Friday, December 17, 2010

thirunyAnachampan^dha n^AyanAr - part IV (The bag of radiant gold)

Worshipping the Winkless Three-eyed Lord at thiruirumpUlai he sang the enchanting name of Lord prostrating at aradhaipperumpAzi, thiruchchERai, thirun^AlUr, kudavAyil, n^aRaiyUr, thenthiruppuththUr, chivapuram, thiruk kudamUkku(kumbakONam), kudan^dhaik kIzkkOttam, kudan^dhaik kArONam, thirun^AgEchcharam, thiruvidaimarudhUr, kuraN^gAduthuRai and went, saluted and stayed in the town of the Lord propitiated by the milk of cow thiruAvaduthuRai. At that time his father came to him and told his requirement for money to perform a yAgam in the scriptural way. That reverend father was in need of money for a holy purpose and champan^dhar being the his son felt his duty to support him. For the devotees who renounced all the material desires there is only one exchequer that is the golden feet of the Lord going for alms. champan^dhar perumAn who realized the fact that it His holy feet that is the endless wealth, went to the Lord and appealed to Him in a thought kindling peerless hymn that, "Come whatever be Oh Lord! I will continue to bow down to your holy feet. Even if it is the way you rule us without any benefit for us, that is your kind blessing."


The Lord who is called AshutOshaH for getting pleased so easily, delighted at nyAnachampan^dhar's devotion sent a bUtham to place a bag of thousand brilliant gold coins for him in the dais of the temple. The finest and immortal love called devotion always succeeds. Adoring His grace bathing the Lord in his fragrant spring of thanking love he gave the bag to his father to do the holy deed with prominence to Lord rudra in a grand manner. He bowed down to the Lord who bent the mountain as a bow at thirukkOzambam, vaikalmAdakkOyil, thirun^allam, thiruvazun^dhUr, thuruththi, mUvalUr, thirumayilAduthuRai, chemponpaLLi, viLan^agar, paRiyalUr, thiruvEttakkudi and reached the Lord of justice 's dharumapuram.

dharumapuram was the town of thirun^IlakaNta yAzpANar(1)'s mother. To the saluting relatives yAzpANar expressed his happiness in getting the boon of playing the symphonic songs of shivanyAnachampan^dhar being with him. The relatives told that because of yAzpANar's music the songs of nyAnachampan^dhar became famous. Appalled to hear this with a shivering mind yAzpANar saluted champan^dhar perumAn and requested him to sing to exhibit to the world that the sound of thiruppadhikam is beyond the performed music. Saluting the Lord on the holy bull, the scholar of chIrkAzi sang the padhikam uncontainable by the efforts in music mAdhar madappidiyum. yAzpANar who as usual tried to perform the song in the instrument yAz, found the music of the song going beyond the limits of performance with the strings of the instrument. Afraid, yAzpANar dared to break the instrument repenting for the events. The devotee who got the cymbals from the Lord, thirunyAnachampan^dhar stopped and took the yAz from him and told, "The limitless grace of the Infinite Lord is not within the reach of this instrument. So please do not break it. Play whatever is possible in these instruments." The music is a wonderful support for devotion. But in absence of devotion it will not lead to salvation. The relatives realizing this repented and saluted thirunyAnachampan^dhar and thirun^IlakaNta yAzppANar. The two n^AyanArs stayed in the town for some time blessing them.

Then champan^dhar with yAzpANar and other devotees went to get pleased by worshipping the Nectar of thirun^aLLARu. Diving in the ocean of Its grace he sang pOgamArththa pUNmulaiyAL with the music that will pleasantly fit in the yAz. When champan^dhar asked yAzpANar to play it in yAz after he sang with the rhythm of cymbals, yAzpANar - the great musician performed with devotion for all the people there to become compltely arrested by the music. The devotee with the Luminant Lord in the mind moved to pray Him in thiruchchAththamaN^gai where the loving devotee thirun^Ilan^akka n^AyanAr(2) welcomed with good signs. They bowed down to the mEru bowed Lord. They accepted the hosting of thirun^Ilan^akkar and stayed there to worship the other abodes as well. From there champan^dhar went to praise the Pure God at n^Agaik kArONam, kIzvELUr. Coming to know about the coming of the prodigy welcoming him to cheN^kAttaN^kudi chiRuththoNda n^AyanAr(3) hosted the devotees in the town. He sang the Supreme that has taken abode in the gaNapadhIchcharam temple there.

With the eagerness to salute the Lord of thirumarugal he went there and stayed worshipping the Lord. One night a young merchant came with a virgin and stayed in the inn next to the temple. The father of the girl assured the merchant once that he would give one of her daughters to get married to him. But being greedy he took money and got six of his seven daughters to get married to other persons. This youngest girl pitying his position came away from home with him. That night the merchant was bitten by a snake and he died. The hapless young girl cried, but nobody was there to help. The Sun came up from the horizon amidst her weeping. The girl who lamented not to live without him did the brave deed of crying to Lord for help. "Oh Lord, who stopped the awful poison in the throat for the Universe to survive ! Oh Lord, who kicked the death to death for the worshipping young seer !", she cried. The Lord was there to help and so the compassionate champan^dhar heard the sobbing girl while he was coming to worship the Lord. Worshipping the form of Love everyday he did not want to ignore her pain. He allaying her ailment asked her all the details. He prayed to the Height of Mercy, the Lord who won death to take pity on the girl and bless her singing a hymn stating her state. The prayer that is always fruitful brought the merchant back to life. The devotee initiated them in the charitable path of married life.

chiRuththoNda n^AyanAr came there to thirumarugal to request thirunyAnychampan^dhar to come again to thiruchcheN^kAttaN^kudi. With him he went to salute the Lord of thirumarugal. The form with foaming river flow and crescent adorned red entangled-hair crowned, ash smeared Lord with one part shining in green, the stain throated Lord showed His form as that in the gaNapadhIchcharam temple of thiruchcheN^kAttaN^kudi. Excited champan^dhar shared that grand feeling singing aN^gamum vEdhamum. He returned to thiruchcheN^kAttaN^kudi to stay in the wonderful hospitality of chiRuththoNdar worshipping the Lord. Then out of eagerness to sing the Lord of pUmpugalUr he went there. Greeted by the muruga n^AyanAr at pUmpugalUr he went to salute the Lord with sweet songs. Staying in muruga n^AyanAr's monastery he saluted the Lord of varththamAnIchcharam and gave hymns that would lead the world in the direction towards the Truth.

The king of purifying words thirun^Avukkarachu n^AyanAr(5) enthusiastic to worship the Lord of pUmpugalUr came there. Hearing about the arrival of that great sage, the child of God with overwhelming love came forward from the town to welcome him. The two remarkable devotees of mutual admiration saluted each other in unestimatable pleasing humbleness and inquired other's well being. champan^dhar enquiring about the fame of thiruvArUr from where the king of words was returning, got high liking to visit thiruvArUr hearing about the thiruvAdhirai(6) festival. Telling thirun^Avukkarachar that he would join him after worshipping thiruvArUr he left for thiruvArUr. On the way he bowed down to the Lord at viRkudi vIrattam. Singing the Lord of thiruvArUr all through the way he arrived at the holy abode of Lord. He was welcomed by a huge number of vEdhic chanters and devotees in that nicely decorated city. The ardent devotee saluting the dhEvAchiriyan hall went to see the Sweet shiva taken abode in that temple in an anthill. He prostrated in front of Him so many times with the joy of seeing Him stirred from the bottom of the heart. Filling the mind without void with His grace he went and praised the Lord of thiruvArUr araneRi. He stayed worshipping the Lord in anthill for many days. In those days he went to praise the Lord at valivalam, kOLili. Then wanting to be with appar perumAn he left thiruvArUr to pUmpugalUr telling the mind not to forget the Lord of thiruvArUr and get protected. Saluting the Lord at panaiyUr and many other abodes he returned to pUmpugalUr.