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Home > Devotees > 63 Nayanmar Stories
chAkkiya nAyanAr
The Lord whom the people following all the six religions associated
with sanAthana dharma reach finally, that shiva had one of the 63
great devotees from one other religion, namely budhdhism (chAkkiyam). The
people who seek the real truth, whatever be the religion they belong to if
they do an impartial analysis of shaivism, explore that it is the path of
worshipping shiva that is ultimate.
(Please note that this picture depicts as if this devotee was a jain, but he was actually a buddist.)
In the place thiruchchaN^ga maN^gai where people had the generous
mind like the mother earth, n^AyanAr was born in a family which had
agriculture as their profession. He learnt lots of philosaphy, not for useless
debating or grazing to boast as a scholar, but to find out the truth. Hence
he had love for all the creatures in this world. He was determined to come
out of the birth-death cycle. (reincarnation). He reached the city kAnychi
, which had lots of scholars and was synonymous with knowledge, out of
his quest for the truth. He accepted the path of budhdhism. There he had the
opertunity to explore the principles of budhdhism and other religions. He
read the scriptures of his religion and other religions analysed them with
unbiased thirst for truth. Our Lord always leads people in the correct way
if they are truthful and have quest for Him. By His grace he established for
himself that it is the path of shiva that is the ultimate truth.
He found out, "There are four basic elements. The deed, doer,
its effect and the controller of the effect. Only shaivam has this excellent
principle, and others don't. And shiva is the Truth". His conclusion was
based on his analysis. It was beyond doubts. It was the fact explored.
He was sure, "Whatever be one's state, whatever be the form and outside
appearance the right thing to do is not forgetting the holy feet of
shankara ." So he didn't change his appearance of a budhdhist monk, but
was always enjoying the sweet feet of Lord shiva in his heart. It is only the
people who do not realise or do not wish to realise that Omnipresent Almighty
Isha is the God, blaspheme due to their dependance on other religions. But
our n^AyanAr flowed in the path of love for the God whom he found out to be
the right.
Common for the invisible formlessness and the visible different forms
is the symbol of the Lord called shivaliN^gam (symbol of shiva). That stands
for both form and formless. shivaliN^gam appeared when vishNu and four headed
brahma tried to find out the head and feet of the God. It is the symbol of that
unmeasurable unique unexplainable Almighty. Realising these concepts he
everyday went to see the shivaliN^gam, and when seen he forgot the world,
became the wax that saw the fire, his heart blossomed, eyes expanded in bliss,
tears of joy appeared as pearls. He didn't know what to do. He took a stone
and threw it on the Lord without the knowledge of what he is doing but
with great devotion. The Lord was happy with the deed of His devotee, like
the kid that feels good when the elders out of the love violantly embrace it.
In his routine he arrived the next day as well. He then remembered that he
had thrown a stone on the Lord. Thinking that that happened only as a blessing
of the Lord he took that as his service to that Easily pleased. That day
onwards everyday he throws a stone at the shivaliN^gam and worship the God
in the saffron cloth of the budhdhist monks.
Is it right to throw stone on the Lord and worship ? Won't it lead
to misinterpretations ? How did the Lord then accept such a worship ?
It was not the stones themselves the Lord accepted. It was the devotion
behind that deed he accepted. So one can not argue that, "I too will throw
stones and call it worship". Whether it is the stone throwing of chAkkiya
n^AyanAr or kaNNappa n^AyanAr's putting the footwear on the shivaliN^gam's
head, it was not the actions but the unimaginable peaks of love that was
accepted by the Lord as flawless. Others see only the stones, but the hara
takes that as flower.
One day he forgot to do his duty of stone worship and went to have
his food. That time he realised, "Oh! How did I forget my Love ? How can I
go ahead with my food without worshipping Him ?". He rushed to the three
eyed Lord's abode with flood like love and speed. He took a stone and
offered it to the feet of God. To bless the devotee who forgot his food,
rushed in anxiety to do the service he undertook without any break, the
eight armed sugarcane - shambu - appeared in the horizon on the holy Bull
with the Goddess who has the best knowledge of the AgamAs. The
devotee prostrated, praised the Lord with the folded hands on his head.
God offered him the covetted post of being His slave in the shivalOka.
Let the quest for the Absolute and the love that is beyond explanation stay
in the mind.
See Also:
1. Mention of chAkkiya nAyanAr in various thEvaram thirumuRais
gurupUjai : mArkazi pUrADam
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