to
proclaim the supremacy of Narayana. Our gratitude towards such
path-finders should ever be acknowledged. The Dasari too should
follow the steps of such great people. Death would not bring relief
to the Brahmarakshas. One must attack the roots of his malady.
Even a quarter of the fruits of singing the Mangala Kowsiki raga
would yet save him.
The Dasari's heart overflowed with compassion. The Brahma-
rakshas related his tale with humility. He had been a learned
Brahmin in the Chola land. But pride of scholarship had been his
weakness. Gradually he became a trickster. At Madura he got mixed
up with Brahmins who sold their traditional calling for money. By
lending, he became very rich. One day he took a fresh oil-bath,