Saint Andal’s famed hymns, Tiruppavai, are the focus of our daily observances and disciplines
By Divya Srinivasan, USA
As schools pause for winter break and even workplaces close for the holidays during late December and early January, slow and relaxed mornings are the norm. But for my family, this is when we aim to wake up earlier than ever. This wonderful time of year means it is Margazhi, the special Tamil month when the Srivaishnava saint Andal composed her Tiruppavai verses.
To understand why we value waking up so early—or even to grasp any of our other traditions from this month—we have to delve into the history of Margazhi and the Tiruppavai.
In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna reveals to Arjuna that among all the months of the year, He is embodied most significantly in the month of Margazhi, which fell this year between December 16, 2025, and January 13, 2026, per the Tamil solar calendar. Krishna’s divine presence during this month is felt quite strongly.
It was during Margazhi that Andal, a renowned 8th-century ce Srivaishnava saint (regarded as an incarnation of Sri Mahalakshmi) composed Tiruppavai—30 heartfelt verses expressing her yearning to see Krishna. To this day, members of the Srivaishnava community across the world, including my family, celebrate Margazhi with grandeur. Each one of our small traditions and unique dishes ties back to Andal’s Tiruppavai.
Members of the Srivaishnava Sampradayam, a sub-sect of Hinduism from South India, follow the teachings of Sri Ramanuja, with an emphasis on wholehearted devotion and surrender to Sriman Narayana.
The very first Srivaishnava saints were the twelve Alvars, who collectively composed 4,000 devotional verses, known as pasurams, in praise of Sriman Narayana. Among these, Andal’s Tiruppavai are the best known. Each of Alvar’s 30 pasurams is believed to have been composed on one of the 30 days in the month of Margazhi.
For Srivaishnava families like mine, the month of Margazhi is centered entirely around Andal and her Tiruppavai. Every morning, we gather as a family to chant the entire Tiruppavai together. During the chanting, we recite twice the specific pasuram that was composed on that particular date. For example, on the 12th day of Margazhi, we would repeat the 12th pasuram twice. It is a great way to tangibly emphasize the parallel between our own celebration and Andal’s experience.
Even as a young girl, Andal grew up with an intrinsically strong devotion for Krishna. To be united with the Lord, she handpicked the month of Margazhi to undertake a month-long vrata, or vow of penance.
In Tiruppavai’s second pasuram, Andal invites her friends to join her in the vrata and outlines her plans for the month. One of the first things she highlights is the importance of waking up early and taking a bath before starting that day’s observance. And that, of course, is why my family, and several other Srivaishnava families, aim to chant Tiruppavai early in the morning.
After chanting, we offer a serving of pongal—a creamy and savory lentil-based rice dish popular in Tamil cuisine—to Krishna and Andal at our home altar. The reason we make pongal specifically can also be traced back to the Tiruppavai.
As the second pasuram continues, Andal explains the various restrictions she and her friends follow during the vrata to direct the entirety of their focus to Krishna. These constraints included not eating any ghee or milk. Pongal is an optimal dish because it doesn’t require either of these ingredients. It is also easy to make and eat quickly, so it is perfect for a vrata where you would not want to spend much time focusing on food.
Nonetheless, as time has passed, many of us often end up adding ghee to the pongal we offer. This perhaps defeats the initial purpose of making the dish, but also goes to show how traditions change and even lose some of their meaning over time.
Our daily celebrations remain quite similar for most of the month: we chant Tiruppavai and offer pongal. When we reach the 27th day of Margazhi, however, it starts to take a turn.
If Tiruppavai is like a story, the 27th pasuram can be considered the climax. At this juncture, Andal and her friends have achieved the purpose of their vrata, and they rejoice in the divine company of Krishna Himself. Up until this point, Andal had given up material enjoyments, but now, the material pleasures are simply a means to celebrate the joy that Krishna’s presence brings. In this pasuram, she discusses partaking in a sweet version of pongal containing tremendous amounts of ghee and milk, two of the items that she had given up during the time of the vrata. In fact, Andal describes it as containing so much ghee that when you pick up a handful, the ghee drips down to your elbow.
In celebration of Andal’s union with Krishna, my family treats this 27th day each Margazhi like a joyous festival, named Kudarai after the first word of the pasuram. On that day, in addition to regular pongal, we offer the sweet version made with milk and jaggery and drenched (to a realistic extent) in ghee, recreating the scene Andal lived in the way we can.
After Margazhi concludes, Srivaishnavas celebrate Andal Kalyanam, her wedding with Krishna. After all, Krishna is one of Sriman Narayana’s incarnations, and Andal is the incarnation of His consort, Sri Mahalakshmi. Temples in South India, and also in the United States, conduct the ceremonies and rituals of a traditional Hindu wedding for Andal and Krishna on this day, and the festivities of Margazhi culminate with splendor.
About The Author
Divya Srinivasan, 16, is a high school junior from the Greater Seattle area. She is passionate about journalism, linguistics, puzzles, research and connecting to her Hindu roots.