Delving into South Indian devotional literature, Jeysundhar, a seasoned diplomat, takes readers on a spiritual journey with his work, “Maalyada: The Sacred Garland.” This alluring exploration centres around Aandaal – the luminous jewel of the Vaishnava sampradaya, a poet-saint who transcends the bounds of earthly existence with her ineffable devotion. Enshrined in the sacred verses of the Tiruppaavai, her poetic symphony resonates with the timeless melody of divine love. Adorned in the ethereal hues of innocence and piety, Aandaal casts a radiant glow on the spiritual landscape, embodying the essence of a soul enraptured by the divine. Through an email interview, Jeysundhar shares his journey and experiences with The Commune and everything about his latest book, Maalyada.
The Commune: How did Jeysundhar transition from being a diplomat to becoming an author? Could you share insights into your journey, including details about his family, early days, and other aspects of his life?
Jeysundhar (JS): I come from the temple town of Tiruchirappalli. My father was a welder in a factory and is now retired. My mother is a homemaker. My sister is a singer of Carnatic music. Due to a variety of reasons, most of them financial, I started working after school. Starting my career in a call centre, I parallelly pursued a Bachelor’s degree as a correspondence course with Madras University. Having completed my graduation, I continued working while also considering preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Perhaps due to the international exposure at the call centre, an interest in other languages and cultures, or having never travelled abroad before, the Indian Foreign Service became my first choice in the UPSC CSE. I cleared the exam in 2012 and joined the IFS. I am currently in my 12th year, and it continues to be a satisfying journey, filled with new experiences and opportunities for learning.
During the preparation for the CSE, I started writing a blog. Initially, it was short poetry (if I may call it that), followed by page-long posts on the blog. But, I was fascinated by the potential of Twitter (now called X) as a writing pad with a strict character limit. This enabled me to condense my thoughts into as few words as possible while also exploring an idea through a series of tweets/posts. My first published piece (an article on Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s Kamalaamba Navavaranas in the Indian Express) and my first book (Maalyada: The Sacred Garland) started as threads and expanded into their final published forms.
The Commune: What profound motivations led you to pen the work ‘Maalyadaa’?
JS: As a child, I’ve always been drawn to the songs of the Tiruppaavai, especially to the rendition of four of the Paasurams by my grandfather, Sadhu Sri. Pithukuli Murugadas. During times of distress, I kept returning to the Tiruppaavai, especially Aandaal’s promise of” Muppadhum Thappaame” (that the 30 Paasurams will never fail). While these Paasurams appear relatively simple, their lyrical beauty is unparalleled. Even that is a deceptive ornament that covers the philosophical and theological profundity of the verses of the Tiruppaavai. In 30 deceptively simple songs of 8 verses each, Aandaal captures the essence of what later Aachaaryas would come to propound as Rahasya Trayam, namely, the Ashtakshari, Dvaya Mantra and the Charama Sloka. As I had drawn fulfilment from the Tiruppaavai, I wanted to attempt to bring their message to a larger audience in a format that was accessible to them. So, Maalyada is written as a conversation between Aandaal and the other girls who perform the Paavai Nonbu with her.
The Commune: What is the significance of the title “Maalyadaa,” and how does it encapsulate the essence of your work?
JS: The title, “Maalyada”, is inspired by the epic poem “Aamuktamaalyada”, composed on Aandaal by Raja Krishna Deva Raya. Aamukta Maalyada means “she who wore and gave it”, or as Aandaal is called in Tamil, “Soodi Kodutha Sudarkkodi”. As Aandaal’s Tiruppaavai is considered to be a “Paamaalai” or a garland of songs, I titled my book “Maalyada”, with a sub-title, “The Sacred Garland”, thereby referring to both Tiruppaavai as the garland and Aandaal as the garland-giver.
The Commune: Among the myriad figures in South Indian devotional literature, what drew you specifically to Aandaal as the focal point of your book?
JS: Aandaal fully manifests the Naayika bhava of the Jivaatma being the consort to the Paramaatma. No other part of the Naalayira Divya Prabandham is more appropriate to the month of Maargazhi than the Tiruppaavai. Aandaal’s Paasurams, unlike those of the other Aazhvaars, are written from the perspective of a young girl immersed in bhakti bhaava. This makes the compositions appealing to us. As I said before, the simplicity of the Paasurams is only to make them appear accessible to us. Beneath the surface, they explore the unfathomable depths of Sri Vaishnava philosophy, which may not be comprehensible to the uninitiated if presented in any other format. But, even to those like us, Aandaal’s Paasurams grant a vision of the grandeur of Bhagavaan in a manner that we can understand.
The Commune: If readers were to glean one key message or insight from “Maalyadaa,” what would you hope that to be?
JS: The emphasis on Bhakti and Saranaagati. That wealth of material, intellectual and spiritual nature is of use only when placed in the service of the Lord. The 30 Paasurams of the Tiruppaavai capture the three aspects of the Rahasya Trayam, the five aspects of the Artha Panchakam and the nine aspects of Navavidhaa Bhakti. Common to all these is the element of Saranaagati embodied in the Charama Sloka of the Bhagavad Geetaa.
The Commune: Isn’t your diplomat work taxing? How do you manage to don multiple hats?
JS: It’s a little premature for me to talk about this, considering that Maalyada is only my first book. While it’s true that I cannot afford large blocks of time, especially during the week, most of the work on Maalyada happened in trickles of half an hour in the morning or the evening. I’m starting to see the merit of consistency daily over erratic intensity once in a while, interspersed with periods of inactivity. I’ll be better placed to answer this question once I’m able to write a few more books in the coming years.
The Commune: Are there any projects in the pipeline for you as an author?
JS: Yes, there are a few ideas, of both fiction and non-fiction, that are in various stages of development. There are even a few on which I may work again with Keshav Ji if he would be kind enough to agree. But as they are at an early stage, I’d like to share more information about them in the coming months.
The Commune: Tell us about your recent meeting with Prime Minister Modi when he was in Tamil Nadu.
JS: On 19 January 2024, I had the honour of presenting a copy of my book to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. During the meeting, I discovered that the Prime Minister was familiar with the Azhvars and Nalayira Divya Prabandham. He inquired about my adherence to traditional commentaries and if I had made any contributions. I shared that I followed Periyavachan Pillai’s commentary and presented it in a conversational format. PM autographed a copy of “Maalyada,” which I will cherish forever. I also had the privilege of presenting a copy of Keshav’s divine work to the PM, depicting Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, and Vibhishana. PM expressed curiosity about the squares’ colours, and I explained their symbolic representation linking them to the characters’ divine connections. The lower part of the painting featured three slokas from Sh. Ramanuja’s Sarangati Gadyam, Valmiki Ramayana, and the Charama Sloka of Bhagavad Gita, emphasising the virtue of Saranagati. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.
Readers can purchase the book Maalyada here.
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