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

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