Periya Puranam (6)

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Sai

Ram Brothers & Sisters

 

This

is the continuation of the “Periyapuranam

Series”…………………..

10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">6.

THIRUNILAKANDA NAYANAR

font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">“Thillai” (Chithambaram) is the holy

place which had the fortune of becoming the stage for the “Ananda

Thandavam” (meaning the Dance of Shiva) of the Great Lord Shiva with the

Mother of the Universe witnessing it. There lived a devotee who had the mind

always engaged to that feet of the Master of marvelous unique dance. He was a

potter that is with a profession of making pots and clay items. Hence his

service was to provide clay bowls to the loving devotees of Lord Shiva.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">He was a perfect

disciple with all good qualities the Lord expects from His disciple and always

did slavery to the slaves of Lord Shankara while leading a married life.

bold">Such an ardent devotee with a chaste heart started to deviate from his

disciplined life by allowing his young feelings towards a lady whose work is to

give bodily pleasure.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">His better half was a

very beautiful lady with a heart more beautiful than that by having the most

beautiful Lord in that heart.

color:blue"> With the entire heart going

upbeat in the feeling of ecstasy she will chant “Thirunilakantam.”

font-style:normal">This is

font-weight:bold">a name obtained by the Lord Shiva who got a blue spot in His

throat by taking the “alakala visham” (poison from the cobra) that

rose to destroy the entire Universe. He kept that spot forever to indicate

to us that He is there to rescue when we are in trouble!!!!

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">Though she was unhappy

with the husband for his deeds, she never failed to do her responsibilities

of the wife but didn't allow him to be with her.

To calm down her resentment he went with sweet words and tried his best. She

said immediately, "If you touch us!(me)

Thirunilkantam…….” (she

bold"> actually used the word “us” (in Tamil ‘emmai”)

not “me”)

color:blue;font-weight:bold">Instantly as if got an electric shock he took his

hands away from her by mere hearing her pledge on the name of Lord.

bold">The immense respect he had for the Hero who burnt the lust made him to

say with a determination, "As you said "us" (emmai) I won't

touch any females even in the dreams".

It is the quality of the people who stand for their principles that if they do

mistake once and realise it, they never do that again, in fact they become

stronger in their principles. Hence they stand supreme in the history.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">The couple with such

an unshakable determination and self control did the duties of the married

life, but

font-weight:bold">undertook a life of celibacy

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold"> but never revealed it

to others - the ideal couple.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">The years rolled down

but not their determination, even the rocks could have changed in their

stability, but they stood by their oath and conquered all their desires in the

name of the Supreme Lord.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">Beauty and charm of

the both started fading away as they grew old, but the strength of holding the

lotus feet of their loving Lord in their heart never moved by an inch even.

 

bold">To exhibit to the world the path that should be followed as the way of

salvation, the Scholar of all the scholars who taught the ultimate truth to the

great four saints by sitting beneath the banyon tree, stood in the form of a

sage in front of Nayanar's house.

Welcoming and worshipping the devotee, Nayanar asked in humble words what order

the sage had for him. The Shankara who came stealthily

as sage gave his clay bowl to the Nayanar and asked him to preserve it till the

time He asks for it, as it was a rare bowl, He claimed.

10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:purple;font-weight:bold">The robber of

hearts, this time removed that bowl from the secured place without their notice

before returning to their house to claim for it after some time.

bold">Nayanar was stunned when he found that the bowl was missing. Rummaged

around the entire place with shivering heart, but couldn't get it.

bold">By then the Immortal who witnesses the innumerable creation and

destruction cycle of the Universe, shouted as if He was impatient to make it

fast.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">The devotee begged for

pardon to forgive the loss of the bowl and was ready to give a new bowl instead

of that old one.

color:purple;font-weight:bold">But the Giver of liberation asked for the same

bowl that he had given and refused to accept even if he would give a golden

bowl

bold"> and

color:purple;font-weight:bold">charged him for cheating.

bold">That devotee pleaded Him to trust his honesty. The sage said if he takes

a dip in the pond holding the hand of his son He would believe.

Nayanar told him that he did not have any

offspring. Then the sage asked him

to have a

color:purple;font-weight:bold">dip holding his wife's

font-weight:bold"> hand. Nayanar replied humbly that due to a pledge he was not

ready to do that.

color:purple;font-weight:bold">Acting as if angered the Graceful went to the

court of the priests of

font-weight:bold">Thillai

"Comic Sans MS";color:purple;font-weight:bold">.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">The court upheld the

argument of the sage that Nayanar should have a dip in the pond holding his

wife's hand.

10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">Without

breaking the secret of not touching his wife to the court

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">, he came with her to

the pond of the

"Comic Sans MS"">”Thiruppulichcharam” (temple of Chithambaram).

10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""> Each

holding one end of the same bamboo, that sinless said the secret behind

his not touching his wife and his deed behind that to the entire people present

there and went into the water.

color:blue;font-weight:bold">The couple who rose from the water after the dip

appeared to the astonishment of all, as young as one could desire and at the same

time found the disappearance of the Lord who came in the form of sage

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">.

bold">There appeared the Lord in the horizon on the holy Bull with His consort

to bless the hailing devotee, "YOU BOTH ARE VERY GREAT DUE TO YOUR

VICTORY OVER THE FIVE SENSES. YOU BE WITH ME IN BLISS WITHOUT AN END TO THIS

YOUTH".

bold">That marvelous man and his worth praising wife lived in eternal youth in

ever excelling service to the Lord at His abode than it could have been in this

mortal world.

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue;font-weight:bold">

bold">Let the respect “Thirunilakanda Nayanar” gave to the name of

the Lord and the determination he had in standing by the principle stay in our

mind!!!!!!!!!!!

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:windowtext">Sai Ram

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:windowtext">Shivathmika

 

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