Guest guest Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 Om Namah Sivaya Tiru Jnana Sambandar As has already been stated, Jain influence was growing in Madura, and even the king had succumbed to it. There were only two persons who were free from the influence, and they were the queen Mangayarkarasiar and the minister Kulacchirai Nayanar. They were Saivites by inner conviction, though they did not wear the external Saivite marks, for fear of the king’s wrath. They had heard the glory of Sambandar. So, without the knowledge of the king they sent some wise men to Tirumaraikadu to persuade Sambandar to rescue Saivism from the Jain influence. Sambandar informed Appar of his desire to leave for Madura immediately. Appar, out of sheer love for the young Boy, pleaded that he should not go, but, realising his divine nature, let him go! The Jains living all over the Pandyan kingdom saw many evil omens. They reported to the king. At the same time, Mangayarkarasiar and Kulacchirai saw many good omens and were happy. By this time, the news of the arrival of Sambandar reached the queen who sent the minister to welcome him. She herself went to the temple and offered special prayers to the Lord. The minister who proceeded to the border, heard the sound of trumpets and chanting of Vedas. He went towards that direction. The very sight of the Bhaktas who were coming in advance, thrilled him. He fell at their feet and did not get up at all. The devotees carried this news to Sambandar. Sambandar got down from his palanquin and went to Kulacchirai. He lifted the minister up and embraced him. Sambandar worshipped the Lord the moment he beheld the temple tower from a great distance. He sang the glories of the minister and the queen. They went to the temple. The queen, standing on one side, offered mental prostrations to Sambandar. Then, she fell at his feet. Sambandar blessed her. The news of Sambandar’s arrival had reached the Jains. The holy vibrations of the Panchakshara pierced their ears. They decided to bring the wrath of the king on those who welcomed the saint. They told him that they had all been polluted by the sight of the Saivites who had entered the city, following the arrival of ‘one young Brahmin alleged to have been blessed with Divine Knowledge by Lord Siva directly and who wants to defeat us in a religious debate’. The king took counsel. The Jains sought his permission to burn Sambandar’s camp with the help of black magic. He gave them permission. But, it did not succeed. In the meantime, seeing the king worried, the queen ascertained the cause, and suggested that both the rival parties should be invited to argue their case and prove the superiority of their own religion. The king agreed. The Jains failed to set fire to Sambandar’s camp. So, they set fire to the camp in which the devotees were lodged. They got up, ran to Sambandar and told him what had happened. He sang a Padigam expressing the wish that (in accordance of the law of Karma) the fire for which the king was responsible should proceed towards him. Next morning, the news reached the queen and the minister. They were grieved. They wanted to put an end to their lives, but changed their mind when they heard that nothing had happened to Sambandar or the devotees. As soon as Sambandar sang the Padigam, the fire in the camp died out and proceeded towards the king, in the form of a dreadful disease. The king experienced burning sensation all over the body. All the endeavours of the doctors and the Jain priests to alleviate the king’s suffering proved futile. The queen and the ministers understood the real cause of the king’s ailment and were worried. They informed the king of their feeling and requested him to call Sambandar immediately so that his grace might relieve him of the distress. The king acceeded to their request and decided to embrace Sambandar’s faith, if he could cure the disease. The queen at once went out, surrounded by her maid-servants, to invite Sambandar. Kulacchiraiar also went ahead of her. They reached the Mutt in which Sambandar was staying. They fell at his feet and informed him of the king’s condition: ‘The atrocity of the Jains had recoiled on the king who is suffering from intense agony which the Jains have failed to relieve. With folded palms we entreat you to relieve him of the distress, and then defeat the Jains in argument and convince the king of the superiority of Saivism.’ Sambandar assured them that he would fulfil their wishes. He went to the temple to get the Lord’s blessings for defeating the Jains in debate and establishing Saivism in the land. Followed by the queen and the minister, Sambandar went to the palace. The king had him received with all the honours. The Jains were worried and suggested knavishly that, even if he was cured by Sambandar, he should give the credit to them only, for the preservation of Jainism! The king refused to be unjust and partial. Sambandar came into the king’s apartments. The king had him seated on a nicely decorated throne, which greatly annoyed the Jains. They challenged him to a debate. The queen was afraid that they might behave in an unruly manner towards Sambandar who was but a boy in age. She suggested that the king’s disease should first be cured. The king agreed to this. Sambandar also assured her that he was not afraid of anything. The king asked the two parties to demonstrate their powers by curing his disease. The Jains volunteered to cure the disease on the left side, leaving the right to be dealt with by Sambandar. The king agreed. The Jains touched various parts of the king’s body with peacock feathers, chanting their Mantras. The pain only increased! The king looked pleadingly at Sambandar. Sambandar sang a Padigam in praise of the sacred Ash (Bhasma) and with his own hand smeared the Ash on the right side of the king’s body. At once the burning sensation stopped and the king experienced a cooling sensation. The king told the Jains that they had already been defeated and turned to Sambandar and entreated him to cure the disease on the left side also. Sambandar applied the holy Ash on the left side also and the disease vanished completely. The queen and the minister fell at Sambandar’s feet. The king followed suit and praised him. The Jains, however, attributed the cure to Sambandar’s poetical talents, and were quite sure that he could not defeat them in philosophical arguments. They began to think of some other means of defeating Sambandar. When Sambandar invited them to open the debate, they said that they preferred practical demonstration to theoretical discussions. They wanted to challenge Sambandar to a fire test. They said that both the parties should write the essence of their respective religions on palm leaves and put them into fire: that religion should be considered as the real one whose inscriptions survived this test. Sambandar agreed to the condition. The fire was lit. Sambandar, offering his prayers to the Lord, opened the bundle of palm leaves which contained his soul-stirring hymns on Lord Siva and removed the Padigam which he had composed at Tiru Nallaru. To Sambandar, Lord Siva was the Absolute Truth, and so, the song sung in praise of Him, should also be eternal. With the firm conviction that no harm would come to the palm leaf, he put it into the fire. The Jains also put their writings into the fire. The latter was at once burnt: Sambandar’s leaf was quite safe. The Jains, ashamed to face the king, dropped their gaze. The king declared that the Jains had been defeated a second time. The Jains, however, would not agree, and wanted a third test. This time both the parties should throw their palm leaves in the river Vaigai and the palm leaf which swam against the current contained the Truth. Sambandar agreed to this, too. This time Kulacchiraiyar intervened and asked: ‘What should be the punishment to be meted out to the party that fails in this test?’ The Jains, in their anger, said that the party which fails in the test should be hanged. The Jains threw their palm leaf into the river: the current was swift and the leaf was washed away. Sambandar threw his leaf which swam beautifully against the current, without sinking or getting lost. In the Padigam which won this test, Sambandar invoked the Lord’s grace on the king. On account of this, the king’s birth-deformity, viz., a hunchback was also cured. The leaf reached the place known as Tiruvedagam. http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s049.html The minister wanted to take possession of the leaf and followed it. Knowing this, Sambandar sang another song, which stopped the leaf. The minister took the leaf, went to the temple and worshipped the Lord. Sambandar, accompanied by the royal couple, went to the temple and worshipped the Lord. The king was convinced of the superiority of Saivism. The Jains, according to their own contract, were hanged. The people followed the example of the king and became Saivites. Thus was Saivism re-established in Madura. Sivaya Namah Now you can scan emails quickly with a reading pane. Get the new Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 thx, u really are blessed, such nice stories, i love to read about lord shiva and his devotees.... keep posting more.... regards, kanishk Selvaratnam Selvakumar wrote: > Om Namah Sivaya > > > _Tiru Jnana Sambandar_ > > > > > > As has already been stated, Jain influence was growing in Madura, and > even the king had succumbed to it. There were only two persons who > were free from the influence, and they were the queen Mangayarkarasiar > and the minister Kulacchirai Nayanar. They were Saivites by inner > conviction, though they did not wear the external Saivite marks, for > fear of the king's wrath. They had heard the glory of Sambandar. So, > without the knowledge of the king they sent some wise men to > Tirumaraikadu to persuade Sambandar to rescue Saivism from the Jain > influence. Sambandar informed Appar of his desire to leave for Madura > immediately. Appar, out of sheer love for the young Boy, pleaded that > he should not go, but, realising his divine nature, let him go! > The Jains living all over the Pandyan kingdom saw many evil omens. > They reported to the king. At the same time, Mangayarkarasiar and > Kulacchirai saw many good omens and were happy. > > By this time, the news of the arrival of Sambandar reached the queen > who sent the minister to welcome him. She herself went to the temple > and offered special prayers to the Lord. The minister who proceeded to > the border, heard the sound of trumpets and chanting of Vedas. He went > towards that direction. The very sight of the Bhaktas who were coming > in advance, thrilled him. He fell at their feet and did not get up at > all. The devotees carried this news to Sambandar. Sambandar got down > from his palanquin and went to Kulacchirai. He lifted the minister up > and embraced him. Sambandar worshipped the Lord the moment he beheld > the temple tower from a great distance. He sang the glories of the > minister and the queen. They went to the temple. The queen, standing > on one side, offered mental prostrations to Sambandar. Then, she fell > at his feet. Sambandar blessed her. > > The news of Sambandar's arrival had reached the Jains. *The holy > vibrations of the Panchakshara pierced their ears*. They decided to > bring the wrath of the king on those who welcomed the saint. They told > him that they had all been polluted by the sight of the Saivites who > had entered the city, following the arrival of '*one young Brahmin > alleged to have been blessed with Divine Knowledge by Lord Siva > directly and who wants to defeat us in a religious debate*'. > > The king took counsel. The Jains sought his permission to burn > Sambandar's camp with the help of black magic. He gave them > permission. But, it did not succeed. In the meantime, seeing the king > worried, the queen ascertained the cause, and suggested that both the > rival parties should be invited to argue their case and prove the > superiority of their own religion. The king agreed. > > The Jains failed to set fire to Sambandar's camp. So, they set fire to > the camp in which the devotees were lodged. They got up, ran to > Sambandar and told him what had happened. He sang a Padigam expressing > the wish that (in accordance of the law of Karma) the fire for which > the king was responsible should proceed towards him. Next morning, the > news reached the queen and the minister. They were grieved. They > wanted to put an end to their lives, but changed their mind when they > heard that nothing had happened to Sambandar or the devotees. As soon > as Sambandar sang the Padigam, the fire in the camp died out and > proceeded towards the king, in the form of a dreadful disease. The > king experienced burning sensation all over the body. All the > endeavours of the doctors and the Jain priests to alleviate the king's > suffering proved futile. The queen and the ministers understood the > real cause of the king's ailment and were worried. They informed the > king of their feeling and requested him to call Sambandar immediately > so that his grace might relieve him of the distress. The king acceeded > to their request and decided to embrace Sambandar's faith, if he could > cure the disease. > > The queen at once went out, surrounded by her maid-servants, to invite > Sambandar. Kulacchiraiar also went ahead of her. They reached the Mutt > in which Sambandar was staying. They fell at his feet and informed him > of the king's condition: '*The atrocity of the Jains had recoiled on > the king who is suffering from intense agony which the Jains have > failed to relieve. With folded palms we entreat you to relieve him of > the distress, and then defeat the Jains in argument and convince the > king of the superiority of Saivism*.' Sambandar assured them that he > would fulfil their wishes. He went to the temple to get the Lord's > blessings for defeating the Jains in debate and establishing Saivism > in the land. > > Followed by the queen and the minister, Sambandar went to the palace. > The king had him received with all the honours. The Jains were worried > and suggested knavishly that, even if he was cured by Sambandar, he > should give the credit to them only, for the preservation of Jainism! > The king refused to be unjust and partial. Sambandar came into the > king's apartments. The king had him seated on a nicely decorated > throne, which greatly annoyed the Jains. They challenged him to a > debate. The queen was afraid that they might behave in an unruly > manner towards Sambandar who was but a boy in age. She suggested that > the king's disease should first be cured. The king agreed to this. > Sambandar also assured her that he was not afraid of anything. > The king asked the two parties to demonstrate their powers by curing > his disease. The Jains volunteered to cure the disease on the left > side, leaving the right to be dealt with by Sambandar. The king > agreed. The Jains touched various parts of the king's body with > peacock feathers, chanting their Mantras. The pain only increased! The > king looked pleadingly at Sambandar. Sambandar sang a Padigam in > praise of the sacred Ash (Bhasma) and with his own hand smeared the > Ash on the right side of the king's body. At once the burning > sensation stopped and the king experienced a cooling sensation. The > king told the Jains that they had already been defeated and turned to > Sambandar and entreated him to cure the disease on the left side also. > Sambandar applied the holy Ash on the left side also and the disease > vanished completely. The queen and the minister fell at Sambandar's > feet. The king followed suit and praised him. The Jains, however, > attributed the cure to Sambandar's poetical talents, and were quite > sure that he could not defeat them in philosophical arguments. They > began to think of some other means of defeating Sambandar. When > Sambandar invited them to open the debate, they said that they > preferred practical demonstration to theoretical discussions. They > wanted to challenge Sambandar to a fire test. They said that both the > parties should write the essence of their respective religions on palm > leaves and put them into fire: that religion should be considered as > the real one whose inscriptions survived this test. Sambandar agreed > to the condition. The fire was lit. Sambandar, offering his prayers to > the Lord, opened the bundle of palm leaves which contained his > soul-stirring hymns on Lord Siva and removed the Padigam which he had > composed at Tiru Nallaru. To Sambandar, Lord Siva was the Absolute > Truth, and so, the song sung in praise of Him, should also be eternal. > With the firm conviction that no harm would come to the palm leaf, he > put it into the fire. The Jains also put their writings into the fire. > The latter was at once burnt: Sambandar's leaf was quite safe. The > Jains, ashamed to face the king, dropped their gaze. The king declared > that the Jains had been defeated a second time. > > The Jains, however, would not agree, and wanted a third test. This > time both the parties should throw their palm leaves in the river > Vaigai and the palm leaf which swam against the current contained the > Truth. Sambandar agreed to this, too. This time > > Kulacchiraiyar intervened and asked: 'What should be the punishment to > be meted out to the party that fails in this test?' *_The Jains, in > their anger, said that the party which fails in the test should be > hanged_*. The Jains threw their palm leaf into the river: the current > was swift and the leaf was washed away. Sambandar threw his leaf which > swam beautifully against the current, without sinking or getting lost. > In the Padigam which won this test, Sambandar invoked the Lord's grace > on the king. On account of this, the king's birth-deformity, viz., a > hunchback was also cured. The leaf reached the place known as Tiruvedagam. > http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s049.html > <http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s049.html> > The minister wanted to take possession of the leaf and followed it. > Knowing this, Sambandar sang another song, which stopped the leaf. The > minister took the leaf, went to the temple and worshipped the Lord. > Sambandar, accompanied by the royal couple, went to the temple and > worshipped the Lord. The king was convinced of the superiority of > Saivism. *The Jains, according to their own contract, were hanged*. > The people followed the example of the king and became Saivites. Thus > was Saivism re-established in Madura. > > > Sivaya Namah > > ------ > Now you can scan emails quickly with a reading pane > <http://us.rd./mail/uk/taglines/default/nowyoucan/reading_pane/*http://us.rd./evt=40565/*http://uk.docs./nowyoucan.html>. > Get the new Mail > <http://us.rd./mail/uk/taglines/default/nowyoucan/reading_pane/*http://us.rd./evt=40565/*http://uk.docs./nowyoucan.html>. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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