Abirami Abirami ....
Today I want to share a very cool piece of info, that I learnt yesterday. The days I get home early, I get to see Vijay TV's Bhakthi program series. Some very interesting stories. All told by very well versed people. There is one gentleman who is talking about Abirami Andhadhi, and he was explaining the meaning of the name - Abirami. He split up Abirami into Abi - ramya == Now beautiful. He was explaining as to how, the Goddess is 'Now beautiful' always. I think that is a pretty cool thing. The ultimate example of 'living for the present'. For the theologically inclined - you may recognize Abirami as the Goddess of fame at Thirukadayur - and the story of Abirama battar. The battar was once meditating, entranced by the Goddess in Bhakti. The then king decided to test the battar, and asked what day it was ; and in a whim, Abirama Battar says, it is a full moon day (whereas, in actuality, it was the new moon day). As the evening approaches, Abirama battar starts composing and reciting Abirami Andhaadi, a collection of 100 verses. Towards the end, the Goddess comes to the rescue of her devotee, by tossing her nose ring (ear-ring?) on the sky, and the king sees it as the moon itself. The king realizes his mistake of doubting the battar, and asks for forgiveness.For the naasthikally
inclined (non-theological) - you may recognize Abirami as the name that Kamal keeps on mumbling in the movie Guna. Abiraaami Abiraaami.
Update: On recommendation from the CHO (chief home officer) -- explanation of what andhaadi is, is also important. Andhaadis have a common feature - Each verse starts with the word in which the previous verse ends. That is pretty cool in its own right.