AndalGoda and Mirabai
"Poetry, Passion, and Power: The Lyrics of Andal-Goda and the Music of Goda Mandali," Vasudha Narayanan"Mirabai: Inscribed in Text, Embodied in Life," Nancy M. Martin-KershawThis is a summary and reaction to the above articles, both of which have similar foci in that they each discuss different female Hindu saints. These Saints, though women, have life histories that do not exactly fit into the prescribed gender roles of current modern India. Interestingly, in an India where men dominate and female virtue is based on passivity and sacrifice for one's husband, these holy women, who never married (officially) and show no sign of passivity, are widely excepted and widely revered as examples of holy righteousness. Because of this, the saints can be viewed as alternative role models for women in India who do not readily want to submit themselves to the rule of men. The articles focus on this seemingly contradictory phenomenon of the incorporation of these female saints in Hindu mythology, first giving hagiographic details pertaining to the saints and then siting examples of various followers attracted to them. In the first article, Narayanan shows how the only female alvar of Tamil hymns, the Saint Goda (pupul
After the marriage as an independent woman, she has to deal with the lusting of other men and the intense testing done by the male religious authority. First we see that her intense devotion begins as a child. It is important to note that both of these saints, Andal and Mira are, because of their status, seen as people whom one should try to emulate, and through that emulation become closer to God. " Mirabai lived in the 16th century and was a member of the Rathor royal family. She is able to escape the marriage, however, by later denying its validity as she only had thoughts of Krsna during the ceremony. Also, inline with the recent emergence of women bhajana groups that sing the poems of the Tamil saints, several such groups have developed that are devoted specifically to the praise and worship of Andal-Goda through the singing of her poetry. Mira, however, is different from Andal-Goda in that she does not become affiliated with any official religious group and her songs are not sung by any particular group. In regard to female social paradigms, the flexibility of Hinduism can be seen in its embodiment of such seemingly contradictory examples as Goda-Andal and Mirabai, which appear to go directly against the grain of normative Hindu teachings in regard to femininity. The in-laws later tried to poison her, but when she drank the poison, first offering it up to Krsna, she becomes even prettier and more vibrant. Kershaw, in her article, gives examples of several different "Miras" that she finds in India. We see, however, that although Andal is and has been worshipped throughout south India in temples for centuries, her poetry and contribution to religious worship have largely been ignored in Hindu scholarship. " Martin-Kershaw next goes on to give us hagiographic details pertaining to Mira's life. On top of this too, they represent the diversity and flexibility of Hinduism. Bibliography "Poetry, Passion, and Power: The Lyrics of Andal-Goda and the Music of Goda Mandali," Vasudha Narayanan& "Mirabai: Inscribed in Text, Embodied in Life," Nancy M.
Common topics in this essay:
Andal Mira,
Srirangam Visnu's,
Krsna Angered,
Interestingly India,
Saint Goda,
Goda-Andal Mirabai,
Andal Shrivaisnava,
Marin-Kershaw Mira's,
Nancy Martin-Kershaw,
Krsna Mirabai,
text embodied life,
hagiographic details pertaining,
vasudha narayanan mirabai,
role model,
female role,
accepted guru,
flexibility hinduism,
hagiographic details,
details pertaining,
women mira,
narayanan mirabai inscribed,
mirabai inscribed text,
alternative role,
narayanan mentions,
andal mira,
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Acceptance Essays
