India is decorated with so many towering mystical saint-poets who have expressed profound spiritual experiences through poetry, music, and dance over three thousand years. What is not widely known is that not all of them have been men. Amongst the many female saint-poets who have journeyed across this ancient land, two towering figures stand out for their unique blend of spirituality and sensuality—Āṇḍāl from Tamil Nadu and Akkamahādevī from Karnataka. Both of these female saint-poets transcended the boundaries of gender, caste, and conventional norms to not only become icons of devotion but whose compositions are still revered across modern India, almost daily, in the yearning hearts of hundreds of millions. Their life stories and work are infused with a deep sense of divine love, personal yearning, a fearless pursuit of spiritual truth, and most importantly, a bold and unabashed celebration of sensuality as a path to realizing the divine.
Āṇḍāl
Āṇḍāl, also known as Kōthai or Godā Devī, is one of the twelve Āḻvārs, the Tamil poet-saints who were devoted to Viṣṇu. Born in the 8th century in the village of Śrīvilliputtūr in Tamil Nadu, Āṇḍāl’s life is a beautiful narrative of divine love and devotion. According to legend, Āṇḍāl was found as an infant under a tulsi plant in the temple garden by her adoptive father, Periyāḻvār, a famous Āḻvār saint. As she grew up, Āṇḍāl became deeply devoted to Viṣṇu, specifically to his form as Raṅganātha of Śrīraṅgam. Her devotion was unique because she did not see herself merely as a devotee but imagined herself as the bride of Viṣṇu, yearning for a divine union.
V2S2’s rendition of the final Tiruppāvai verse in Suraṭṭi rāga beautifully conveys Āṇḍāl’s devotion and yearning for union with Viṣṇu.
She mischievously adorned herself with garlands meant for the deity before they were offered at the temple, a gesture that scandalized others but was accepted by Viṣṇu himself. Her poetry, particularly in the two compositions—Tiruppāvai and Nācciyār Tirumoḻi—is infused with a deep longing for union with the divine. Āṇḍāl’s verses blend devotional fervor with the intense emotion of a lover pining for her beloved. This aspect of sensuality in her spiritual yearning gives her poetry a unique flavor in the Bhakti tradition.
Āṇḍāl’s poetry is imbued with both spiritual depth and sensual beauty. In the Nācciyār Tirumoḻi, she speaks of her desire to marry Viṣṇu, using imagery and metaphors that are sensuous yet deeply symbolic of her spiritual aspirations. Her love for the divine is compared to a human bride’s love for her groom, replete with the ecstasy and agony of separation and anticipation. Her most famous work, Tiruppāvai, consists of 30 verses sung during the Tamil month of Mārgaḻi. The verses are devotional hymns that call upon the people to perform a sacred vow to please Kṛṣṇa. Although more restrained than Nācciyār Tirumoḻi, Tiruppāvai also contains imagery of bridal mysticism, reflecting Āṇḍāl’s belief in her eventual spiritual marriage to Viṣṇu.
Āṇḍāl’s poetry resonates with generations of devotees because it captures the complexities of divine love—a love that is personal, intimate, and full of yearning, yet always directed toward the ultimate union with the divine. Āṇḍāl is inextricably linked with the temple town of Śrīvilliputtūr in Tamil Nadu, where she was born, and where a famous temple stands in her honor today. Śrīraṅgam, the abode of Raṅganātha, is also a significant place associated with her life, as Āṇḍāl’s devotional love was directed toward this deity.
Akkamahādevī
A few centuries later, Akkamahādevī, another astonishing saint-poet, emerged in 12th-century Karnataka and was part of the Liṅgāyat or Vīraśaiva movement. No child who grows up in present-day Karnataka can escape reading extensively about Akkamahādevī. Her life story and poetry reflect a rebellious spirit, a deep spiritual quest, and a fearless and often withering critique of societal norms. Akkamahādevī, unlike Āṇḍāl, lived a life of asceticism and renunciation, challenging patriarchal conventions both in her personal life and her spiritual journey.
Akkamahādevī was born in Uḍutādi in Karnataka, and from a young age, she devoted herself to the worship of Śiva, particularly in his form of Chenna Mallikārjuna, a personal, intimate deity she referred to as her husband. Akkamahādevī’s life took a dramatic turn when she rejected an “earthly and pedestrian” life as the wife of King Kauśika. Despite his futile attempts to win her over, Akkamahādevī walked out of the palace, choosing instead a life of wandering asceticism and freedom.
Hindana gaḷi, a poignant Vaćhana of Akkamahādevī from one of my favorite Kannada movies Malaya Marutha, reflects her deep spiritual longing for Śiva. Timeless lyrics meet classic melody, sung by the mellifluous Vāni Jayarām. Carnātic renditions of Vaćhanas are a mainstay all over Karnataka.
Akkamahādevī’s poetry, written in the form of Vaćanas (free verse sayings), reflects the union of spiritual longing and sensual imagery. In many of her Vaćanas, she describes her love for Śiva in intensely personal and even erotic terms, using the language of a lover’s desire for her beloved. Yet, like Āṇḍāl, Akkamahādevī’s sensuality transcends the physical to become a metaphor for the soul’s longing for union with the divine.
For Akkamahādevī, Śiva was not just a distant deity but an intimately personal god with whom she shared a deep, passionate relationship. Her poetry frequently oscillates between frustration at being trapped in a mortal body and the ecstasy of feeling the presence of her Lord. In one of her famous Vacanas, she declares, “I am a woman who has realized her Lord; if I cover my body, will it hide him?” Uḍutādi, her birthplace, is an important pilgrimage site for her devotees. Akkamahādevī spent significant time in Kalyāṇa, where she debated with other saints of the Vīraśaiva movement, including Basavaṇṇa. My grandmother always mentioned that Akkamahādevī spent her final days in Śrīśaila, a sacred site associated with Śiva that is venerated as a repository of Vīraśaiva literature and art.
Both Āṇḍāl and Akkamahādevī exemplify a type of mysticism that does not shy away from expressing spiritual yearning in terms of human love and desire. In their poetry, the boundary between the sensual and the spiritual is blurred, as both poets describe their relationship with the divine in terms of an intimate, even erotic, love. For Āṇḍāl, this intense longing assumes the form of bridal mysticism. She sees herself as the consort of Lord Viṣṇu and writes erotically and longingly for the consummation of her divine marriage—a metaphor for the soul’s yearning for divine union, where the beloved is not a mortal man but the eternal, transcendent metaphysical reality.
For Akkamahādevī, the body becomes both a site of renunciation and an instrument of divine experience. Her attire is not merely a courageous rejection of societal norms but an affirmation of her total devotion to the divine. Her sensual language is directed toward a divine lover, her union with Śiva being both mystical and deeply romantic.
| Concept in Probability Theory | Analogy to Romantic Love | Spiritual Connection to Āṇḍāl | Spiritual Connection to Akkamahādevī |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conjugate Priors | Adapting beliefs smoothly in relationships. | Āṇḍāl’s evolving belief in her divine union. | Her evolving insight in devotion to Shiva. |
| Law of Large Numbers | Clarity about compatibility grows with time. | Her consistent devotion leading to fulfillment. | Her trials leading to clearer divine path. |
| Bayesian Updating | Updating emotional beliefs based on new experiences. | Deepening faith as she yearns for Vishnu. | Constant growth in spiritual devotion. |
| Markov Chains | Current emotional state influences future state. | Her devotional shifts based on divine connection. | Shifts from renunciation to divine ecstasy. |
| Expected Value | Weighing long-term emotional rewards. | Her symbolic sacrifices for spiritual gain. | Her sacrifices for long-term spiritual gain. |
| Random Walks | Unpredictable emotional journeys. | Her unpredictable yet focused spiritual journey. | Her wandering spiritual path. |
| Conditional Probability | Trust built on past actions. | Trust in Vishnu based on divine responses. | Trust built on continued ascetic life. |
| Covariance | Emotional synchrony between partners. | Her longing aligns with devotional practice. | Synchrony between her emotions and devotion. |
| Simpson's Paradox | Misunderstandings from isolated incidents. | Misunderstandings of her devotion resolved in full. | Misunderstandings resolved through spiritual context. |
| Entropy | Uncertainty and unpredictability in love. | Embracing societal unpredictability in devotion. | Embracing chaos in her renunciation of material bonds. |
Both saint-poets used the language of sensuality to articulate their intense devotion and mystical union with the divine. While Āṇḍāl remained a devoted bride of Viṣṇu, longing for her union in a symbolic marriage, Akkamahādevī transcended societal norms to live as a wandering ascetic, her body and poetry both symbols of her radical devotion to Śiva. These two great souls continue to inspire me everyday. Their work offers profound insights into the nature of divine love, the combined force of sensuality and spirituality, and the power of personal devotion in transcending material concerns and transient emotions.
- Cutler, Norman. Songs of Experience: The Poetics of Tamil Devotion. Indiana University Press, 1987.
- Ramanujan, A.K. Speaking of Śiva. Penguin Classics, 1973.
- Pechilis, Karen. Interpreting Devotion: The Poetry and Legacy of Āṇḍāl. Routledge, 2011.
- Ramanujan, A.K. Hymns for the Drowning: Poems for Viṣṇu by Nammāḻvār. Penguin, 1993.
- Basavaraju, B. Akkamahādevī: The Ascetic Saint-Poet of Karnataka. Sahitya Akademi, 1995.
