தோடுடையசெவியன்
விடையேறியோர் தூவெண்மதிசூடி
காடுடைய சுடலைப்
பொடிபூசி என்னுள்ளங்கவர் கள்வன்
ஏடுடைய மலரான்
முனைனாட் பணிந்தேத்த அருள்செய்த
பீடுடைய பிரமாபுர
மேவிய பெம்மானிவானன்றே.
He is the Lord in Brahmapuram, seated on the bull, wearing
ring in one ear, sporting the pure white
crescent on his head, with ash smeared
all over the body, who has blessed Brahma who prayed to Him at the time of deluge and who has stolen my heart as well.
This song on Lord Siva in
Sirkazhi, Brahmapuram being its other name, forms the first song of “Panniru
thirumurai”, a compendium of holy hymns of Saivam running into twelve volumes, and
was sung by a three year old toddler, in response to his father’s question. It
also marked the start of a torrent of hymns on Lord Siva to pour from this toddler thereafter . That child prodigy is Tirugnanasambandar, who blossomed into
a Jnani ananya bhaktha after an incident that gave birth to this song. We shall see that incident along with a few
highlights of his short life of sixteen years.
Sambandar was born in a devout Saivite family in Sirkazhi. One day when he was a child of three, as his
father Sivapadahrudayar was starting for the temple, little Sambandar wanted to
accompany his father. As Sambandar was
adamant, his father reluctantly took him to the temple. There leaving Sambandar on the bank of the
temple tank, he got into the tank to have his usual dip. As he held his head under water taking a deep dip,
Sambandar not seeing his father’s head above water, cried “Amma, Appa” in
anguish. His cry touched the heart of Parvathi
Devi who was on the celestial rounds with Her Lord and she came down and
consoled him giving her breast milk drawn into a gold cup. Drinking the milk he became not only calm and
happy but also imbibed Jnanam both para and apara. It is this transformed
child with a smile on the lips that had traces of milk that Sivapadahrudayar saw when he came out of the tank. Assuming that Sambandar had taken milk given by a stranger and feeling angry, Sivapadahrudayar questioned him who gave the milk, threatening
to punish him with a raised stick. It is
then the child raised its tender finger and pointing at the temple tower sang
the song we saw earlier. As father
stared at the child in wonder with the stick slipping from his hand, child
Sambandar ran into the temple and standing before the shrine sang ten hymns in
praise of the Lord much to the amazement of people in the temple. Sivapadahrudayar guessed his son has been divinely blessed and calling him
Jnanasambandar, now carried him home on his shoulders.
The next day morning riding
on his father’s shoulders Sambander went to the neighbouring temple at
Tiruvalakka. There as he started singing
a pathigam, i.e. ten hymns, clapping his tender hands to the rhythm of the
hymn, there descended in his hands golden cymbals inscribed with Panchatchara. Touching them with his eyes and thanking the Lord,
he completed the pathigam. When he
returned to Sirkazhi a number of devotees from nearby places started coming to his
place to see him, hear him and even to request him to bless their places with his
visit. One who came to see him during this
time was TiruNeelakanta Yazhppanar who was
an expert player of Yazh. He wanted to accompany Sambandar in his
travels, playing Yazh, to his songs.
After hearing his soul-filling performance, Sambandar agreed and from
then on he was part of Sambandar’s entourage.
In the course of his travels,
riding on father’s shoulders, Sambandar visited Chidambaram, and wanted to go from
there to ThiruArathurai. This time
instead of riding on father’s shoulders, he chose to walk. Feeling tired he halted midway at Maranpadi. That
night Lord appeared in the dream of temple priests at ThiruArathrai and said that Jnanasambandan
who is coming to Him be honoured with pearl palanquin, pearl umbrella and pearl
symbols to sound in his procession. When
they opened the temple in the morning they found these three in Lord’s shrine
and they took them in procession to Maranpadi.
As Lord had appeared and conveyed this in Sambandar’s dream as well, he
received Lord’s gifts with reverence and worshipped them thanking the Lord for
his concern and kindness, before making use of them.
Riding the palanquin he
visited ThiruArathurai and after worshipping there returned to Sirkazhi,
visiting many shrines on the way, to the delight of his proud mother. When he
was staying in Sirkazhi his parents performed the Upanayanam ceremony as he had
attained seven years of age. At the time of the ceremony , Sambandar started reciting
the Vedas and the Upavedas as well, after Brahmopadesam, much to the amazement of assembled priests who
now they had their doubts in the scriptures cleared by him. Clearing their doubts he also spoke to them about the glory of Pantchatchara Mantra. During this
period of his stay at Sirkazhi, Tirunavukkarasar came to see him and was
addressed as Appar, a venerable epithet for father, which name he bore
thereafter.
Appar stayed with Sambandar
for a few days and then continued his travels.
Sambandar also left Sirkazhi, this time in pearl palanquin, to offer worship in various Shrines of Lord Siva. At Tiruppalasramam, the chieftain, Kolli
Mazhavan by name, received Sambandar and took him to the temple. There he found a girl lying in the temple premises. On enquiry he learnt that she was the chieftain’s daughter who was suffering
from epilepsy and that day as she was accompanying her father to
receive Sambandar, she fainted with violent fits and the chieftain had come to
receive Sambandar leaving her in the temple.
Sambandar prayed for her cure and smeared sacred ash on her body, reciting
a pathigam. She got up fully cured and
fell at the feet of Sambandar, to the grateful delight of her father.
He met Appar again at
Tirupugalur and after staying there some time both left together on further
journey. Sambandar wanted to walk in the
company of Appar, but Appar dissuaded him saying it is only proper that he used
the palanquin which was Lord’s gift for his use. So Sambandar following
Appar, in palanquin, visited a few places, including Tiruvizhimalai and
Tirumaraikadu, which have been referred to in the previous blog “Aartha Ananya
Bhaktha – Appar”. While they were
staying in Tirumaraikadu, emissaries from Pandya queen Mangayarkarasiar came to
invite Sambandar to Madurai. Pandya king
has embraced Jainism and was under the influence of Jain priests. As king
himself had deserted Saivam, that faith was in decline. The queen and the
minister Kulachirayar were still Saivites and they very much desired that
Sambandar should come to Madurai and re-establish the glory of Saivam there.
When Sambandar decided to go and conveyed his decision to Appar, he with a fatherly
concern tried to dissuade Sambandar from clashing with Jains as he knew their
ruthless and cruel side, from his personal experience and also as the time was
not propitious. When all these arguments failed,
Appar offered to go with him to Madurai.
Sambandar thanking him for his concern requested him to proceed as per his
earlier travel plans.
When Sambandar reached Madurai, Kulachirayar and Mangayarkarasiar met him
and paid their obeisance to him and the minister escorted him to his mansion. In the meantime the jain priests frightened
by the bad omens they saw, rushed to the king and persuaded him to let them set
fire to the mansion where Sambandar stayed through their black magic and scare
away the little boy from Madurai itself.
When the mansion got fire and it was put out by his vigilant followers,
Sambandar felt this heinous act should not go unpunished but he also felt the
king’s life should not be endangered. So he prayed that the fire may slowly go
back to the king, who has failed to protect his citizens. The king was hit with
severe heat disease. Medicines, magic
and Mantra of Jain priests had no effect on the disease. The Queen gently persuaded the king to seek
Sambandar’s help as the fire that was lit in his place of stay might have rebounded
on the king. When the king agreed to
invite Sambandar to cure his disease, the Jain priests also wanted another
chance to try their medicine. The king
said both can try simultaneously, Sambandar on the right side and Jains on the
left side. When they started, Sambandar
prayed to Lord and smeared sacred ash and the heat completely subsided on the right
side; but it hit with redoubled effect on the other side where Jains were
trying. The king now requested Sambandar
to treat that side also and was completely cured. The king now prostrated
before Sambandar and sought his blessings
Jains were not willing to
give up and they suggested trial by fire. Sambandar agreed and wrote a pathigam on palm
leaf and put it in the fire. Fire did
not touch it and Sambandar took it out and gave it to king. Then the Jain priests dropped the palm leaf
carrying their Mantras and it was quickly burnt to ashes. They then wanted trial by water as a last
chance and submitted that if they lose again they will accept defeat and suggested they be
impaled, if defeated.
They all retired to the
banks of Vaigai river. Jain priests
first dropped their palm leaf carrying their Mantras, which was swept away out
of sight. Sambandar wrote the hymn
starting with “வாழ்க அந்தணர் வானவர்
ஆனினம்” (Vaazha andanar vaanavar Aaninam
i.e. Long live Vedic Bramins, Devas, cows) and dropped it in the
rushing water. The
palm leaf went up-stream and stopped at the banks near the king. The minister
picked it up and handed it to the king, who had a bent back and was referred to as
Koon Pandian. As the king read the words “வேந்தனும் ஓங்குக” (Vendhanum
Onguha i.e. Let the king rise) his arched back
straightened and thereafter he was referred to as Ninraseer Pandian. The king
and queen fell at Sambandar’s feet and king came back to Saivam. Accepting defeat, the jain priests ascended
the stakes, as per their words.
After staying for some time as royal guest Sambandar left Madurai to return
to Sirkazhi. The grateful king and queen
accompanied his palanquin upto the border and there took leave of him. As he was travelling back to Sirkazhi
visiting a few places on the way, he learnt Appar was at Thiruppoonthurithi,
and travelled to meet him there. In the
meantime Appar learning about his coming went unannounced and mingling with
Sambandar’s entourage, put his shoulders to the pearl palanquin for some
distance. After some time when Sambandar
asked where is Appar, he replied that he is there blessed to shoulder his
palanquin. Immmediately Sambandar jumped from the palanquin, fell at Appar's feet and remonstrated that he should not have done that . Appar pacified
him saying that it is the minimum honour he could do to the blessed person who
had taken the divine milk. They stayed there for some time telling each other about their travel adventures after the last meeting. Then Sambandar took leave of
Appar and returned to Sirkazhi.
After spending some time in Sirkazhi, Sambandar travelled north. Visiting shrines upto Kalahasthi, he returned
via Mylapore. In Mylapore there lived a
merchant by name Sivanesan. He was greatly devoted to Sambandar. He wanted to give his daughter, Poompavai, in
marriage to Sambandar and bequeath his vast wealth to him. But she died of
snake-bite. Greatly distressed but undeterred
he preserved her ashes and bones in a brass pot for handing over to Sambandar,
when he comes. When Sambandar came, he
made elaborate arrangements to receive him and took him to the temple for
worship. After the worship when Sambandar heard about his daughter,
he asked Sivanesan to bring the pot to the outskirts of the temple. He prayed to Lord and sang a pathigam in which
calling her by name he asked how can she leave the world without seeing the
glorious festivals of Lord. As he was singing the pot broke and out rushed
Poompavai as a twelve year old and along with her father prostrated before him.
Sambandar asked Sivanesan to take his daughter
home, declining the proposal of marriage with her saying she is like his daughter as she has now received life through him. He then proceeded to
Sirkazhi.
Sambandar was now sixteen and his parents arranged for his marriage as they wanted him to
carry on with traditional Vedic rituals.
As one who respected traditions, Sambandar went along with the ceremony
that took place at Thirunallur. After the
marriage ceremony, he went to the Nallur Perumanam temple with his wife and
others and prayed to Lord for liberation from earthly ties. Then a Jyothi appeared in the temple
and a voice rang out that all those who wanted to reach the Lord’s feet can enter
the flame. Sambandar accompanied by his
wife and other guests entered the flame to rest at Lord’s feet.
In his
short life of sixteen years Sambandar is supposed to have sung more than 10,000
hymns of which we have now available 4,147 only and they constitute the first three
volumes of Panniru thirumurai. These hymns not only showcase his spiritual greatness, but also his language skills and music skills. He had not only used different ragas in his
compositions, but had also employed different styles of composition like Mozhimatru,
Thiruvirukkural, Thiruekapadam etc.
He was a divinely-blessed spiritual genius who stood steadfast in
his devotion to Lord right from his childhood and hence is referred to as Jnani
ananya bhaktha.
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