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

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,

decorated himself and went on a journey. On the way he was
murdered by highway robbers. His last moments were shadowed
by the awe-inspiring form of Kakasmasru, one of the robbers. He
became a Brahmarakshas haunting the aswatha tree.
The Dasari said that it was self-defeating to think that the
fruits of serving the Lord could be divided. The Lord alone knows
how to weigh the worth of devotion: "May He save the unfor-
tunate!" Even before the words were out of his mouth, a brilliant
form of a Brahmin came out of the demon, like a flame out of clouds
of smoke. Carrying a Divya Prabhandham, the Brahmin worshipped
the Dasari with choice words describing bhagavata lakshana and
proceeded to Badrikasharama to end his days meditating upon the
blissful form of Narayana.
Now back to the sannidhi of Vatapatrasayi at Srivillipputtur.
In the Varaha Purana, Vishnu had recounted the tale of the Mala
Dasari to Bhu Devi. She decided to please the Lord by incarnating
on earth and offering gaana anjali to Him. So she was born as Goda
Devi, and was now worshipping the Lord with poetry and music.
Having enlightened Vishnuchitta thus, Vatapatrasayi asked his
devotee to take Goda Devi to Srirangam. Accordingly, the great
Alwar went to the holy city, accompanied by Goda Devi, in a golden
palanquin.
Srirangam was (and is) a Vaikuntha on earth. Its golden
spires appeared like champak blossoms that repelled the bees (sins).
The river Kaveri by its beauty, sweetness and cool waters gave rest
to the travel-weary Vishnuchitta. He bathed in the river reciting
the appropriate prayers to the Sun. He then proceeded towards
the temple with groups of devotees, and also his daughter, who
looked lovely with beautiful ornaments.
Krishnadeva Raya's Srirangam is a place prosperous beyond
one's imagination. But there is no greed anywhere, and in fact
people vie with one another in their allergy to money. In each
house varied kinds of sweets are cooked as prasada for the house-
hold deity (prati grihasartha bhakshyapu valpuna), but the devotee
who takes to unchavritti accepts only paddy. The doorways to
the prakara were ever crowded with gods seeking admission. Pre-
siding over the guards was Vishwaksena holding the whip. And
Garuda stood there with folded hands.

54 Goda's Garland of Devotion
After being announced by Garuda, Vishnuchitta entered
Ranganatha's presence. The sight that greeted him is vividly
evoked in one long breathless sentence by Krishnadeva Raya.
Nammalwar and other devotees; Ranganatha reclining on Adi-
sesha; brilliances everywhere that destroy the sorrows in a devotee's
heart (bhakta jana manah tamah vidalanambun kavinchuchun); in short,
Sri Vaikuntha on earth. Vishnuchitta bowed deep to this Lord of
lords who alone could release us from the three passions (taapah
traya), this Narayana the Ancient, the Best among men, Prana-
taarthihara, Vasudeva, Hrishikesa, Creator of Cupid, the King of
Srirangam. An incandescent prayer blossomed forth from him:
I bow to you who are the wealth
Indestructible in Brahma's home;
My homage to you who was worshipped
By the Ikshvaku dynasty;
All hail to you, the family deity
In the home of Vibhishana;
You lead the hosts of gods
Including the powerful Siva.
Ranganatha is the throne-of-all, source-of-all; He is the Lord
of all creation, and yet resides within us as well, and pervades the
tiniest atom imaginable; He is the source of Light and Knowledge;
the jivatman is dependent upon Him, but He is transcendent and
beyond the dust of creation: the First, the Pure, the Power that
moves Time: unperceivable by human senses, He is yet our only
refuge.
Vishnuchitta's prayer brought out the prana svarupa as well as
the lovely archa figure of Ranganatha. The Lord looked at his devo-
tee with love and compassion and enquired about his well-being.
He then glanced at the lovely, youthful form of Āmukta Mālyada
who was offering flowers at His feet with meditative surrender, and
thought for Himself:
"The eyes of this girl must have given Cupid his flag (which
has a fish on it); her middle is so thin like a flower-creeper and
must have given Vasantha his residence (spring is famous
for its spreading creepers); her breasts no doubt gave Rati
the image of calabash for her lute; her lotus-face certainly
offered the resting-place for Saraswati's swan (which is sup-

Goda Devi 55
posed to live in the lotus); her thick tresses have certainly
brought joy to the peacock (which dances when the rain
clouds gather); her lotus-feet have become the refuge of bees”.
The Divine’s ways are inexplicable. In a moment Goda Devi
had been taken inside the inner apartments of the Lord; and a
deceptive figure like hers was left near Vishnuchitta. Vishnuchitta
received temple honours and returned home with the surrogate
figure (sambari tanu sambahavam) in the palanquin. However, when
they reached home, the figure of Goda Devi vanished. Returning
to the temple, Vishnuchitta cried out:
“Alas! Inspite of being the guardian-lord, Ranganatha
has stolen my daughter. Who will come to my aid in relieving
me of this wrong? If he had fallen in love with her, I would
myself have arranged the marriage. My body and my earn-
ings are meant for Him. Goda Devi is no exception. Why
then should He belittle me so? Just because He is worshipped
by mighty powers like Shiva, Brahma and Indra, He should
not insult poor people like me. Lakshmi Devi is my witness.
May Vaishnavas speak on my behalf! With Sri, Bhu and
Neela beside you, why have you sought to take away this girl
grown wafer-thin because of severe penance? Who can cor-
rect the zig-zag course of rivers and the path of water-ways?”
Ranganatha was seemingly taken aback by Vishnuchitta’s
passion. A smile lighting up the makara-earrings, the Lord said
that Vishnuchitta had certainly grown senile. Goda Devi was safe
in Vishnuchitta’s house! He must go back and search the place
well. Going back, the Villipputtur Brahmin found his daughter safe.
Tears streaming down his eyes, he blessed her.
Meanwhile Ranganatha sent Brahma, Rudra, Saraswati and
Parvati, along with Vishwaksena, to Vishnuchitta with a formal
proposal for Goda Devi’s hand. Vishnuchitta was delighted, but
would agree to the marriage only if Ranganatha assented to
getting married in Villipputtur. That way, he would be honoured
by the whole community. The message was communicated to
Ranganatha. The Lord agreed. Vishnuchitta returned to Villip-
puttur with Goda Devi.
Villipputtur put on a festival look for the approaching Goda
Kalyanam. Vishnuchitta’s home built by Viswakarma was deco-
rated with festoons. Ranganatha came riding the Garuda, and was

56 Goda's Garland of Devotion
accompanied by his divine retinue. He had a ceremonial bath and
was decked up with ornaments. The drums beyond resounded
and divine sages like Narada recited auspicious verses. Nectar
poured from the silver sky drenching the Lord. Wearing the Kaus-
thubha gem and other strings of pearls, and decked out in all
finery, Ranganatha the bridegroom (Pendli koduku) came sporting
garlands of tulsi and fresh blossoms.
Saraswati and Parvati sang wedding songs relating to the
marriage of Rama and Sita aeons before. Ekavali and Sragvini
fanned the bride who was given a ceremonial bath by the wives of
the sages. Scented oil was rubbed on her limbs. Goda Devi was
dressed in soft silk and her tresses were gently dried with scented
smoke. One divine damsel put rings upon the bride's toes. Another
added silver anklets. White silk with woven zari border was used
as the bridal dress. Among ornaments used to decorate the bride
were a golden belt, pearl necklaces, bangles, shoulder clips, ear-
rings, ear-studs and nose-rings. Collyrium was applied to her eyes,
musk rubbed on her limbs, the choodamani placed on her head and
red lotuses tied to her tresses.
The auspicious moment had come. The twelve Adityas glowed
as torches, the moon was the umbrella with stars as decorative
pearls, the ocean sprinkled lotus petals on the road, Mother Nature
with divine damsels added elegance to the scene, Agni raised
scented smoke, the God of Rain raised the bridal canopy, scholars
recited the Vedas, singers sent abroad waves of soulful music,
Garuda carried a golden plate heaped with jewels: and the Divine
Bridegroom (Alagiya Manavālan, Mannaru) entered the marriage
pandal.
He was received by Vishnuchitta with devotional salutations
(bhakti kalita bahupranaamapoorvakambugan) while ladies with
auspicious signs washed His feet. The Lord was seated upon a golden
stool while His feet were held on a golden plate and washed by
Vishnuchitta. Due honours were done. Then the devotee offered
madhuparka (bridal garments) to the Divine bridegroom. Vishnu-
chitta and his wife performed kanya daana, and Lord Ranganatha
received gladly Goda Devi. A white screen with pearl border
was held between the bride and the groom. At the moment of
auspicious union they offered each other jaggery and jeera seeds
(gudajeerakambulu), and the screen was removed. Ranganatha poured

Goda Devi 57
pearls on Goda Devi and she reciprocated the gesture. The Lord
was thrilled and sweat poured from His body. It appeared as if the
dark clouds were sending forth rain and hail-stones at the same
time.
Goda Devi grew shy at the Lord's watching her. Bowing her
head, she sprinkled the pearls with a short and quick gesture. The
Lord tied the auspicious thread (mangala sootramu) around the neck
of Goda Devi. Laaja Homa was followed by Sapthapadi (seven
steps together) and the watching of the Arundhati star. The Lord
received presents from the assembled gods and sent them away after
according them proper honours. Later he went to his native city
and disported with Goda Devi in the sandal-scented gardens of
Srirangam. Full of compassion, He and Goda Devi guard the devo-
tees all the time.
Thus concludes Krishnadeva Raya's Āmukta Mālyada. Goda
Devi herself has described in Nāchiyar Tirumozhi her dream in
which she married Ranganatha. This has inspired generations of
poets to dwell upon the theme, and transform the dream into rea-
lity in terms of poetry and music. It has been a fond tradition with
Vaishnavites to celebrate this wedding every year on the day preced-
ing Sankranti:
A thousand elephants marching
About, my Lord Narayana
Walks towards me; golden pots
Brimful decorate the doorways;
Festoons everywhere. This my dream.
Vedic scholars recited hymns
And spread holy grass emerald-green,
Around the sacred fire;
My Lord like a proud elephant
Held my hand as we circumambulated
Agni: This my dream.
The symbol of a wedding is vital to the spiritual history of
mankind. The jivatman should be ever ready, decked out in the
ornaments of good qualities, faith and surrender, like a bride. For
any moment the Bridegroom, the Universal Supreme, may arrive
and gather the jivatman in one sweep of bliss. The Nāyaka-Nāyaki
bhava used in devotional literature has grown out of this basic

58 Goda's Garland of Devotion
symbol to suggest the readiness of the human vessel to receive the
Divine Afflatus. Artists and poets have lavished their imagination
fondly on this union of the human and the divine in a blaze of
spiritual ecstasy. The Divya Prabhandham has some unique sec-
tions that bring out the best of this bhava, as in Tirumangai Alwar's
Peria Tirumadal and Nammalwar's Tiruviruttam.
Celebrating Goda Kalyanam in the images stationed in temples
or in poetry as in Āmukta Mālyada assures us that an answering
grace will meet our one-pointed aspiration leading to a spiritual
union. Again, celebrating the kalyana of Ranganatha with Goda
Devi ensures loka kalyana, the good of the world. The divine union
symbolises the coming together of Power and Compassion or Grace
in the adventure of human consciousness to reach the Divine. It is
for this reason, perhaps, that the Andhra Vishnu commanded the
King on a battle trail to get involved with the story of Goda Kal-
yanam. The sublime Telugu accents in Āmukta Mālyada form the
real victory for Emperor Krishnadeva Raya who reenacted in
his evocative poesy the drama divine:
The wedding of the eternal Lord and Spouse
Took place again on earth in human forms:
In a new act of the drama of the world
The united Two began a greater age.¹
1 Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, 1954 edition, p 465.

APPENDIX
GODA DEVI: A LYRIC DAWN
I
The time had come
for the spread of a new idea-force
that would thrill human existence
with the lyric dawn
of a spiritual Sunrise.
As Vishnuchitta bent low
for the scented leaves of Tulsi
in his well-tended garden
in Villipputtūr on hallowed ground,
he saw a moon-lit babe new-born,
sweet featured, soft, auspicious,
smiling mid the basil-bush.
It seemed natural, the sight
of that living icon in his garden.
Dare we question the ways
of Providence to reach out far
and respond to the aspiring soul?
Vishnuchitta took the baby home,
and Viraja felt transported.
They named her Goda of wondrous tresses,
A Vedic Hymn in human form.