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

 

Appar's message gives hope to common man

 

CHENNAI, MAY 28. The chief characteristics of a devout person

have been listed by many sages and saints. One among these

religious leaders had chosen to lay emphasis on three among them,

viz., an unwavering determination to achieve the goal he had set

himself before him - salvation, secondly, to lead a life of

simplicity and absolute humility and thirdly, he should get

himself engaged in the service of God and humanity. This apostle

resorted to cleaning the temple premises, saw to the deepening of

tanks and wells, raising flower gardens and similar works to spur

people to visit them and worship idols.

 

His motto and ideal of life was ``service'' and the hoe he

carried represented this because at times he had to remove the

weeds whose roots had gone six feet deep. His outpourings give

the common man hope and inspiration as they came out of a

burdened heart. That was the ``master of speech'' or

Navukkarasar, also known as Appar, one of the four principal

propagators of Saivism.

 

Spiritual leaders of Saiva philosophy have divided the pathways

of a devotee's life into four kinds - of a (menial) servant of

God, of a good and obedient son, of a companion and of a

``knower'' of God (equipping himself with a deep study about

religion). Appar resorted to the first type of work to please the

Almighty. He lived up to 81 years remaining unmarried and

visiting pilgrim centres. Since the custodians of Saivite faith

centuries ago were complacent about the dangers to their own

religion from the impact of others, Appar approached Jainism but

later came back to his own fold when he suffered from severe

colic pain and when his sister cured it by the application of

sacred ash.

 

Dealing with the manner as to how Appar brought back to life a

young man from snake-bite by singing a decad of verses invoking

divine grace, Sri M. K. Ramanan, in a lecture, said the saint, on

his tour, came to a place where an ardent devotee had named his

children, roads, wells, groves and booths where water was

supplied to passers-by, all of them with the name of

``Thirunavukkarasu''. The two, who had never met earlier, were

elated when Appar came to the other's (Appoothi Adigal) house. As

food was to be served, the latter's son who went to fetch the

leaf was bitten by a snake and fainted, while poison was

gradually spreading all over his body. Later, coming to know of

this unexpected tragedy, Appar appealed to God with his 10

stirring verses when the boy rose, as if from sleep.

 

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