Periya Puranam (11 - Part vii)

[Guest guest]

Sai

Ram Brothers & Sisters

 

This

is the continuation of the “Periyapuranam

Series”…………………..

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With this part, the life

story of “Thirujnana Sambandar” comes to an end. Hope you all

enjoyed and enlightened by the immense love and devotion of Sambandar. Series

will continue with another Nayanmar’s life story.

 

font-weight:bold">11. (Part vii) THIRUJNANA SAMPANDHAR NAYANAR

 

 

Saluting the

Supreme Lord’s places Sambandar came to the abode

font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Thiruverkadu situated on the northern bank of river

Pali. Prostrating His

peerless feet he sang the Lord at Validhyam. Saluted by the town he arrived at

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-style:normal">Thiruvarriyur to portray the

glory of the Lord of sacrifices in the glowing

hymns. While Thirujnana Sambandar was immersing himself in the Ocean of Grace at

Thiruvarriyrur there was a

faithful devotee waiting to salute him for a long time living in M

font-style:normal">ayilappur.

font-weight:bold">Being a businessman by profession by name “Chivanechar”

earned a lot of wealth in virtuous ways. For him all the wealth was meant for

serving the Lord. Though had plentiful

wealth he did not have a child for a long time. With his ardent worship and illimitable

service to the Lord and devotees he was blessed with a baby girl who was named

as “Pumpavai”. This baby grew up playfully making

the minds of the people merry. The merchant delighted by his growing gem

declared that he would give all his wealth to her bridegroom. When he heard about the

fame and devotion of Sambandar, his whole of heart became enslaved in his

truthful fame. He saluted his direction and said with the clarity of thoughts

that he had submitted his loving daughter Pumpavai, boundless wealth and

himself to that peerless saint - Sambandar.

 

One day when the

girl went with friends to pluck flowers from the garden was bit by a poisonous

snake. It etched its four teeth in her hand and emitted out the poison. With

the fatal attack the girl she lost her consciousness. The friends held her and

took to her father. Appalled father was petrified, ran for the doctors. All the specialists tried

their best but finally washed off their hands. Though that small girl’s

body was cremated the father didn’t loose hope. He collected the burnt

ashes and bones of his loving daughter in a pot and kept the pot on the soft

bed of hers ornated with clothes and garlands. He treated the pot as his

daughter and everyday he bathed it, decorated it and lived in her memory while the others

wondered about his mental stability.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">When he heard that

Sambandar came to worship the famous Thiruvorriyur

abode he raised a shelter all the way to Thiruvarriyur with all decorations and

went to invite the saint Sambandar.

Sambandar saluted the prostrating devotee and reached at Mayilappur.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">Coming out with His

grace-filled heart, the slave of God asked the devotee to bring the pot which

contained the ashes of his daughter - Pumpavai to the outskirts of the temple.

bold">The entire town including the non-believers assembled in front of the

temple.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:purple;font-weight:bold">Trusting the glory

of the grace of God the great devotee sang on the Lord Mattitta telling the

girl's name asking her how she could go without seeing the splendid festivals

of the Lord when the devotees are served with love. When he sang the

non-belief of certain people the pot broke and the girl emerged from it. In the

first hymn getting back life and form, she got the growth of a year for each

song for eight songs and thus became twelve she came out of the pot.

bold">The huge crowd thundered shouting “harahara”.

Non-believers lost their adamancy. The thrilled father fell on his feet. But

Sambandar kept praising the Mercy of the Lord.

The charming beautiful girl who could make many fall in love for her beauty too

splendorous to be portrayed even by artists, with her delighted father

prostrated the sixteen year old prodigy of transcending knowledge. Sambandar

asked them to go home happily.

color:blue;font-weight:bold">But the merchant requested him to marry his

daughter as per his previous yearning. But Sambandar refused stating as he gave

her life with the grace of the Almighty, such an idea would be wrong.

Consoling them he sent them off but the merchant unwilling to get his daughter

married to anybody else, put her in a place of virgins. The girl too meditated

in the Absolute.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Taking leave Sambandar continued his traveling to

many abodes of Lord Shiva and reached his home Chirkali. Sambandar’s

father and other relatives felt it was the age for Sambandar to get married.

They requested him to get married for doing the Vedic rituals.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">The slave of the Lord

with all his mind in the meditation of Mahesh did not wish to get married.

His father still appealed to him that he should lead the charitiful family life

as prescribed in the Vedic scriptures.

color:blue;font-weight:bold">In order to uphold the tradition and to show that

the married life is also a proper way for worshiping the Lord, Sambandar

agreed for the marriage. The father chose the

loving daughter of the devotee of Lord “Nabamdarnambi” for his

great son. The arrangements for the wedding went on with their hearts in

surplus of joy.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">The streets of Chirkali were decorated with filled

pots, luminant lamps, fluttering flags and garlands of flowers and pearls. The

devotees and relatives took the prospering wrist thread that the groom should

wear all around the town in a procession and wound it in the soft wrist of Sambandar

in the morning of that great day. Sambandar went with pure heart and body to

salute first the Yogeshwara the Yogi of all Yogi’s at Thiruththonipuaram.

bold">The Vedhic chanters asked him to get dressed in the wedding robe. He was

ornated with sandal paste, shining white garments, golden chains with the nine

gems, glittering crown. Above all he decorated himself with the highly precious

substances in the world the “Rudharaksham” and “Holy ash”

chanting the Holy Five Letters – “Na Ma Shi Va

Ya”. The pleasantly adorned

bride was brought to the place and her tender hands were given to the fully

surrendered devotee Sambandar amidst the chanting of holy scriptures. The

wedded couple was asked to come around the fire.

color:blue;font-weight:bold">With all the devotees and relatives following, he

went with his newly married wife to the Lord and sang saluting Him saying it

was the time for Him to accept him.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:purple;font-weight:bold">There appeared a “Joythi”

(magnificent glow) in the abode and the voice of the Giver of liberation telling

to come into the glow

color:purple;font-weight:bold">. Sambandar sang the beautiful hymn telling the

entire world the greatness of the Holy Five Letters of the Lord Shankara via the

Namachchivaya Thiruppadhikam assuring the world that it is the holy mantra

font-weight:bold;font-style:normal">Namashivaya

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:purple;font-weight:bold"> which would rescue

and bless all. He asked all the devotees to get inside the glow. The pure, love

and cool hearted devotees entered the bliss along with their families and

relatives. Finally Sambandar with his wife prostrating and circumambulating the

Glow entered in it to be one with the Lord. Immediately the glow disappeared

from the temple.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">The people who did not

enter it were shocked, wondered. The devas praised from the heavens. Thirujnana

Sambandar who had the immense grace of Lord Shiva through the unshakable devotion

was a beacon to all the devotees of the Loving Supreme Lord.

Sai Ram

 

Shivathmika

 

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