Pugazhthunai Nayanar

2

Pugazhthunai Nayanar

Born of a Brahmin family in Thiruvillipuththur, Pugazhthunai shines like a glittering diamond among the villagers. He spends his entire life in the service of Easan. From early morning till late night, he does all the work in the temple including carrying out pujas with great devotion.

During one of such days….

 Waking up very early in the morning, he goes to the temple and sweeps and cleans it. As he opens the sannathi, there is an obnoxious odour coming from inside.

Pugazhthunai (closing his nose unable to bear the stench)

Is there any dead rat or a squirrel inside? The stench is churning my stomach! Ayyo! How come my Easan spent the entire night in this obnoxious stink?

He rushes inside searching for the dead animal and finds nothing there. He eyes fall on the flower garland around Easan. Wondering whether the odour is emanating from there, he picks it up and finds that the garland is the source of the stink, He quickly picks it up, runs outside and throws it away at a distance. After taking a bath again he returns to the sannathi. The stink remains and he starts pouring water on the Thirumudi of Easan. Even after pouring pitcher after pitcher of water, only the intensity of the odour subsides but not eliminated totally.

Pugazhthunai (to himself)

What shall I do to drive out this bad smell?

He remembers the items kept in the Madappalli of the temple and rushes there. He picks up cardamom and cloves and grinds them to a paste with rose water. He applies this paste on Iraivan’s Thirumeni and washes with water. He then takes the sandalwood and grinds a cupful of sandalwood paste. He applies the sandalwood paste and covers the entire body of Easan.  Finding that the obnoxious odour has completely disappeared, he feels elated. 

Pugazhthunai

Iraiva! I feel like having regained my life only now!  From now on, after the night puja, I will conduct abhishekam with items of sweet perfume and do Sandanakappu before I retire to my bed. You shall not remain with rotten flowers at night any longer!

As he conducts deeparadhanai to Easan, an elderly person comes and stands in the sannathi. He looks at Iraivan but his hands are not folded in reverence. Pugazhthunai shows the deepam which he touches very casually.  Though surprised but unmindful of his unusual behavior, Pugazhthunai, brings thiruneeru and offers it to him. He takes it and puts it away in a container nearby, rather than applying it on his forehead.  He starts going out without saying anything. Pugazhthunai gets angry because of his action.

Pugazhthunai

Periyavare! Please hold on…

The elderly man stops and Pugazhthunai gives him a thorough look from head to toe on reaching him.

Pugazhthunai

Periyavare! I am surprised by your actions. Have you no faith in Iraivan?

Periyavar (with a mild laugh)

Would I come inside the temple had I no faith?

Pugazhthunai (confused)

You did not bow to Easan, nor did you apply the Thiruneeru I gave you.  May I know the reason?  

The Periyavar laughs again.

Periyavar

‘Placing a few flowers on the installed stone as if it is Deivam,

 What use your murmuring a few mantras going around it?

 While the Lord is inside you, will that installed stone speak?’

நட்டக் கல்லைத்தெய்வமென்று

நாலுபுஷ்பம் சாத்தியே

சுற்றிவந்து முணுமுணுக்கும்

சொல்லும் மந்திரம் ஏனடா?

நட்டக் கல்லும் பேசுமோ?

நாதன் உள்ளிருக்கையில்!

Periyavar starts to leave after confronting Pugazhthunai with the above taunt. Pugazhthunai bars his path and prevents him from moving out.

Pugazhthunai (angrily)

Ayya! Periyavare! Are you calling my Iraivan for whom I conduct daily puja as a mere stone?  Do you mean that reciting mantras and placing flowers are a waste?  I will not let you go unless you give me proper explanation! 

Asks him to sit down, Periyavar also sits there. His eyes fall on the bright and beautiful Iraivan in the Sannathi. A tinge of mischievousness seen in his eyes.

Periyavar

Do you know the story of Eripaththa Nayanar?

Pugazhthunai

Yes! I do! He was a great and noble soul who served in the Thiruvanilai temple of Easan at Karuvur. After completing his work in the temple he looked after the welfare of Adiyavars. One Sivakamiandar, an elderly person, after taking his bath in the river early in the morning used to bring flowers in a basket for the first puja. One day, the royal elephant of the palace, grabbed the basket of flowers from him with its trunk, threw it on the ground and crushed it with its legs. Perturbed by its act, Sivakamiandar tried to hit the elephant with a stick he was carrying.   Dodging him, the elephant made him run here and there.  Rather than controlling the elephant, the two mahouts and the three helpers of the royal elephant, started laughing and made fun of the elder.  Tired and seeking help Sivakamiandar shouted ‘Sivadha’. Hearing his shout Eripaththanar came running. Seeing the trampled flowers, the smashed basket on the ground, the elephant, Sivakamiandar standing helpless, the laughing mahouts and helpers, he got furious. Saying that he would not spare anyone who destroyed the articles meant for Easan, he hit the elephant’s trunk with an axe.  Its trunk getting cut off, the elephant fell down dead. He then chopped off the heads of the two mahouts and the three helpers who tried to run away.  Hearing the news, the King, Pughazh Chozhar , reached there.   Bowing down to Eripaththanar, He said ‘For having committed such a sacrilege, it is not enough if only the elephant and their keepers are punished. As their king, I am equally responsible. So please cut off my head as well’.  Hearing this Eripaththanar realised that it was he who had committed a sin against an adiyavar. He tried to cut off his own head. The king grabbed the axe from him and tried to cut off his own head. Iraivan appeared there and resurrects all of them. He blesses Eripaththanar, Pughazh Chozhar and Sivakamiandar.

Pugazhthunai bows to Easan on completing the story. With tears in his eyes, he looks at the Periyavar.

Periyavar

You have told the story correctly… Now listen to my elaboration also. All the principles of Saiva Sidhdhantham are stated implicitly in the story of Eripaththa Nayanar.

One –   Karuvur, the place that comes in the story, is the physical body.

Two-    The Thiruvanilai Thirukovil is the midpoint of the eyebrows

Three – The sacred Lingam in the temple…. Iraivan

Four – Sivakamiandar … Life

Five – The flower basket he had – is the mind.

Six-    The flowers that were filled in it. They include, nonviolence, control of five senses, patience,

Penance and kindness.

Seven- The staff in the hand of Sivakamiandar—It is the staff for Yoga practice.

Eight- The elephant- symbol of arrogance.

Nine- The two mahouts. They indicate noble deeds and evil deeds or as denoting birth 

                and death.

Ten-  The three helpers denoting  pure, impure and semi pure states.

Eleven- Pugazh Chozhar – Thirodhana Sakti.  

Twelve- Eripaththar… He is the teacher of wisdom. The axe in his hand is the weapon of wisdom.

Thirteen- What the Easan declared when He appeared, ‘It is nothing but a drama enacted by Me to propagate to the entire world the glory of Adiyavar’. This is His everyday act.

Now if we relate what I have told you with the story you narrated……

The physical body of a man functions when he has life or when he is alive.  When he realises that Iraivan is residing within him, in between his eyebrows, when he proliferates from his mind, which is like the flower basket, the noble qualities of kindness etc, when he reaches supreme state of Yoga, when he shears his arrogance with the sword of wisdom, when he overcomes the cycle of birth and death by the Thirodhana Sakti, he merges unto Iraivan! That is the inner significance…. The Saiva Sidhdhantham says that Iraivan is conceptual!  As the spoken word is the Sakti and its meaning is Sivam, it is Easan who is omnipresent! That is why He has taken Sakti as one half of Him! That is why He assumes the form of a Lingam! The Sivalingarupam is the primordial mantram of ‘Onkaram’. That is why Onkaram encompasses the entire universe! That is why everything is Sivam or ‘Sarvam Sivamayam’. Sivam alone is Om!

Pugazhthunai gets up quickly and bows to the Periyavar. 

Pugazhthunai

Ayya! Periyavare! You must kindly forgive me, a humble servitor! We are worshiping Easan in His form as Lingam. Crossing all bounds, you have reached a very high level of keeping Iraivan within your heart and praying to Him articulating that it is only Advaitham that exists! Vedas say that the sole aim of being born as a human is for the realisation of Easan. You have already realised Iraivan!  We follow the way of Aadisaivas who have taken the vow to serve Easan for their entire life. We will not be able to do Abhishekam to the Easan residing in our mind nor will we be able to do Archanai. We are born only to serve Him in His temples.   Pleased by our service, one day or the other Iraivan will definitely appear in person. He will redeem us from the cycle of births and deaths. This is our staunch belief!

Periyavar

Iraivan alone can grant any sort of wish to any sort of His Adiyavar!

He walks away after blessing Pugazhthunai. Pugazhthunai keeps looking at him with folded hands in reverence. He is amazed on seeing the Periyavar disappearing into the thin air.

He continues his routine work as per the vow he has undertaken. After finishing the Puja at night, He picks up cardamom and cloves and grinds them to a paste with rose water. He then applies this paste on Iraivan’s Thirumeni and washes with water. He then prepares sandalwood paste and applies the sandalwood paste and covers the entire body of Easan.

As the meager income he gets is spent on buying these perfumeries, he lives by partaking only the Prasadam he makes for Neivedyam. The days roll by… Iraivan is pleased by the service of His Adiyavar.

Iraivan (to Himself)

The time has come for the entire world to know the fame of this adiyavar!

He raises His hand… Thiruvillipuththur is afflicted by famine.

    *****

 Plagued by the famine, the villagers migrate with their kith and kin to other places. There is no one to even   visit the temple.  Unable to pay the salary of Pugazhthunai, the temple stops even that.  However, he continues with his routine service without any trepidation. As the days pass by, everything gets exhausted. As there is no money left for buying articles, even Neivedyam comes to a stop. Unable to procure items of perfumery, he bathes Iraivan with plain water with tears. Not having any food to eat, he becomes weak. One night, he is about to bathe Iraivan and the pitcher falls off and lands in the lap of Iraivan. Overcome with fatigue, he also falls down unconscious.

Iraivan speaks to him….

Iraivan

Adiyavare! I am anguished that you are starving. Till such time famine lasts, I will give one ‘kasu’ for you every day. Take it and use it for your food.

Pugazhthunayar wakes up with a start and it is day break… He sees a Kasu at the sacred feet of Iraivan. Bowing to Iraivan for His abundant grace, he is overcome with emotion.

Pugazhthunai (looking at Iraivan with tears flowing from his eyes)

Have You  set foot on this earth to care for this insignificant soul?

He picks up the Kasu and runs to buy cardamom, clove, rosewater, sandalwood and other items for preparation of Neivedyam.  Carrying out all the work quickly, he offers Neivedyam and later eats a portion of it. After the night Puja, he carries out the bathing of Iraivan as earlier and does Sandanakappu before retiring to bed. Till the famine lasts, Iraivan leaves a golden kasu everyday and Pugazhthunai   uses it only for buying articles for Iraivan and ensures unbroken service as per his vow. The news quickly spreads that Iraivan is giving a kasu every day to Pugazhthunai. The people who quit the village return. The people from nearby places also come and see the wonder of a Kasu appearing at His sacred feet. In a few days, the temple is able to get enough revenue for carrying out the temple service. The famine comes to an end and the appearance of kasu also stops.

Pugazhthunai continues his service to Iraivan for years later. Overcome by fatigue, he lies down in front of the Sannathi one day. Closing his eyes he is half asleep in a moment. Feeling that his feet are getting massaged, he wakes up with a jolt. Not finding any one nearby, he gets up surprised. Seeing a bright light in the Sannathi, he dashes inside and catches the sacred feet of Easan.

 Pugazhthunayar (with tears swelling in his eyes)

I am insignificant…  I am  poorest of the poor … You have graced me with proper medication for ending my physical discomfort… Oh! Great benefactor! Will you not end the discomfiture of my life also?

The Divine voice

Pugazhthunai   Nayanare! Your singular selfless devotion to conduct the service without caring for your own comfort is fit to be inscribed in golden letters. Your name and fame will remain as long as this earth remains. Whosoever worships Me will worship you as well. Nayanare! You get seated on My right side.

The heavens open up with a shower of flowers. Auspicious music is played along with the sound of Onkaram. Pugazhthunai Nayanar looks back….

The Sivaganas are seen with their hands folded in reverence.  A chariot is standing there and they await the Nayanar to go with them.

Tiruchchitrambalam