Andal talks of Lord Mahavishnu’s vibhava avataras in Her Thiruppavai, said Sujatha Raghavan in a lecture. In verse twenty-three, She describes His beauty in the reclining posture, and His majestic gait when He struts like a lion. The Lord is described as a lion that is asleep in a cave. When the slumbering lion wakes up, it shakes its thick mane, rolls its fierce red eyes looking around and comes out with a loud roar, befitting its stature as the king of beasts. “So must you come out, Krishna,” the Gopikas in Andal’s verse pray to Him. “Come out like the lion that You are, and be seated on Your throne. And then listen to us, as we place our request before You,” say the Gopikas. The Lord is charming, whether He sits, stands or reclines, and this is brought out here. Krishna is as protective of His devotees as Narasimha was of Prahlada. Did Narasimha not come out of a pillar to take care of Prahlada, just as a mother rushes to protect her child?
Verse ten may be taken as a reference to Lord Rama, for Kumbhakarna is mentioned here. Kumbhakarna, the asura who spent most of his life sleeping, was defeated by Rama. In this pasuram, the Gopikas are trying to wake a girl who does not respond. The door remains closed, and she does not open it for her waiting companions. So, the other Gopikas ask her if Kumbhakarna had gifted to her his ability to sleep for many hours at a stretch.
In verse twelve, Andal talks of Rama as manathukku iniyaan — the One who is pleasing to the heart. Krishna killed Bakasura, and Rama vanquished Ravana. Whether He comes as Rama or Krishna, He destroys evil and establishes dharma. While Andal celebrates Lord’s other avataras, it is Krishna avatar who is celebrated throughout Thiruppavai.
