by: Sri Swami Sivananda
Sundaramurthi Nayanar
flourished in the 8th century. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva. He is one
of the Tamil Samaya Acharyas (four Tamil religious Teachers).
Sundaramurthi Nayanar
sang the glories of Lord Siva at all the sacred places that he visited. These
hymns are called Thevaram. They have been collected into a book-form. All devotees
sing the Thevaram even today. The hymns sung by Sundarar, Appar or
Tirunavakkarasu, and Tirujnana Sambandar are called Thevaram. The hymns of
Manickavachagar are called Thiruvachagam.
Sundarar had the Sakhya
Bhava or the attitude of a friend towards the Lord. He freely demanded of the
Lord whatever he wanted. He did not do so with selfish desire, however.
Whatever he asked for was for the sake of those who were dependent on him. He
lived only eighteen years.
Sundaramurthi Nayanar was born in Thiru Navalur
where the entire atmosphere was full of spiritual vibrations and Saivism was
well established. In this place, there lived a pious, devout and respected
Brahmin by name Sadaiyanar whose ancestors were all ardent devotees of Lord
Siva. Isaignaniar was his dutiful wife. She gave birth to a divine child whom
the parents named Nambi Arurar after its grandfather.
In his previous
incarnation Arurar was Alala Sundarar, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva.
When the Milky Ocean was being churned by Devas and Asuras, a deadly poison
began to spread on the surface of the ocean threatening the existence of all
beings. Then Alala Sundarar collected that poison in his hand and gave it to
Lord Siva Who drank it for the protection of the world. Hence, Sundarar got the
word Alala (for Halahala, the poison) prefixed to his name.
Once when Alala Sundarar
was living by the side of Lord Siva in the Mount Kailas, serving the Lord and
bringing flowers from the garden for His worship, he cast a lustful look at
Aninditi and Kamalini, the attendants of Goddess Parvathi who had also gone to
the garden to collect flowers for the divine Mothers worship. They, too, fell
in love with him. Lord Siva, through His divine vision, understood all that had
happened in the garden. He called Alala Sundarar and said: Sundarar, since you
fell in love with these girls, you and they, too, will go down to the earth and
take a human birth. You will marry them and enjoy the pleasures of the world.
Sundarar wept bitterly, regretting his folly which had resulted in his
separation from the Lord. He prayed to the Lord: Oh Lord! It is due to my evil
thought that I have to undergo this separation from Thee. I am afraid lest I
should be steeped in ignorance and forget Thee. Oh Lord of mercy! Let this not
happen to me. Oh Lord of compassion! Dispel my ignorance soon and take me back
to Your lotus feet. Lord Siva granted this wish.
There was another cause
for Sundarars human birth. To an ordinary man it may appear that Sundarar was
a victim to lust, even in the divine realm of Kailasa. It was not so. Sundarar
was only an instrument in the hands of God. It was Lord Sivas wish that
Sundarar should sing Tiru Thonda Thogai for the benefit of mankind. So,
Lord Siva entered his mind and created a desire for these two girls. Also, the
Lord wanted to teach mankind a great lesson. Lust is extremely powerful. It can
delude even a great devotee of the Lord like Sundarar, if he is not ever
vigilant. Mayas charms are powerful. Unless this evil quality is burnt, the
Jiva cannot reach Siva. Yet another lesson. The lustful eye was the cause of
Sundarars downfall. But, when it is used in the service of the Lord (for
looking at the holy shrines, holy images of God, saints, and study of
scriptures) the very same organ will help towards our emancipation.
Sundarar was, therefore,
born as Arurar. The king of that place, Narasinga Munaiyar, happened to see the
beautiful child. He liked him. He wanted to bring him up himself and asked for
the parents permission, Sadaiyanar, whose mind was full of dispassion and who
was not attached to anything in this world, immediately complied with the
kings wish. As we shall see later, he and his devout wife are also regarded as
Nayanars.
The boy grew up under
royal care. At the proper age, the parents wanted to get their son married.
Sadaiyanar sought Sandakavi Sivachariars consent to obtain his daughters hand
for his son, Arurar. Sivachariar gladly agreed. But, the wedding was not to
take place.
Just when the ceremony
was to begin, an old Brahmin, with sacred ashes on his body, Rudraksha around
his neck and matted locks on his head appeared and said: This man, Arurar, is
my bond-slave. I have a document to that effect executed by his grandfather. He
cannot marry. This put an end to the ceremony. Sundarar and the Brahmin left
the place. The young bride fixed her mind on the holy feet of Sundarar, shed
her mortal coil and attained the immortal abode of Lord Siva.
Sundarar and the old man
had a heated argument. Sundarar asked him: Who are you and from where have you
come? To which the Brahmin replied: I belong to Tiruvennai Nellur. Sundarar
called him a liar and said: Come, let us go to Tiruvennai Nellur and get this
dispute settled by the wise men there.
At Tiruvennai Nellur,
before an assembly of wise men the old Brahmin produced the document which read
as follows:
I, Aruran, the Adi
Saivite of Tirunavalur, execute this bond of slavery with heart and soul. I and
my progeny for all time to come are bond-slaves to Pithan of Tiruvennai Nellur,
and we are bound to serve him by all means.
Pithan means
Lord Siva who delights to be called a mad man, to exemplify the state of the
highest Yogi whose behaviour resembles that of a mad man but who teaches us
that there is nothing in this world worth taking any notice of and the worldly
wise men are all mad people in truth.
After examining the
witnesses cited in the document and verifying the grandfathers signature, the
assembly confirmed the old mans claim. Sundarar had to accept it as Gods
will. Followed by all of them the Brahmin entered the temple of Tiru Arul Turai
on the pretext of showing them his house, and promptly vanished. Arurar
understood that it was the Lord Himself who had appeared as the old man to save
him from the shackles of Samsara. He was afflicted very much at heart that he
had not recognised Him earlier. He cried aloud. The Lord appeared before him
and blessed him: Oh noble soul. You are already My Bhakta. You were in My
Abode in Kailasa before this birth as a man. A wrong thought made you take this
birth. Now I have Myself come to save you.
Because Sundarar had
quarrelled with Him, the Lord Himself called him Vanthondan (the devotee
who used harsh words) and asked him to sing His glories. My clear child, you
called Me Pithan (madman) during your quarrel. So, begin with this word
and compose a poem. Sundarar did so: the result was that inspiring poem Pitha
Pirai Soodi. The Lord Himself came to be known as Taduthatkonda Iswar
(the Lord prevented and saved him from Samsara).
Sundarar later visited a
number of holy places and sang the praise of the Lord in all of them. He came
to Adigai Virattanam, the sacred place where Appar served the Lord
Viratteswarar and was blessed. Sundarar did not like to place his foot on the
sacred ground and so stayed on the outskirts of the village.
That night when Sundarar
was asleep, the Lord in the guise of an old man entered the Mutt. He lay down
close to where Sundarar was sleeping and pretended to sleep. He then placed His
feet on the head of Sundarar. When Sundarar objected to this, the old man
apologised. Sundarar went over to another corner of the room. There, too, the
old man repeated the same action. Sundarar did not lose his temper. He calmly
asked him for his identity and explanation for the abnormal behaviour. Oh
friend, dont you know me? asked the Lord and disappeared. Sundarar realised
that it was again the Lord Himself. Since he had not gone into the place for
His Darshan, the Lord Himself had come out to where the devotee was! Sundarar
prayed: Oh Lord! How kind and merciful You are! Even devotees who are well
versed in Vedas and Agamas cannot touch Your feet. Out of love towards this
poor creature, You left Your abode and came here to bless me with Your Holy Feet.
Sundarar again continued
his pilgrimage. At Tillai (Chidambaram), he went into a trance even as he saw
the temple tower. In his ecstasy he rolled on the ground and shed profuse tears
of love. He had the Darshan of Lord Nataraja. A heavenly voice commanded him to
go to Tiruvarur.
He then visited many
other shrines and came to Tiruvarur. The Lord appeared to the Brahmins of
Tiruvarur and asked them to receive Sundarar with due honours. They did so. As
Sundarar was worshipping the Lord in the temple, he heard a heavenly voice:
Sundarar! I have made you My friend. I prevented you from getting married.
Hereafter you will appear for ever as a bridegroom and sport on earth.
Immediately, Sundarar became a handsome bridegroom. People called him Tambiran
Thozhar (friend of God).
In Tiruvarur, there was a
chaste woman by name Paravayar who was none other than Kamalini, the attendant
of Parvathi in Kailasa. Daily she would go to the temple and worship the Lord
with faith and devotion and sing His glories. One day, she came to the temple,
as usual, with her friends, to worship the Lord. At the same time, Sundarar,
with his devotees entered the temple. Prompted by past Karma, Sundarar was
attracted by Paravayars beauty. He wanted to marry her, and entered the shrine
of the Lord with this thought. The Lord was his friend, and so, he expressed
his desire to Him!
Paravayar who had seen
Sundarar in the temple also fell in love with him and wanted to marry him.
The marriage was
pre-ordained by Lord Siva Himself and it was now His duty to bring it about. He
appeared to both of them in their dreams and told them that they would get
married. He also commanded His devotees in dream to arrange for the wedding of
Paravayar and Sundarar the very next day. This was done accordingly, to the joy
of both Paravayar and Sundarar.
One day, Arurar went into
the temple and found a number of devotees of the Lord there. He wanted to sing
their glories. The Lord Himself sang the first line of the famous poem Tiruthonda
Thogai and by His grace, Sundarar completed it.
During his stay at
Tiruvarur, a Vellala by name Kundaiyur Kizhar who was very highly devoted to
him, was regularly supplying Paravayar with enough grains and groceries for the
maintenance of Sundarar and the devotees. Suddenly there was famine in the
district and people suffered for want of food. Kundaiyur Kizhar was also
affected. He was afflicted at heart because he could not supply the needs of
Sundarar. Lord Siva appeared in his dream and promised enough grain! Kubera, the
God of wealth, did the needful, as commanded by the Lord. The next morning,
Kundaiyur Kizhar found huge heaps of grain. At the same time the Lord appeared
before Sundarar and informed him of the incident. At once Sundarar left for
Kundaiyur to meet Kizhar. They met half-way. Sundarar saw the heaps of grain at
Kundaiyur and knew that it was His Lila. He went to a nearby Koili and sang the
praise of the Lord, and entreated Him to have the grain removed to Tiruvarur. A
celestial voice immediately assured him of this. Sundarar returned to Tiruvarur
and informed Paravayar of all that happened. That night the Bhuta Ganas, the
servants of Lord Siva, removed the heaps of grain and filled the entire town of
Tiruvarur with it! Paravayar offered repeated prostrations to the Lord and sang
His glory. She asked the people to take the grain to appease their hunger. Thus
the famine came to an end. All the people glorified the Lord and Paravayar.
Kotpuli Nayanar of
Tirunattiyattankudi, the Commander-in-chief of a Chola King, and an ardent
devotee of Lord Siva came to Sundarar and entreated him to grace his house with
his presence. Sundarar agreed to this and went. After worshipping Sundarar,
Kotpuli Nayanar prostrated himself at Sundarars feet along with his two
daughters, Singadiyar and Vanappahaiyar, and pleaded that Sundarar should marry
the two daughters. Sundarar, however, placed them on his lap and fondled them,
treating them as his own daughters. Then Sundarar went to the temple and sang
in praise of the Lord, a song in which he called himself Singadiappan, since
he took Singadiyar as his daughter.
Sundarar then returned to
Tiruvarur. It was Paravayars custom to distribute plenty of money and other
articles in charity on Panguni Uttaram, a festival day. Sundarar went to
Tirupugalur and prayed to the Lord to give him gold for the sake of Paravayar.
That night he slept there with a few bricks as his pillow. The next morning, he
woke up to find that all the bricks had been converted into gold. Sundarar was
surprised at this miracle of Lord Siva and sang His glory and returned to
Tiruvarur. On the way he had a vision of the Lord at Tiru Panaiyur.
After visiting many holy
places again and singing hymns in praise of the Lord, Sundarar came to Tiru
Pachilasramam. There he worshipped the Lord and asked for a gold coin. He did
not get it immediately. He sang a Padigam (song) and the Lord at once gave him
a heap of gold. The Lord was so fond of hearing Sundarar sing.
Then, Sundarar left for
Vridhachalam, visiting a number of holy places on the way. He had omitted Tiru
Koodalaiyarrur. So, the Lord came to him as a Brahmin of whom Sundarar enquired
the way to Vridhachalam. The Brahmin led the way up to a certain distance, and
then suddenly disappeared. It was close to Tiru Koodalaiyarrur which Sundarar
now visited and sang a song in praise of the Lord there.
Then Sundarar came to
Vridhachalam. He worshipped the Lord, and sang a Padigam expressing his desire
for gold coins. The Lord gave him 12,000 pieces of gold. Sundarar prayed to the
Lord to remove these gold pieces to Tiruvarur. The Lord asked him to throw them
into the river Manimukta and to receive them back at Tiruvarur. Sundarar did so,
keeping a piece for identification. On return to Tiruvarur, Sundarar and
Paravayar went to the tank to get back the gold pieces. Sundarar dived into the
eastern side of the tank and searched for the gold, as though he had put them
there. He could not find them. Sorely afflicted at heart, he sang a song. That
was what the Lord wanted. Sundarar got the gold. All were amazed. But, on
identification, it was found that the gold was inferior in value to the piece
that Sundarar had kept back with him. He sang a song: and the Lord restored to
them their original value. So fond was He of hearing Sundarar sing a song.
Sundarar went out on
another pilgrimage again. On the way, he was afflicted with hunger and thirst.
The Lord Who is the Indweller of our hearts, erected a water-shed and was
waiting for Sundarar there in the guise of a Brahmin. Sundarar and the devotees
entered the shed, singing the Panchakshara. The Brahmin offered him food and
water and asked him to rest awhile. All of them appeased their hunger, but the
quantity of the food remained the same. When they were resting, after food, the
Lord disappeared. They knew that it was none other than the Lord Himself.
Sundarar sang a song alluding to this incident.
On another occasion, soon
after this, while on a visit to Tirukachur, Sundarar went to the temple,
worshipped the Lord and was resting outside the temple, feeling hungry. The
Lord understood it: and so, in the guise of a Brahmin came to Sundarar and
said: It appears that you are hungry. Please wait here. I will give you food.
The Lord at once went out in the scorching sun, begged from each and every
house, and offered the food so obtained, to Sundarar. As Sundarar and the
devotees were eating, the Brahmin disappeared: and they understood that it was
the Lord Himself. Sundarar sang a song alluding to this incident, revealing the
Lords supreme mercy.
Later on, he went to
Tiruvotriyur and stayed there for some time, worshipping the Lord there.
Aninditiyar, the other maid-servant of Parvathi in Kailasa, who had also taken
a human birth, was now Sangilyar in Jnayiru in Thondai Nadu. Her father was
Jnayiru Kizhar, a Vellala by caste. He was also a staunch devotee of Lord Siva.
Sangiliyar was devoted to Parvati from her very childhood. Once her parents
mentioned that she should get married, but the very word marriage made her
faint. Later, a respectable Vellala wanted to marry her. He sent some people to
approach the girls father. Jnayiru Kizhar did not like even to speak to his
daughter about it. He sent them away with an evasive reply. Soon after, the boy
who wanted to marry Sangiliyar, and the party that went to negotiate,all of
them died. When Jnayiru Kizhar heard this, he understood the greatness of his
daughter. He took her to Tiruvotriyur and built a small Ashram for her there.
It was part of
Sangiliyars Sadhana to make garlands for the Lord in the temple. She regularly
visited the temple and worshipped the Lord. One day Sundarar and the devotees
went to the temple. After the worship, they came to the place where some
devotees were making garlands for the Lord. Sangiliyar was also there. Sundarar
was attracted by her beauty, due to past Samskaras. He wanted to marry her, and
expressed this wish to the Lord. The Lord promised to fulfil his wish.
The Lord appeared in
Sangiliyars dream and said: Oh noble soul, I am highly pleased with your
devotion. Now I tell this for your own good. Sundarar wants to marry you. He is
My friend. He asked Me to arrange the marriage. So, marry him. You will be
happy. Sangiliyar prostrated before the Lord and said: Oh Lord, I will obey
Your command and marry him. But, he may desert me since he is already married.
The Lord asked her to get a promise from Sundarar that he would not part from
her under any circumstance.
Then the Lord appeared
before Sundarar and said that Sangiliyar had agreed to marry him on condition
that he would not part from her. Sundarar said: Oh Lord, how can I agree to
this condition since I am constantly moving about visiting many holy shrines?
But, if You so desire, then assure me that You will withdraw Your presence from
the Lingam in the temple and will take Your abode in the nearby tree, when I
take the oath before Your image. The Lord granted him this wish and
disappeared.
He again appeared before
Sangiliyar and said: Oh noble soul, Sundarar has agreed to your condition.
But, ask him to make this promise, not before the Lingam in the temple, but in
front of the nearby tree.
The next morning
Sangiliyar came to the temple. Sundarar was waiting there for her. Sangiliyars
friends told him that she wished the promise to be given in front of the nearby
tree. He was taken aback, but accepted the proposal. The promise was given. The
marriage was immediately solemnised.
In Tiruvarur, Vasanta
Utsavam was being celebrated on a grand scale. Sundarar remembered the festival
and longed to go there. He also recollected that Paravayar would sing and dance
there in front of the Lord. At the same time, he could not part from
Sangiliyar. For a long time, he struggled between the two conflicting duties.
Finally, he decided to leave.
When he crossed the
border of Tiruvotriyur, he suddenly lost his eye-sight and fell down on the
ground. The Lord is impartial. None can escape the operation of the Law of
Divine Justice. Sundarar slowly regained his consciousness. Immediately he
realised his fault and prayed to the Lord for forgiveness, asking for the grant
of the eye-sight. Oh Lord, I take complete refuge in You. I always repeat Your
Name. Even when I fell down losing my eye-sight, I remembered You only. Oh Lord
of Mercy, even if I commit a crime, is it not Your duty to forgive me? Oh Lord
of Compassion, save me. In spite of the blindness, however, his thirst for the
Darshan of the Lord at Tiruvarur did not abate. With the help of some people on
the way he came to Tiru Mullaivayil. Here, again, he prayed to the Lord to give
him eye-sight. At Tiruvembakkam he again prayed to the Lord in a similar
strain. In the temple, he prayed and asked: Oh Lord Who accepted me into His
fold, prostrations unto Thee. Oh Lord Who cleverly played a trick on me, are You
inside the temple? The Lord gave a stern reply: I am here; you can go. and
gave him a blind-mans stick. This attitude of indifference on the part of the
Lord pained Sundarar and he pleaded for mercy. Oh Lord of Mercy, have I not
taken You as my sole refuge and support? I committed a mistake thinking that
You will pardon me. You are even indifferent to public criticism. Will they not
accuse You for turning a deaf ear to a devotee who is sincerely weeping at Your
feet, accepting his fault and craving for pardon? Oh Lord, can You not
understand suffering? Like a loving child that has been separated from its
mother for a long time and wants to hug her, I have come to You: but, instead,
You treat me like a stranger. Oh Lord, You deceived me, who asked You to remain
for a while near the tree, by cleverly informing Sangiliyar of the same and
asking her to get the promise from me near the tree. Oh Lord, You gave me
Sangiliyar and all the pleasures. But, now You give me the blind-mans staff
and say You can go. Oh Lord, am I unfit to receive Your mercy? Pardon me and
relieve me of my sufferings.
Then, completely
resigning himself to God, Sundarar came to Conjeevaram, after visiting many
holy places on the way. He worshipped Mother Kamakshi and expressed his
sufferings to her and pleaded to her to relieve him of his sufferings. Sundarar
then worshipped Lord Ekambareswarar. Mother Who is seated on His left side, had
already been moved by Sundarars prayers and wanted to shower Her grace on him.
Lord Siva understood this. He at once restored vision to Sundarars left eye.
In ecstasy he rolled on the ground, shedding profuse tears of love.
After spending some days
there, singing the glories of the Lord, Sundarar proceeded to go to Tiruvarur.
At Tiruvavaduthurai, he again prayed to the Lord to forgive him and restore
sight to the other eye, too. Sundarar then came to Thiruthurithi. The Lord
asked him to take a dip in the northern tank there. Sundarar did so, and came
out of it. To the surprise of all, his body had become as bright as polished
gold. People were amazed at this change. Sundarar went into the temple and
prayed.
Sundarar reached the
outskirts of Tiruvarur. He grieved that, due to his partial sight, he could not
get a complete Darshan of the Lord. The very sight of the temple tower
entranced him. Sundarar wanted to feast both his eyes on the beauty of the Lord
and so prayed to Him to restore vision to his other eye also. Sundarars
supreme devotion and lamentation moved the Lords heart. He at once cured the
other eye also. Sundarar was extremely happy. He worshipped the Lord and
remained completely absorbed in divine bliss.
In the mean time, people
whom Paravayar had sent to greet Sundarar and inform him of her eagerness to
meet him, found out that he had married Sangiliyar. They went back and told
Paravayar about this. Paravayar was sunk in grief. She was annoyed, too.
Paravayars people refused to allow Sundarars devotees to enter the house.
When Sundarar heard of this, he was afflicted at heart. He sent some elderly
devotees to Paravayar, to bring about a reunion. They failed. At midnight when
all the devotees were asleep, he prayed to the Lord for His help in pacifying
Paravayar. The Lord appeared before him and assured him of His help. The Lord
disguised Himself as Sundarars messenger, a Brahmin priest, and went to
Paravayars house. The Brahmin pleaded Sundarars cause and asked her to accept
him back. She refused, though she herself was grief-stricken at the separation
from Sundarar. Her annoyance at his second marriage was so great! The Lord
coolly returned to Sundarar, who was anxiously awaiting His return. When the
Lord informed Sundarar of all that had happened, Sundarar fell down on the
ground, in grief. If You do not help me, Oh Lord, I will give up my life. The
Lord seeing Sundarars pitiable condition, assured him of help and again set
out to go to Paravayars house.
In the mean time, the
devout Paravayar had understood that the Brahmin was no other than the Lord
Himself and was suffering from terrible anguish for not recognising Him. The
Lord again went to her house: and this time He appeared before her in His real
form. Paravayar at once prostrated before Him. The Lord said: O Paravayar, I
have again been sent by Sundarar to plead his case. Do not refuse this time. He
is undergoing terrible agony on account of separation from you. Accept him and
allow him to come to your house. Paravayar prostrated to the Lord again, with
folded palms and said: Oh Lord, first You came in the guise of a Brahmin but I
did not recognise You. Again You have come and have shown me Your real form. Oh
Lord, how kind You are! You have graced my hut and showered Your grace on me.
You have taken so much trouble this midnight, for the sake of Your friend. How
can I go against Your wish? I will accept and obey Your command. The Lord was
immensely pleased with her. He blessed her and returned to Sundarar. The Lord
informed him that he had pacified Paravayar and that he could now return to
her. He then disappeared. Sundarar was overwhelmed with joy and sang the Lords
glories.
In the mean time,
Paravayar had decorated her house beautifully and was eagerly waiting for her
Lord. Sundarar, with his devotees, entered the house. Paravayar fell at his
feet. Thus they were re-united after a long separation.
Yet, this was not all.
The news that Sundarar had sent Lord Siva Himself as his messenger, had reached
the ears of Eyarkon Kalikama Nayanar of Tiru Perumangalam in Ponni Nadu. He was
a great devotee of Lord Siva. He was terribly angry with Sundarar for treating
the Lord as a messenger to settle a domestic quarrel. How, in a wonderful and
mysterious manner Lord Siva brings about a reconciliation between the two
Nayanars, both of them greatly devoted to Him, we shall see, when we describe
the life of Kalikama Nayanar.
Equally interesting is
the way in which the Lord unites in friendship Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal
Nayanar, another royal devotee of the Lord. We shall describe it in detail when
we come to the life of Cheraman Perumal Nayanar.
When, along with Cheraman
Perumal, Sundarar was proceeding to Madurai, they arrived at Tirunagaikkoronam.
Here Sundarar sang a song in which he asked the Lord to give him a pearl
garland, precious stones, musk, spectacles, fragrance, clothes, jewelry,
one-third of the wealth of Tiruvarur, horses which ran as fast as the wind,
golden flowers, palanquin, etc. How wonderful is the relation between the
devotee and the Lord! Sundarar regarded God as his friend, because God Himself
had wanted it to be so. He adopted towards God the Sakhya Bhava (attitude of a
dear friend).
In the company of
Cheraman Perumal, Sundarar went on several pilgrimages, and met many of the
kings of South India. Once, when they were at Tiru Kandiyur, they saw Tiruvaiyar
on the opposite bank of the river. Cheraman desired to visit that place also.
The river was in flood, and it was impossible to cross it. Sundarar sincerely
prayed to the Lord to help them. He sang one of his songs which easily pleased
the Lord. At once the river gave way, leaving a sandy tract through which they
could walk across to the other bank. As soon as they reached the other bank,
the river resumed its former form. They were delighted at this miracle of the
Lord. Even the five elements are ever ready to serve the devotees of the Lord,
at His command.
Cheraman then took
Sundarar to his own place, with great honour and pomp. Sundarar stayed with
Cheraman for some time. He suddenly remembered the Lord of Tiruvarur and wanted
to go there. Cheraman could not accompany him and was therefore grief-stricken.
Sundarar consoled him and asked him to stay behind and rule the country wisely
and justly. Cheraman prostrated himself before him and gave him rich presents.
He sent his own people to carry these presents, and to accompany Sundarar. It
was the Lords wish that Sundarar should receive gifts only from Him! How could
His friend receive from others? Hence, He desired to deprive Sundarar of
what Cheraman had given him. When Sundarar and his retinue were passing through
Tirumuruganpondi, the Lord sent His Servants to rob Sundarar of all the riches
that he had received from Cheraman. The Lords Servants disguised themselves as
hunters and attacked the party that was carrying the presents. The party
dropped all and fled. They went to Sundarar and reported to him what had
happened. Sundarar went to the local temple and sang a Padigam. He came out of
the temple and to his surprise he saw there all that they had been robbed of.
Now, it was a gift from the Lord Himself, and so Sundarar, Gods friend, could
have it. Wonderful are the Lilas of the Lord.
After some time, Sundarar
again desired to see Cheraman Perumal. On the way to Kundakolur, he went to
Tiru Pukkoliyur Avinasi. As he entered this place, he heard simultaneously
auspicious as well wailing sounds emerging from different houses.
On enquiry, he learnt how
two Brahmin boys of the same age, from these two houses went to tank for a
bath; and how one of them was caught by a crocodile, and the other escaped, providentially.
The latter was being invested with the sacred thread that day, and hence the
auspicious sound from that house. The people in the deceased boys house were
bemoaning the loss of the boy, sore at the feeling that, had he been alive, he
would also be celebrating the sacred thread ceremony that day. Sundarar wanted
to console the bereaved family. As he stood in front of the house, the people
stopped wailing and came out to receive Sundarar. They were eager for a long
time to get his Darshan, and so, forgetting their sorrow, they came to welcome
him. Their devotion moved Sundarars heart. He was prompted by the Lord to
bring the dead boy back to life. So, he went to the same tank and sang a song
on the Lord of Avinasi to give the child back to the parents. The Creator,
pleased with Sundarar, entered the stomach of the crocodile and re-constituted
the body of the boy, though it had already been digested. Lord Yama, too, for
his part, released from his custody, the life he had once removed and the crocodile
vomitted the boy! To the wonder of all, the boy was much more handsome than
when he met with the accident, and he showed signs of growth, appropriate to
the lapse of time. All were amazed at this miracle of Sundarar. The parents of
the boy were immensely pleased and embraced Sundarars feet. Sundarar took the
boy to the temple and worshipped Lord Avinasiappar. He himself performed the
sacred thread ceremony for him.
At Kodunkolur, Cheraman,
who had already come to know of the crocodile miracle, received Sundarar with
still greater love and veneration than before. Sundarar stayed with the king
for some time. One day Sundarar visited the temple alone and worshipped the
Lord. The very sight of the Lord sent him into trance. He rolled on the ground
shedding tears of God-love. The hairs on his body stood on end and his mind was
filled with rapture. He regained consciousness after a long time. He was tired
of worldly existence and so requested the Lord to take him back to Kailasa. He
sang a Padigam.
The Lord, desiring to
take Sundarar back to His Abode, commanded the celestials to bring him to
Kailasa on a white elephant. He also informed Sundarar of this. Sundarar came
out of the temple. The white elephant was waiting for him there. He mentally
wished to take Cheraman Perumal also with him to Kailasa. Then he climbed the
elephant and proceeded towards Kailasa.
In a Padigam he sang on
this occasion, Sundarar himself reveals that this departure for Kailasa was not
in his physical body, but in his spiritual body. The physical body was
discarded here in this world itself, and the elements of which it was composed
were returned to their sources.
Cheraman learnt by
intuition of Sundarars departure for Kailasa. At once, he mounted a horse and
came to Tiru Anchaikalam. There he saw Sundarar going along the sky on the
celestial elephant. At once Cheraman pronounced the Panchakshara in the ears of
the horse. The horse flew up and reached Sundarar. Cheraman worshipped Sundarar
there. Both of them went to Kailasa in their spiritual body.
At the Gate of Kailasa,
Sundarar was allowed to enter, while Cheraman was not. Sundarar went into His
presence and praised His mercy: Oh Ocean of Mercy, You have pardoned my sins
and released me from the quagmire of Samsara. You have taken me back into Your
fold, and bestowed on me the Immortal Bliss. How kind and merciful You are! He
then informed the Lord that Cheraman was outside the Gate. To please His
friend, Lord Siva sent His Mount, Nandikesvarar to bring Cheraman also in. The
Lord asked Cheraman how he could come to Kailasa without His permission.
Cheraman replied that when he saw Sundarar proceeding to Kailasa, he could not
bear separation from him and so accompanied him. Now, by the good offices of
Sundarar which earned for him the Lords grace he had been admitted into the
Lords Abode. In these words, Cheraman expressed a very great truth: that even
if the devotee is undeserving, if he is devoted to a saint (the Guru), he will
also gain a place in the kingdom of God, through the intercession of the Guru.
Sundarar, as before,
engaged himself in His service with all his heart and soul. Paravayar and
Sangiliyar, being purged of their Karmas, also reached Kailasa. They resumed
their original duty as the servants of Mother Parvathi.
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