Goda Kalyanam: Dhanurmaasam.

Acharya Sudhakar V, Rao MD

“Karkaate poorvaphalgunyaam, tulasi kaananodbhavaam, panDye viswambharaam,

Godaam, vande Sree Ranganaayki”.

Dhanurmasam, also called Margasira or “Margali”, reminds us about Goda Devi and her
song called Tiruppaavai. The thirty verses of the song are called paasurams. A paasuram
is a song of devotion and expression of gratitude to God, like a hymn.

This Dhanurmasam is very special in the temples of Lord Sri Vishnu. It is called
“dhanurmasam” because of the transit of Sun into Dhanu raasi (the constellation of
Sagittarius).

The thirty paasurams are recited one per day for the thirty days of Dhanurmasam in place
of Suprabhaata seva in all the temples of Lord Vishnu. Noted Telugu Emperor of Sri
Vijayanagara, Sri Krishna deva raya’s Telugu prabandha kaavya known as Amukta
malyada reflects this story. This is also known as “Vishnu chitteeyam” and is of great
importance in Telugu literature as one of “pancha kavyas”. The story is of the Kalyanam
of Goda Devi (Andal) and Sri Ranganatha, a form of Lord Vishnu.

Goda Devi is one of the 12 alvars. The last two alvars are Periyalvar and Goda Devi, his
daughter. These are the only two alwars from one family. Perialwar means, the great, or
the elder Alwar. This was Vishnuchitta, (called so due to his immense devotion),
Vishnuchitta. The last or the 12th Alwar is his daughter Goda Devi. Goda is of special
importance because she is the only woman among the 12 alvars and her father is also an
alvar.

Vishnu Chitta’s original name was “Bhatta naatha”. He was a great devotee of Lord
Vishnu in a small village called Sri Villiputtur in Tamilnadu. He was called
Vishnuchitta because his mind was constantly on Lord Vishnu. Sri Villiputtur is the
region where Lord Vishnu protected the world as baby Krishna on banyan leaf and is
called “Vata patra shaayi”. This is the reason, the presiding God in the local temple is
Baby Krishna.

Vishnuchitta used to offer flower garlands to God daily. It so happened that one day
when Vishnuchitta was digging the soil for planting tulasi plants, he found a beautiful
baby in the soil. When he asked the baby who she was, she replied, “ I am your
daughter”. Taking this as a boon from God, he took care of the baby as his own daughter.
He named her “Godai ”. This name evolved later as “Goda Devi”. She was therefore
“ayonija” like Seeta.

Goda Devi developed immense devotion to Lord Krishna because she grew up hearing
Krishna stories. When grew up to be a young lady, that devotion changed in to obsessive
love. Day and night, eyes closed or open, she constantly saw Lord Krishna. She started
believing that her friends were gopikas and the village, Sri Villiputtur was Gokulam at
one time in the past. She also used to wear the flower garlands made by her father before
they were offered to God and experienced the delight of Sri Krishna’s companionship.
One day Vishnuchitta saw this and felt sad that a great disservice has been done to God.
But lord Krishna appeared in his dream and assured him that Goda Devi is an incarnation
of Bhoodevi and offering the garlands worn by her is not an offense or transgression but
was a cause of delight.

Such incidents augmented her love of Sri Krishna immensely. She decided that she
should marry Sri Krishna only and no one else. She was advised to perform “Katyaayini
vratam, once performed by Gopikas to obtain Sri Krishna as their husband. This
katyaayini vratam has several very difficult restrictions, including no wearing of flowers,
or collyrium for eyes, no milk and no butter etc. This reminds one of the vratham
performed by Parvati as a six year old girl to obtain Lord shiva as her husband when Her
mother tried to dissuade her saying “maa” meaning, “don’t”. Thus She got the name
“Uma”.

Goda Devi exhorted her friends to perform the vratham. She also described the
procedural details of the vratham. This is the content of the thirty verses of Tiruppaavai
called paasurams. In fact this is the content of some of the paasurams in Tiruppavai”.

With this strong devotion, Lord Krishna had to yield to her devotion. He appeared in the
dream of Vishnuchitta and told him to bring his daughter to Sri Rangam and He will
marry her in the form of Lord Ranganatha. This was also conveyed to the priests of the
temple in Sri Rangam. Vishnuchitta was delighted and took his daughter along with his
friends in Srivilliputtur to Sri Rangam.

They were welcomed into the temple. Goda Devi, fully decorated as bride walked into
the Sanctum sanctorum and while every one was watching, entered into the Shrine and
disappeared, becoming one with Lord Ranganatha. Vishnuchitta was saddened at this
sudden turn of events. Lord Sri Ranganatha bestowed atma gnana and thus removed the
veil of ignorance of Vishnuchitta. He became the 11th alwar and is now called
“Perialwar”.

This happened the day before Makara Sankranti called “Bhogi panduga”. This is the
reason , on this day Goda kalyanam is performed.

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