by: Sri Swami Sivananda
Maiporul Nayanar was a
pious king. He ruled over the hill tribes of Sethi. He was chivalrous and
brave. He fought many battles and was always victorious. There was peace and
plenty in his kingdom. People worshipped him as the living God.
He was well versed in the
Agamas. He was 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 Lords Feet. Daily, special
prayers and festivals were conducted in the temples in his realm.
Nayanars fame soon
spread far and wide. This evoked the jealousy of Muthanathan, the king of the
neighbouring state. He collected a big 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 (for he knew that Nayanar had supreme
devotion to Siva Bhaktas) 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 kings 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. Nayanars 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. At that time, 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 kings
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 Maiporul Nayanar (whose very name meant one for whom
God was the sole reality) also attained His Abode.
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