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Home > Devotees > 63 Nayanmar Stories
thirunyAnachampan^dha n^AyanAr - part II (Pearl Palanquin)
The devotees of thirun^anni paLLi came to salute the dawn of
thamiz land thirunyAnachampan^dhar and they requested him to grace
them by coming to their town and worship the Moon-haired Lord. Accepting their
invitation champan^dhar left chIrkAzi worshipping thiruthONiyappar to bow his
head to the Lord in many other abodes. His father took him on his shoulders
to thirun^anni paLLi. The prodigy sang his salutations to the River-flowing
giant haired Lord of thirun^annipaLLi on the way with the beautiful
commentary on the fertility of the town. Accepting the warm welcome he
went and prostrated to the Lord at thirun^annipaLLi. He then worshiped the
God at thiruvalampuram, pallavanIchcharam, pukAr chAykkAdu, thiruveNkAdu,
thirumullaivAyil with the tiny hands saluting over the head and tears
of love to appear like the wet blooming bud on the feet of the Lord. After
returning back to chIrkAzi bowing down to the umAmahEshwara he
saluted with sweet songs the abodes mayEn^dhirapaLLi, kurukAvUr,
thirumullaivAyil enlightening all the classes of people about the way
of getting spiritual upraisal.
While the young champan^dhar was pleasing the Lord of chIrkAzi with
his honey like songs, one day thirun^IlakaNta yAzpANar(1) along with
his wife madhaN^ka chULAmaNiyAr, the couple who were living the
worship of the Lord who is the sound of praNavam with music as their
life, came to chIrkAzi. Coming forward to welcome them champan^dhar took them
to the temple and asked them to play the yAz ( a string instrument
very famous in ancient thamiz land) in the ears of the Lord. The attractive
music that came with superior devotion accompanied by their melodious voice
could make even the bees to stop and listen for a moment. Even the gan^dharva
and vinychaiyars started to play along with them. champan^dhar was pleased
with their talence. He hosted them and took care of them. They played his
rich padhikams in the nice yAz music. They requested to stay with him and
play his unsaturating hymns in yAz forever. He accepted it as the grace of
God and they lived with great affection and respect for each other.
Yearning to get the dance of the Lord to see, champan^dhar conveyed
his wish to go to chithambaram to his devotional father. He happily
agreed and they along with yAzpANar and other devotees went to the highly
praised land chithambaram that is surrounded by beautiful gardens. When he
arrived at the southern entrance of the temple the town was there to welcome
him with the raising rhythm of vEdas and musical instruments. Prostrating the
seven stage tower of the temple he entered temple with the sky scrapping
eagerness to salute the Dancing beauty. He saw with joy flooding mind, head
upholding the folded patel like hands, eyes exhibiting the explanation-beyond
expressions from inside, the Lord who dances as the wholeness of wisdom in
the hall of his heart, dancing in that abode visible for even bare eyes to
see and rejoice. He danced, delighted in His dance, drowned himself in the
nector praising the simplicity of the bliss of Lord shiva which beyond
analysis comes straight in the feelings, appeared in the form tangible
for even the senses to feel and worship. Praising the worship of the priests
of the abode he sang the glory of the God kaRRAN^keriyOmbi.
Staying in thillai-chithambaram the saint went and worshiped the
nearby abodes of the Homeless God, thiruvEtkaLam, kazippAlai,
thiruvuchchi singing the Ultimate Wisdom that sang the shR^itis.
yAzpANar was wondering at the boon the priests of thillai got to be close
to the King of Dance. When he was returning to thillai from thiruvEtkaLam
along with champan^dhar the Lord showed to them the holy priests of thillai
as the leaders of shiva's army (gaNan^Atha). They went to the ruby
hall (ratna sabha) to adorn the Dancing marvel with the song
AdiyAy n^aRun^eyyodu pAlthayir. Prostrating very many times they took
inseparable departure from the Lord of thillai. On the request of yAzppANar
they went to thiruerukkaththampuliyUr, the birth place of the
melodious musician yAzpANar. The prodigy told, "Oh reverend! For you to be
born this place should have done sincere penance". They worshiped the Father
of Lord kumara with wet heart and eyes to get blessed. Praying the
places of the Lord of daughter of mountain they reached in
thirumudhukunRam (virudhdhAchalam). Singing the Lord who reside on the
bank of river muththARu with many words of love that flowed like a
river, including murachadhirn^dhezum, stayed there for many days.
Then thirunyAna champan^dha n^AyanAr proceeded to peNNAkadam to
salute the Lord on thiruththUN^kAnai mAdam.
The Remover of reincarnation for one who repeats His holy five letters
had the healing abode in thiruvaraththuRai where champan^dhar was
going to. Unlike the previous travels when he was taken by his loving father
on his shoulders this time out of high enthusiasm to bow down to the Lord
he with his delicate flower like young feet with uncompromising determination
in that tiny age walked ahead followed by his father and other devotees in
the hot Sun. With the sacrad name of Lord and His heart-stealing form stamped
in the mind he went ahead with salutations and without any botheration of his
physical pain. How great is the Lord's grace and how great is the craze of His
devotees for Him that this young child who in the age of putting his feet only
on silk like carpets walks over the stone and thornful paths without
hesitation ! When they reached a place called mARanpAdi the hot Sun
fearing about the fatigue of the fame-mount like devotees reached the western
horizon. All the devotees stayed there for the night in the hospitality of the
local loveful. How can the Lord - the loving mother of one who depend only
on Her, overlook the hard efforts of the child ? He appeared in the dream of
the devotees of thiruvaraththuRai to order them to take palanquin, carved
umbrella and symbols to blow musically made of pearls from Him and receive
the thirunyAnachampan^dha who was coming to Him.
Surprised at this they rushed to the temple. When they opened the
temple to pray in the dawn worship to their wonder saw the shining pearl made
palanquin, umbrella and symbols. Praising the enlightening God of lords they
went with all music reverbrating the sky to welcome the young devotee. While
this was happening the Lord came in the dream of the saint and asked him to
accept those things as His blessings. champan^dhar told the grace of the Lord
to his father and other devotees. As it became morning they got up
adorned themselves with the holy Ash after completing the duties of the
morning. By then the vEdic chanters and devotees of thiruvaraththuRai came
and saluted the saint and bowed to him to accept the things the Lord gave
pleased. Thanking and holding His uncomparable merciful feet on his head
the young poet sang His praise. Chanting the unforgettable honey of the Holy
Five Letters he boarded the beaming bright pearl palanquin, the great saint
who came to enlighten the entire world.
The ocean of devotees who bathed in the flood of tears of joy with the
vibration of the percussion instruments hailed the fame of the child slave
of Lord shiva which appeared to be echoed back from the heavens. That ocean of
devotees moved on the winds of devotion on earth to come to the center of the
thiruvaraththuRai where the Mount of mercy was blessing. The small peerless
saint prostrated down to praise the Lord of the grace of considering even him
as worth. That humble devotee circumambulated the abode saluting It again and
again. On the days that he was in thiruvaraththuRai he went to
n^elveNNai to wonder the Wonderful Lord of the weak. With the form
of the perinniel Couple of thiruththONipuram attracting him he wished to
come back to chIrkAzi. He humbled himself before the Lord of thiruvaraththuRai
and started his journey on the palanquin. He sang hymns rich in the music
with the blend of appealing combination of the seven swarams
saluting the Lord in thirup pazuvUr, thiruvichayamaN^gai, vaikAvUr, thirup
puRampayam. On reaching thiruch chEynyalUr feeling high about
that abode of the Lord worshipped by ska.ndha for the great deed
of chaNdIsha n^AyanAr(2) he got down from his palanquin to prostrate
and enter the town. He worshiped the Lord of splendid lovers and went ahead to
salute the Lord at thiruppanan^thAL, pan^dhaNai n^allUr, OmAmpuliyUr,
vALkoLip puththUr, kadambai, n^AraiyUr, karuppaRiyalUr and many other
abodes and reached in chIrkAzi.
Note:
At thirun^anipaLLi singing the padhikam kAraikaL kUkaimullai,
samban^dhar with the divine grace turned the desert like (arid) land of that town
into a fertile shore land (pAlai n^eythal Anathu). This is not described in periya
purANam. However n^ambiyANDAr n^ambi has referred to the same in his
compositions
"n^Atha nanipaLLi cUzn^agar kAnaka mAkkiyaqthE
pOthin malivaya lAkkiyakOn"
"kaLLam poziln^ani paLLith thaDamkaDam AkkiyaqthE
veLLam paNin^eytha lAkkiya viththakan"
"nyAlaththinAr aRiya mannun^ani paLLiyathu
pAlaithanai n^eythalAkkiyum"
"thAzunycaraNac cathaN^kaip paruvaththE
pAlaiyum n^eythalum pADavallAn"
See also:
1. thirun^IlakaNta yAzppANa n^AyanAr
2. chaNdIsha n^AyanAr
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