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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Singular devotion to the Lord

 

CHENNAI, JAN. 23. The Periya Puranam is a hagiography of the 63

Tamil Saiva saints, the Nayanmars, written by Sekkhizhar. Named

as Tiruthondar Puranam as it describes the lives of devotees, it

earned the epithet ``Periya'' because of the greatness of

devotion and service which epitomise the lives of these

Nayanmars. Though devotion forms the common thread which strings

them together as a fraternity, each Nayanmar is unique since the

pathways to the Lord are many.

 

The striking aspect of the Periapuranam is the overwhelming

devotion which blurs social divisions so that every Nayanmar

becomes an aspect of the Infinity presented to humanity with a

name. Of them, Kannappa Nayanmar's is a hallowed name in

devotional mysticism as his sacrifice singles him out among these

saints though they should not be compared.

 

In her Harikatha, Smt. Kamala Murthi said that Thinnan as

Kannappan was named at birth, was born in the hunter tribe and

hence did not have access to education leave alone to spiritual

knowledge. His parents Nagan and Danta doted on him as they had

sired him after remaining childless for long. If circumstances of

his birth denied him the opportunity for spiritual calling, his

training too was not conducive to the honour of becoming a

Nayanmar.

 

The Periapuranam says that his pastime was to ``chase and catch

the young of speedy hares, wild boars, cubs of the striped tiger

and pups of the prairie dogs of drooping ears and train them as

pets.'' That devotion does not have anything to do with the outer

social trappings like community, age, gender and learning was

exemplified in the manner the Lord transformed the life of this

devotee.

 

At the age of 16 with due ceremony and pomp Thinnan was initiated

into hunting with a retinue of his fellow hunters and hounds. On

one of his regular expeditions he chased a boar and killed it and

tired and thirsty after the hunt he went in search of water to a

stream which his friend mentioned. As he quenched his thirst in

the stream he sighted the Kalahasti hills before him and a sudden

change of heart came upon him.

 

Learning of the shrine at the top of the hill from his friend,

Thinnan reached the abode and overwhelmed with love he hugged the

icon of Siva there and started offering food and water to the

Linga daily. It was when the priest chanced upon his worship

which he considered as sacrilege, that the Lord enacted the

famous incident to proclaim his devotion to the world. Thinnappan

who gorged his eye to stop the bleeding from the eye of the image

became immortalised as Kannappan.

 

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