Two Tamil Saivite Saints

(The Legends)

Just as the Saints who worshipped Sri Vishnu are known as Alwars, the Saints who worshipped Lord Siva are known as Nayanars. These Saivite Saints are mostly of Tamil learning, and the Nayanars number so large as sixty-three and a biography of these Saints is richly depicted in Periyapuranam. It is surprising to see that the birth of these Tamil Saivite Saints is from different castes. Some were Vellalas, some were aborigines, some were outcastes, some were Vysyas, a few Brahmins, and others of different castes. Siva Bhakthas consecrated their whole life to a devotion to Siva and they never attached much importance to the rigidities of caste. Thus they acquired a cosmopolitan feeling.

The worship of Siva Bhakthas was regarded even superior to the worship of Lord Siva Himself. Siva Bhakthi is one of the highest types of devotion to God in Hinduism, and it is also commonly thought that to please Lord Siva and to get His blessings is comparatively easy.

KANNAPPA NAYANAR

Ages ago there lived a hunter-king by name Nagan ruling the province of Uddupur in Pottappi Nad. By caste he was a Marawar. He 'had a wife called Thattai but had no children. The husband and wife prayed Murugha (Subrahmanya) for a child and through God’s grace was born a male child and he was named Tinnan. As he grew old Tinnan became a wild hunter-youth, roaming in the forests in the most rude, rustic and uncultured way. He was fond of boar-hunting. One day a wild boar that was caught escaped from the snare and the hunter-boy gave a swift chase and at last caught and killed it. He and his two followers, Nannan and Kadan, desired to roast it and have a delicious meal of the prey. As they found no water near by they decided to proceed to the summit of the hill Kalahasti, whereon Lord Siva presides. A thought flashed to their minds that they could also pray to the God there. As they climbed the hill the hunter-boy carried the huge boar on his shoulders. While climbing, the hunter-boy felt that the weight on his shoulders was growing lighter and lighter. He was quite surprised and finally in wonder threw down the weight and in haste reached the top where he saw the Linga with a human head. As soon as he was in front of it, a transformation came upon him. He felt a change in himself and a feeling which had the touch of something holy. Tinnan at once rushed on to the idol, embraced it and began to shed holy tears. He saw that there was moisture over the idol and a flower. "Someone had worshipped," he thought. Just then one of his comrades stated that a Brahmin of the locality offered prayers to God daily. Likewise Tinnan thought of offering something to God and so ran to his comrades, took the finest portion of the roasted flesh, first tasted it to see if it was agreeable and then ran up with the best portion of it to the summit to offer to his Lord. His comrades were greatly surprised at his changed behaviour. He did not find water to sprinkle over the Lord’s head and so instantly, without any thought, removed the saliva out of his mouth and sprinkled it over the idol, laid a few wild flowers from his own head over it and then placed before it the roasted flesh. He felt sorry that God was exposed to the dangers of the jungle in the night and so cared most for the safety of the Lord. The whole night he stood beside the idol with his bow and arrow offering protection. At dawn he left for hunting to secure food for his Lord.

The Brahmin Saint, Sivagochariar, came there as usual and saw that the sacred image was painted, polluted and defiled by a ruffian’s hand, dirty saliva and rotten flesh all over. He grieved very much and prayed to God for pardon. As usual he cleaned the Linga, performed abisheka, adorned it with flowers and left the spot. The hunter-youth returned again in the night after the hunt, and according to his own method sprinkled the saliva, put some wild flowers and then offered flesh. This double alternate service, by the Brahmin and the hunter, continued for five days. The Brahmin worshipped in the day and the hunter in the night. The Brahmin thought last that some mischief-monger was causing trouble and so prayed to God for help. The Lord spoke to him in a dream and said, "He who offers flesh and saliva is a hunter in this forest. He loves me and he is ignorant of all rites and sacred books. His offerings are pure though abominable to a Brahmin, and his intention is genuine. What he does is out of his love and I love him. Wait you for the night and see the hunter, pure and sacred in thought and deed. He is a Bhaktha." Next day the Brahmin concealed himself and waited for the hunter. Lord Siva, to show all the devotion of the hunter, did certain miracles. He caused the blood to flow out of one eye of the Linga. The hunter came there in the usual manner and to his surprise saw blood gushing out of the Lord’s eye. He cried out instantly in pain, for the wounds caused by some knave in his absence. He searched for the enemy but could not find him. So he returned with some herbs to heal the wound. He could not succeed in stopping the flow of blood. Instantly he remembered the saying of the elders that like cures the like. He at once with his pointed arrow cut out his corresponding eye and placed it to the Lord’s bleeding eye. The bleeding stopped and the hunter felt happy though bereft of his one eye. But again, the other eye of the Lord gave way and began to bleed. The hunter in his love for the Lord instantly thought of removing the other eye to set it in the other bleeding eye of Siva. Lest he should miss the exact spot where he had to set his eye after removal, the devotee put the toe of his leg over the bleeding eye and was about to remove his own eye to place it in the proper place. Siva was immensely pleased and He at once extended out His blessing hand over the Bhaktha and asked him to stop and told him, "It is the eye, my child." (Kan-Appa, Kan=eye, Appa=a term of endearment). The lost vision of the hunter was at once restored. Tinnan became a God taking his place by Lord Siva in Kailas. The Brahmin priest saw the wonderful happenings from his hiding place, rushed out at the end and worshipped the hunter who was really a Bhaktha of Lord Siva. The hunter was thereafter known as Saint Kannappa.

In this legend which is thought to have taken place before the seventh century, we have the life of one who was from his youth absolutely ignorant of Saiva philosophy, tenets, writings and worship, but gained within six days the highest place of a devotee through intense Bhakthi.

MANICKAVACHAKAR

Manickavachakar is another great Saivite Saint and a Bhaktha of Lord Siva. His writings are held in very high estimation. His songs stir the human emotions to divine ecstasy.

Manickavachakar was born in the seventh century in ancient Madura, and before he completed his sixteenth year learnt all the sacred learning of Saivite scriptures. His love for Siva was supreme. His extraordinary genius and learning spread far and wide and the Pandyan King, Arimardana Pandya, sent for him and made him his minister. Though the man was put in the midst of luxury, revelry and all kinds of happiness, given horses, elephants and all honours of the royalty, still he grieved for something beyond all these earthly pleasures–the love of Siva. He fully realised that all the happiness in which he was placed was only transitory and ephemeral and never abiding. He realised that all earthly pleasures were only greater and stronger ropes of bondage from which it is difficult to extricate and that those pleasures make a man go far away from the reach of God. He felt great compassion and pity far the toiling multitudes and he wanted to release one and all from the tyranny of birth and death. He always awaited for the great release. He approached every known Saint and Saivite teacher for acquiring knowledge and none of them could really satisfy his inner thirst.

One day a messenger informed the King that splendid horses had arrived in the harbour and that he might select the best for himself. The King asked the minister to go with full money and buy the horses for the Palace. Thus under orders of the King the minister started with a large treasure.

Lord Siva thought that it was time to take an avatar to release the suffering of the multitude. He came down in the shape of a Teacher to preach the greatness of Siva, accommodated himself with his retinue as his own disciples in a big grove. The following miracle then happened.

The minister, while passing along the grove, learnt that an extra-ordinary and super-human Saivite teacher had made his abode there. Instantly the minister forgot his business and the orders of the King, and in his zeal and enthusiasm to see the Guru, went into the grove to meet him. When he saw the Guru he recognised that he was no other than Lord Siva on earth. He at once fell full length at the feet of the Guru. The teacher required no more test of this Bhaktha and he initiated him as a Jivan-mukta (one that attains release from the human form). The minister thus became the disciple, discarded all his princely robes and transformed himself into a yogi, with ash-smeared body. He gave away all the wealth of the King to the poor and needy.

The followers of the minister proceeded to the King and announced all that had happened. The King became enraged and at once ordered for his return, and the minister sent word through the messenger who brought the order that there was no King except Siva and that he was not afraid of anyone. The Guru, however, asked him not to be afraid but to go to Madura and say to the King that the horses would be arriving on a particular day, and provided him with a small retinue and a ruby stone.

Though the ascetic minister did say that the horses would arrive, still the messenger’s words prevailed and the minister was thrown to the prison as the horses were not brought with him. The Guru saw the suffering of his Bhaktha and desired to relieve him of his distress. He gathered a large pack of jackals, transformed them into horses and sent them to the Royal Court with his disciples and men as syces and horse-men, and himself rode before all as the merchant from whom they were all bought by the minister. The King was immensely pleased, thought that he had committed a great folly in having imprisoned the minister and he at once released him from bondage. The horses were rested in stables.

Before day-break, the whole City of Madura was filled with yells and howls of jackals in great numbers and they fled away from the stables. The King enquired into the wonderful happening and thought that he was thoroughly deceived. He at once seized the minister and put him to great torture under the burning sun. Lord Siva saw his disciple under this heavy penalty, at once caused a flood in the river Vaigai, and the entire City was in danger. The King ordered that everyone in the City should bring a basketful of mud and throw it on the bank of the river. This mandate one old weather-beaten dame could not obey and she was suffering for want of help. Lord Siva came in the guise of a labourer and offered to do her part of the duty. The labourer merely kept the mud in his hand but did not throw it over the bank for any length of time. The King, who was watching the labourer’s idleness, gave him a blow with a stick. The labourer threw the mud down and vanished from view. The blow inflicted on the labourer was felt by everyone in Madura. The King also felt that it was the work of Siva and that he had committed a great wrong by punishing his true devotee. He at once released the minister. He thought that he was not fit to rule the kingdom. He requested his ascetic minister to take charge of the kingdom, which the latter refused. The minister retired to the grove where Lord Siva was incarnate. Siva, however, disappeared, enjoining his disciples to establish and spread the faith throughout the Tamil land. The gift of composition came upon the minister, and the minister became a yogi, wandering from place to place singing devotional songs and hymns in praise of Siva. He was thereafter known as Manickavachakar (Manicka = Ruby. He whose utterances are like rubies).

Manickavachakar left for Chidambaram, the abode of Siva, where Siva in his glory danced to his heart’s content. At this place Manickavachakar settled and finally merged into God’s own existence. There appeared at that time a devotee before Saint Manickavachakar and requested him to permit him to write down all the songs as they emerged from his lips. The devotee, who was no other than Siva himself, collected a thousand songs and carried them away to heaven. However on earth was also left a great scripture, Siva-gnana-bodham, in which were imbedded the Saivite truths signed by God himself and this was found near the Lord’s image in Chidambaram shrine. The devotees saw the Sacred Book and rushed to the Saint for explanation. The Saint only pointed out to them the compassionate image of Lord Siva. The Saint finally vanished after entry into the temple and was seen no more thereafter. It is said that the Pandyan King, Arimardana Pandya, resigned his throne to his son and became a saint.

The existence on earth of this venerable Saint was only for a short space of thirty-two years. Among his innumerable works, two are Tirukkovai written while he was at Chidambaram as a Saint, and Tiruvasagam. He had written down in his works most of his spiritual experiences and inner thoughts. He realised and made known to the public that by true devotion one can realise God, who is the Beginning, the Middle and the End.