niladevi.

• undhu madha kaLitran Odaadha thOL valiyan

nandhagOpan marumagaLE nappinnaay

• After waking up Nanda Gopalan and Yashoda, the gopis proceeded to wake Goddess Nappinnai who is the consort of Lord Krishna and the incarnation of Neela Devi Nachiar.‘Oh daughter in law of Nanda Gopalan,’ addressed the girls. We know that Lord Krishna was only a child while residing in Vrindavan. Yashoda and Nanda Gopan hadn’t even performed the Upanayanam ceremony for Him. Then how did the Lord get married to Nappinnai while at Vrindavan?After lord Krishna’s incarnation Neela Devi Nachiar incarnated as the daughter of Yashoda’s brother Kumban near Nepal. As she incarnated after the Lord, she came to be called as “Pinnai” and as she is always good, the prefix “nal” was added to her name thus changing her name to Nappinnai.As soon as Nappinnai incarnated the happy Kumban purchased seven identical male calves from the market. ‘I am going to raise these seven bulls with my daughter. The young man who controls these seven when my daughter comes off age will get her hand in marriage!’The next day when Kumban visited the barn, he was surprised to see that the calves had grown into adult bulls overnight as they were Asuras in disguise. The bulls started to torment the people and Kumban was unable to find a person who could control them. Soon Nappinnai turned three years old when Yashoda visited her brother along with a five year old Krishna.

‘Your son is very beautiful! I can see that He will turn into a handsome youth. I wish I can promise Nappinnai to Him but I made a foolish vow that I will give her hand in marriage only to the man who can control all seven bulls tied in my barn,’ said Kumban.‘Uncle, don’t worry,’ said Krishna, ‘I will subdue those bulls this very second!’Kumban laughed at the sweet child but was terrified when Krishna went in search of the bulls. ‘Yashoda stop your son! I am afraid that He might get hurt!’ As Yashoda and Kumban rushed to the barn they found that Krishna had killed all seven bulls with one blow! ‘What a marvel!’ exclaimed Kumban.As promised he gave Nappinnai in marriage to Krishna but as they were only children, Kumban allowed Yashoda to take Nappinnai with her so that she could raise the two together. This story is mentioned by Swami Desikan in Yadhavabudhayam. 

Holy Vedas: Nila Suktam.

Nila Suktam ( From Taittiriya Samhita 4.4.12-13) Nila Suktam, also known as Vishnu Patni Suktam is recited as part of Pancha Suktam. This sukta is dedicated to Nila Devi who is a consort of Vishnu. The fact that Bhu Devi and Sri Devi are two wives of Vishnu is well known. Basically if Bhu is Vishnu's consort at physical level and Sri is His consort at mental level, Nila represents the vital force of Him that helps in connecting Bhu and Sri.Stomathrayasthrimse bhuvanasya pathni,Vivasvadwathe abhi nom grunahi,Gruthawathi savithar aadhipathyai payasvathi,Ranthir aashaa na asthu.Oh,one among three and thirty fold Stoma, you protect the world,You are breathed by Vivaswan, please hear our prayers and respond,Oh creator,rich in clarity and knowledge,Engulf me with your love from all directions.Dhruva disaam vishnupathni aghora,Asya eeshaana sahaso ya manotha,Make all directions stable,oh consort of peaceful Vishnu,Who is the deity of strong and adored by all.Brahaspathir mathariswotha,Vayu sandhuvanaa vata,Abhi no granathu.Let Brahaspathi, VayuAnd matharishva be pleasant towards us.May all of them bless us.Vishtambho dhivoDharuna pridhvya,Asyeshana jagatho Vishnu pathniVisvavayachaa ishayanthi subhoothiHiva no asthu adithir upasathe.The consort of Vishnu props the heaven,Supports the earth,Rules the world,She occupies everywhere,Impels the desirable andgives happiness to all,Let Adithi be peaceful to us and place us in her lap.Explanation :The term " Gruthawathi savithar aadhipathyai payasvathi " is often translated as 'Rich ighee, O Savitr, through thy overlordship'. So She is addressed as Savitr, who gives us ghee and milk. What is this milk and ghee is one question. How does niLa give it, is another.The question -What is this milk and ghee?Quite a few terms get repeated in the Vedas with wide range of symbolisms. One among these oft-repeated terms is 'Go' and another is 'Ghrta'. In ordinary parlance 'Go' means cow and ghrta means ghee. Since these two are connected (the 'Go' gives ghee)we have to see what go stands for in the vedic verses. The 'Go' is said to be an 'offering' in many verses.This does not mean that the physical body of the go is offered in the yajna! In some places it means the animal cow. But at all the places where it is mentioned in the veads, it does not mean cow. In most verses of vedas, it refers to a ray of knowledge! Hence 'Go' is translated as Ray, not cow. For instance, 'Gochara' is not 'cow-moving', it is 'becoming aware'. Similarly this term 'Ghrta' in the opening verse of Nila suktam, "Ghruthavati" does not mean one rich in ghee.The root word of 'Ghrta' is 'Ghr' which means 'shining'. Since 'Ghrta' is got from 'Go' (ghee from cow), this means that ray of knowledge gives rise to faculties of vital importance.Thus we understand that Nila is one who lords over the facultiesthat are crucial for gaining knowledge and gives it to us. Knowledge or thought is the end result of this faculty. Knowledge or thought is of the mental level. But to attain that level we need to have a robust system of vital fluids that connect the physical with the mental level ('Svah'). This is indicated by ghee offered in the yajna of agni ('Bhu') in order to reap the benefits of the yajna ('Svah'). The ghee is therefore symbolic of the 'Bhuvah', manifestation at the vital level.