The Religion and Philosophy of Tevaram (Thevaram)
by M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy | 1958 | 410,072 words
This page describes “nayanar 14: anaya” from the religion of the Thevaram: a comparative study of the Shaivite saints the Thiruthondathogai. The 7th-century Thevaram (or Tevaram) contains devotional poems sung in praise of Shiva. These hymns form an important part of the Tamil tradition of Shaivism
Nayanar 14: Anaya
The 14th saint is Anaya Nayanar. Arurar sings, “Alaimalinta punal mankai Anayarkkatiyen”—‘I am the servant of the cowherd of Mankai, great for its waters full of waves or ripples’. Anayan means a cow-heard and it is translated into Kannada and Sanskrit as Gonatha. They also give another name, Chokkanaya-nar, which suggests that there must be a tradition that the saint’s name was Cokkan.
Nampiyantar Nampi makes him a resident of Punalmankalam of Melmalanatu, which Cekkilar says is in Nirnatu or Cola country. Nampiyantar makes him worship Shiva playing on his flute. Cekkilar makes this saint, whilst grazing the cow, play the ‘Pancaksara’ mantra on his flute, and brings out the importance of music in Shaivism.