The goal and the means

Andal in the tenth verse of Her Thiruppavai uses the word ‘svarga.’ But what is this svarga? We usually equate svarga with Indra loka. But Andal is talking about non-separation from the presence of the Supreme One. We have an example of this definition of svarga in the Ramayana, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. Sita tells Rama that being with Him is svarga and separation from Him is naraka. And that is what Andal says in Her Notru svargam verse.

From verse six to ten, Andal wakes up girls of different qualities. In verse ten, the girl who is being woken up has saadhya bhakti. Saadhana bhakti is the kind where people expect something in return for their bhakti. They seek rewards for their bhakti. But the one who practises saadhya bhakti believes that his effort does not lead him to God. He believes that it is the Lord’s grace which leads him to the Lord. In other words, he believes that the Lord is not just the goal, but is also the means. This is the kind of bhakti that the girl who is addressed in verse ten of the Thiruppavai has.

Andal also talks of a nonbu here. This nonbu is the knowledge that Lord Krishna is everything. It involves a shunning of personal effort to attain His feet. In his Thiruvaranga Kalambagam, Pillai Perumal Iyengar says that he does not make any effort to reach Him, but awaits His grace. Arulala Perumal Emperumanar, in his Prameya Saaram, also says that the goal and means are the God Himself. Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar says prapatti means giving up one’s effort.

So, what do the three yogas described by Lord Krishna mean in his case? For the one who has surrendered, karma yoga is service to the Lord. Jnana yoga is serving only Him and Enjoying the Lord’s qualities is bhakti yoga.