{"id":28258,"date":"2023-09-12T09:27:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T07:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?p=28258"},"modified":"2025-09-10T12:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:20:57","slug":"andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/","title":{"rendered":"<em>Andal<\/em>\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/press.uchicago.edu\/ucp\/books\/book\/distributed\/A\/bo22442105.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Andal, The Autobiography of a Goddess<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Zubaan Books \/ University of Chicago Press), Ravi Shankar and Priya Sarrukai Chabia translated and edited devotional poems by Andal, also called Kothai, Nachiyar, Godadevi, and Tirumaal (or the \u2018Sacred Dark One\u2019). Andal was a 9th century CE Tamil mystic poet born in Srivilliputhur and elevated to the status of a goddess mere centuries after her disappearance as a teenage girl.\u00a0 She was the only female Alwar saint who worshipped Vishnu and who are among the earliest practitioners of the bhakti movement in medieval India which emphasized the accessibility of the divine to all in various regional languages, not just the Brahmanical Sanskrit of the past. She wrote two great Tamil works, the Thiruppavai and Nachiyar Tirumo\u1e3bi, both of which have been collected in <em>The Autobiography of a Goddess<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4>Ravi Shankar<\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ose-vimeo ose-uid-8b5d2b9998190e3d4a33498877423f66 ose-embedpress-responsive\" style=\"width:600px; height:550px; max-height:550px; max-width:100%; display:inline-block;\" data-embed-type=\"Vimeo\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowFullScreen=\"true\" title=\"Poet and translator Ravi Shankar on &quot;Andal&quot; in Poetry Markaz.\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/863467741?dnt=0&amp;app_id=122963&title=0&color=00ADEF&byline=0&portrait=0&autoplay=0&loop=0&autopause=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"550\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"encrypted-media;accelerometer;autoplay;clipboard-write;gyroscope;picture-in-picture fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>The Song of the Kuyil Bird<\/h4>\n<p><em>(Mannu perum pukal Madhavan)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Pining heavy each moment for my dark lord Madhava whose renown eternally resounds,<br \/>\nthe one cobalt as sapphire\u2019s irradiating center, is it right bangles should slip from my wrists?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\"><em>Kuyil\u2014<\/em>birds from the peppery groves of laurel, pear, wild poppy and <em>nalal<\/em>, fly to his coral lips,<br \/>\nlinger there cooing his many names, insistently, hypnotically. Ask him to hasten to my side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">The spotless being holding a silver conch in his left hand will not show his true form<br \/>\nto me. He arrives through an underground spring to liquefy my house\u2019s foundations,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">to seep into the walls and overflow my heart: pure torture. Warbling <em>kuyil\u2014<\/em>bird drunk on<br \/>\nhoney from the twitching stamen of magnolia blossoms, intercede to the lord of Venkata<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">on my behalf, murmur, get him to come. From a chariot, he felled the Lankan demon<br \/>\nRavana, burst his many heads with a storm of arrows and yet nowhere do I see his form.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O lithe <em>kuyil\u2014<\/em>bird, living fulfilled with a beloved mate in a grove fragrant with the scent of fruit<br \/>\nand petals, one pulse in synchronicity with all being, do me this favor and call my gem to me.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">My bones are immaterial, the lance of my eyes is unsheathed, insomniac, sunken in sorrow<br \/>\neven when I whirl round like arms of galaxies. Still I do not see the boat called Vaikuntha.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Dear <em>kuyil<\/em>, you know well the pangs of parting from your beloved, please go to the golden\u2014<br \/>\nhued, Garuda\u2014mounted lord and convince him to come to me. I long to bathe his long feet,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">the dark lord of Vengadam, where swans bob, where my eyes\u2014two fighting carp knowing<br \/>\nno rest\u2014can finally settle. I\u2019m begging. Listen bird, I\u2019ll even give you my pet parrot<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">in exchange, my companion fed on nothing but milk and sweetened rice. Just please call<br \/>\nthe lord who spans the world and tell him his lover grows impatient for his appearance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Hrsikesa, rhapsodized by even gods, enslaves me.<br \/>\nI pine. I languish. I waste away. Fullness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">of breast wanes, pink lips turnip, the pearls between them begin to jaundice while I wait.<br \/>\nSleeping avian, rise from the cluster of hills, tell my true love to come and I will bow<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">to you in gratitude. Not stars, nor sea<br \/>\ncan compete with the enormity of the desire<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">I have to unite with him. I can barely speak. My friends don\u2019t know what to say to me.<br \/>\nFeathered thing, what do you have to gain by hiding from me? In reality, if you helped,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">your merit would be enormous. The lord<br \/>\nof harmony whose strong arms hold a saranga<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">bow has heard and returned my vow I swear! Little mango\u2014grove dweller, just go to Tirumal<br \/>\ntell him to hurry to me. You\u2019ll see what I\u2019ll do to him once I have him between my fingers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">I am caught in the net of Sridhara, fruiting<br \/>\nin anticipation, ripened and ready. I\u2019ll burnish<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">my words no longer. Either ask him to appear, or else bring me his golden armlet. Simply put,<br \/>\nif you wish to continue to live in this grove, you must do one of these things for me. I yearn<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">for the measurer of the worlds. I\u2019m in his thrall. I can\u2019t resist his power. Everything else, moon<br \/>\nor southern breeze, augment my heartache. Listen, winged blotch, don\u2019t linger in this grove<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">and add to my anguish with your nonchalance. Go bring Narayana to me! Fly with the wind.<br \/>\nOtherwise I\u2019ll drive you out of here with a stick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">So the long\u2014eyed maiden sang, so stricken<br \/>\nwith longing for the lord, it rivaled the ocean\u2019s depths and she sent out the black <em>kuyil\u2014<\/em>bird<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">to deliver her message and to beseech the maker to unite with her, to wear her garland of verses<br \/>\nthat if we centuries later recite, can reveal to us the true name and nature of Narayana.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">(Ravi)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>The Song of Dark Flowers<\/h4>\n<p><em>(Karkotal Pukkal)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O dark flowers, benediction of sun &amp; elevation<br \/>\nof waves cresting then churning to drown me.<br \/>\nWho hears voices in water? My sole wish<br \/>\nis to drown in the cavity where the tula\u2014petals garland<br \/>\nhis chest, to pour torrents of flowers<br \/>\nin a reluctant heap around his magnificent body.<br \/>\nI too rise from aromatic breath to throaty skies,<br \/>\nmy love as pure as the blue flame held aloft<br \/>\nin the palm of the one whose inner light<br \/>\nis the distilled and living essence of the Vedas.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O <em>Kottai<\/em>, your sinewy vine gasps red fruit,<br \/>\na reminder to the lips of itself, a song of spirit<br \/>\n&amp; senses. Don\u2019t drag my days barbed through me<br \/>\nwhen I tremble now, truly. I am brazen, fallen<br \/>\nbut not repentant nor ashamed, dreaming<br \/>\nhis luminous sleep on a forked serpent tongue bed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Bright jasmine, spare me your smile. I surrender.<br \/>\nIf the words that slashed at demonisms prove false<br \/>\nis my birth also just as false?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O black cuckoo what ravaged garden girds<br \/>\nyour song? Whirr plaintively instead a blue\u2014<br \/>\nnote for the one with a fluttering banner<br \/>\non an immaculate field who alone holds<br \/>\nthe purpose of my life as mere song in his paws<br \/>\nthat we will both hear to vanish with us.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O muster of peacocks, at such audacious balletic<br \/>\nforms I fall prostate, inner\u2014mirroring your fan<br \/>\nof eyes like the many metallic hoods whose paralyzing<br \/>\nsway has me swooning. Incomparable peacocks,<br \/>\nlimitless imitation could not compare<br \/>\nto your unfurling feathers!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Deprived, shorn of self, a hollowed\u201aout gourd,<br \/>\nI have nothing left to give. I\u2019ve expended all<br \/>\nat Govinda\u2019s feet, who while dancing with pots,<br \/>\nplucked the stem of me in such a heightened state.<br \/>\nFrozen in ecstasy, is it fair to be further tormented?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Rain, pouring rain, drip on the arbor where my lord lives<br \/>\nlike hot wax poured into a clay mold, my heart the ready<br \/>\nvessel for his light melting into shared radiance.<br \/>\nMake him stroke me, bury so deeply<br \/>\ninto my being that his tip touches my heart to flame.<br \/>\nCan you rain down that furiously? Pound down please.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O oceans! Just as he set you howling to steal vigor<br \/>\nfrom your depths, he entered me to smash<br \/>\nthe substance of what I had been into shoals .<br \/>\nCan you convey to this cunning force spread<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary); font-size: var(--global--font-size-base);\">upon a serpent my extreme suffering in the matter?<br \/>\nWhat defense do I have against such bold glory?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">If the blazing lord of Arangam finds kindling of virtue,<br \/>\nthen he will reveal what\u2019s outside himself inside of me.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">(Ravi)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>The Song of the Sandcastles<\/h4>\n<p><em>(Namam ayiram)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O N\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a, whose grace is praised<br \/>\nbut never parsed by a thousand names.<br \/>\nO Nara, made flesh as Yasoda\u2019s son,<br \/>\nhelp soothe our suffering, create a balm<br \/>\nfor the full moon of Panguni is upon us<br \/>\nand we\u2019ve strung the streets with scents<br \/>\nto welcome Kamadeva, the God of love.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t tease us, great Sridhara.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary); font-size: var(--global--font-size-base);\">Don\u2019t wreck our sandcastles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">We\u2019ve toiled over them until our backs throb,<br \/>\ncarefully shaping a keep from minute grains,<br \/>\npinching together pinnacles<br \/>\nand parapets with thumb and forefinger.<br \/>\nAllow us to enjoy the fruit of our labor<br \/>\nO Lord, alpha and omega, let us gaze<br \/>\nwith pride for a passing moment<br \/>\non what we have so carefully built.<br \/>\nRemember when you too slumbered<br \/>\nin human form, as a lovely child<br \/>\nupon the broad hammock of a banyan leaf.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary); font-size: var(--global--font-size-base);\">Show us compassion even in spite<br \/>\nof our numerous transgressions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O ravenous lion that roams the skies<br \/>\nand slumbers upon the vast oceans,<br \/>\nmighty mahout who tamed the wild<br \/>\nelephant. Just to catch a glimpse of you<br \/>\non the horizon\u2019s arc intensifies our longing.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t tease us with sidelong glances.<br \/>\nSifting particles of sand, we\u2019ve wearied<br \/>\nour wrists thick with bangles,<br \/>\neven as you lounge on approaching<br \/>\nand receding waves, laughing no doubt.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t wreck our sandcastles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Storm\u2014dark Lord, you hold us in thrall with<br \/>\nbut a word. Even your silences captivate us,<br \/>\nthe faint outline of a face we can\u2019t quite make<br \/>\nout bewitches more than magic.<br \/>\nWe are innocent children and know<br \/>\nnot what to do.<br \/>\nO dearest one, your eyes bloom<br \/>\nlike lotus\u2014buds, unfurling to drink us in.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t wreck our sandcastles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Like curving <em>kolams <\/em>from a grid of dots,<br \/>\nwe form sandcastles with fine white sand<br \/>\nto decorate every threshold.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary); font-size: var(--global--font-size-base);\">Even when you wash them away,<br \/>\neven as our hearts break,<br \/>\n<\/span>even as into thin air we melt, leaving behind<br \/>\nbones to be ground into powder, we bear you<br \/>\nno ill will and don\u2019t question your wisdom.<br \/>\nO Keshava! Two\u2014faced Madhava, are you so blind<br \/>\nto our mortal agony?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Still unripened, our breasts barely pucker<br \/>\ninto nipple yet while we shape turrets<br \/>\nfrom fine white sand, you eye us deviously.<br \/>\nHow can we understand your divine purpose?<br \/>\nO all pervasive, all powerful Lord,<br \/>\nyou\u2019ve corralled oceans to vanquish demons,<br \/>\nflicked Lanka away like a discarded fruit pit.<br \/>\nTorment us no longer! We have no choice<br \/>\nbut to surrender to your whim.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">If we could translate the syllables of creation<br \/>\nAnd fathom the depths of your knowing,<br \/>\nbut Lord, dark as pressure in the depths<br \/>\nof the ocean, we are but children in relation to you.<br \/>\nPlease recall your love for us,<br \/>\nour love for you.<br \/>\nSpare us our sandcastles!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">It\u2019s taken many lifetimes to gather sand<br \/>\nin a broad pot, winnow it so that pure grains<br \/>\ncan stick into some semblance<br \/>\nof structure. Why take pleasure in ruining<br \/>\nour play? Why kick towers we\u2019ve spent<br \/>\nso long to make? You finger the edge<br \/>\nof a flaming discus Lord, growing ocean\u2014<br \/>\ndark yet sweet as cane. Don\u2019t you know even<br \/>\nsugarcane is bitter to a heart inflamed with<br \/>\nsuch keening craving?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">You cross our courtyard just to show us<br \/>\nyour sublime smile, never revealing<br \/>\nwhether or not you intend to smash<br \/>\nour sandcastles and our hearts as well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">O Govinda, who leaped to span<br \/>\nthe waist of the earth and the wet<br \/>\nof the sky, if you embrace us like that,<br \/>\nwhat will our neighbors say?<br \/>\n\u201cO Lord who sipped the nectar<br \/>\nof Sita\u2019s lips, please don\u2019t scatter<br \/>\nour sandcastles!\u201d so the young girls<br \/>\nof Ayarpati pleaded in simple words<br \/>\nthey improvised as they played hide\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">and\u2014seek on the sinuously raveling,<br \/>\nsensuously unraveling avenues.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">So sang Kotai of Visnucittan, master<br \/>\nOf Srivilliputhur, that city in the foothills<br \/>\nthat resounded with the music of the Vedas.<br \/>\nThose who master these Tamil verses<br \/>\nwill most certainly attain<br \/>\nVaikuntha, that world which exists<br \/>\nbeyond the margins of the material<br \/>\nuniverse, the eternally blissful abode<br \/>\nof N\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">(Ravi)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poet as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":28261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,35],"tags":[3031,3030,2447,2416,3029,1709],"article-category":[4768],"article-type":[],"coauthors":[3028],"class_list":["post-28258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry","category-poetry-markaz","tag-gods","tag-indian-poetry","tag-myth","tag-stories","tag-tamil-poetry","tag-translation","article-category-poetry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.5 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar - The Markaz Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poe as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poe as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Markaz Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-12T07:27:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-10T10:20:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"647\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ravi Shankar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ravi Shankar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ravi Shankar\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0ecbbe32e36aea5aecaf4849e795c4d7\"},\"headline\":\"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-12T07:27:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-10T10:20:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1970,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"gods\",\"Indian poetry\",\"myth\",\"stories\",\"Tamil poetry\",\"Translation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Poetry\",\"Poetry Markaz\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/\",\"name\":\"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar - The Markaz Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-12T07:27:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-10T10:20:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poe as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg\",\"width\":1400,\"height\":647,\"caption\":\"The Srivilliputhur Andal temple is found in Srivilliputhur, a town in Virudhunagar district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 80 km from Madurai (courtesy Srivilliputhur).\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Markaz Review\",\"description\":\"Literature and Arts from the Center of the World\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Markaz Review\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/cropped-New-2023-TMR-Logo-500-pix.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/cropped-New-2023-TMR-Logo-500-pix.jpg\",\"width\":473,\"height\":191,\"caption\":\"The Markaz Review\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0ecbbe32e36aea5aecaf4849e795c4d7\",\"name\":\"Ravi Shankar\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e093d9d9d1551e3ce66911ce529ef548cb300558be5cfc2a5135f7400ba51a4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g241f5be26ce9da619472c9af27ae542a\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e093d9d9d1551e3ce66911ce529ef548cb300558be5cfc2a5135f7400ba51a4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e093d9d9d1551e3ce66911ce529ef548cb300558be5cfc2a5135f7400ba51a4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ravi Shankar\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/author\\\/ravishankar\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar - The Markaz Review","description":"Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poe as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar","og_description":"Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poe as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.","og_url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/","og_site_name":"The Markaz Review","article_published_time":"2023-09-12T07:27:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-10T10:20:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":647,"url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ravi Shankar","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ravi Shankar","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/"},"author":{"name":"Ravi Shankar","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/person\/0ecbbe32e36aea5aecaf4849e795c4d7"},"headline":"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar","datePublished":"2023-09-12T07:27:16+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-10T10:20:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/"},"wordCount":1970,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg","keywords":["gods","Indian poetry","myth","stories","Tamil poetry","Translation"],"articleSection":["Poetry","Poetry Markaz"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/","name":"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar - The Markaz Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg","datePublished":"2023-09-12T07:27:16+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-10T10:20:57+00:00","description":"Devotional poems in Tamil by Andal, a poe as beloved in India as Rumi is around the world.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Tamil-temple-to-poet-goddess-Andal.jpg","width":1400,"height":647,"caption":"The Srivilliputhur Andal temple is found in Srivilliputhur, a town in Virudhunagar district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 80 km from Madurai (courtesy Srivilliputhur)."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/andal-three-poems-translated-by-ravi-shankar\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Andal\u2014Three Poems Translated by Ravi Shankar"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/","name":"The Markaz Review","description":"Literature and Arts from the Center of the World","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#organization","name":"The Markaz Review","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cropped-New-2023-TMR-Logo-500-pix.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cropped-New-2023-TMR-Logo-500-pix.jpg","width":473,"height":191,"caption":"The Markaz Review"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/person\/0ecbbe32e36aea5aecaf4849e795c4d7","name":"Ravi Shankar","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e093d9d9d1551e3ce66911ce529ef548cb300558be5cfc2a5135f7400ba51a4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g241f5be26ce9da619472c9af27ae542a","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e093d9d9d1551e3ce66911ce529ef548cb300558be5cfc2a5135f7400ba51a4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e093d9d9d1551e3ce66911ce529ef548cb300558be5cfc2a5135f7400ba51a4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ravi Shankar"},"url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/author\/ravishankar\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40369,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28258\/revisions\/40369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28258"},{"taxonomy":"article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-category?post=28258"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-type?post=28258"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=28258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}