RE: Digest Number 1895

[Guest guest]

Dear Selvakumar

 

Just a minor nitpicking factual correction. Sundarar lived a long life,

visited almost every saivite shrine in Tamilnadu and sang songs. It was

Jnana Sambandar who lived only to be 16. Ofcourse, you can say that Sundarar

lived only till 18 figuratively. It was at that age, when he was going to

get married, that Siva appeared as an old brahmin and claimed him as his

slave, showing a " deed " purportedly signed by Sundarar's grandfather.

 

regards

 

Swami

 

 

 

>Sundarar flourished in the 8th century. He was a great

>devotee of Lord Siva. He is one of the Saiva Samaya

>Acharyas (four great Saivite religious Teachers) in

>South India. He lived only Eighteen years. He sang the

>glories of Lord Siva at all the sacred places that he

>visited. These hymns are called Thevaram. They have

>been collected into a book-form. All devotees sing the

>Thevaram even today.

>

 

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[Guest guest]

Om Namah Sivaya

 

Dear Swami,

 

You said: ‘Sundarar lived a long life’. This is

incorrect.

 

Yes Tiru Jnana Sambander lived only 16 years. He

started singing hymns at age of 5, just after the

vision of Lord Siva and Divine Mother.

 

Sundarar actually lived for 18 years. He grew up under

royal care. At age of 16, the parents wanted to get

their son married. But, the wedding was not to take

place. Just when the ceremony was to begin, an old

Brahmin, with sacred ashes on his body, Rudraksha

around his neck and matted locks on his head appeared

and said: ‘This man, is my bond-slave. I have a

document to that effect executed by his grandfather.

He cannot marry.’ This put an end to the ceremony.

Sundarar and the Brahmin left the place.

 

Sundarar and the old man had a heated argument.

Sundarar asked him: ‘Who are you and from where have

you come?’ To which the Brahmin replied: ‘I belong to

Tiruvennai Nellur.’ Sundarar called him a liar and

said: ‘Come, let us go to Tiruvennai Nellur and get

this dispute settled by the wise men there.’

 

At Tiruvennai Nellur, before an assembly of wise men

the old Brahmin produced the document .After examining

the witnesses cited in the document and verifying the

grandfather’s signature, the assembly confirmed the

old man’s claim. Sundarar had to accept it as God’s

will. Followed by all of them the Brahmin entered the

temple of Tiru Arul Turai on the pretext of showing

them his house, and promptly vanished.

 

Sundarar understood that it was the Lord Himself who

had appeared as the old man to save him from the

shackles of Samsara. He was afflicted very much at

heart that he had not recognised Him earlier. He cried

aloud. The Lord appeared before him and blessed him:

‘Oh noble soul. You are already My Bhakta. You were in

My Abode in Kailasa before this birth as a man. A

wrong thought made you take this birth. Now I have

Myself come to save you.’

 

Because Sundarar had quarrelled with Him, the Lord

Himself called him Vanthondan (the devotee who used

harsh words) and asked him to sing His glories. ‘My

clear child, you called Me Pithan (madman) during your

quarrel. So, begin with this word and compose a poem.’

Sundarar did so: the result was that inspiring poem

Pitha Pirai Soodi. The Lord Himself came to be known

as Taduthatkonda Iswar (the Lord prevented and saved

him from Samsara).

 

Sundarar later visited a number of holy places and

sang the praise of the Lord in all of them. This

lasted for only for TWO YEARS. During this period he

met a chaste woman by name Paravayar who was none

other than Kamalini (the attendant of Parvathi in

Kailasa) in a temple who was a great devotee too and

due to past Karma he married her. He met Aninditiyar,

the other maid-servant of Parvathi in Kailasa, who had

also taken a human birth, was now Sangilyar in another

temple and married her.

 

Sundarar went into the temple and found a number of

devotees of the Lord there. He wanted to sing their

glories. The Lord Himself sang the first line of the

famous poem Tiruthonda Thogai and by His grace,

Sundarar completed it. He sang glories of 60 great

devotees of Lord Siva. Lord Siva sent him to earth

especially for this purpose and hence his job was

completed.

 

One day Sundarar visited a temple alone and worshipped

the Lord at his age of 18. The very sight of the Lord

sent him into trance. He rolled on the ground shedding

tears of God-love. The hairs on his body stood on end

and his mind was filled with rapture. He regained

consciousness after a long time. He was tired of

worldly existence and so requested the Lord to take

him back to Kailasa. He sang a Padigam.

 

The Lord, took Sundarar back to His Abode. Sundarar,

as before, engaged himself in His service with all his

heart and soul. Paravayar and Sangiliyar, being purged

of their Karmas, also reached Kailasa. They resumed

their original duty as the servants of Mother

Parvathi.

 

You may be comfusing Sundarar with Appar. Out of the

Saiva Samaya Acharyas (four great Saivite religious

Teachers). Tiru Jnana Sambander lived 16 years,

Sundarar lived for 18 years, Manichavachagar lived for

31 years and Appar lived for 81 years.

 

Sri Ramakrishnaya Namah

Vivekananda Centre London

http://www.vivekananda.co.uk