Sixty three Nayanar Saints -1

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Sixty three Nayanar Saints

by Swamy Sivanananda

PUBLISHERS. NOTE

The first edition of this rare treatise on Sixty-three Nayanar Saints from the prolific pen of

the Himalayan Sage and Savant, Sri Swami Sivananda, was published by the Divine Life Society of

South Africa in 1962. The invaluable services rendered by Sri Swami Ramananda of

Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, in the preparation of the manuscript was duly acknowledged.

This precious book has been out of print for a long time. The fourth edition of 1,000 copies

is now being published by the Divine Life Society, Malaysia Branch through the courtesy and

generosity of two devout devotees: Guru Seva Ratna Sri V. Seenivasagam and Guru Bhakti Ratna

Sri T. Saravanamuthu both of whom have had long connections with the Divine Life Society,

Malaysia Branch.

The Saivites in Malaysia and the world at large, and the Hindus in general, will heartily

welcome this publication as a great boon. Apart from the biographies of the Sixty-three nayanar

Saints, this book contains an authoritative article on the Saiva Siddhanta Philosophy, the life of

Saint Manicckavasagar, selections from the utterances of Nayanar saints, and articles on Glory of

Lord Siva, and Puja and Ishta Devata, all by Sri Swami Sivananda, and an evaluation of the

Nayanars. Message for us by Sri Swami Venkatesananda.

We express our indebtedness to the Divine Life Society Headquarters for granting

permission to publish this edition in Malaysia.

- THE PUBLISHERS

THE SAIVA SIDDHANTA PHILOSOPHY

(Sri Swami Sivananda)

Introduction: In the books which treat of Saivism, there is a reference to four schools, viz.,

the Nakulisa-pasupata, the Saiva, the Pratyabhijna and the Rasesvara.

Saiva Siddhanta is the philosophy of southern Saivism. It owes its origin to no single author.

It is midway between Sankara.s Adwaita and Ramanuja.s Visishtadwaita. Its literature consists

chiefly of: (1) the twenty-eight Saivite Agamas, (2) the collection of Saivite hymns known as

Tirumurai compiled by Nambi Andar Nambi, (it contains Tirumanthiram of Tirumular; the

Thevaram of Appar, Sundarar, and Sambandar, and the Tiruvachagam of Manickavachagar), (3)

the collection of the lives of Saivite saints, known as the Periyapuranam, (4) Meykandar.s

Siva-jnanabodham, (5) Arulnandi.s Sivajnanasiddhiar, and the works of Umapati. Tirumular.s

work Tirumanthiram is the foundation upon which the later structure of Saiva Siddhanta

philosophy was built.

The central doctrine of the Saiva Siddhanta philosophy is that Siva is the Supreme Reality,

and that the Jiva or the individual soul is of the same essence as Siva, but not identical. Pati (God),

Pasu (soul), and Pasa (the bonds) and the thirty-six Tattvas or principles which constitute the world,

are all real.

The Saiva Siddhanta system is the distilled essence of Vedanta. It prevailed in Southern

India even before the Christian era. Tirunelvely and Madura are the centres of the Saiva Siddhanta

school. Even now, Saivism is a very popular creed in South India. It is a rival school of

Vaishnavism.

Characteristics of the Supreme Reality: The Supreme Reality is called Siva. He is infinite

consciousness. He is eternal, changeless, formless, independent, omnipresent, omnipotent,

omniscient, one without a second, beginningless, causeless, taintless, self-existent, ever free, ever

pure, and perfect. He is not limited by time. He is infinite bliss and infinite intelligence. He is free

from defects, the all-doer, the all-knower.

Lord Siva is the God of Love. His grace is infinite. His love is infinite. He is the saviour and

Guru. He is engaged in freeing the souls from the thraldom of matter. He assumes the form of a

Guru out of His intense love for mankind. He wishes that all should know Him and attain the

blissful Siva-Padam (the state of Siva). He watches the activities of the individual souls, and helps

them in their onward march. He liberates the individual souls from their fetters or bonds.

The Five Activities of the Lord: The five activities of the Lord are: Creation, Preservation,

Destruction, Veiling and Grace. These, separately considered, are the activities of Brahma, Vishnu,

Rudra, Maheshwara, and Sadasiva.

Siva, Shakti and Maya: Lord Siva pervades the whole world by His Shakti. He works

through Shakti. Shakti is the conscious energy of the Lord Siva. She is the very body of Lord Siva.

The potter is the first cause for the pot. The stick and the wheel are the instrumental causes. The clay

is the material cause of the pot. Similarly, Lord Siva is the first cause of the world. Shakti is the

instrumental cause. Maya is the material cause.

Shakti is not the material cause of the universe, because She is of the nature of

consciousness (Chaitanya). Siva is pure consciousness, but matter is pure unconsciousness. Shakti

is the intermediate link between the two.

Shakti is the reflex of Siva. It has no independent existence. Siva assumes this form out of

His great love for mankind. Siva wishes that all should know Him.

Evolution of the Tattvas from Suddha Maya: The world undergoes evolution for the benefit

of the souls. The whole process of creation is for the sake of the salvation of the souls. The world is

real and eternal. The world of matter and souls forms the body of the Lord.

The Saiva Siddhanta analyses the universe into 36 Tattvas or principles, as against the 25 of

the Sankhya. The 36 Tattvas arise from Maya, the material cause of the world. Suddha Maya is

Maya in its primal state. From it arise the five pure principles called Siva Tattva, Shakti Tattva,

Sadasiva Tattva, Iswara Tattva, and Suddhavidya Tattva. Siva functions through these five pure

principles.

Maya evolves into the subtle principles, and then into the gross. Siva Tattva is the basis of

all consciousness and action. It is undifferentiated (Nishkala Suddha Maya). The Shakti of Siva

starts her activity. Then Siva becomes the experiencer. Then He is called Sadasiva, known also by

the name Sadakhya, Who is not really separate from Siva. The Suddha Maya becomes active. Then

Siva, the experiencer, becomes the ruler. He is then Iswara, Who is not really separate from

Sadasiva. Suddhavidya is the cause of true knowledge.

The bonds that bind the soul (Anava, Karma, Maya): Souls (Pasu) are by nature infinite,

all-pervading, eternal, and all-knowing like Lord Siva (Pati). Yet they think that they are finite,

limited and little-knowing, ignorant, and temporary. This is due to the bonds (Pasa), viz., Anava,

Karma, and Maya, which are called the three Malas or impurities. Anava is the impurity which

makes the all-pervading Jiva think itself to be atomic (Anu). It produces the erroneous notion of

finiteness. The second impurity or bond is Karma. The soul acts in certain ways on account of its

limitation, and does good and evil actions. Karma brings about the conjunction of the soul with its

body. The results of the Karma have to be worked out in the world. There should be worlds and

bodies, in order to experience the fruits of actions and acquire knowledge. These are provided by

Maya, the third Mala or bond. Maya is the material cause of the world. The soul gets experience and

limited knowledge through Maya.

The soul learns, by long experience, that this Samsara is full of pains and is transitory, and

that he can attain eternal bliss and immortality only by attaining Sivatva or the nature of Siva or

God-realisation. He develops Vairagya (dispassion), and Viveka (discrimination between the Real

and the unreal, the Permanent and the impermanent).

Discipline and grace culminate in Jnana. Jnana is the supreme means of salvation or the

attainment of the final beatitude. Karma and other means are only subsidiary to it. They are

auxiliaries.

The attainment of Sivatva or Siva-nature does not mean complete merging of the soul in

Siva. The liberated soul does not lose its individuality. It continues to exist as a soul in God. Sivatva

is the realisation of an identity of essence in spite of difference. The soul attains the nature of Siva or

God, but it is not itself Siva or God.

Three orders of Jivas: The Siddhantins divide Jivas or Pasus into three orders, viz.,

Vijnanakalas, Pralayakalas and Sakalas. Vijnanakalas have only the Anava Mala (egoism). Maya

and Karma have been resolved. Pralayakalas have been freed from Maya alone, in the stage of

Pralaya. Sakalas have all the three Malas.

The Malas affect only the Jivas, and not Siva. Those who are freed from the Malas or

impurities attain Sivatva or the nature of Siva. They are the Siddhas or perfected beings.

The way to the attainment of Sivatva or God-realisation: You must free yourself from the

three bonds, if you want to attain salvation. You must annihilate Maya, which is the root of all sins.

You must destroy all Karmas which produce rebirth. You must remove the erroneous notion of a

finite self.

The three bonds can be removed only through rigorous Tapas and proper discipline, the help

of a Guru, and, above all, the grace of Lord Siva. Charya (observance), Kriya (rites), and Yoga

(Yama-Niyama) constitute the discipline. When the aspirant practises in right earnest Charya,

Kriya and Yoga he obtains the grace of Lord Siva. Then the Lord instructs the soul, reveals Himself

and illumines him. Then the soul realises its nature as Siva.

Guru Puja

It is customary to observe the day on which these saints attained the Lord.s Feet, as a holy

day. Given below are such days in respect of the Four Great Saivite teachers, with their respective

holy days, according to the Tamil Calendar. Pray, fast and study their lives in these days.

Tirunavukkarasar

Tiru-Jnanasambandar

Manickavachagar

Sundaramurthi Swamigal

Chitrai Sadayam

Vaikhasi Moolam

Ani Makham

Adi Swathi

THE NAYANARS. MESSAGE FOR US

How shall we evaluate this work by a saint on the lives of saints? A wise saying in Sanskrit

echoes what we mean by .Only a Shakespeare can understand Shakespeare.. Gurudev.s secondless

devotion to God is amply reflected in the inspiring presentation of these great lives, simple, lucid

and touching. We could have had none better qualified for it. Gurudev.s handling of it adds lustre to

the illustrious lives.

There have been many .intellectuals. even in India who have looked down upon the path of

Bhakti (devotion) as something inferior to Jnana (wisdom). Their short-sightedness becomes at

once apparent when we study the lives of the great Four Teachers (Appar, Sundarar,

Manickavachagar and Sambandar) and realise that these great Jnanis, too, were great Bhaktas who

loved to visit the temples and sing the glories of the Lord. Look at the humility of Appar who carried

Sambandar.s palanquin: this reminds us of Gurudev.s own inimitable humility. It is not born of the

weakness of the ignorant: but it is the culmination of true knowledge!

How shall we understand the wonderful spirit of renunciation that characterised the lives of

many royal Nayanars, if we regard them as weaklings? They had understood the true nature of the

world, and wanted only God. Can we not draw a parallel in our own divine Master who, similarly,

renounced a royal life of a doctor in Malaya, in exchange for poverty and the begging bowl? Love

of the Lord cuts at the very root of our attachment to this world, and snaps all worldly ties, to father,

mother, son, wife or relatives. As the stories of the Nayanars illustrate, the devotee is ever ready to

renounce all, in favour of devotion to Lord Siva. Chandesvara Nayanar, in his complete absorption

in His worship, could inflict a mortal blow on his own father: but, that was because he saw not his

father, but an obstacle to Siva Puja. When Arivattaya Nayanar found, for instance, that his weak

body was getting unfit to carry on His worship, he was ready to cut his own throat. If Murkha

Nayanar chose to gamble and even resort to violence to carry out his vow, Kannappa Nayanar

would pull out his own eyes to serve the Lord! This great truth has been beautifully brought out

again and again in these lives.love of God completely removes the devotee.s attachment to his

own body. Who could even approach Siruthondar.s breath-taking devotion to the Lord and His

devotees?

Let us also never forget that in the case of all the Nayanars devotion invariably meant

expansion of the heart, and, therefore, service and charity.

It is essential that, in our study of these great lives, we take them as a whole: the sixty-three

blending into one marvellous scripture on devotion. Else, it might lead to perversion. Perversion in

spiritual path can be quite disastrous. Gurudev would often narrate, for example, the case of a

wicked man who would catch fish in the Ganges, cut it and eat it, quoting (as a devil would) from

the Gita: .Weapon cannot cut the Atma, which is immortal.. The perverse intellect reads in the Gita,

a sanction for the use of violence. Stories in which there is seeming use of violence by the Nayanars

have to be read with this caution: we have to take them as allegories exhorting us to rout out the

inner obstacles to our Sadhana, ruthlessly. The story of Eripatha Nayanar, for instance, should be

taken as an exhortation for us to kill lust, anger and greed, the powerful impediments on our

spiritual path which, in the twinkling of an eye wreck our worship of the Lord.

vii

If we study the lives as a whole, we will not fail to note that Anaya Nayanar, and Pusalar

Nayanar hold before us the ideal Para Bhakta, supreme exemplars of the highest form of devotion.

If we approach these saints with faith and devotion in our hearts, we shall grasp the message

they have for us. We shall also understand why they gave such a great place to externals like the

sacred ash, Rudraksha, etc. These symbols remind one constantly of God: and, when they are said

to remove our sins, they remove our sinful tendencies, too, by constantly reminding us of God, and

keeping evil out of our mind.

May we all walk the path of devotion and attain the Lord in this very birth is my humble

prayer at the divine feet of our master. That is the only way in which we can repay the debt we owe

him for what he has done for us.

Dust of Gurudev.s Feet

1. SUNDARAMURTHI NAYANAR

Sundaramurthi Nayanar flourished in the 8th century. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva.

He is one of the Tamil Samaya Acharyas (four Tamil religious Teachers).

Sundaramurthi Nayanar sang the glories of Lord Siva at all the sacred places that he visited.

These hymns are called Thevaram. They have been collected into a book-form. All devotees sing

the Thevaram even today. The hymns sung by Sundarar, Appar or Tirunavakkarasu, and Tirujnana

Sambandar are called Thevaram. The hymns of Manickavachagar are called Thiruvachagam.

Sundarar had the Sakhya Bhava or the attitude of a friend towards the Lord. He freely

demanded of the Lord whatever he wanted. He did not do so with selfish desire, however. Whatever

he asked for was for the sake of those who were dependent on him. He lived only eighteen years.

Sundaramurthi Nayanar was born in Thiru Navalur where the entire atmosphere was full of

spiritual vibrations and Saivism was well established. In this place, there lived a pious, devout and

respected Brahmin by name Sadaiyanar whose ancestors were all ardent devotees of Lord Siva.

Isaignaniar was his dutiful wife. She gave birth to a divine child whom the parents named .Nambi

Arurar. after its grandfather.

In his previous incarnation Arurar was Alala Sundarar, who was an ardent devotee of Lord

Siva. When the Milky Ocean was being churned by Devas and Asuras, a deadly poison began to

spread on the surface of the ocean threatening the existence of all beings. Then Alala Sundarar

collected that poison in his hand and gave it to Lord Siva Who drank it for the protection of the

world. Hence, Sundarar got the word Alala (for Halahala, the poison) prefixed to his name.

Once when Alala Sundarar was living by the side of Lord Siva in the Mount Kailas, serving

the Lord and bringing flowers from the garden for His worship, he cast a lustful look at Aninditi and

Kamalini, the attendants of Goddess Parvathi who had also gone to the garden to collect flowers for

the divine Mother.s worship. They, too, fell in love with him. Lord Siva, through His divine vision,

understood all that had happened in the garden. He called Alala Sundarar and said: .Sundarar, since

you fell in love with these girls, you and they, too, will go down to the earth and take a human birth.

You will marry them and enjoy the pleasures of the world.. Sundarar wept bitterly, regretting his

folly which had resulted in his separation from the Lord. He prayed to the Lord: .Oh Lord! It is due

to my evil thought that I have to undergo this separation from Thee. I am afraid lest I should be

steeped in ignorance and forget Thee. Oh Lord of mercy! Let this not happen to me. Oh Lord of

compassion! Dispel my ignorance soon and take me back to Your lotus feet.. Lord Siva granted this

wish.

There was another cause for Sundarar.s human birth. To an ordinary man it may appear that

Sundarar was a victim to lust, even in the divine realm of Kailasa. It was not so. Sundarar was only

an instrument in the hands of God. It was Lord Siva.s wish that Sundarar should sing Tiru Thonda

Thogai for the benefit of mankind. So, Lord Siva entered his mind and created a desire for these two

girls. Also, the Lord wanted to teach mankind a great lesson. Lust is extremely powerful. It can

delude even a great devotee of the Lord like Sundarar, if he is not ever vigilant. Maya.s charms are

powerful. Unless this evil quality is burnt, the Jiva cannot reach Siva. Yet another lesson. The

lustful eye was the cause of Sundarar.s downfall. But, when it is used in the service of the Lord (for

looking at the holy shrines, holy images of God, saints, and study of scriptures) the very same organ

will help towards our emancipation.

Sundarar was, therefore, born as Arurar. The king of that place, Narasinga Munaiyar,

happened to see the beautiful child. He liked him. He wanted to bring him up himself and asked for

the parents. permission, Sadaiyanar, whose mind was full of dispassion and who was not attached

to anything in this world, immediately complied with the king.s wish. As we shall see later, he and

his devout wife are also regarded as Nayanars.

The boy grew up under royal care. At the proper age, the parents wanted to get their son

married. Sadaiyanar sought Sandakavi Sivachariar.s consent to obtain his daughter.s hand for his

son, Arurar. Sivachariar gladly agreed. But, the wedding was not to take place.

Just when the ceremony was to begin, an old Brahmin, with sacred ashes on his body,

Rudraksha around his neck and matted locks on his head appeared and said: .This man, Arurar, is

my bond-slave. I have a document to that effect executed by his grandfather. He cannot marry..

This put an end to the ceremony. Sundarar and the Brahmin left the place. The young bride fixed her

mind on the holy feet of Sundarar, shed her mortal coil and attained the immortal abode of Lord

Siva.

Sundarar and the old man had a heated argument. Sundarar asked him: .Who are you and

from where have you come?. To which the Brahmin replied: .I belong to Tiruvennai Nellur..

Sundarar called him a liar and said: .Come, let us go to Tiruvennai Nellur and get this dispute

settled by the wise men there..

At Tiruvennai Nellur, before an assembly of wise men the old Brahmin produced the

document which read as follows:

I, Aruran, the Adi Saivite of Tirunavalur, execute this bond of slavery with heart and soul. I

and my progeny for all time to come are bond-slaves to Pithan of Tiruvennai Nellur, and we are

bound to serve him by all means.

Pithan means Lord Siva who delights to be called a .mad man., to exemplify the state of the

highest Yogi whose behaviour resembles that of amad man but who teaches us that there is nothing

in this world worth taking any notice of and the worldly .wise men. are all mad people in truth.

After examining the witnesses cited in the document and verifying the grandfather.s

signature, the assembly confirmed the old man.s claim. Sundarar had to accept it as God.s will.

Followed by all of them the Brahmin entered the temple of Tiru Arul Turai on the pretext of

showing them his house, and promptly vanished. Arurar understood that it was the Lord Himself

who had appeared as the old man to save him from the shackles of Samsara. He was afflicted very

much at heart that he had not recognised Him earlier. He cried aloud. The Lord appeared before him

and blessed him: .Oh noble soul. You are already My Bhakta. You were in My Abode in Kailasa

before this birth as a man. A wrong thought made you take this birth. Now I have Myself come to

save you..

NAYANAR SAINTS

Because Sundarar had quarrelled with Him, the Lord Himself called him Vanthondan (the

devotee who used harsh words) and asked him to sing His glories. .My clear child, you called Me

Pithan (madman) during your quarrel. So, begin with this word and compose a poem.. Sundarar did

so: the result was that inspiring poem Pitha Pirai Soodi. The Lord Himself came to be known as

Taduthatkonda Iswar (the Lord prevented and saved him from Samsara).

Sundarar later visited a number of holy places and sang the praise of the Lord in all of them.

He came to Adigai Virattanam, the sacred place where Appar served the Lord Viratteswarar and

was blessed. Sundarar did not like to place his foot on the sacred ground and so stayed on the

outskirts of the village.

That night when Sundarar was asleep, the Lord in the guise of an old man entered the Mutt.

He lay down close to where Sundarar was sleeping and pretended to sleep. He then placed His feet

on the head of Sundarar. When Sundarar objected to this, the old man apologised. Sundarar went

over to another corner of the room. There, too, the old man repeated the same action. Sundarar did

not lose his temper. He calmly asked him for his identity and explanation for the abnormal

behaviour. .Oh friend, don.t you know me?. asked the Lord and disappeared. Sundarar realised that

it was again the Lord Himself. Since he had not gone into the place for His Darshan, the Lord

Himself had come out to where the devotee was! Sundarar prayed: .Oh Lord! How kind and

merciful You are! Even devotees who are well versed in Vedas and Agamas cannot touch Your feet.

Out of love towards this poor creature, You left Your abode and came here to bless me with Your

Holy Feet..

Sundarar again continued his pilgrimage. At Tillai (Chidambaram), he went into a trance

even as he saw the temple tower. In his ecstasy he rolled on the ground and shed profuse tears of

love. He had the Darshan of Lord Nataraja.Aheavenly voice commanded him to go to Tiruvarur.

He then visited many other shrines and came to Tiruvarur. The Lord appeared to the

Brahmins of Tiruvarur and asked them to receive Sundarar with due honours. They did so. As

Sundarar was worshipping the Lord in the temple, he heard a heavenly voice: .Sundarar! I have

made you My friend. I prevented you from getting married. Hereafter you will appear for ever as a

bridegroom and sport on earth.. Immediately, Sundarar became a handsome bridegroom. People

called him Tambiran Thozhar (friend of God).

In Tiruvarur, there was a chaste woman by name Paravayar who was none other than

Kamalini, the attendant of Parvathi in Kailasa. Daily she would go to the temple and worship the

Lord with faith and devotion and sing His glories. One day, she came to the temple, as usual, with

her friends, to worship the Lord. At the same time, Sundarar, with his devotees entered the temple.

Prompted by past Karma, Sundarar was attracted by Paravayar.s beauty. He wanted to marry her,

and entered the shrine of the Lord with this thought. The Lord was his friend, and so, he expressed

his desire to Him!

Paravayar who had seen Sundarar in the temple also fell in love with him and wanted to

marry him.

SUNDARAMURTHI NAYANAR

The marriage was pre-ordained by Lord Siva Himself and it was now His duty to bring it

about. He appeared to both of them in their dreams and told them that they would get married. He

also commanded His devotees in dream to arrange for the wedding of Paravayar and Sundarar the

very next day. This was done accordingly, to the joy of both Paravayar and Sundarar.

One day, Arurar went into the temple and found a number of devotees of the Lord there. He

wanted to sing their glories. The Lord Himself sang the first line of the famous poem Tiruthonda

Thogai and by His grace, Sundarar completed it.

During his stay at Tiruvarur, a Vellala by name Kundaiyur Kizhar who was very highly

devoted to him, was regularly supplying Paravayar with enough grains and groceries for the

maintenance of Sundarar and the devotees. Suddenly there was famine in the district and people

suffered for want of food. Kundaiyur Kizhar was also affected. He was afflicted at heart because he

could not supply the needs of Sundarar. Lord Siva appeared in his dream and promised enough

grain! Kubera, the God of wealth, did the needful, as commanded by the Lord. The next morning,

Kundaiyur Kizhar found huge heaps of grain. At the same time the Lord appeared before Sundarar

and informed him of the incident. At once Sundarar left for Kundaiyur to meet Kizhar. They met

half-way. Sundarar saw the heaps of grain at Kundaiyur and knew that it was His Lila. He went to a

nearby Koili and sang the praise of the Lord, and entreated Him to have the grain removed to

Tiruvarur. A celestial voice immediately assured him of this. Sundarar returned to Tiruvarur and

informed Paravayar of all that happened. That night the Bhuta Ganas, the servants of Lord Siva,

removed the heaps of grain and filled the entire town of Tiruvarur with it! Paravayar offered

repeated prostrations to the Lord and sang His glory. She asked the people to take the grain to

appease their hunger. Thus the famine came to an end. All the people glorified the Lord and

Paravayar.

Kotpuli Nayanar of Tirunattiyattankudi, the Commander-in-chief of a Chola King, and an

ardent devotee of Lord Siva came to Sundarar and entreated him to grace his house with his

presence. Sundarar agreed to this and went. After worshipping Sundarar, Kotpuli Nayanar

prostrated himself at Sundarar.s feet along with his two daughters, Singadiyar and Vanappahaiyar,

and pleaded that Sundarar should marry the two daughters. Sundarar, however, placed them on his

lap and fondled them, treating them as his own daughters. Then Sundarar went to the temple and

sang in praise of the Lord, a song in which he called himself Singadiappan, since he took

Singadiyar as his daughter.

Sundarar then returned to Tiruvarur. It was Paravayar.s custom to distribute plenty of

money and other articles in charity on Panguni Uttaram, a festival day. Sundarar went to

Tirupugalur and prayed to the Lord to give him gold for the sake of Paravayar. That night he slept

there with a few bricks as his pillow. The next morning, he woke up to find that all the bricks had

been converted into gold. Sundarar was surprised at this miracle of Lord Siva and sang His glory

and returned to Tiruvarur. On the way he had a vision of the Lord at Tiru Panaiyur.

After visiting many holy places again and singing hymns in praise of the Lord, Sundarar

came to Tiru Pachilasramam. There he worshipped the Lord and asked for a gold coin. He did not

get it immediately. He sang a Padigam (song) and the Lord at once gave him a heap of gold. The

Lord was so fond of hearing Sundarar sing.

NAYANAR SAINTS

Then, Sundarar left for Vridhachalam, visiting a number of holy places on the way. He had

omitted Tiru Koodalaiyarrur. So, the Lord came to him as a Brahmin of whom Sundarar enquired

the way to Vridhachalam. The Brahmin led the way up to a certain distance, and then suddenly

disappeared. It was close to Tiru Koodalaiyarrur which Sundarar now visited and sang a song in

praise of the Lord there.

Then Sundarar came to Vridhachalam. He worshipped the Lord, and sang a Padigam

expressing his desire for gold coins. The Lord gave him 12,000 pieces of gold. Sundarar prayed to

the Lord to remove these gold pieces to Tiruvarur. The Lord asked him to throw them into the river

Manimukta and to receive them back at Tiruvarur. Sundarar did so, keeping a piece for

identification. On return to Tiruvarur, Sundarar and Paravayar went to the tank to get back the gold

pieces. Sundarar dived into the eastern side of the tank and searched for the gold, as though he had

put them there. He could not find them. Sorely afflicted at heart, he sang a song. That was what the

Lord wanted. Sundarar got the gold. All were amazed. But, on identification, it was found that the

gold was inferior in value to the piece that Sundarar had kept back with him. He sang a song: and the

Lord restored to them their original value. So fond was He of hearing Sundarar sing a song.

Sundarar went out on another pilgrimage again. On the way, he was afflicted with hunger

and thirst. The Lord Who is the Indweller of our hearts, erected a water-shed and was waiting for

Sundarar there in the guise of a Brahmin. Sundarar and the devotees entered the shed, singing the

Panchakshara. The Brahmin offered him food and water and asked him to rest awhile. All of them

appeased their hunger, but the quantity of the food remained the same. When they were resting,

after food, the Lord disappeared. They knew that it was none other than the Lord Himself. Sundarar

sang a song alluding to this incident.

On another occasion, soon after this, while on a visit to Tirukachur, Sundarar went to the

temple, worshipped the Lord and was resting outside the temple, feeling hungry. The Lord

understood it: and so, in the guise of a Brahmin came to Sundarar and said: .It appears that you are

hungry. Please wait here. I will give you food.. The Lord at once went out in the scorching sun,

begged from each and every house, and offered the food so obtained, to Sundarar. As Sundarar and

the devotees were eating, the Brahmin disappeared: and they understood that it was the Lord

Himself. Sundarar sang a song alluding to this incident, revealing the Lord.s supreme mercy.

Later on, he went to Tiruvotriyur and stayed there for some time, worshipping the Lord

there. Aninditiyar, the other maid-servant of Parvathi in Kailasa, who had also taken a human birth,

was now Sangilyar in Jnayiru in Thondai Nadu. Her father was Jnayiru Kizhar, a Vellala by caste.

He was also a staunch devotee of Lord Siva. Sangiliyar was devoted to Parvati from her very

childhood. Once her parents mentioned that she should get married, but the very word .marriage.

made her faint. Later, a respectable Vellala wanted to marry her. He sent some people to approach

the girl.s father. Jnayiru Kizhar did not like even to speak to his daughter about it. He sent them

away with an evasive reply. Soon after, the boy who wanted to marry Sangiliyar, and the party that

went to negotiate,.all of them died. When Jnayiru Kizhar heard this, he understood the greatness

of his daughter. He took her to Tiruvotriyur and built a small Ashram for her there.

It was part of Sangiliyar.s Sadhana to make garlands for the Lord in the temple. She

regularly visited the temple and worshipped the Lord. One day Sundarar and the devotees went to

SUNDARAMURTHI NAYANAR

the temple. After the worship, they came to the place where some devotees were making garlands

for the Lord. Sangiliyar was also there. Sundarar was attracted by her beauty, due to past

Samskaras. He wanted to marry her, and expressed this wish to the Lord. The Lord promised to

fulfil his wish.

The Lord appeared in Sangiliyar.s dream and said: .Oh noble soul, I amhighly pleased with

your devotion. Now I tell this for your own good. Sundarar wants to marry you. He is My friend. He

asked Me to arrange the marriage. So, marry him. You will be happy.. Sangiliyar prostrated before

the Lord and said: .Oh Lord, I will obey Your command and marry him. But, he may desert me

since he is already married.. The Lord asked her to get a promise from Sundarar that he would not

part from her under any circumstance.

Then the Lord appeared before Sundarar and said that Sangiliyar had agreed to marry him

on condition that he would not part from her. Sundarar said: .Oh Lord, how can I agree to this

condition since I am constantly moving about visiting many holy shrines? But, if You so desire,

then assure me that You will withdraw Your presence from the Lingam in the temple and will take

Your abode in the nearby tree, when I take the oath before Your image.. The Lord granted him this

wish and disappeared.

He again appeared before Sangiliyar and said: .Oh noble soul, Sundarar has agreed to your

condition. But, ask him to make this promise, not before the Lingam in the temple, but in front of the

nearby tree..

The next morning Sangiliyar came to the temple. Sundarar was waiting there for her.

Sangiliyar.s friends told him that she wished the promise to be given in front of the nearby tree. He

was taken aback, but accepted the proposal. The promise was given. The marriage was immediately

solemnised.

In Tiruvarur, Vasanta Utsavam was being celebrated on a grand scale. Sundarar

remembered the festival and longed to go there. He also recollected that Paravayar would sing and

dance there in front of the Lord. At the same time, he could not part from Sangiliyar. For a long

time, he struggled between the two conflicting duties. Finally, he decided to leave.

When he crossed the border of Tiruvotriyur, he suddenly lost his eye-sight and fell down on

the ground. The Lord is impartial. None can escape the operation of the Law of Divine Justice.

Sundarar slowly regained his consciousness. Immediately he realised his fault and prayed to the

Lord for forgiveness, asking for the grant of the eye-sight. .Oh Lord, I take complete refuge in You.

I always repeat Your Name. Even when I fell down losing my eye-sight, I remembered You only.

Oh Lord of Mercy, even if I commit a crime, is it not Your duty to forgive me? Oh Lord of

Compassion, save me.. In spite of the blindness, however, his thirst for the Darshan of the Lord at

Tiruvarur did not abate. With the help of some people on the way he came to Tiru Mullaivayil.

Here, again, he prayed to the Lord to give him eye-sight. At Tiruvembakkam he again prayed to the

Lord in a similar strain. In the temple, he prayed and asked: .Oh Lord Who accepted me into His

fold, prostrations unto Thee. Oh Lord Who cleverly played a trick on me, are You inside the

temple?. The Lord gave a stern reply: .I am here; you can go.. and gave him a blind-man.s stick.

This attitude of indifference on the part of the Lord pained Sundarar and he pleaded for mercy. .Oh

NAYANAR SAINTS

Lord of Mercy, have I not taken You as my sole refuge and support? I committed amistake thinking

that You will pardon me. You are even indifferent to public criticism.Will they not accuse You for

turning a deaf ear to a devotee who is sincerely weeping at Your feet, accepting his fault and craving

for pardon? Oh Lord, can You not understand suffering? Like a loving child that has been separated

from its mother for a long time and wants to hug her, I have come to You: but, instead, You treat me

like a stranger. Oh Lord, You deceived me, who asked You to remain for a while near the tree, by

cleverly informing Sangiliyar of the same and asking her to get the promise from me near the tree.

Oh Lord, You gave me Sangiliyar and all the pleasures. But, now You give me the blind-man.s staff

and say .You can go.. Oh Lord, am I unfit to receive Your mercy? Pardon me and relieve me of my

sufferings..

Then, completely resigning himself to God, Sundarar came to Conjeevaram, after visiting

many holy places on the way. He worshipped Mother Kamakshi and expressed his sufferings to her

and pleaded to her to relieve him of his sufferings. Sundarar then worshipped Lord

Ekambareswarar. Mother Who is seated on His left side, had already been moved by Sundarar.s

prayers and wanted to shower Her grace on him. Lord Siva understood this. He at once restored

vision to Sundarar.s left eye. In ecstasy he rolled on the ground, shedding profuse tears of love.

After spending some days there, singing the glories of the Lord, Sundarar proceeded to go to

Tiruvarur. At Tiruvavaduthurai, he again prayed to the Lord to forgive him and restore sight to the

other eye, too. Sundarar then came to Thiruthurithi. The Lord asked him to take a dip in the northern

tank there. Sundarar did so, and came out of it. To the surprise of all, his body had become as bright

as polished gold. People were amazed at this change. Sundarar went into the temple and prayed.

Sundarar reached the outskirts of Tiruvarur. He grieved that, due to his partial sight, he

could not get a complete Darshan of the Lord. The very sight of the temple tower entranced him.

Sundarar wanted to feast both his eyes on the beauty of the Lord and so prayed to Him to restore

vision to his other eye also. Sundarar.s supreme devotion and lamentation moved the Lord.s heart.

He at once cured the other eye also. Sundarar was extremely happy. He worshipped the Lord and

remained completely absorbed in divine bliss.

In the mean time, people whom Paravayar had sent to greet Sundarar and inform him of her

eagerness to meet him, found out that he had married Sangiliyar. They went back and told

Paravayar about this. Paravayar was sunk in grief. She was annoyed, too. Paravayar.s people

refused to allow Sundarar.s devotees to enter the house. When Sundarar heard of this, he was

afflicted at heart. He sent some elderly devotees to Paravayar, to bring about a reunion. They failed.

At midnight when all the devotees were asleep, he prayed to the Lord for His help in pacifying

Paravayar. The Lord appeared before him and assured him of His help. The Lord disguised Himself

as Sundarar.s messenger, a Brahmin priest, and went to Paravayar.s house. The Brahmin pleaded

Sundarar.s cause and asked her to accept him back. She refused, though she herself was

grief-stricken at the separation from Sundarar. Her annoyance at his second marriage was so great!

The Lord coolly returned to Sundarar, who was anxiously awaiting His return. When the Lord

informed Sundarar of all that had happened, Sundarar fell down on the ground, in grief. .If You do

not help me, Oh Lord, I will give up my life.. The Lord seeing Sundarar.s pitiable condition,

assured him of help and again set out to go to Paravayar.s house.

SUNDARAMURTHI NAYANAR

In the mean time, the devout Paravayar had understood that the Brahmin was no other than

the Lord Himself and was suffering from terrible anguish for not recognising Him. The Lord again

went to her house: and this time He appeared before her in His real form. Paravayar at once

prostrated before Him. The Lord said: .O Paravayar, I have again been sent by Sundarar to plead his

case. Do not refuse this time. He is undergoing terrible agony on account of separation from you.

Accept him and allow him to come to your house.. Paravayar prostrated to the Lord again, with

folded palms and said: .Oh Lord, first You came in the guise of a Brahmin but I did not recognise

You. Again You have come and have shown me Your real form. Oh Lord, how kind You are! You

have graced my hut and showered Your grace on me. You have taken so much trouble this

midnight, for the sake of Your friend. How can I go against Your wish? I will accept and obey Your

command.. The Lord was immensely pleased with her. He blessed her and returned to Sundarar.

The Lord informed him that he had pacified Paravayar and that he could now return to her. He then

disappeared. Sundarar was overwhelmed with joy and sang the Lord.s glories.

In the mean time, Paravayar had decorated her house beautifully and was eagerly waiting

for her Lord. Sundarar, with his devotees, entered the house. Paravayar fell at his feet. Thus they

were re-united after a long separation.

Yet, this was not all. The news that Sundarar had sent Lord Siva Himself as his messenger,

had reached the ears of Eyarkon Kalikama Nayanar of Tiru Perumangalam in Ponni Nadu. He was a

great devotee of Lord Siva. He was terribly angry with Sundarar for treating the Lord as a

messenger to settle a domestic quarrel. How, in a wonderful and mysterious manner Lord Siva

brings about a reconciliation between the two Nayanars, both of them greatly devoted to Him, we

shall see, when we describe the life of Kalikama Nayanar.

Equally interesting is the way in which the Lord unites in friendship Sundarar and

Cheraman Perumal Nayanar, another royal devotee of the Lord. We shall describe it in detail when

we come to the life of Cheraman Perumal Nayanar.

When, along with Cheraman Perumal, Sundarar was proceeding to Madurai, they arrived at

Tirunagaikkoronam. Here Sundarar sang a song in which he asked the Lord to give him a pearl

garland, precious stones, musk, spectacles, fragrance, clothes, jewelry, one-third of the wealth of

Tiruvarur, horses which ran as fast as the wind, golden flowers, palanquin, etc. How wonderful is

the relation between the devotee and the Lord! Sundarar regarded God as his friend, because God

Himself had wanted it to be so. He adopted towards God the Sakhya Bhava (attitude of a dear

friend).

In the company of Cheraman Perumal, Sundarar went on several pilgrimages, and met

many of the kings of South India. Once, when they were at Tiru Kandiyur, they saw Tiruvaiyar on

the opposite bank of the river. Cheraman desired to visit that place also. The river was in flood, and

it was impossible to cross it. Sundarar sincerely prayed to the Lord to help them. He sang one of his

songs which easily pleased the Lord. At once the river gave way, leaving a sandy tract through

which they could walk across to the other bank. As soon as they reached the other bank, the river

resumed its former form. They were delighted at this miracle of the Lord. Even the five elements are

ever ready to serve the devotees of the Lord, at His command.

NAYANAR SAINTS

Cheraman then took Sundarar to his own place, with great honour and pomp. Sundarar

stayed with Cheraman for some time. He suddenly remembered the Lord of Tiruvarur and wanted

to go there. Cheraman could not accompany him and was therefore grief-stricken. Sundarar

consoled him and asked him to stay behind and rule the country wisely and justly. Cheraman

prostrated himself before him and gave him rich presents. He sent his own people to carry these

presents, and to accompany Sundarar. It was the Lord.s wish that Sundarar should receive gifts only

from Him! How could His friend receive from others? Hence, He desired to deprive Sundarar of

what Cheraman had given him. When Sundarar and his retinue were passing through

Tirumuruganpondi, the Lord sent His Servants to rob Sundarar of all the riches that he had received

from Cheraman. The Lord.s Servants disguised themselves as hunters and attacked the party that

was carrying the presents. The party dropped all and fled. They went to Sundarar and reported to

him what had happened. Sundarar went to the local temple and sang a Padigam. He came out of the

temple and to his surprise he saw there all that they had been robbed of. Now, it was a gift from the

Lord Himself, and so Sundarar, God.s friend, could have it. Wonderful are the Lilas of the Lord.

After some time, Sundarar again desired to see Cheraman Perumal. On the way to

Kundakolur, he went to Tiru Pukkoliyur Avinasi. As he entered this place, he heard simultaneously

auspicious as well wailing sounds emerging from different houses.

On enquiry, he learnt how two Brahmin boys of the same age, from these two houses went

to tank for a bath; and how one of them was caught by a crocodile, and the other escaped,

providentially. The latter was being invested with the sacred thread that day, and hence the

auspicious sound from that house. The people in the deceased boy.s house were bemoaning the loss

of the boy, sore at the feeling that, had he been alive, he would also be celebrating the sacred thread

ceremony that day. Sundarar wanted to console the bereaved family. As he stood in front of the

house, the people stopped wailing and came out to receive Sundarar. They were eager for a long

time to get his Darshan, and so, forgetting their sorrow, they came to welcome him. Their devotion

moved Sundarar.s heart. He was prompted by the Lord to bring the dead boy back to life. So, he

went to the same tank and sang a song on the Lord of Avinasi to give the child back to the parents.

The Creator, pleased with Sundarar, entered the stomach of the crocodile and re-constituted the

body of the boy, though it had already been digested. Lord Yama, too, for his part, released from his

custody, the life he had once removed and the crocodile vomitted the boy! To the wonder of all, the

boy was much more handsome than when he met with the accident, and he showed signs of growth,

appropriate to the lapse of time. All were amazed at this miracle of Sundarar. The parents of the boy

were immensely pleased and embraced Sundarar.s feet. Sundarar took the boy to the temple and

worshipped Lord Avinasiappar. He himself performed the sacred thread ceremony for him.

At Kodunkolur, Cheraman, who had already come to know of the crocodile miracle,

received Sundarar with still greater love and veneration than before. Sundarar stayed with the king

for some time. One day Sundarar visited the temple alone and worshipped the Lord. The very sight

of the Lord sent him into trance. He rolled on the ground shedding tears of God-love. The hairs on

his body stood on end and his mind was filled with rapture. He regained consciousness after a long

time. He was tired of worldly existence and so requested the Lord to take him back to Kailasa. He

sang a Padigam.

SUNDARAMURTHI NAYANAR

The Lord, desiring to take Sundarar back to His Abode, commanded the celestials to bring

him to Kailasa on a white elephant. He also informed Sundarar of this. Sundarar came out of the

temple. The white elephant was waiting for him there. He mentally wished to take Cheraman

Perumal also with him to Kailasa. Then he climbed the elephant and proceeded towards Kailasa.

In a Padigam he sang on this occasion, Sundarar himself reveals that this departure for

Kailasa was not in his physical body, but in his spiritual body. The physical body was discarded

here in this world itself, and the elements of which it was composed were returned to their sources.

Cheraman learnt by intuition of Sundarar.s departure for Kailasa. At once, he mounted a

horse and came to Tiru Anchaikalam. There he saw Sundarar going along the sky on the celestial

elephant. At once Cheraman pronounced the Panchakshara in the ears of the horse. The horse flew

up and reached Sundarar. Cheraman worshipped Sundarar there. Both of them went to Kailasa in

their spiritual body.

At the Gate of Kailasa, Sundarar was allowed to enter, while Cheraman was not. Sundarar

went into His presence and praised His mercy: .Oh Ocean of Mercy, You have pardoned my sins

and released me from the quagmire of Samsara. You have taken me back into Your fold, and

bestowed on me the Immortal Bliss. How kind and merciful You are!. He then informed the Lord

that Cheraman was outside the Gate. To please His friend, Lord Siva sent His Mount,

Nandikesvarar to bring Cheraman also in. The Lord asked Cheraman how he could come to Kailasa

without His permission. Cheraman replied that when he saw Sundarar proceeding to Kailasa, he

could not bear separation from him and so accompanied him. Now, by the good offices of Sundarar

which earned for him the Lord.s grace he had been admitted into the Lord.s Abode. In these words,

Cheraman expressed a very great truth: that even if the devotee is undeserving, if he is devoted to a

saint (the Guru), he will also gain a place in the kingdom of God, through the intercession of the

Guru.

Sundarar, as before, engaged himself in His service with all his heart and soul. Paravayar

and Sangiliyar, being purged of their Karmas, also reached Kailasa. They resumed their original

duty as the servants of Mother Parvathi.

2. TIRU NEELAKANTA NAYANAR

In Chidambaram, there once lived an ardent devotee of Lord Siva. He was a potter by caste

and profession. He had the highest regard for the devotees of Lord Siva, too. He was ever eager to

serve them. He was leading an ideal household life. He made beautiful begging bowls of clay and

offered them free to the devotees of Lord Siva, with great joy.

Siva, in His aspect of Neelakanta was his sole refuge and prop. Hence, he was called Tiru

Neelakanta Nayanar. He would always tell others how, for the protection of the world the Lord

drank the virulent poison, and he would assure his friends that they who took refuge under His feet

would be purged of all sins and would finally be taken to His Abode.

In spite of his virtuous qualities, once he fell a victim to lust. One day, he visited the house of

a prostitute. When he returned home, his dutiful and pious wife understood this. This irritated her,

NAYANAR SAINTS

though she did not show this and continued to serve him, as before. But, she had decided not to have

any sexual relation with him. Nayanar could not understand the reason. One day, as he approached

her with passion, she took an oath and said: .In the name of Neelakanta, I ask you: do not touch us..

Though she only meant herself, she had used the word us. Since she took the Name of the Lord and

since she had used the word us, Neelakanta Nayanar decided that from that day he would not touch

any woman in the world. Such was his sincere devotion to the Lord. They continued to live together.

They did not want to make a fuss over their own resolve. No one knew about it. Years rolled by and

they had grown old.

Lord Siva wanted to reveal the greatness of His devotee and thus to immortalise his name.

So, in the guise of a Siva Yogi (a Saivite mendicant) the Lord came to Tiru Neelakantar.s house.

Neelakantar welcomed him and worshipped him. The Yogi gave him a begging bowl and said: .Oh

noble soul, kindly keep this in your safe custody, till I come back for it. To me it is extremely

precious. It has the wonderful property of purifying anything that comes into contact with it. So,

please protect it with the greatest care.. Then the Siva Yogi left the place and Neelakantar kept the

bowl in a very safe place in the house.

After a long time, Lord Siva came to the house of Neelakantar, as the same Siva Yogi and

asked for the bowl. The Lord Himself, by the power of His Maya, caused it to disappear from the

house! Neelakantar searched for it, but could not find it. It was amystery to him.He was ashamed of

himself. Trembling with fear, he fell at the Yogi.s feet and said that he could not find it. At this, the

Yogi got very angry and accused Neelakantar, calling him a thief and cheat. Neelakantar offered to

replace the bowl with a costlier one; but the Yogi would not accept.

Again and again Neelakantar pleaded that he had not stolen the bowl and that by a divine

mystery it was missing from the house. The Yogi demanded that if that was the truth, Neelakantar

should say so on oath, holding his wife.s hand. When Nayanar, who had resolved, in the name of the

Lord, not to touch anyone, declined this, the Yogi attributed this unwillingness to the fact that

Neelakantar had in fact been guilty of theft. They went to the court. The Brahmins heard the case.

They asked Neelakantar to promise, as desired by the Yogi. Neelakantar got into the tank, along

with his wife; they had a stick in their hand, and each of them was holding one end of it. The Yogi

objected to this and wanted that Neelakantar should actually hold his wife.s hand with his own.

Neelakantar could not hide the secret relationship that existed between him and his wife any more,

and so, related the whole story to the court. After this narration, Neelakantar and his wife caught

hold of the two ends of the stick and took a dip in the tank. A miracle happened. As they emerged

from the water, they shone with youth and beauty. The Siva Yogi disappeared from their midst and

Lord Siva and Mother Parvathy appeared in the sky, blessing all of them. The Lord said: .Due to the

merit of having lived a life of self-control and devotion, you will live in My Eternal Abode, forever

youthful.. The Lord thus revealed the glory of supreme devotion to Him (which alone made it

possible for Neelakantar to refrain from lustful thoughts or actions, after his wife had sworn in the

Name of the Lord) and a life of celibacy which bestows eternal youthfulness on you, and the

unostentatiousness of a saint.s virtue.

TIRU NEELAKANTA NAYANAR

3. IYARPAHAI NAYANAR

.Charity, free from the mean utterance I have none is found only among men of good birth.

says the Kural. Among such noble souls Iyarpahai Nayanar ranked high. Charity was ingrained in

him. It was his practice to invite Siva Bhaktas to his house, worship them with faith and devotion

and give them all they wanted. He had taken a vow never to say no to what a Siva Bhakta wanted.

Iyarpahaiar was a native of Kaveripoompattinam. He was a Vaisya by caste. To him Siva

Bhaktas were the living manifestations of Lord Siva.

Lord Siva was pleased with His devotee. He wanted to reveal his true greatness to the world.

So, the Lord, in the disguise of a Brahmin, with sacred ashes smeared all over his body, came to

Nayanar.s house. He welcomed the Brahmin with great joy, as the very sight of the holy man

thrilled the Nayanar. The Brahmin said: .Oh noble soul, you are far famed for your charitable

nature. Learning that none returns empty-handed from your house, I have come to you for a gift. I

shall disclose it to you, if you promise to give what I want.. The Nayanar agreed readily .provided I

have it with me.. The Brahmin at once revealed what he wanted: .It is the gift of your wife..

Nayanar had no difficulty at all in granting this! The supreme devotee of the Lord that he was, he

did not stoop to doubt the credentials of the Brahmin who, though he appeared to be a Siva Bhakta,

had such an undesirable desire: such is the unquestioning nature of devotion. Nor would Nayanar

hesitate to fulfil the Bhakta.s wish, on the plea that it involved unrighteousness: for, to him worship

of the guest (Guest is God) was greater Law than all the moral codes.

Nayanar went inside the house and informed his wife of all that had happened. She was

shocked at first, but quickly regained her composure. To a chaste wife, the husband is God, and

whatever he commands is Law and Dharma. She readily agreed to follow the Brahmin-guest as his

wife. Nayanar came out with his wife and asked the Brahmin to accept the gift. The Brahmin,

however, feared the wrath of the wife.s relatives and asked Nayanar to accompany them till they

were safely out of the town and out of danger. Nayanar agreed to do so and armed himself to protect

the Brahmin. They then proceeded to go.

In the meantime the relatives of Nayanar.s wife came to know of the whole story and were

furious. They followed the Nayanar and party and threatened the Brahmin with death, unless he

abandoned his impious desire. The Brahmin pretended to be scared. Nayanar.s wife, however,

assured him that Nayanar was capable of defeating them all. Nayanar was ready to fight them. The

relatives endeavoured to convince Nayanar of the unrighteousness of the whole thing, and, when

they found that they could not, they preferred to die at his hands, than submit to the shame. Nayanar

at once pounced upon them and chopped off their heads. All of them died and Nayanar, happy at the

thought, that through the grace of Lord Siva, he had succeeded in keeping his vow of worshipping

His devotee, proceeded further with the Brahmin and the wife. When they reached the temple of

Tiruchaikadu, the Brahmin asked Nayanar to leave them and return. Nayanar prostrated to the

Brahmin and turned his steps homeward.

As he had hardly proceeded a few yards on his homeward journey, the Brahmin again called

Nayanar aloud. Thinking that there might have been another attack on the party, Nayanar hastened

to where the Brahmin was: but, to his amazement, found that he had disappeared and that his wife

NAYANAR SAINTS

was standing alone there. He searched here and there for the Brahmin, and was worried when he

could not be found. Lo and behold, Lord Siva and Mother Parvathy appeared in the sky and blessed

Nayanar and his wife: .Oh noble souls, I am immensely pleased with your devotion to My Bhaktas.

Both of you will very soon reach My Abode..

With these words, the Lord disappeared. The Nayanar and his wife reached His Abode and

rejoiced there. Nayanar.s relatives who died at his hands also attained the lotus feet of the Lord.

Thus had the Lord proved the nature of supreme devotion, which does not question. And,

the Lord also revealed the truth that such unquestioning devotion does not result in the violation of

the Dharma. All glory to the Lord and His devotees.

4. ILAYANKUDI MARA NAYANAR

Ilayankudi Mara Nayanar was a farmer. Maranar was his name: he lived in a village called

Ilayankudi. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva and His devotees. He took the greatest pleasure in

serving them. This Sadhana was known as Maaheswara Puja (or worship of the devotees of

Mahesvara or Lord Siva). It is described as follows:

.On seeing a devotee of Lord Siva, with the external marks of Vibhuti, Rudraksham, etc.,

taking him as Lord Siva Himself, welcoming him, prostrating before him, washing his hands and

feet, drinking that water (Charanamrit), giving him a seat, worshipping him with flowers, Doopa,

Deepa, and Naivedya, pleasing him with sweet words, thanking the Lord for the opportunity, and

accompanying the guest for some distance while sending him away.these constitute Maaheswara

Puja. This is also included in Chariyai (one of the main Saivite disciplines)..

Offering food to the Lord.s devotees had purified his heart and made him a fit receptacle for

the grace of God. As Tiruvalluvar has said in the Kural:

Fortune dwells with a delighted heart in

the house of the man who honours his

guest with a pleasant countenance.

Nayanar had been blessed with all the wealth of the world. But, he considered that the

wealth belonged to the Lord, to be utilised for the benefit of His devotees.

Lord Siva was highly pleased with the Nayanar.s devotion. He wanted to show to the world

that His devotee would be undaunted by the worst calamity and would remain unshaken in his

virtue. Nayanar.s wealth melted away. His wealth had left him, but not his virtue. On the contrary,

his devotion to the Lord and His devotees grew more and more intense. Nayanar sold all his

property and had to sell even himself in order to be able to serve the devotees of the Lord.

One day it was raining heavily. Nayanar and his wife were starving. No one came forward to

help them. Finally, he bolted the door and was about to fall asleep. Just then he heard a knock at the

door, and, on opening it, found a Siva Bhakta standing in front of the house, drenched with rain.

Nayanar at once took the guest inside, dried his body and gave him fresh clothes to wear. .Rest

IYARPAHAI NAYANAR

awhile, Swami, while we prepare some food for you to appease your hunger,. said Nayanar and told

his wife of his predicament: there was nothing to offer the devotee of the Lord. But, the devout wife

suggested that Nayanar could go into the backyard and collect the grain-seeds that they had just

sown that very day. Nayanar accepted the suggestion. On account of the heavy rain, the grains were

floating and it was easy to collect them in a basket. As soon as he brought the grains, the wife fried

and crushed them, and with the help of some greens that grew in their own backyard, cooked a nice

dinner for the guest.

Nayanar was supremely happy. And, as he went to awaken the guest, he discovered that he

had disappeared. At the same time, Nayanar saw in sky, Lord Siva Who had come in the form of the

devotee and Mother Parvathy showering Their blessing on him and his wife. The Lord said: .Oh

noble souls, I am highly pleased with your devotion. You will soon attain My Abode and live there

for ever..

5. MAIPORUL NAYANAR

Maiporul Nayanar was a pious king. He ruled over the hill tribes of Sethi. He was chivalrous

and brave. He fought many battles and was always victorious. There was peace and plenty in his

kingdom. People worshipped him as the living God.

He was well versed in the Agamas. He was an ardent devotee of the Lord. To him Siva and

His devotees, adorned with matted locks, Rudraksham and sacred ashes represented the only truth,

Absolute Truth: and all the rest of the world was straw. He saw everything as Sivamayam. Siva

Bhaktas enjoyed absolute freedom in his country: they were honoured by the king and the people

alike. Though he ruled the kingdom as the king, his mind was always at the Lord.s Feet. Daily,

special prayers and festivals were conducted in the temples in his realm.

Nayanar.s fame soon spread far and wide. This evoked the jealousy of Muthanathan, the

king of the neighbouring state. He collected a big army and attacked Nayanar several times; but he

was repeatedly defeated. So, Muthanathan resorted to foul-play. One day, he disguised himself as a

Siva Yogi (for he knew that Nayanar had supreme devotion to Siva Bhaktas) and entered the palace

at night. The gate-keepers did not question him, but allowed him to proceed. Dathan, the faithful

and intelligent servant of Nayanar, was guarding the bedroom in which the king was sleeping.

When the Siva Yogi approached the bedroom, Dathan tried to dissuade him from disturbing the

king.s sleep; but the Yogi refused to listen, saying: .I have some secret Shastra to teach the king. I

cannot wait.. So, Dathan had to allow the Yogi to enter the bedroom of the king, though he was a

little suspicious. Nayanar.s wife got up and, finding a Siva Yogi in the room, quickly awakened her

husband. The Siva Yogi told the king that the Shastra was a great secret, revealed by the Lord

Himself, and that only the king was entitled to hear it. At once the king sent even the queen away

and prostrated before the Yogi, ready to receive the secret. At that moment, the Siva Yogi, who was

none else than the jealous king Muthanathan, quickly stabbed Nayanar on his back, with a knife he

had kept hidden. At that time, the shrewd Dathan, as he entered the room, found the king on the

floor in a pool of blood and Muthanathan with a knife in his hand. He was ready to strike down

Muthanathan, when the dying Nayanar said: .Datha, he is our man. He has the appearance of a Siva

Yogi and so must be honoured as one. Do not harm him. Kindly escort him to the borders of our

kingdom, and see that he is unharmed.. Dathan obeyed the commands of his master. As he was

NAYANAR SAINTS

escorting Muthanathan, the people who had heard what happened went to attack Muthanathan, but,

as soon as Dathan told them of the king.s commands, they withdrew, admiring the supreme

devotion of their king. Thus, Muthanathan was safely escorted out of the kingdom. And, Dathan

hastened back to the palace to convey this news to the dying king who was eagerly waiting for it.

As soon as Dathan conveyed the news to the king, the Nayanar called all his Ministers and

relatives to his bedside, and spoke to them as follows: .It is our duty to serve the Bhaktas. They must

be honoured and worshipped at all times and under all circumstances. Let our people walk in the

footsteps of the Siva Bhaktas. Let the country be flooded with Siva Bhaktas. By their blessings, let

peace and prosperity reign in our land..With these words, he closed his eyes and meditated on Lord

Siva.

Lord Siva at once appeared before him and blessed him as follows: .I am immensely

pleased with your devotion to My Bhaktas. I amimmensely pleased with your cosmic love and your

unquestioning devotion to My devotees. Even in a murderer you saw Me. You are, therefore, fit to

reach the Highest Abode which even the Devas cannot hope to reach. You will soon come to My

Abode.. With these words the Lord disappeared: and Maiporul Nayanar (whose very name meant

.one for whom God was the sole reality.) also attained His Abode.

6. VIRALMINDA NAYANAR

Viralminda Nayanar was born in Sengunru, a hilly place. He was a Vellala by caste.

He was a staunch devotee of Lord Siva. Through His grace, he was free from .I.-ness and

.mine.-ness. He had equal vision. He served His devotees and attained purity of mind. To him

worship of Siva Bhaktas was equal, if not even superior to the worship of Lord Siva Himself. He felt

that no one could get Siva.s grace without first worshipping Siva Bhaktas, and that he who worships

even the Siva Lingam with all faith and devotion, would not attain salvation if he insults Siva

Bhaktas. Daily he used to visit the temple. Before worshipping the Lord, he used to worship the

Siva Bhaktas who might be found there.

He left Sengunru on a pilgrimage and came to Tiruvarur. One day when he was worshipping

the Lord, Sundaramurthi Nayanar came to the temple. Sundarar by-passed the Bhaktas who were in

temple and went into the sanctum sanctorum to worship the Lord. This upset Viralmindar, who was

observing this. He could not tolerate this insult to His Bhaktas. He said to Sundarar: .You have

insulted the Siva Bhaktas. By this act you have rendered yourself unfit to remain in the holy circle

of Siva Bhaktas. Hence, you are excommunicated from this circle.. He added further: .And, Siva,

for having so thoughtlessly accepted such improper worship at your hands, He, too, shall be

regarded as an outcaste from the divine fold.. So firm was he in his conviction that he could thus

.reprimand. God Himself! In fact, it was Siva Himself Who spoke through him to instruct His

Bhaktas in the proper attitude they should have towards His Bhaktas.

Sundarar immediately understood Viralmindar.s inner Bhav towards the Bhaktas as well as

towards Lord Siva, and prostrated before him. He then sang a Padigam praising him. The Padigam

melted Viralmindar.s heart so much that he greeted Sundarar and said: .Your mind is well

established in the service of Siva Bhaktas. You have got sincere devotion to them.. Lord Siva was

MAIPORUL NAYANAR

greatly pleased with Viralmindar.s great steadfastness in his devotion to Siva Bhaktas. Thus had the

Lord revealed the great glory of the Bhakta. He was then elevated to the blessed plane of the Siva

Ganas where the Lord made him leader of the Ganas. Glory to such Bhaktas!

7. AMARANEEDI NAYANAR

Amaraneedi Nayanar was a Vaisya by caste. He belonged to Pazhaiyaarai in the Chola

Kingdom. Pazhaiyaarai was a very fertile place, surrounded on all sides by gardens and green

fields. In those days this place was very famous.

Amaraneedi Nayanar was a trader in gold, diamonds, silks and cotton goods. He used to

import these goods from foreign countries and was selling them at reasonable prices. He earned

money honestly and became rich. Though he was engaged in worldly activities, his mind was fixed

on Lord Siva. He was an ardent Siva Bhakta. He would invite Siva Bhaktas to his house and

worship them. He would give the Kowpeenam, cloth, etc., and feed them nicely and send them

away happy, with other gifts.

He used to visit the sacred temple of Tirunallur during festivals and worship Lord Siva with

intense faith and repeat Panchakshara Mantra daily with Bhava. Not being satisfied with this visit

during festivals only, he wanted to settle down there once for all, always enjoying the Lord.s

Darshan, and feeding Siva Bhaktas. So he left Pazhaiyaarai and migrated with his family and

relatives, to Tirunallur. He built a beautiful Mutt there to accommodate Siva Bhaktas who visited

the temple. Daily he used to invite Siva Bhaktas and offer Kowpeenam, etc.

Lord Siva was highly pleased with Amaraneedi Nayanar.s Kowpeena charity and extreme

kindness to Siva Bhaktas. He wanted to show to the world His Bhakta.s greatness and also shower

His blessings on him.

So, one day Lord Siva in the guise of a Brahmachari, with beautiful matted locks on his

head, sacred ashes on his forehead, with a staff on his shoulder, appeared before Amaraneediar.s

Mutt. Two Kowpeenams and a small ash-bag were tied to one end of the staff. He had a charming

face. His eyes were glittering. He walked gracefully into the Mutt. Amaraneediar, with extreme joy,

welcomed him and worshipped him. The Brahmachari said: .Oh friend, you are a noble soul.

People are highly praising your Kowpeena charity. I have come to you for Darshan.. Amaraneediar

begged of him to take Bhiksha. He readily agreed and said: .I shall go to the river and return after

finishing my bath and Nitya Karmas. Rain may drench my Kowpeenams. So, please keep this dry

Kowpeenam safely with you, and I shall come back for it. The Kowpeenam is very precious, as you

already know. So, please keep it safe..

The Brahmachari went away, and Amaraneediar kept the Kowpeenam safely inside the

house. But, the Lord willed that it should disappear! Soon after the Brahmachari came back after his

bath, etc., and asked for the dry Kowpeenam as rain had drenched the Kowpeenam he had on the

staff. Amaraneediar could not find it. He prayed hard to the Lord. Yet, he could not find it. He

approached the Brahmachari, trembling, with another Kowpeenam, and explained his predicament

to him. But, the Brahmachari was in no mood to take any explanation. Amaraneediar offered much

wealth, etc., in compensation. But, the Brahmachari said: .What have I to do with all this wealth?

NAYANAR SAINTS

All these are of no use to me. I only need a Kowpeenam.. And, in saying so, the Lord in the guise of

the Brahmachari, uttered a very great truth. He continued: .I have got another Kowpeenam: you can

give me another of the same weight.. Amaraneediar was greatly relieved when he heard this. He

brought a balance. He put the Kowpeenam on one side and another piece on the other. The

Brahmachari.s scale went down. Whatever Amaraneediar put on his side, the Brahmachari.s scale

was heavier. Amaraneediar was amazed: and he understood that it was God.s own Lila. All his

wealth could not equal the Brahmachari.s Kowpeenam! How could it? Lord Siva.s Kowpeenam

represents the Vedas. The fibres of His Kowpeenam represent the Shastras.

Amaraneediar was on the horns of a dilemma. He fell at the Brahmachari.s feet and asked

him to allow himself, his wife, and his child to be weighed against the Brahmachari.s Kowpeenam.

The Brahmachari agreed. Amaraneediar got on the scale with his wife and his child, saying: .If I

have truly served the Siva Bhaktas, with faith and sincerity, let this sca1e be equal in weight to the

other one.. Immediately the two scales were equal. The merit of Amaraneediar.s selfless service of

the Siva Bhaktas was equal to the merit of Lord Siva.s Kowpeenam. The people who witnessed this

were wonderstruck. They prostrated before Amaraneediar and praised him. Devas from the heaven

showered Parijatha flowers. The Brahmachari disappeared and Lord Parameswara and Mother

Parvathi appeared on Their Rishabha before Amaraneediar, his wife and child. He blessed them: .I

am immensely pleased with your whole-hearted and sincere service of My Bhaktas. I am

immensely pleased with your Kowpeena charity. You three will come to My Abode and live there

happily for ever.. On account of the Lord.s grace, the balance itself turned into a celestial car in

which Amaraneediar, his wife and his child attained Siva.s Abode.

8. ERIPATHA NAYANAR

Eripatha Nayanar was born in Karuvur, one of the main cities of the Chola Kingdom. It was

a very sacred place, situated on the bank of the river Ambiravati. On both the banks of this river

saints and sages were doing Tapas and were radiating spiritual vibrations. A famous temple was

there, too, dedicated to Lord Pasupatheesvarar Who was showering His grace on the king and the

people alike. They were all happy. Eripatha Nayanar was daily worshipping Lord Pasupatheesvarar

with great faith and devotion. His one aim in life was to serve Siva Bhaktas and to offer them every

kind of protection. He always carried a weapon, an axe, for this purpose. With the axe he would

punish anyone trying to harm Siva Bhaktas. He was doing by this the Lord.s own work!

In that city, there lived a Siva Bhakta by name Sivakami Andar. He was very regular in his

daily worship of Lord Siva. Early morning would find him in the garden after bath, collecting

flowers, making garlands for taking to the temple and offering to the Lord. This was his routine.

On a Maha Navami day when all the people were jubilant, Sivakami Andar was rushing to

the temple, as usual, with a basket of flowers. At the same time, the king.s pet elephant was

returning from the river, after its bath. On its back were two Mahouts, and three others were

escorting it. Suddenly, it went mad and was chasing the people. They were running here and there.

It ran towards Sivakami Andar. It caught hold of him, wrenched the basket of flowers from him,

threw it on the ground and ran away. The flowers were all scattered on the ground. Sivakami Andar

was greatly upset. The elephant had destroyed the flowers he had kept for the worship of the Lord.

He chased the elephant. He was very aged and soon fell down exhausted. He was weeping bitterly,

AMARANEEDI NAYANAR

crying aloud: .Sivada, Sivada. (a cry expressing agony). Eripatha Nayanar happened to pass that

way. He heard Sivakami Andar.s pitiable cry and the cause of it. .Where is that elephant?. asked

Eripathar and began to run in the direction indicated by Sivakami Andar. Soon he overtook the

elephant and hurled his powerful axe, killing it with one stroke. Then he pounced on the Mahouts

and killed them, too.

The news of the elephant.s fate reached the king who immediately reached the spot on his

horse, surrounded by his soldiers. He could not see who had killed the elephant, for, he could not

associate the Siva Yogi Eripathar with such an act. He began to shout: .Who killed my elephant?.

When someone pointed to Eripathar, immediately the king.s wrath vanished, for he knew that if the

Siva Yogi had done so, there should have been a very valid reason for it. .He must have killed it in

self-defence,. thought the king and felt happy that the elephant had done no harm to the Siva Yogi.

He addressed Eripathar: .Oh Swamin, I did not know that you killed the elephant. Definitely, the

elephant and the Mahouts must have done some harm to you and you rightly punished them..

Eripathar narrated to the king all that had happened, and said: .Since the elephant and the Mahouts

were guilty of Siva-Aparadham, I killed them.. The moment the king heard the expression

Siva-Aparadhara (sin against Lord Siva) he suffered terrible mental agony. He fell at the feet of

Eripathar and said: .O Swamin, for what they have done, the punishment awarded by you is not

enough. I have committed a great crime by keeping such an elephant and such Mahouts. Now, I do

not deserve a death through your holy weapon, the axe. Here is my own sword. Please be gracious

enough to cut off my head with it..

Eripathar was stunned to hear these words. He himself was struck with remorse. .What a

great pain have I inflicted on the king! What a noble king he is!. he thought; and, lest the king

should execute the punishment on himself, he took the sword from the king. Eripathar felt that he

was the cause for the king.s affliction, and in self-punishment, he began to cut his own throat. The

king was alarmed. He thought that he would now be guilty of another offence and at once gripped

the sword and stopped Eripathar from cutting his own throat.

The Lord.s Lila was over. A voice was heard in the sky: .Oh noble souls! This is Lord

Pasupatheesvarar.s Lila. It is His wish that His Bhakta.s sincere and faithful service to Him must be

recognised by the world.. Immediately, the elephants and the Mahouts got up, as from sleep.

Sivakami Andar.s flower basket was full. All were amazed and began to sing Lord

Pasupatheesvarar.s glory. Eripathar placed the sword at the king.s feet and prostrated to him. The

king also fell at Eripathar.s feet. Both embraced each other and were in great joy. Eripathar wished

that the king should mount his pet elephant. The king did so. Eripathar returned to his place.

Sivakami Andar went to the temple with the flowers.

Eripathar continued to serve Siva Bhaktas. Finally he cast off his mortal coil and reached the

Abode of Lord Siva.

9. ENADINATHA NAYANAR

Enadinatha Nayanar was a Shanar (toddy tapper). He was born in Eyinanur in Chola

Kingdom. It was situated to the south-east of Kumbakonam on the bank of the river Arisol. It was

very fertile and rich.

NAYANAR SAINTS

Enadinathar was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva. Like Maiporul Nayanar, however, he was

devoted even to the external marks of Siva Bhakti. To Enadiar, the three white lines of Vibhuti or

sacred ash on one.s forehead were sufficient to evoke his own reverence.

It would not be out of place here to say aword about this mark on the forehead of devotees of

Siva. Through this mark Lord Siva teaches silently that the spiritual aspirant should destroy the

three types of impurities, viz., Anavam (I-ness), Karma (selfish activity), and Maya (illusion): the

three desires or Eshanas, viz., desire for worldly goods, for son and for wife: the three Vasanas or

subtle tendencies, viz., Lokavasana (worldliness), Dehavasana (attachment to the body) and

Shastravasana (blind faith in the scriptures and polemics), and that he should transcend the three

bodies (physical, astral and causal), and the three states, viz., waking, dreaming and deep

sleep,.and eventually attain union with Lord. The Shastras assure us that the Bhasma or sacred ash

is a divine healer. It cures all diseases, including the disease of birth and death, and bestows on the

devotee who wears it, the highest wealth, viz., Moksha.

Such is the glory of the sacred ash: and, no wonder Enadiar worshipped whoever came to

him with the ash on his forehead. Enadiar saw Lord Siva in him. He was ready to give even his own

life at the feet of the devotee who wore the ash.

Enadinatha Nayanar was a very good swordsman. He was a tutor to the princes in fencing.

He earned a good income from his profession. He spent all his income in the service of the Siva

Bhaktas. He became very popular, too. This evoked the jealousy of another man belonging to the

same profession, by name Atisuran. Contrary to his name (which means a great hero), he was not at

all skilful and not strong either, because he was full of vices. Yet, he wanted to fight with

Enadinathar and defeat him.

One day Atisuran marched towards Enadinathar.s house, with all his relatives, fully armed:

he hoped to defeat Enadinathar, with the help of his relatives. He stood in front of Enadinathar.s

house and challenged him to a fight.jackal coming to fight the lion. Enadinathar accepted the

challenge and came forward to fight. Atisuran got frightened. He asked Enadinathar to come to the

nearby grove to fight with him. The relatives of Atisuran were waiting in the grove. In the mean

time, the friends of Enadinathar had also gathered around him. The two parties fell on each other,

and in the terrible fight that ensued many lives were lost. Atisuran ran away from the grove. He

wanted to kill Enadinathar, not in open fight (which was impossible), but by strategem.

The next day, he sent a message to Enadinathar: .Let us fight again, but without any

assistance this time: otherwise, many innocent people die on our account. Let us go to a lonely

place, without anyone.s knowledge and fight.. Enadinathar accepted it. The next morning,

Enadinathar went away secretly and was awaiting Atisuran.s arrival at the stipulated place.

Atisuran, with the sacred ashes on his forehead (which was cleverly hidden by his shield)

approached Enadinathar. Enadinathar pounced upon him, with a big roar. In a moment, Atisuran

removed the shield, revealing the sacred ashes. Enadinathar quickly lowered his sword and thought:

.What a sin I was about to commit! He has become a Siva Bhakta now. I must not harm him. Let

him achieve his object of killing me.. Endinathar wanted to throw the sword away, but kept it in his

hand, else he would be compelling his opponent (a Siva Bhakta!) to incur the sin of killing an

unarmed person. As he was mutely standing thus, Atisuran killed him.

ENADINATHA NAYANAR

Lord Siva was highly pleased with this self-sacrificing devotion that Enadinathar had for the

ashes. He appeared before Enadinathar as he fell, and took him to His Abode.

10. KANNAPPA NAYANAR

Nagan was the king of hunters at Uduppur in Pottapi Nadu. His wife was Tattai. They were

great devotees of Lord Subramanya. By His grace, they had a child, after a long time. It was very

heavy: so, they named him Tinnanar.

Tinnanar was Arjuna in the previous birth, according to Tiru Kalahasthi Puranam.When he

went to worship Siva, to get Pasupatha Astra, and when the Lord came to him as a hunter, Arjuna

did not recognise Him. So, he had to be born as a hunter again and adore the Lord, before attaining

Final Liberation.

Tinnanar was educated according to the hunters. customs. He became a good archer. Even

when he was young, his father retired, and crowned him king. Though he was a hunter and carried

on hunting as his Dharma, Tinnanar was full of love and would not kill young ones, females,

diseased animals, etc. Spiritually, he had already killed the animals within himself, viz., lust, anger,

greed, vanity, etc.

One day, Tinnanar went out hunting. A pig escaped from its net and was running away.

Tinnanar pursued it accompanied by two others, Nanan and Kadan. The pig was tired and stood

near a tree. It was quickly killed by Tinnanar. They were tired, too, and thirsty. They proceeded

towards the Ponmukali. Tinnanar wanted to climb the nearby mountain. Nanan, too, volunteered to

follow him, saying that on that, the Kalahasthi hill, there was Lord Kudumithevar (God with a

Tuft). Kadan was busy cooking the pork.

Even when he began to climb the hill, there was a definite change coming over Tinnanar,

owing to past Samskaras. He felt that a great burden was being lifted off his shoulders. He was

losing body-consciousness. As he saw the Lord there, he felt supreme love surging in his heart. He

embraced the Lingam and kissed It. He began to shed tears of joy. He felt that the Lord was lonely

there, and that he should thenceforth remain with Him. Again, he thought that the Lord might be

hungry. Though he was reluctant to leave the Lord alone, he quickly came down the hill to fetch

some food for the Lord. He took the best pieces of the pork, tasted them and ear-marked the very

best for Him. In the mean time, he gathered from Nanan that the Lord was worshipped daily with

water, flowers, etc, before the food was offered to Him. So, he began to collect the other articles of

worship. He filled his own mouth with water from the river. Flowers, he gathered and wore them on

his head! He took the pork, bow and arrow and went up the hill again, alone this time.

At the temple, Tinnanar poured from his mouth, the water that he had brought for His

worship. That was his .Abhishekam.. Then he decorated the Lingam with the flowers he had

brought on his own head. This was his .Archana.. He then placed the pork before the Lord. He went

out and stood guard for Him, at the entrance, lest some wild animals should hurt Him. In the

morning again he went out to hunt and bring fresh food for the Lord.

NAYANAR SAINTS

In the mean time, Nanan and Kadan worried about the change that had come over Tinnanar

(which they thought to be madness). They went and reported the matter to Tinnanar.s parents. They

came and tried, in vain, to take him back. They, too, went away.

When Tinnanar left the temple in the morning to get food for the Lord, Sivagochariar, the

temple priest, came there for the usual orthodox worship. He was horrified at the desecration that

some unknown person had done in the temple. He was well versed in the Agamas (rituals of

Siva-worship). He performed the necessary purificatory rites and took bath again and began his

formal worship. He brought water in a holy pot, with a bandage around his own mouth, lest the

breath of his mouth should pollute it. He brought fresh flowers in a holy basket. He brought fruits

and sweets, newly made and unpolluted by anyone tasting it, before the Lord for being offered to

Him. He went home after the worship.

Tinnanar returned with fresh meat. He removed the priest.s decorations, and did the

worship in his own way, and then as usual, stood guard at the entrance.

This went on for five days. The priest was greatly upset about the desecration of the holy

place. He appealed to the Lord to stop it. Lord Siva wanted to show to Sivagochariar the nature of

Tinnanar.s supreme devotion. He commanded him in a dream, to hide himself behind the Lingam,

when Tinnanar went to the temple the next day, and watch what took place.

On the sixth day, Tinnanar went out as usual for getting the Lord.s food. While returning, he

saw many ill omens, which made him feel that something had happened to the Lord: he was so

unconscious of himself, that he did not think that something could happen to him. He ran towards

the Lord. He was grieved to see blood issuing from the Lord.s right eye. The articles he had brought

for the worship dropped from his hand. He wept bitterly. He could not find who had done this to the

Lord. He treated the eye with herbs he knew of. Still the bleeding did not stop. A simple idea

occurred to him: .flesh for flesh.. At once, with his own arrow, he took out his own right eye, and

fixed it over the right eye of the Lord. The bleeding stopped. He was very happy. When he was

dancing in ecstasy, he noticed that the Lord.s left eye had begun to bleed. But, he had already found

out the remedy. There was only one problem: how to locate the eye of the Lord, when his own eye

had been pulled out. So, Tinnanar planted his foot at the place where the Lord.s left eye was on the

Lingam, and began to pull his left eye out, with his arrow.

At once, Lord Siva caught hold of his hand and said: .My dear child, Kannappa! Stop

plucking your eye.. The Lord repeated the word Kannappa thrice. Kannappar was thrice blessed.

Tinnanar became Kannappar, because he gave his own eye to the Lord. Lord Siva took him with

both Hands, and kept him on His right side. Kannappar regained his vision and lived as god himself.

Sivagochariar understood the true nature of devotion.

This story has an esoteric meaning, too. Nayanar had conquered all other evils: but, Anava

Malam or egoism had to be killed, too. The wild pig represents this. Supreme Bhakti dawned, the

moment this was killed. In its chase, the seeker is accompanied by good and evil (the two hunters

Nanan and Kadan). Nanan (good) described the glory of the Lord to him: Nanan represents good

Samskaras. Kadan (the evil) had to be left behind. The aspirant with good Samskaras, goes to His

Presence. But, when he has to attain God-realisation, even this has to be renounced. Hence,

KANNAPPA NAYANAR

Nayanar, when he went to worship Him, went alone. Nayanar.s parents (the hidden good and evil

tendencies and worldly desires) tried but failed to take him away from God. The Lord asked the

priest to hide behind Him, while Tinnanar was in front: this means, true Bhakti is far superior to

mere ritual. Tinnanar.s readiness to pluck out his own eyes for His sake is total self-surrender or

Atma-Nivedan, the highest peak of devotion which immediately reveals the Lord in all His glory.

11. KUNGILIYA KALAYA NAYANAR

Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar was born in Tirukadavur in the Chola kingdom. The Lord of this

place is called Amirda Ghateswarar. Once Devas and Asuras came to this place with nectar in a pot.

They wanted to take bath. So, they left the pot on the ground and went to the river. When they came

back to the place, they could not lift the pot. The pot itself had been transformed into a Lingam.

Hence this Lingam is known as Amrita Lingam.Markandeya worshipped this Lingam and became

an immortal boy of 16 years.

The Goddess in this place is called Abhirami Amman. Abhirami Pattar, a great devotee of

Mother, sang beautiful songs in praise of Her: and the Mother Who was highly pleased with this,

changed the new moon day into a full moon day, in order to save him from the king.s wrath.

Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar was a Brahmin by caste He got the name because he was always

holding a pot (an incense pot) in his hand. He considered burning of incense before the Lord was the

best service to Him. Lord Siva was highly pleased with the Nayanar.s intense devotion and his

wonderful service. He wanted to put it to test, so that the true glory of his supreme devotion to the

Lord may be understood by all.

By the will of Lord Siva, Nayanar became poor suddenly. He sold all his property. His

family was starving. Still, he continued to burn incense before the Lord. One day his dutiful wife

thought: .Everything has been sold. Only this Mangalyam (a sacred thread with a pendant, which

every married woman must always have on her person, till the husband dies, when it is removed), is

left. I will give it to my Lord: though it is inauspicious to do so. Let him sell it and obtain some rice,

with which we could feed the children who may die of hunger otherwise.. She removed the

Mangalyam and gave it to her husband, who gladly received it. As he was proceeding to the market

to sell it, Lord Siva Himself appeared before him, in the guise of a hawker and said that he had very

good incense. The word incense at once made Nayanar forget himself and the mission! He quickly

bought incense for the price of the Mangalyam, and went to the temple to burn it before the Lord.

His wife patiently waited for his return, and, not finding him even after nightfall, put the

children to bed and remained praying. The Lord was immensely pleased with this noble couple. The

faithful wife was prepared to part with even the most sacred ornament for the service of her lord, her

husband. The Kural says: .Rain falls at the bidding of her who, on waking from sleep, worships no

other God but her husband.. That night Lord Siva appeared in her dream and blessed her with all

wealth.

She woke up from her sleep and was amazed to find all types of wealth in the house. She

sang His glories. Immediately she prepared a nice meal and was waiting for her lord.s return.

NAYANAR SAINTS

After blessing the Nayanar.s wife, thus, Lord Siva appeared before Nayanar in the temple

and said: .Oh noble soul, I am immensely pleased with your devotion. Your dutiful wife is

anxiously waiting for you in the house with milk and food. Kindly go to your house.. It was only

then that Nayanar became aware of this world! He returned to the house and found that it had been

transformed into a heaven, by the grace of the Lord. Siva Bhaktas, too, had assembled in the house

in large numbers. They all sang the glories of the Lord. The Nayanar treated the wealth that the Lord

had bestowed upon him as the property of Siva Bhaktas and served them.

One day Nayanar wanted to visit the temple at Tiruppanandal. The Lord of this temple is

Arunasatesar. Thatakai was the daughter of an Asura. For getting a son, she worshipped the Siva

Lingam regularly. One day at the end of the worship, she wanted to garland the Lingam. As she

lifted the garland with both her hands, her cloth began to slip from her waist. She held it with her

elbows, and hence could not raise her hands (and the garland) high enough. To relieve her, the Lord

leaned to one side and accepted the garland. Many people tried to pull the Lingam straight: but it

could not be done. Nayanar heard that the king of the place was upset about it and wanted the

Lingam to be straightened. Nayanar wanted to help the king. He tied the Lingam to his neck with a

rope (the rope of God-love) and gently pulled it. The Lingam became upright! Devas rained flowers

from heaven. All were amazed and recognised the glory of the Nayanar and his great devotion to the

Lord.

After spending some more time in the service of Lord Siva and His Bhaktas, Nayanar

reached His Abode.

12. MANAKANCHARA NAYANAR

Kancharur was a fertile place in the Chola kingdom. The people were all Siva Bhaktas. In

this place there lived a staunch devotee of Lord Siva by name Manakancharanar. He was a Vellala

by caste. He was a hereditary Senathipathi. People of the community had the highest regard for him.

He was a contemporary of Sundaramurthi Nayanar. To him adoration of Siva Bhaktas was the

highest form of worship of the Lord. He would read their minds from their look, and would serve

them without their asking.

He had no children for a long time. He worshipped Siva with faith and devotion and

obtained the boon of a daughter from Him. Nayanar celebrated the birth of this divine child, with a

lot of charity. In due time, the girl attained the marriageable age. She was engaged to be married to

Eyarkon Kalikamar who was also an earnest and sincere devotee of the Lord. The date of the

wedding had been fixed and all arrangements made.

In the mean time, Lord Siva wanted to shower His supreme grace on the Nayanar. He took

the form of a Maha-Vrathiar (man of great vow) who wears the sacred ash on his forehead, matted

locks adorned with a garland of bones, and a sacred thread made of human hair on his chest. The

Maha-Vrathiar appeared before Manakancharanar who received him with great delight. When the

ascetic enquired about the cause of the festive appearance of the house, Nayanar explained that his

daughter was to wed that clay. He asked the girl to bow to the ascetic and receive his blessings. The

ascetic saw her flowing hair, and said: .Oh noble soul, I am delighted to see her hair. This can be

conveniently made into a Panchavati (the thread that adorns my chest).. At once, Nayanar took a

KUNGILIYA KALAYA NAYANAR

knife and, without thinking for a moment, cut the hair on his daughter.s head and handed it to the

ascetic. In his extreme devotion to the Siva Yogi, he did not even consider the fact that he was

disfiguring his only daughter, and that the bridegroom might refuse to accept her. The Lord in the

form of the ascetic immediately disappeared. He gave Nayanar and his family Darshanam along

with Mother Parvathy and blessed them.

Eyarkon Kalikamar, the bridegroom, and his party arrived there soon after, and came to

know of all that had happened. He was sorry that he had not come earlier and had the Lord.s

Darshan. When he saw the disfigured bride and hesitated to accept her, Lord Siva, the Indweller,

understood the cause, and restored the hair to her head. Nayanar and his family were very happy and

proceeded with the wedding.

13. ARIVATTAYA NAYANAR

There once lived in Kannamangalam in the Chola kingdom a rich Vellala by name

Thayanar. He was leading the life of an ideal Grihastha (householder) of whom the saint

Tiruvalluvar has sung:

He will be placed among the gods in heaven who in this world follows the law of the

householder.s life.

Thayanar was a great devotee of Lord Siva. His devotion took the form of a daily offering to

the Lord of food prepared with red rice, a sauce made of red herb, and mango pickle. He considered

this as an act of great devotion to the Lord. The Lord was highly pleased with Thayanar.s devotion.

He wanted to put it to the test, in order to manifest it to the world in all its glory. By His Will,

poverty struck Thayanar. Thayanar got himself employed and earned his wages in kind (red rice).

He himself would not eat this red rice, but lived on the inferior khar rice. The Lord tested him

further. All the fields in the place grew only red rice. But, Thayanar would not touch it. His wife

cooked for him some green leaves from their garden. Thayanar was content and was intent on his

usual offering to the Lord. The Lord put His devotee through more severe tests. Even the green

leaves withered away and there was nothing left. Thayanar was not at all perturbed. He happily

lived on mere water: his mind was full of the bliss of the worship of the Lord and he felt neither

hunger nor thirst. One day, Thayanar, now emaciated and weak, was taking his usual offering to the

Lord, followed by his wife. He stumbled on the way and fell down. The offering he had, was spilt on

the ground. Thayanar was greatly upset. He began to weep bitterly: .Oh Lord, today the food

intended for You has been spilt on the ground. What great sin have I committed to deserve this?

Please forgive me. Have mercy on this poor creature. You are omnipotent, omniscient and

omnipresent. If this is true, You must be present here also. Kindly come and accept the offering

here. If You do not eat this, I will give up my life..With these words, he began to cut his throat with

an Arival (sickle). Hence, the name Arivattaya Nayanar.

Lord Siva was highly pleased with his devotion. His Lila was over. He at once stretched His

hand and caught hold of Nayanar.s, thus preventing him from cutting his own throat. Nayanar did

not realise what was happening. At that time, he heard the sound of someone biting a mango pickle.

He understood the Lord.s Lila, sang His glories and danced. The Lord and Mother Parvathi

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appeared before him and blessed him: .Oh noble soul, I am immensely pleased with your devotion.

You and your chaste wife will soon come to My Abode and live happily there..

14. ANAYA NAYANAR

Tirumangalam was an important place of pilgrimage in Mazhanad (Trichnopoly District).

The Lord Who dwells in this place is called Samavedesvarar. It was He Who purified Parasurama of

the sin of killing his mother and also gave him the axe.

In that enchanting place, there was a cowherd by name Anayar. Because he was tending

cows, he was known by that name. He was a staunch devotee of the Lord. He was devoted to the

Bhasma, and also to Siva Bhaktas, irrespective of their caste. His devotion to the Lord took the form

of playing on his flute the holy Panchakshara Mantra of Siva. He aspired to realise the Lord,

through this Mantra.

One day when he was playing the Mantra on his celestial instrument, under a Konrai tree (a

favourite of Lord Siva), the music captivated all the cows and calves. Even the birds sat on trees and

silently heard the enrapturing music of the flute. The peacocks danced in joy, keeping time with the

music. Hearing the music, other animals stood motionless. The music captivated the hearts of the

deer, snakes, lions, elephants, tigers, etc. The snake and the peacock, the lion and the elephant, shed

their enmity and lived together happily. The rivers stopped in their course. The waves in the sea

calmed, to hear the music of Ayanar. Even the celestials (Vidyadharas, Kinnaras and Devas,) came

in their celestial cars to hear the music.

The Lord was immensely pleased with Ayanar.s sincere devotion. The sweetness of the

music of the flute and the effect of the Panchakshara Mantra both melted His heart. He appeared

before Nayanar, with Mother Parvathi, blessed him and took him to Kailas.

15. MURTHI NAYANAR

To adore Lord Siva with sandalwood paste, smearing it all over the Lingam is regarded as a

great form of His worship. This kind of worship was done by Murthi Nayanar. He was born in

Madura in Pandya kingdom. He was a Vaisya by caste. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva. Daily

he used to offer sandalwood paste to the Lord.

At that time, the city was invaded by a Karnataka king. In the battle the Pandya king was

defeated. The Karnataka ruler became the Pandya king. He was a follower of Jainism. He wanted to

exterminate Saivism and to spread his religion. He began to persecute Saivas. .Murthi Nayanar also

had to bear a lot of sufferings. But, he was undaunted. He continued his worship of the Lord, with

sandalwood.

The king, with a view to convert Murthi Nayanar forcibly to Jainism,made it impossible for

anyone in Madura to obtain sandalwood. This greatly upset the Nayanar. He prayed to the Lord:

.Oh Ocean of Mercy, this country is ruled by a tyrant and he is bent upon exterminating Your

devotees. When will we be fortunate enough to get a king who will be devoted to You?. He knew

ARIVATTAYA NAYANAR

that the people would follow the king, out of fear and in an effort to win his favour. He, therefore,

wanted a Saivite king!

He searched throughout the day for a little sandalwood to offer his worship. He could not get

any. With a broken heart, he went to the temple: and he had a wonderful idea. He began to rub his

own elbow (in the place of sandalwood!). The hand was bleeding profusely. Lord Siva was highly

pleased with his devotion. A heavenly voice said: .Oh noble soul, I am immensely pleased with

your devotion. Kindly stop rubbing your elbow. All your grievances will be redressed. Kindly take

up the reins of the kingdom. After ruling the country justly and wisely for a long time, you will

come toMy Abode.. Nayanar was amazed to hear this and to see that his elbow regained its original

shape.

Murthi Nayanar did not aspire for kingship, but it was the Lord.s will. That night the cruel

king died. The next day, the Ministers sent the palace elephant to choose their king, in accordance

with an ancient custom. The elephant proceeded towards the temple. Murthi Nayanar had come

there for his worship. The elephant bowed to him and placed him on his back and returned to the

palace.

The Ministers begged of Nayanar to become their king. Nayanar stipulated this condition:

.If I become king, I will not have any luxury bath, but will bathe only with the sacred ashes. My

jewel will be only Rudraksham and my crown will only be matted locks. I shall strive to let the love

of Lord Siva be enthroned in the hearts of all.. The Ministers accepted these conditions with great

joy and satisfaction.

Nayanar ruled the country justly and wisely for a long time, and eventually attained Siva.s

Abode.

16. MURUGA NAYANAR

To do Archana with flowers mentioned in Siva Agamas, to offer flower garlands to the

Lord, and to repeat the Panchakshara Mantra is the ideal form of worship. Panchakshara Mantra is

considered a very great Mantra because it occurs in the centre of the Sri Rudradhyayi, which occurs

in the middle of the middle Khanda of the Yajur Veda. He who does Japa of this Mantra is at once

relieved from the disease of birth and death.

Muruga Nayanar excelled in this worship. He was born in Tirupukalur, made famous by

many other Nayanars also. Daily he would wake up well before sunrise, take bath, wear the sacred

ash on his forehead, do his Nitya Karmas, and go to the garden with a basket. Repeating the

Panchakshara he would collect flowers, and as mentioned in the Siva Agamas, make colourful

garlands and offer to the Lord.

One day the great Jnana Sambandar came to his place. Muruga Nayanar invited him and

worshipped him and won his favour. Sambandar took him as his dearest friend. Muruga Nayanar

got the great good fortune of attending Sambandar.s wedding when he, the bride and all others

(induding Muruga Nayanar) got merged in the Divine Effulgence of the Lord. Hence, the Kural

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says: .Rarest of all rare things is to win the great to one.s side by courting it.. Muruga Nayanar.s

devotion won for him Sambandar.s friendship, and, through that, God-realisation.

17. RUDRA PASUPATHI NAYANAR

There are seven Khandas in the Yajur Veda regarded as the Head of the Lord. Sri Rudram is

in the centre of the middle Khanda of the Yajur Veda. Its recitation is a great purifier. It describes

the Lord.s wonderful manifestations. Standing in the river and reciting this sacred scripture is

regarded as specially efficacious, and bestows Moksha on the devotee.

Rudra Pasupathi Nayanar was a great devotee of Lord Siva and he resorted to this Sadhana.

He used to recite Sri Rudram standing in water, neck deep and was, therefore, blessed by the Lord

with Moksha.

18. TIRU NALAI POVAR NAYANAR

Nandanar was a Paraiah (untouchable) by caste. He was born in Adanoor in the Chola

kingdom. He was an embodiment of humility and devotion. Lord Siva was his sole refuge. He

would often visit the holy places of pilgrimage, and supply leather drums and such other musical

instruments for the temples. When he went near the temples, he always remained outside and

worshipped the Lord mentally.

Once he had a desire to have Darshan of the Lord at Tirupunkur. He was also eager to do

some service to the Lord there. He went to Tirupunkur and stood in front of the temple. He was

grieved because Nandi which is always right in front of the Lord was hiding Him. Nandanar prayed

to the Lord fervently. The Lord was highly pleased with his devotion and asked Nandi to move a

little so that Nandanar might have His Darshan. Even today, at Tirupunkur, Nandi is leaning to one

side! Nandanar had a delightful Darshan of the Lord. After digging a tank near the temple he

returned to Adanoor.

The desire now arose in him that he should go to Chidambaram and have Darshan of Lord

Nataraja. The love of the Lord had grown so intense that he would shed tears of love and tell his

companions: .I will surely go to Chidambaram tomorrow.. This expression earned for him the

name Tiru Nalai Povar (one who would go tomorrow). One day he actually left his place and went

to Chidambaram. He went round the village and, thinking of his low birth, did not want to enter it.

He prayed: .Oh Lord, I want to see your Cosmic Dance in Your Nritya Sabha. But, how can I? On

account of my low birth they will not allow me to enter the temple.. For days he went on praying

like this. The Lord, pleased with his devotion, appeared in his dream and said: .Oh noble soul, do

not grieve. You will come to Me. Take a fire bath. Then come to My Kanaka Sabha along with the

Brahmins.. Nandanar woke up and was highly pleased. At the same time, the Lord appeared before

the Brahmins of Tillai, in their dream, and said: .O Brahmins, My dearest devotee, Tiru Nalai

Povar, has come to Tillai. Prepare a sacred fire. Nandanar will take bath in it and then come toMe..

The next day, the Brahmins prepared the sacred fire. They went to Nandanar, prostrated

before him and related their dream. Nandanar went round the fire, and with His Name on his lips

and his mind fixed on the lotus feet of the Lord, he jumped into the fire. He emerged from the fire

MURUGA NAYANAR

with a new holy body, with sacred ashes smeared all over, the holy thread and matted locks. He was

then taken inside the temple. In the Kanaka Sabha, he worshipped the Lord. He went into a divine

ecstasy and was completely absorbed in the dance of the Lord. A dazzling light was seen in the

room, and Nandanar had disappeared. He had become one with Lord Nataraja.

19. TIRU KURIPPU THONDA NAYANAR

Thondamandalam was a prosperous land. Its capital was Kanchipuram. Here, Parvathi

worshipped the Lord, according to the Agamas. The Lord here is called Ekambaranathar.

Tiruthondar was born here. He was a washerman. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Siva.

He served Siva Bhaktas, understanding their need by watching for the signs on their face, and hence

he had earned the name Tiru Kurippu Thonda Nayanar. His service consisted mainly of washing the

clothes of Siva Bhaktas. Lord Siva wanted to bless this devotee: and, as usual, it had to be preceded

by a severe test.

The Lord disguised Himself as a poor man, with Rudraksham on his neck and sacred ashes

over the body, and appeared before Tiruthondar wearing a dirty rag. The very sight of the Siva

Bhakta put Nayanar in a trance. He worshipped him. Thondar then asked him: .You have purified

my house by your visit. How is it you are so emaciated? And, your rag needs washing. Kindly allow

me to do this service for you.. The Siva Bhakta agreed to let him do so on one condition: the rag

should be washed, dried and returned to him before sunset, otherwise his emaciated body would

perish in the cold.

When Thondar accepted the work, there was brilliant sunlight. He had washed the rag and

immediately, it began to rain heavily. It was nearing sunset time. There was no hope of getting the

rag dried. Thondar was greatly upset. Instead of serving the Siva Bhakta, he was going to put him to

great hardship. Thinking of this sin, Thondar, dashed his head, prayerfully, on the washing stone,

and began to weep.

Lord Siva appeared before him, held his hand and said: .Oh noble soul, I am highly pleased

with your sincere devotion. You will soon come to My Abode and live happily there forever..

Tiru Kurippu Thondar fell at the Lord.s Feet and sang His glory.

20. CHANDESVARA NAYANAR

Vichara Sarman (who was later known as Chandesvara Nayanar) was born in

Tiruchaijnanallur, which was famous for Vedic recitations, Tapas, and Siva Bhakti. He was a

prodigy. At the age of five he had learnt the Vedas, and all the Agamas, by himself, on account of

previous Samskaras. After his Upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony), he learnt the Vedas, under a

Guru: but the Gurus were wonder-struck at the intelligence of the disciple. He wanted to attain Final

Emancipation in that birth.

One day Vichara Sarman, with his friends, was walking along a road. He noticed a cowherd

severely beating a cow because it had slightly pushed him with its horn. Vichara Sarman could not

NAYANAR SAINTS

endure this. He was greatly moved and spoke to the cowherd: .Oh ignorant man? Do you not know

that the cow is worshipful and divine. All the Devas dwell in her. She is indispensable for all

religious activities. It is our sacred duty to tend and protect the cows. Whoever harms the cow is

hurled into the Naraka. Whoever worships the cow wins a place in heaven or in Siva.s Abode. You

have committed a great sin today. Hereafter, you need not tend to the cows: I will do that myself..

Vichara Sarman took the work upon himself from that day.

The cows grew healthier. They liked Vichara Sarman very much. The Brahmins who got

more milk thereafter were able to fulfil their religious duties very well, and they were pleased with

Vichara Sarman. There was so much of surplus milk now, that Vichara Sarman, who loved Lord

Siva and His worship, decided to perform Abhishekam for Lord Siva. He used to sit under an Atti

tree on the bank of the river, construct a temple from the mud, and also make a mud-image of Siva

Lingam and offer the milk, to bathe the Lingam. Then he would perform Archana with the Atti

flowers. The cows were giving plenty of milk both to Vichara Sarman and to the Brahmins.

One day, when Vichara Sarman was doing this Puja, a villager happened to pass by, and he

watched all this. He reported the matter to the owners of the cows, and complained that Vichara

Sarman was pouring precious milk on mud and river sand. These Brahmins summoned Vichara

Sarman.s father, Echhadattan, and passed the complaint on to him in rather strong terms. The father

was naturally shocked. He came home, but did not speak to Vichara Sarman. He wanted to find out

for himself. So, the next day, he followed Vichara Sarman at a distance without his knowledge.

When Vichara Sarman began pouring milk on the improvised Siva Lingam, the father, without

understanding the son.s wonderful devotion, hit him with a stick. The boy was so much absorbed in

his Puja that he did not even feel pain. Then, the father, getting still more angry, knocked the

milk-pot down. It was then that Vichara Sarman realised that his father was interfering with his

worship and had committed an unpardonable offence against Lord Siva (Siva Aparadham). He at

once took a stick and hit his father.s leg: by the will of the Lord, the stick was transformed into an

axe. Again, by His will, it killed the father. It was to test the depth of Vichara Sarman.s devotion. He

was so engrossed in the worship, that he did not mind what had happened and continued the

worship.

Lord Siva was immensely pleased with the intensity of Vichara Sarman.s devotion and

appeared before him, with Parvathi. Vichara Sarman prostrated before the Lord. The Lord

embraced Vichara Sarman and fondled him. That very instant, Vichara Sarman attained the divine

Form of Lord Siva. The Lord removed a garland from His own neck and put it around Vichara

Sarman.s. He had attained Saroopya Mukthi (liberation, with the attainment of the form of the

Lord). The Lord said: .My child, you cut your own father.s leg for My sake. Now, I am Your Father.

You will soon attain Chandikesvarar.s Abode. You worshipped Me with food, clothes and flower

garlands. In the same manner, you will also be worshipped.. The Lord disappeared. Vichara

Sarman also went to the Abode of Chandesvarar. No sin attached to him, for having killed his own

father, because of his supreme devotion to the Lord. His father, too, because he was killed by such a

great devotee of the Lord, was purged of the sin of interfering with His worship, and reached the

Abode of Lord Siva.

CHANDESVARA NAYANAR

21. TIRU-NAVUKKARASAR NAYANAR

Appar or Tiru Navukkarasar flourished in the 7th century A. D. He is one of the four Saiva

Samaya Acharyas (Saivite spiritual teachers). He was born in Tiruvamoor in Tirumunaipadi Nadu.

Pukalanar was his father; Mathiniyar, his mother. Mathiniyar gave birth to a daughter whom they

named Tilakavathi. After some years, Mathiniyar had a son whom they called Marulneekiar, the

dispeller of darkness or ignorance. Early in life he mastered all the Shastras.

When Tilakavatiar reached her twelfth year, she was betrothed to Kalaipahayar, a military

commander in the Pallava army. Before the wedding, however, he was sent by the king to fight

another, and he died in battle.

Pukalanar fell seriously ill and died. Mathiniyar committed Sati (died on the husband.s

funeral pyre). As the children were recovering from this shock, the news of Kalipahayar.s death

reached Tilakavathiar: and as she, since her betrothal, had regarded him as her husband, she decided

to commit Sati, too. But, Marulneekiar pleaded with her reminding her that now she was his mother,

and also threatened to die if she would not change her mind and live. Tilakavathiar changed her

mind for the young brother.s sake. Even though she was young, she led the life of an ascetic. She

was highly devoted to Lord Siva. Her glorious ascetic life has been sung by Sekizar, the author of

Tirumurai. She was mother to Appar.

Marulneekiar, even while young, had realised the unreality of the world. He engaged

himself in all kinds of charitable works. He was eager to find out the best religion and to follow it.

He had heard much about Jainism and its wonderful practice of Ahimsa. He believed that Jainism

would give him emancipation and so became a convert. He even went to Pataliputra (in South Arcot

district) and joined the Jain school. He attained mastery over all their scriptures.

Tilakavathiar was heart-broken over this change in her brother. She abandoned her native

place and settled in Tiruvadigai Virattanam, in aMutt she built there. She prayed fervently to Lord

Virattaneswarar to save her brother and shower His grace upon him. The Lord appeared in her

dream one day and said: .My child, your brother has already done severe Tapas in order to attain

Me. I will surely turn his mind, by making him suffer from severe colic, and then take him to My

fold..

Marulneekiar fell a victim to severe colic. He could not bear the pain. The Jains tried their

best but could not relieve the pain. He felt intuitively that it was an eye-opening experience. He lost

faith in Jainism. He thought of his sister. He threw away the Jain garb and without informing

anybody, returned to his sister. He fell at her feet and prayed to her to protect him. She understood it

was His Lila, and said that by the grace of Lord Siva, he would be all right. She smeared the holy

ashes on his forehead and repeated the Panchakshara Mantra. His ignorance vanished. She took him

to the temple of Virattanesvarar. He worshipped the Lord and sang a hymn: .Oh Lord, I have

insulted You and Your religion. I have committed many evil acts. Once on the bank of Godavari, I

argued with the saints and established the superiority of Jainism. For all this evil, Lord Yama

himself has come to me in the form of this excruciating pain. Oh Lord, You are my sole prop and

refuge. Save me. I will ever keep Your Lotus Feet in my heart.. When he concluded the song, the

pain disappeared. A celestial voice said: .From now on you will be known as Tiru Navukkarasar,

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.Lord of Speech.. Your glory will spread everywhere.. Thus Lord Siva.s grace restored his faith in

Saivism.

Tilakavathiar was immensely happy, too. Tirunavukkarasar became a staunch devotee of

Lord Siva and lived in Him repeating the Panchakshara Mantra.

The Jains at Pataliputra were afraid that, if the king came to know that because of their

inability to treat Tirunavukkarasar (to whom they had given the name Dharmasenar) he had left

them and gone back to Saivism, he would take them to task. So they concocted a new story and

showed Tirunavukkarasar as a traitor against the king and the royal religion, viz., Jainism. The king

ordered his ministers to produce Tirunavukkarasar before him. They went to Tiruvathikai, with an

army. When Tirunavukkarasar heard of the charge against him, he said: .Oh Ministers! I am no

longer your king.s subject. I amthe subject of Lord Siva, the protector of all beings, the destroyer of

all sins, the Lord of all gods, the bestower of immortality and eternal bliss. Disobedience to the king

may amount to treason in the case of other people, not mine, because I am under His protection.

Fear cannot approach me, because I amunder the protection of one who once kicked Lord Yama, to

save His (Siva.s) Bhakta.. The Ministers recognised his greatness: but were afraid to return without

him. They, therefore, begged of him to come with them out of his supreme compassion, and to

establish the glory of Saivism. Tirunavukkarasar went with them.

The very sight of Tirunavukkarasar enraged the king who asked the Jain heads to decide

upon the proper punishment to be meted out to him. They suggested that he be thrown into a

burning lime kiln. Accordingly, he was shut up in a kiln for seven days. He remained there, fixing

his mind on the Lord and repeating His Name. By His grace, the heat of the kiln was transformed

into a cool breeze. At the end of seven days, the Jains, to their surprise, found Tirunavukkarasar

alive, and absorbed in deep meditation. They attributed this to the power acquired by him when he

was a Jain: and advised the king to poison him. Again, by the grace of Lord Siva the poison was

transformed into nectar. Again, the Jains attributed this to the efficacy of the Jain Mantras which

Tirunavukkarasar had learnt from them, and advised the king to have him trampled by the elephant.

Tirunavukkarasar, boldly facing the elephant sang a hymn in praise of the Lord. Tirunavukkarasar.s

loving look transformed the elephant.s nature and it went round him and prostrated to him. The

Mahouts goaded it: but it got wild and attacked the Mahouts and the Jains and killed some of them.

Those who escaped ran to the king and fell at his feet. This was a great disgrace.

The king was greatly worried. The Jains finally advised the king to have Tirunavukkarasar

tied to a stone and thrown into the sea. In accordance with the king.s orders, this was done.

Tirunavukkarasar fixed his mind on Lord Siva and was continually repeating the Panchakshara. He

sang hymns in praise of the Panchakshara. As soon as he finished the song the stone began to float.

Tirunavukkarasar sat on the stone and was happily borne on the waves and safely taken to the

shores of Tiruppapuliyur. Thus did the Lord save His Bhakta.

At Tiruppapuliyur, there was a huge congregation of Siva Bhaktas to welcome him. He

worshipped the Lord and sang hymns in praise of the Lord. .Oh Lord, the unseen Protector: You are

my guide and saviour. You are my father, mother, sister and everything. Oh Lord of Mercy, You

saved me from all dangers. Due to Your grace and love alone I am alive.. Addressing the mind, he

says: .Oh mind, when you have totally surrendered yourself to Him, why do you fear any danger?

TIRU-NAVUKKARASAR NAYANAR

None can harm you. Fear not.. Again, turning to the Lord, he says: .Oh Lord of Mercy, I want no

more birth. If I take birth at all, owing to past Karma, let me remember Your Name always. Even if I

take birth as a worm, let me not forget Your Name. Let me find delight in uttering Your Name..

Then Tirunavakkarasar returned to Tiruvathikai, after visiting many holy places on the way. When

Pallava king who persecuted him came to know this, and when he recalled the many miracles he had

witnessed, he was convinced of the superiority of Saivism. He went to Tiruvathikai, fell at

Tirunavukkarasar.s feet, and begged his pardon. Tirunavukkarasar embraced the king with all love

and affection, and the king embraced Saivism and built the magnificient temple of Siva called

Gunabharaveechuram at Tiruvathikai.

Tirunavukkarasar then spent his days in worshipping and serving the Lord in various ways,

to set an example even to saints that they should not relax their eternal spiritual vigilance, lest they

should fall a prey to Maya and to exhort them to lead the ideal life of a humble devotee for the

guidance of others. He also visited many sacred shrines, thus emphasising the glory of pilgrimage.

The thought that he had lived for some time with the Jains, eating their food and mixing with

them made Tirunavukkarasar feel that his body was still impure, for the worship of Lord Siva. He

prayed to Lord Siva: .I do not want to live any more in this impure body. Let me have the stamp of

Your Trident and Nandi on my body, and then I shall regard it as fit for Your worship.. At once a

divine servant of Lord Siva approached Tirunavukkarasar and put the stamp of the Trident and

Nandi (one of the Saivite rituals of initiation, according to the Agamas) on Tirunavakkarasar.s

shoulders. He experienced supreme bliss immediately.

Tirunavukkarasar then went to Chidambaram. The very sight of the temple tower sent him

into a trance. He sang thrilling hymns here and prayed: .Let me serve You. Your Bhaktas know no

want nor fear. Even Lord Yama cannot dare to approach them. I have come to Your Abode where

no sin can approach. I have surrendered myself to You. I have enshrined Your Lotus Feet in my

heart..

At Chidambaram, he heard of the glory of Tiru Jnanasambandar and how he was blessed by

Parvathy. He was eager to meet the great saint who was at Shiyali. As Tirunavukkarasar was

proceeding towards Shiyali, Sambandar also was happy and was eagerly looking forward to this

meeting. When Tirunavukkarasar reached the outskirts of Shiyali, Sambandar went forward to

receive him. They fell at each other.s feet, and set an example in saintly conduct. They went to the

temple and worshipped the Lord. At Sambandar.s request, Tirunavukkarasar sang a hymn here:

.When the whole world was submerged during Pralaya, Lord Thoniappar was seated with His

Consort in the boat of Pranava (OM) surrounded on all sides by Devas in the form of birds.. Even

now the temple of Lord Thoniappar is in the form of a boat. They who cling to His feet are

protected.

Along with Sambandar Tirunavukkarasar visited the temple at Tirukkolaka. He then took

leave of Sambandar and left the latter.s Ashram and after visiting many shrines, reached

Tiruvavaduthurai. He sang a hymn here expressing intense Vairagya: .Oh Lord, I am caught in the

wheel of births and deaths. I am tired of this. Show me a way to get out of it..

NAYANAR SAINTS

Then he came to Sattimutham. He prayed to the Lord: .Oh Lord, place Thy Lotus Feet on

my head before I leave this body.. The Lord said: .Come to Tirunallur. I will fulfil your wish..

Tirunavukkarasar accordingly went to Tirunallur and worshipped the Lord Who placed His Feet on

the head of Appar. He sang: .Oh Lord, Thy Holy Feet are adored by men on earth and the gods in

heaven. Even great Tapaswins cannot touch Your Feet, if their devotion to You is tainted. But They

are easily accessible to the real devotees who serve with faith and devotion. The sacredness of Your

divine Feet cannot be understood by ordinary men. They are the bestowers of all prosperity and

immortal bliss..

After visiting some more places of pilgrimage, Tirunavukkarasar went to Tingalur, where

he formed a miracle and brought saint Appudi Adigal.s son back to life.we shall read this in

Appudi Adigal.s life.

At Tiruvarur, he was given a rousing welcome by the Siva Bhaktas. He had the Lord.s

Darshan there. His heart was overflowing with love. He shed tears of love. He danced in joy. He

was immersed in divine bliss. He sang hymns expressing regret for his mistake in joining Jainism.

He felt that he would have been blessed with the Lord.s Darshan earlier had he remained a Saivite

and carried on His worship, with devotion. He also sang a hymn praising the sincere devotion and

greatness of Nami Nandi Adigal who lighted the lamp with water in this sacred shrine when he

could not get oil anywhere.

Then Tirunavukkarasar went to Tirupukalur, after visiting other shrines on the way. Tiru

Jnana Sambandar was there, too, and the two saints met each other for the second time. At Appar.s

instance, Sambandar went to Tiruvarur and had the Lord.s Darshan there. Both the saints remained

at Tirupukalur for some time: and many other saints took this golden opportunity of having the

Darshan of these two great Acharyas (spiritual preceptors) together. Tiru Neelakantha Nayanar,

Siruthondar, Muruga Nayanar and many others came to Tirupukalur, and the place was converted

into a divine realm during the stay of the two Acharyas.

The two saints then moved on to Tiruveezhimalai. Famine raged there at that time. Appar

(another name for Tirunavukkarasar) and Sambandar were greatly moved by the suffering of the

people and prayed to the Lord for relief. The Lord promised to give them a golden coin each every

day, with which they could feed the people. Lord Siva placed two coins, one at the western entrance

and the other at the eastern entrance to the temple: the Nayanars collected the coins and relieved the

suffering of the people. The famine soon came to an end. Both the saints praised the glory of the

Lord and left.

Then they came to Tirumaraikadu or the present Vedranyam. Once upon a time, the Vedas

themselves used to worship the Lord here. When people neglected the study of the Vedas, this was

discontinued. From that time, the door by which the Vedas used to enter, remained closed. There

was another door by which people would go in and worship. Appar and Sambandar heard of this

when they came there. Sambandar desired to enter through the door which remained closed. He

requested Appar to sing a song. The doors opened by themselves, by the Will of God. They went in

and worshipped the Lord. When they returned to that entrance, Appar requested Sambandar to sing

a song, so that the door could close again. Sambandar sang and the door closed again. At night one

day, Lord Siva appeared and commanded Appar to come to Tiruvaimoore. The Lord appeared

TIRU-NAVUKKARASAR NAYANAR

before him and walked in front of him. Appar followed Him, but could not approach Him. Suddenly

the Lord entered the local temple and disappeared. Appar went inside the temple but could not find

the Lord. In the meantime, Sambandar, learning of Appar.s departure, followed him and came to

the temple. Appar entreated the Lord to bless Sambandar with His Darshan. The Lord fulfilled

Appar.s wish. Then, they went to Tiruvaimoore and from there returned to Tirumaraikadu.

Mangayarkarasiar and Kulachirai Nayanar, the queen and the minister of the Pandyan king,

sent messengers from Madurai to Sambandar, reporting the evil influences of the Jains and urging

for his immediate presence in Madurai. Sambandar wanted to go there immediately. Appar, in the

meantime, told him of all that happened to him and tried to stop him from going. But, so great was

Sambandar.s eagerness to serve the Lord, that he went.

Tirunavukkarasar then visited Tiruvavaduthurai, and came to Pazhaiyarai. Here he came to

the Vadathalai temple and worshipped the Lord from outside. He came to know that the Jains had

converted this into a Jain temple, and that they had removed the Siva Lingam to an unknown place.

He prayed to the Lord: .Oh Lord, I will not proceed an inch from here till I have the Darshan of Your

image which has been removed by the Jains to an unknown place.. The Lord appeared before the

king in his dream and said: .Oh king, My Bhakta Tirunavukkarasar is fasting, to have My Darshan.

Go at once and drive out the Jains, so that Tirunavukkarasar could enter the temple and have My

Darshan.. He also told the king where the Lingam lay hidden.

The king woke up and immediately summoned his ministers. He went to the temple, drove

away the Jains and fell at the feet of Tirunavukkarasar. The temple was immediately reconverted

into a Siva temple and the Lingam installed once again. Tirunavukkarasar worshipped the Lord and

was happy.

During another pilgrimage, Tirunavukkarasar felt the pangs of hunger as he was

approaching Tirupainjeeli. Lord Siva wanted to appease his hunger and thirst. He created a tank and

a garden on the way, so that Tirunavukkarasar could quench his thirst and rest in the garden. The

Lord Himself waited there in the guise of a Brahmin, with food in hand and gave it to

Tirunavukkarasar as soon as he arrived there. Appar took the food, drank the water and was resting

when the Brahmin enquired where he was going.

He said that he was going to Tirupainjeeli. They both started to walk. When they were near

the place, the Brahmin suddenly disappeared, and Appar understood that it was none other than the

Lord Himself. He wept bitterly for not recognising Him earlier and rolled on the ground on account

of His separation.

After visiting Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, and Kalahasthi, where he sang the glories of

Kannappar, Appar felt a desire to go to Kailasa. He went to Banaras, and worshipped Lord

Viswanath. He turned northwards and crossed many thick forests infested by wild animals. By his

mere look, the wild animals became tame! He walked night and day. His feet were sore. Then he

crawled with his hands. His elbows began to bleed now. Then he used his chest and crawled on. His

chest also began to bleed and the ribs began to break. Still, Appar, undaunted, continued his journey

to Kailasa, rolling on the ground. Appar wanted to go to Kailasa: but the Lord wanted that he should

live in the world for many more years singing His glories. The Lord created a tank nearby and

NAYANAR SAINTS

appeared before Appar in the form of a saint, with matted locks, Rudraksham and holy ashes. The

saint found out from Appar that he was proceeding to Kailasa, and said: .Oh friend, the Lord of

Kailasa cannot be seen by human beings. So, turn back.. Appar said: .So long as I have this body, I

will not turn back, without going to Kailasa,. and turned towards the saint again after bowing to

him: but the saint was not there. Appar understood it was the Lord Himself. The Lord afterwards

kept Appar invisible company, giving him encouraging words now and then. Appar mentally

prayed to the Lord: .Oh Lord, give me a fresh body, so that I may continue the journey.. The Lord

directed him to take bath in a near-by tank and said: .You will see Me and My Abode, Kailasa in

Tiruvayar.. Appar, repeating the Panchakshara, took a dip in the tank. He came out of the tank, and

found himself in the tank at Tiruvayar, hundreds of miles away, to the south! He came outside and

saw everywhere Siva and Sakti. He entered the temple and saw Mount Kailasa there. He saw Lord

Siva seated with Mother Parvathy, surrounded by gods, and celestial servants praising His glory.

He went into a trance and sang His glories and danced.

Then, Appar had a Mutt built for him at Tirupoonthurai and remained there. Sambandar

had, in the meantime, defeated the Jains at Madurai and was coming to Tirupoondurai. Appar went

forward to receive him. Without Sambandar.s knowledge, Appar quietly joined those who were

carrying his palanquin. On reaching Tirupoonthurai, Sambandar cried out: .Where is Appar?. and

Appar, from below the palanquin coolly announced himself. At once Sambandar jumped out of the

palanquin and fell at the feet of Appar who had, by his example, demonstrated the humility of a true

saint. They embraced each other and shed tears of love. (Incidentally, it is interesting to note that

Appar was advanced in age and Sambandar was only seven years old at the time.)

Then, Tirunavukkarasar wanted to see the state of Saivism in the Pandyan kingdom, for

himself and left for Madurai. The king, Ninra Sheer Nedumara Nayanar, the queen

Mangayarkarasiar, and the minister Kulachirai Nayanar welcomed him with devotion. Appar

remained there for some days, worshipping the Lord. Then he went to Rameswaram and other

sacred places before returning to Tirupukalur.

Lord Siva wanted to test him here. When Appar was doing his services in the temple, the

Lord made the entire floor appear as though it was strewn with gold and diamonds. To Appar, gold

and diamonds were worthless .straw.. He collected all of them and threw them in a near-by tank.

Again, the Lord made celestial damsels appear before him and tempt him with their charms. Appar

remained undisturbed. His entire heart and soul was centred on the Lotus Feet of the Lord.

Appar spent the rest of his life there and at the age of 81 merged himself in Lord Siva.

Om Tat Sat

(Continued ....)

(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Sree Swamy Sivananda of The Divine Life Society and also grateful to other Swamyjis for the collection)

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Thursday, June 28, 2012