Tirumular Nayanar

“The Supreme Reality is called Siva. He is infinite consciousness. He is eternal, changeless, formless, independent, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, one without a second, beginningless, causeless, taintless, self-existent, ever free, ever pure, and perfect. He is not limited by time. He is infinite bliss and infinite intelligence. He is free from defects, the all-doer, the all-knower.

Lord Siva is the God of Love. His grace is infinite. His love is infinite. He is the saviour and Guru. He is engaged in freeing the souls from the thraldom of matter. He assumes the form of a Guru out of His intense love for mankind. He wishes that all should know Him and attain the blissful Siva-Padam (the state of Siva). He watches the activities of the individual souls, and helps them in their onward march. He liberates the individual souls from their fetters or bonds.” 

[Swami Sri Sivananda] 

Lord Siva

The stories of the Periapuranam (the lives of the sixty-three Saivite Saints) illustrate that a true devotee is ever ready to renounce all in favour of devotion to Lord Siva. Below is the story of Tirumular Nayanar, the saint who composed the oldest and most important text of Yoga from South India entitled Tirumandiram. The Tirumandiram comprises; yoga, tantra, mysticism, mantra, kundalini and monistic theism 

Life of Tirumular Nayanar 

Tirumular Nayanar (or Thirumoolar) was a Saiva Siddha and great yogi. He was called Tirumular because he entered into the mortal frame of Mulan (the cowherd in this narrative). The Nayanar was one of the eight students of Tirunandi Devar. Tirumular Nayanar desiring to see Agastya Rishi in the Pothia Hills, left Kailasa and journeyed southwards. On his way, he visited many Saivite shrines. When he came to Tiruvavaduthurai, he took a bath in the Kaveri River then went to the Temple. Upon leaving the Temple and walking along the banks of the Kaveri, he saw a herd of cows shedding tears. He found out the cause: their cow-herd lay dead. Wanting to pacify the grief stricken cows, the Nayanar entered the body of the cowherd after safely depositing his own body in the trunk of a tree. The cows rejoiced. 

The cowherd known as Mulan, resident of Sattanur drove the cows back into the village in the evening. Mulan’s wife was eagerly expecting the return of her husband. But, when she approached him, he would not allow her to touch him, but said: ‘Oh lady, I am not your husband. Adore Lord Siva and attain Liberation.’ He left and went away to a near-by Math. 

Tirumular finding the cowherder

The lady complained to the village elders about her husband’s conduct. They examined him and after they came to the conclusion that he was a great Yogi who had attained spiritual eminence, instructed the lady to have no further contact with him. The next day, Tirumular followed the cows, but could not find his body in the trunk of the tree, where he had left it. It was the Lord’s Leela. Lord Siva wanted Tirumular Nayanar to write a book in Tamil on Saiva Philosophy, containing the essence of all Siva Agamas. Tirumular understood the Lord’s wish and returned to Tiruvavaduthurai. 

There he worshipped the Lord and sat under a Peepul tree in deep meditation. He was in Samadhi for three thousand years. But, every year, he would come out of samadhi and compose a stanza: thus, in three thousand years he wrote three thousand stanzas, and the stanzas were compiled into a book named Tirumandiram. 

Once the Lord’s mission had thus been fulfilled, Tirumular Nayanar went back to Kailasa. 

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The 3,000 verse Tirumandiram was written probably between the 4th and 6th centuries A.D., and is the oldest and most important text of Yoga from South India. The work comprises; yoga, tantra, mysticism, mantra, kundalini and monistic theism. The 12th century philosophical school of Saiva Siddhantha trace its origins to it. The Tirumandiram is considered the final authority on subtle matters of philosophy and theology in Saiva Siddhanta and the 12th century school of Saiva Siddhanta traces its origins to it. 

“Saint Tirumular is a theologian of our faith, but not merely a theologian. He is also a siddhar, an accomplished yogi. Our Hindu scriptures come from such great men, men who have attained to the deepest realizations through their sadhana and their devotion. When their awareness dwells in the superconscious states resident in all men but penetrated intentionally by only a few, and when they speak out from that state . . . ” to read more on Tirumular Nayanar and to download an English translation of the Tirumandiram, go to this link here. 

Tiru Kurippu Thonda Nayanar

In my previous posting about the schedule of pujas and cultural programmes for the 2012 Arunachaleswarar Mahashivaratri Festival, I mentioned that as part of the cultural programme there would be a puppet dance/show iside the Big Temple Cultural Hall (near Rukku the Elephant) on February 20th from 7.30 to 8.30 p.m., based on the life of the Nayanar Tiru Kurippu Thonda. Below is the story of this great Saivite saint as appears in the Periapuranam.



Tiru Kurippu Thonda Nayanar

In a part of Kanchi, there lived a devotee of Lord Shiva, born in the community of washermen, hereditarily dedicated to the Lord’s service; his heart was full of love and his conduct was exemplary. He did the service of washing for the residents of the city – he was regarded as “the great launderer”. His glory could not be described in words. To the devotees of the Lord who melted at the mere mention of His name, he would with great joy, render the “washing service”. When he washed away the dirt in the garments of the Lord’s devotees, he did really wash off the three kinds of blemishes, that had accrued through the past births of his.

One chilly day, the Lord, to show to the world the real glory of this Saint, came until him, in the guise of a poor old man, dressed in a filthy rag. Beholding Him, the Tondannar, divined his intent and pleased joyfully: “Sire, how it is that you look so weary? Please give me your garment, to be washed by me”. The Lord replied: “It is true that this cloth has become too filthy to be worn; yet, it is the only protection I have against the biting chill air; I cannot abide the night’s cold. If you assure me that you will return this cloth, duly washed, before dusk, you may take it and do your work quickly”. The washerman promised to return the cloth before twilight and the Lord handing over his garment reiterated: “Remember that If you fail to return the garment in time, you would be harming this body of Mine”.






The Tondannar went to the ghat, soaked the dirty cloth in water; then put it inside a boiling vat; and after the dirt was removed wrung the garment hard, squeezing out the water in it. Now when he was at the last stage of washing, it began to rain hard, as the Lord willed it.

Recalling his assurance to the devotee, the Tondannar was nonplussed. Seeing no sign of the rain abating, he thought: “The time limit is now past. I have harmed the devotee’s body. For this evil, the only remedy is to shatter my own head on the washing rock”. When he was about to do so, the soft lotus hand of the Lord bearing the impress of the bangle of His gracious consort, rose by the rock and held up his head!

The showers of rain now gave place to showers of celestial flowers and the Lord with His consort mounted on the mighty Bull and gave darshan from on high. When the Tondannar’s hands folded in adoration, the Lord said: “We have now shown to all the worlds the nature of your unique service. Come and abide with me for ever in Sivaloka.” With this, the Lord returned to His own shrine!

To read The Puranam of this Nayanar as English poetry go to this link here.

Meypporul Nayanar

Nayanars were from varied backgrounds, ranging from kings and soldiers to untouchables. The story of each saint exhibits different aspects of devotion and is believed to inspire in the reader a greater intensity of love towards Lord Shiva.

The Periapuranam, which is regarded as one of the greatest devotional books in Tamil literature, is a compilation of the lives of these great saints and narrates the history of each of the sixty-three Nayanars.

The below narrative of the king Meypporul Nayanar, serves as an example by showing us the values of tolerance and of doing good even to enemies.



Meypporul Nayanar

The story goes thus:

Meypporul Nayanar was a pious king who ruled over the hill tribes of Sethi. He was chivalrous and brave and there was peace and plenty in his kingdom.. People worshipped him as the living God. He fought many battles and was always victorious.

He was well versed in the Agamas and an ardent devotee of the Lord. To him Siva and His devotees, adorned with matted locks, Rudraksham and sacred ashes represented the only truth, Absolute Truth: and all the rest of the world was straw. He saw everything as Sivamayam. Siva Bhaktas enjoyed absolute freedom in his country: they were honoured by the king and the people alike. Though he ruled the kingdom as the king, his mind was always at the Lord’s Feet. Daily, special prayers and festivals were conducted in the temples in his realm.






Nayanar’s fame spread far and wide. This evoked the jealousy of Muthanathan, the king of a neighbouring state. He collected an army and attacked Nayanar several times; but he was repeatedly defeated. So, Muthanathan resorted to foul-play. One day, he disguised himself as a Siva Yogi and entered the palace at night. The gate-keepers did not question him, but allowed him to proceed. Dathan, the faithful and intelligent servant of Nayanar, was guarding the bedroom in which the king was sleeping. When the Siva Yogi approached the bedroom, Dathan tried to dissuade him from disturbing the king’s sleep; but the Yogi refused to listen, saying: ‘I have some secret Shastra to teach the king. I cannot wait.’ So, Dathan had to allow the Yogi to enter the bedroom of the king, though he was a little suspicious.

Nayanar’s wife got up and, finding a Siva Yogi in the room, quickly awakened her husband. The Siva Yogi told the king that the Shastra was a great secret, revealed by the Lord Himself, and that only the king was entitled to hear it. At once the king sent even the queen away and prostrated before the Yogi, ready to receive the secret. At that moment, the Siva Yogi, who was none else than the jealous king Muthanathan, quickly stabbed Nayanar on his back, with a knife he had kept hidden.

The shrewd Dathan, as he entered the room, found the king on the floor in a pool of blood and Muthanathan with a knife in his hand. He was ready to strike down Muthanathan, when the dying Nayanar said: ‘Datha, he is our man. He has the appearance of a Siva Yogi and so must be honoured as one. Do not harm him. Kindly escort him to the borders of our kingdom, and see that he is unharmed.’ Dathan obeyed the commands of his master. As he was escorting Muthanathan, the people who had heard what happened went to attack Muthanathan, but, as soon as Dathan told them of the king’s commands, they withdrew, admiring the supreme devotion of their king. Thus, Muthanathan was safely escorted out of the kingdom. And, Dathan hastened back to the palace to convey this news to the dying king who was eagerly waiting for it.

As soon as Dathan conveyed the news to the king, the Nayanar called all his Ministers and relatives to his bedside, and spoke to them as follows: ‘It is our duty to serve the Bhaktas. They must be honoured and worshipped at all times and under all circumstances. Let our people walk in the footsteps of the Siva Bhaktas. Let the country be flooded with Siva Bhaktas. By their blessings, let peace and prosperity reign in our land.’ With these words, he closed his eyes and meditated on Lord Siva.

Lord Siva at once appeared before him and blessed him as follows: ‘I am immensely pleased with your devotion to My Bhaktas. I am immensely pleased with your cosmic love and your unquestioning devotion to My devotees. Even in a murderer you saw Me. You are, therefore, fit to reach the Highest Abode which even the Devas cannot hope to reach. You will soon come to My Abode.’ With these words the Lord disappeared: and Meypporul Nayanar (whose name means ‘one for whom God is the sole reality’) also attained His Abode.

Kalia Nayanar and message of the Nayanars

Nayanar’s Message
[By Swami Venkatesananda]


"There have been many ‘intellectuals’ even in India who have looked down upon the path of Bhakti (devotion) as something inferior to Jnana (wisdom). Their short-sightedness becomes at once apparent when we study the lives of the great Four Teachers (Appar, Sundarar, Manickavachagar and Sambandar) and realise that these great Jnanis, too, were great Bhaktas who loved to visit Temples and sing the glories of the Lord. Look at the humility of Appar who carried Sambandar’s palanquin. It is not born of the weakness of the ignorant: but it is the culmination of true knowledge!

How shall we understand the wonderful spirit of renunciation that characterised the lives of many royal Nayanars, if we regard them as weaklings? They had understood the true nature of the world, and wanted only God . . . This great truth has been beautifully brought out again and again in these lives — love of God completely removes the devotee’s attachment to his own body.

Let us also never forget that in the case of all the Nayanars devotion invariably meant expansion of the heart, and, therefore, service and charity. It is essential that, in our study of these great lives, we take them as a whole: the sixty-three blending into one marvellous scripture on devotion. . . . Nayanars have to be read with this caution: we have to take them as allegories exhorting us to rout out the inner obstacles to our Sadhana, ruthlessly. The story of Eripatha Nayanar, for instance, should be taken as an exhortation for us to kill lust, anger and greed, the powerful impediments on our spiritual path which, in the twinkling of an eye wreck our worship of the Lord.

If we approach these saints with faith and devotion in our hearts, we shall grasp the message they have for us. We shall also understand why they gave such a great place to externals like the sacred ash, Rudraksha, etc. These symbols remind one constantly of God: and, when they are said to remove our sins, they remove our sinful tendencies, too, by constantly reminding us of God, and keeping evil out of our mind."



Kalia Nayanar


Kalia Nayanar is another of one of the 63 Nayanars whose story is associated with deepams and lamps maintained in praise of the Lord.


“Kalia Nayanar was an oil monger of Tiruvotriyur. His adoration of the Lord, to who he was highly devoted, took the form of lighting the Temple lamps daily. The bhakta was rich. But, in order to reveal his greatness the Lord impoverished him, so, Kalia began to work as a labourer in order to earn money to purchase oil for his worship. But even this became impossible. His depths of poverty were so dire that the bhakta even tried to sell his wife, but no-one would buy her.






At last, in despair at his plight at not being able to maintain the Temple lamps, Kalia decided to cut his own throat and use the blood instead of oil, to burn the lamps. In his attempt to do this, Lord Siva caught hold of his devotee’s hand and blessed him.

What greatness, and what intensity of devotion is portrayed in this simple life! Self-forgetfulness is the key-note in devotion. Remembering God always, the devotee is so thoroughly absorbed in Him, that nothing but God and His worship matters to him. By all means His worship must go on: no obstacle shall stand in the way. The devotee’s heart and mind are always positive, never letting a negative thought enter them. He sees opportunities in difficulties and is never beaten by any obstacles which serve him as steps to God!”
[By Swami Sivananda – abridged]

Kanampulla Nayanar

Kanampulla Nayanar was a wealthy man of Pullirukkuvelur, who was a great Siva Bhakta. He wanted to utilise all his wealth in the service of the Lord. So, with unswerving devotion he would light lamps in Siva shrines and sing the praises of the Lord..

Kanampulla went to Chidambaran where he continued his service. Lord Siva wanted to reveal the devotion of his bhakta to others, so the Lord withdrew the wealth of his devotee The bhakta’s holy service continued in spite of whatever hurdles he faced. He sold his household articles one by one, and with the money received fuelled and lit lamps everyday with ghee.






Then came the situation when there was nothing left in the house to sell So, he went out to the fields to cut grass and sell it so that he could purchase ghee to fuel lamps in service to the Lord. Because he cut a variety of grass known as Kanampul, the bhakta is known as Kanampulla Nayanar.

One day he was not able to sell the grass. But as he did not want to swerve from what he believed to be his duty of maintaining oil lamps in service to the Lord, he went to the Temple and made a wick out of grass he had cut and burnt it. The quantity of grass was not enough to sustain the flame, so the bhakta, brought his own head near the lamp, spread his hair on the lamp, and began burning it. It was then that Lord Siva appeared before him, and blessed him.

Karikal Ammaiyar

One of the few women saints whose stories appear in the 'Periapuranam, The Lives of the Sixty-Three Saivite Saints', is that of Karikal Ammaiyar. The stories of the 'Periapuranam' may expand our hearts by showing the depths of devotion to Lord Shiva that can be reached by mortal man.

The story of Karikal Ammaiyar

Punithavathiar as Karaikal Ammaiyar was called, was born in a Vaisya family. Her father was Danadathan. He was a wealthy merchant. He was very virtuous, too. He and his dutiful wife prayed to the Lord for a child, and the child the Lord blessed them with they called Punithavathy. From her childhood, Punithavathy had an intense love for Lord Siva and His Bhaktas. She was married to Paramadattan, a wealthy Vaisya. Both of them were leading an ideal householder’s life.

One day Paramadattan sent two mangoes to his house. Punithavathy kept them safely so that she could serve her husband with them at meal-time. In the meantime, a Siva Yogi appeared before her. He was hungry and completely exhausted. Punithavathy worshipped him and offered him Bhiksha. She had nothing to give him, except the mangoes. She gave one to the guest. At midday Paramadattan came to the house. The wife served him with one mango. He liked it, and asked for the other. She was upset. She appealed to the Lord for help.

When she finished her prayer, mysteriously a mango fell on the palm of her hand. She gave it her husband. He tasted it. It was exceptionally sweet. He asked her to tell him from where she got it, as he was quite sure it was not the mango he had sent. Punithavathy told him the whole truth. Paramadattan, however, would not believe this and challenged her to produce another. She prayed again to the Lord. Another mango appeared on her palm. She gave it to him. But, at once it disappeared from his hand. He was astounded. He understood the greatness of his wife. He felt that it was a great sin to live with her as her husband. On the pretext of going to a foreign country for trade, he sailed with a ship load of goods. On return, he established himself in a big city in the Pandyan kingdom. He married a Vaisya girl and lived happily. He had a daughter by her and he named her Punithavathy, after his first wife.

Punithavathiyar’s relatives came to know of her husband’s whereabouts and took her also there in a palanquin. When Paramadattan heard that Punithavathy was coming to him, he, with his second wife and child, went forward, and fell at Punithavathy’s feet. When the people demanded an explanation, he revealed that he regarded her, not as his wife, but as a Goddess. Punithavathy understood his mental condition, and prayed to the Lord: ‘In that case, Oh Lord, deprive me of the present physical charm and let me have a demonaical form.’ Her prayer was immediately granted and her charming body was transformed into a skeleton.

Then she went on a pilgrimage to the holy Kailasa. Feeling that it would be a great sin to place her foot on those sacred grounds, she made the last part of the journey on her head. Mother Parvathy was surprised to see Punithavathy’s strange form and her wonderful devotion. Lord Siva told her of Ammaiyar’s greatness. When she went near Him, Lord Siva welcomed her with extreme love and granted a boon to her. She fell at His Feet, and prayed: ‘Oh Lord of Mercy, give me sincere, pure, unalloyed, eternal and overflowing devotion unto You. I want no more birth. If, however, I have to take birth here, grant me that I should never forget You. Whenever You dance, I must be at Your feet singing Your praise. This is my only wish.’ Lord Siva granted the boon and asked her to proceed to Tiruvalangadu to witness His dance. She went to that place and spent her life singing the praise of Lord Siva.

[By Swami Shivananda]

Periapuranam and Ramana

Someone asked Bhagavan whether he deliberately went in for a study of Periapuranam. Thereupon Bhagavan said, “No. No. It was a mere accident. A relation of mine, my uncle, was given the book by a swami who was living near our house and was advised to read it. Thus the book happened to be in our house and, coming across it, I looked into it first out of curiosity and then, becoming interested, read the whole book. It made a great impression on me.

One of the earliest photographs of
young Ramana Maharshi

Before that, the sixty-three images of the Nayanars in the Temple were mere images and no more. But afterwards, they gained new significance for me. I used to go and weep before those images and before Nataraja, that God should give me the same grace He gave to those saints. But this was after the ‘death’ experience. Before that, the bhakti for the six-three saints lay dormant, as it were.”

Mr. Somasundaram Pillai asked Bhagavan, “With what bhava did Bhagavan cry before those images? Did Bhagavan pray he should have no further birth, or what?” Bhagavan replied, “What bhava? I only wanted the same grace as was shown to those saints. I prayed I should have the same bhakti that they had. I knew nothing of freedom from birth or bondage.”

[Day by Day with Bhagavan -- 6-10-1946]

Appudhi Nayanar

The story of the Nayanar Appudhi from the Periapuranam illustrates the nature of devotion for a householder and how the whole family can work together in service of Siva. Appudhi Nayanar was an ardent Siva Bhakta who excelled in devotion to the Guru. He belonged to a Brahmin Family in Tingalur (the place where the Moon worshipped the Lord) and lead the ideal householder’s life.

Appudhi had heard of the glories of Tirunavukkarasar and had taken him as his Guru and meditated on his lotus feet. He had named all his children ‘Tirunavukkarasu’ and all household articles and water sheds had been named after the Guru. Thus Appudhi had ensured that he would constantly remember the Guru, and thus experience his Grace.

Tirunavukkarasar passed through Tingalur one day and was surprised to see his own name everywhere. Appudhi received the Siva Bhakta (though he did not know who it was) with great devotion. Tirunavukkarasar asked why the water-sheds and other items were named after Tirunavukkarasar. Appudhi was upset at this casual reference to the name of his Guru and asked: ‘Though you appear to be a Siva Bhakta, you do not seem to know Tirunavukkarasu Swamigal, who through the grace of the Lord withstood successfully all persecutions and re-established Saivism.’

Tirunavukkarasar moved by Appudhi’s devotion replied: ‘I am that humble soul who fell a victim to severe colic and then took shelter under the Lord’s Feet. I am that one who, due to the grace of Lord Siva, got cured of disease and returned to Saivism.’ Thus it was that Appudhi remembered the glory of Tirunavukkarasar, whereas the Guru choose to recall his own failings (to preserve his humility) and the Lord’s supreme saving grace.

As soon as he heard this, Appudhi understood that the Siva Bhakta was none other than Tirunavukkarasar and was overjoyed and worshipped him along with his wife. The Guru accepted the invitation to eat at their home. After the food was ready to be served, Appudhi sent his elder son to bring a banana leaf from the backyard, and the boy in the process of collecting the leaf, got bitten by a snake. The boy managed to return home and hand over the leaf to his father but after fulfilling his duty, fell down and died as the poison took its toll.

Appudhiadigal and his wife were distressed but, hiding their emotions, rolled the boy in a mat and hid him outside their house. Without informing Tirunavukkarasar about the tragedy, they served him food. The Guru understanding the situation, asked them to bring the dead son. Tirunavukkarasar then went to Tingalur temple and laid the body in front of the Temple and sang; and as soon as he finished singing, the boy got up as though he was waking up from his sleep. All were overjoyed except for the parents who regretted that this incident had caused a delay in Tirunavukkarasar having his meals! This story thus illustrates the nature of true devotion.

Periapuranam

According to Tamil literature, the famed Periapuranam was written during the thirteenth century and narrates the stories of 63 Nayanmars (Saivite saints) who achieved enlightenment through the path of devotion to Lord Shiva. The Nayanmars came from varied backgrounds ranging from kings and soldiers to untouchables – and in this way it shows that enlightenment depends not on caste or education but merely upon intensity and devotion to God. The reading of the Periapuranam is regarded as an inspirational aid to devotion and is famed throughout Tamil Nadu.


Sri Ramana Maharshi on Periapuranam

"I was not aware that experience of the Self was categorized and described variously. I was not familiar with philosophic terms like "Brahman" nor what an attributeless Truth meant. I was not aware that the individual Self and Easwara were one. I had an awareness of Easwara but not that it was the atma itself. One cannot say whether the thought process (mind) became extinct or was in abeyance. The Self was being experienced without any effort. In a sense it was abidance in the Self. It was the experience of the unbroken atma in the words of Sankara. In Jnana Vasishta it is described as "sattva pathi

Did not Sankara and other self-realised persons worship God with attributes?" One moment it was submergence in the atma at the next it was in God. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also confirmed the last stages of saints and sages to be similar.

Other than Periapuranam I had not studied any other spiritual text by then. I had only heard of the Infinite Being with attributes as described therein. I had not heard of any attributeless Truth. Even while being conscious of the external world I was in the presence of Easwara — with no agony, or emotion." [Ramana Maharshi]

Occasionally I will relate stories from the Periapuranam, and to begin with below is the story of the Nayanmar, Ilayankudi Mara. [To read a previous story about the Nayanmar Poosalar go to this link here.]

Ilayankudi Mara Nayanar

Ilayankudi Mara Nayanar was a farmer and a great devotee of Lord Siva and His devotees and took great pleasure in serving them. Nayanar had been blessed with great wealth but considered it belonged to the Lord, to be utilized for the benefit of His devotees.

Lord Siva was highly pleased with the Nayanar’s devotion. He wanted to show to the world that His devotee would be undaunted by the worst calamity and would remain unshaken in his virtue. Nayanar’s wealth melted away. But although his wealth had left him, not only did he retain his great virtue, but it grew even more intense. Nayanar sold all his property in order to be able to serve the devotees of the Lord.

One day it was raining and Nayanar and his wife were starving. No one came forward to help them. Finally, he bolted the door and was about to fall asleep. Just then he heard a knock at the door, and, on opening it, found a Siva Bhakta standing in front of the house, drenched with rain. Nayanar at once took the guest inside, dried his body and gave him fresh clothes to wear. ‘Rest awhile, Swami, while we prepare some food for you to appease your hunger,’ said Nayanar and told his wife of his predicament: there was nothing to offer the devotee of the Lord. But, the devout wife suggested that Nayanar could go into the backyard and collect the grain-seeds that they had just sown that very day. Nayanar accepted the suggestion. On account of the heavy rain, the grains were floating and it was easy to collect them in a basket. As soon as he brought the grains, the wife fried and crushed them, and with the help of some greens that grew in their own backyard, cooked a nice dinner for the guest.

Nayanar was supremely happy. And, as he went to awaken the guest, he discovered that he had disappeared. And then Nayanar saw in the sky, Lord Siva who had come in the form of the devotee with Mother Parvati. Both were showering their blessing on him and his wife. The Lord said: ‘Oh noble souls, I am highly pleased with your devotion. You will soon attain My Abode and live there for ever.’