Miscellaneous - Religion   

Service to the devout

CHENNAI: The intense devotion of the Nayanmars transcended the bounds of human love and won for them the ultimate goal, salvation. That this total selfless love is the only qualification needed to apprehend the Almighty is reinforced in the Periyapuranam which details their lives and times. The Lord, being moved by their sincere devotion, intervenes to establish their unflinching faith in many unique ways and the life of each devotee thus inspires Bhakti and high moral values in a very direct manner, pointed out Sri M. Sivachandran in a lecture.

The culture of honouring Sivan Adiyars was central to the devotional cult of the times. The story of Tirukurippu Thondar reveals the simple way of life practised by this devout saint who derived the greatest joy by serving the devotees of Siva. His name is descriptive of his nature for this devotee displayed an eagerness to anticipate the wants of Siva Bhaktas and fulfil these accordingly. Since he served as a washerman, he volunteered to wash the clothes of the devotees as a service to them and the remarkable selflessness of this devotee touched the Lord’s heart.

To highlight the absolute sincerity of this Thondar’s true devotion, and shower His grace on him, the Lord approached him in the form of a Sivan Adiyar, lean, tired and clad in sullied cloth. The Nayanar prostrated at the feet of the honoured guest and wanted to extend his simple hospitality by washing the devout sage’s cloth. But the Lord warned that though the cloth needed a wash, He would be unable to tolerate the chilly night. The Thondar assured Him that he would wash and dry the garment before night. After washing the cloth to his satisfaction, when he set it to dry, it began to rain heavily. It was the Lord’s desire to test this devotee.

This unexpected hurdle made the Thondar anxious for the sake of the sage whose health would be in danger if the garment did not dry up. His integrity was such that rather than face the ignominy of the failure to keep up his word, he would give up his life and so he dashed his head against the rock on which he washed the clothes. Then the Lord halted the devotee’s act with His outstretched hand. The shower of rain became a shower of grace.

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