Page 71 - History of Tirupathi Balaji and comparison of Sri Vaishnava

of the Lord, and the Lord, out of His causeless mercy, embraced him.

Ramanujacarya and all the Alvar saints taught that Lord Krishna is the
Supreme Absolute Truth
What is surprising about the amazing conversation of Lord Caitanya
and Venkata Bhatta and also the statements made by Ramanujacarya in his
introduction to the Bhagavad-gita is that the modern Sri Vaisnavas teach
the contrary to what their principle acarya, Ramanuja, and their predecessor
acaryas, the Alvars, have explicitly taught.

In the Mukunda-Mala-Strotra, King Kulasekhara, the tenth Alvar, glorifi es
Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He writes:
jayatu jayatu devo devaki-nandano ‘yam / jayatu jayatu krsno vrsni-vamSa-pradipah
jayatu jayatu megha-Syamalah komalango / jayatu jayatu prthvi-bhara-naSo
mukundah
“All glories to this Personality of Godhead known as the son of Srimati Devaki devi!
All glories to Lord Sri Krsna, the brilliant light of the Vrsni dynasty! All glories to the
Personality of Godhead, the hue of whose soft body resembles the blackish color of a new
cloud! All glories to Lord Mukunda, who removes the burdens of the earth!” (MMS Text 2)
The only female Alvar, Andal devi, wrote the Tiruppavai, a poem in 30
stanzas (pasurams), about her ardent desire to meet the gopis in Vrindabana
th
and learn from them how to approach Radha and Krishna. In the 16 stanza, she
writes that Krishna is the king of Gods:
Hey Nandagopa (Krishna’s father), who does good deeds and charity,
Who gives water, cloth and food to others,
Please wake up.
Our lady Yasodha (Krishna’s foster mother), who is the light of the homes of cow herds,
She who is dear to all the ladies, Please wake up

Hey, Krishna who is the king of Gods,
Who went up tearing the sky.
Please wake up, and do not sleep.
Hey Baladeva (Krishna’s brother), who wears pure golden anklets,
Please wake up along with your brother Stanza 17 or Pasuram – an ode to God
Andal makes many references to Krishna by calling Him Kesava, Govinda,
Vishnu, Madhava, and other descriptive phrases like We worship thine valour in
breaking the ogre who came like a cart, We worship thy strength which threw the calf on the
tree, We worship thine goodness in making the mountain as an umbrella (Parsuram 24)
Her love for Lord Krishna is beautifully expressed in subtle and tantalizing
Tamil poetry that leaves no doubt that she is devoted with love to serving the
Lord in Vrindaban. Andal and all the Alvars were dedicated completely to
71