Tirunilakanta Nayanar | |
|---|---|
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| Personal | |
| Born | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Philosophy | Shaivism, Bhakti |
| Honors | Nayanar saint, |
Tirunilakanta Nayanar, also known as Tirunilakanta (spelt as Tirunilakantha, Tiru Neelakanta, Tiru Nilakanta), Nilakantan and Tirunilakantar (Thiruneelakandar) was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the second in the list of 63 Nayanars. [1]
The life of Tirunilakanta Nayanar is described in the Tamil Periya Puranam by Sekkizhar (12th century), which is a hagiography of the 63 Nayanars. [1] [2]
Tirunilakanta Nayanar belonged to Chidambaram, famous for its Thillai Nataraja Temple dedicated to the god Shiva, patron of Shaivism. He was born in the Kuyavar caste of potters. [3] He made earthenware pots and other containers. He was a devout devotee of Shiva and distributed clay bowls to devotees of Shiva, free of cost. He and his wife specially revered the Nilakanta (Tirunilakanta, "Blue Throated one") form of Shiva, who drank the Halahala poison and saved the universe. [4] [5]
Once, Tirunilakanta Nayanar enjoyed pleasure with a prostitute. The news reached the wife before he reached home. The enraged wife fulfilled all her duties but did not allow her husband to touch her. When he tried affectionately touch her to placate her, she refused his advances and said 'Would you touch us (me) .... Tirunilakanta.' While the wife meant that her husband does not touch her, she used a pronoun, which also meant "us". Tirunilakanta could be interpreted as the name of the husband or god Shiva. Traditionally, a Hindu married woman does not address her husband by his name. It is not clear by what she meant, but her husband took the meaning that she refrained him from touching all women ("us") by the name of the god Nilakanta. The Nayanar pledged not to touch any woman from that day, even in his thoughts. [4] [5]
While the wife carried out all the responsibilities of a wife to Tirunilakanta Nayanar, they never touched each other. They lived in different quarters in the house and fulfilled Tirunilakanta's vow in secret. The couple became old. [4] [5]
Once, Shiva disguised himself as a Shaiva yogi (mendicant). He was welcomed and worshipped by Tirunilakanta Nayanar. Upon inquiry by the aged potter about what he can do for the ascetic, the ascetic gave him his "precious" earthen begging bowl and told the potter to keep it safe till he returns. The yogi left; Tirunilakanta kept the bowl in a safe location. [4] [5]
After a long time, the yogi returned and demanded his begging bowl. Tirunilakanta looked for the bowl in the place he kept it and then searched the whole house in vain. Shiva had actually made the begging bowl disappear. The worried Nayanar prostrated before the mendicant and told him that he had lost the bowl and offered to replace it with a new clay bowl. However, the agitated ascetic refused and accused the potter of stealing his precious bowl. Upon much persuasion, the ascetic ordered Tirunilakanta to take a dip in the temple tank and swear by taking his hand on the head of his son. When the potter told the yogi that he was childless, the ascetic suggested that he do so by swearing on his wife's head. But, Tirunilakanta refused to do so, due to his vow, the incensed left and appealed to the Brahmin priests of the temple for justice. [4] [5]
The Brahmin court heard both sides and ordered the potter to swear his innocence in the holy tank. Tirunilakanta and his wife entered the temple pond, each holding an end of a bamboo stick. The ascetic objected and suggested the potter hold his wife's hand. Ultimately, the potter revealed the whole story - which was concealed from the world till then - about his private life and his vow to the assembled Brahmins and the ascetic. The old couple immersed themselves in the holy waters and emerged as a young couple as they rose up. The awestruck Brahmins looked in disbelief. The ascetic disappeared. In the sky, Shiva appeared with his consort Parvati and blessed the couple. Pleased by the couple's devotion and sexual restraint, Shiva took them to his abode Kailash, where they are said to have lived ever young. [4] [5]
One of the most prominent Nayanars, Sundarar (8th century) venerates Tirunilakanta Nayanar in the Tiruthonda Thogai, a hymn to Nayanar saints, calling him "the blessed potter" and the first Nayanar mentioned in the hymn and the only one whose caste affiliation is stated. [6] [7] While describing the Nayanars, Nambiyandar Nambi (11th century) says that Tirunilakanta Nayanar observed sexual abstinence with his wife and as an aged man, regained his youth with his wife by "God's grace". [8] A maxim by Sivadevayya, also known as Visweswara Siva Desika, the guru and minister of the Kakatiya king Kakati Ganapati Deva (1199-1260), part of his lost Telugu sataka (a poem with more than hundred lines) Siva-devadhimani Satakamu says that one must be like Siriyala in childhood, Sundarar in youth and Gundaya (Tirunilakanta Nayanar) in old age; if one has no faith in Shiva then "his birth is burden and life is futile". [9] Gopalakrishna Bharati (1810–1896) wrote a short opera named Tirunilakantha Nayanar Charitram on his life. [10]
Tirunilakanta Nayanar is worshipped in the Tamil month of Thai, when the moon enters the Vishakha nakshatra (lunar mansion). He is depicted with folded hands (see Anjali mudra). He receives collective worship as part of the 63 Nayanars. Their icons and brief accounts of his deeds are found in many Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu. Their images are taken out in procession in festivals. [1]
In Chidambaram, west of the main Nataraja Temple lies the temple tank called Ilamai thirtam (tank of youth) or Ilamai Nayanar thirtam (tank of the young Nayanar) or Vyaghrapada thirtam, which is believed to the site of the test of Tirunilakanta Nayanar by Shiva. The Ilamaiyakinar temple dedicated to Shiva stands on the banks of the tank. The temple is said to be built by the devotee Vyaghrapada, long before Tirunilakanta Nayanar's times and was also as Thiruppuleeswarar. After the Tirunilakanta incident, the form of Shiva was renamed as Ilamai-yakinar. The temple has a shrine for the Tirunilakanta Nayanar and his wife Ratnasalai. The Thai Vishakha day is believed to be the day of Tirunilakanta Nayanar's test of devotion. The day is marked by a temple festival when the tale of the Nayanar's test are ritually enacted in the temple tank. Separated couples or couples with disputes in the marriage are prescribed to pray in the temple for a happy married life. [11] [12]
Sambandar, also referred to as Tirujnana Sambandar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th century CE. According to the Tamil Shaiva tradition, he composed an oeuvre of 16,000 hymns in complex meters, of which 383 (384) hymns with 4,181 stanzas have survived. These narrate an intense loving devotion (bhakti) to the Hindu god Shiva. Sambandar died when he was sixteen years of age. The surviving compositions of the poet-saint are preserved in the first three volumes of the Tirumurai, and provide a part of the philosophical foundation of Shaiva Siddhanta.
Tirumurai is a twelve-volume compendium of songs or hymns in praise of Shiva in the Tamil language from the 6th to the 11th century CE by various poets in Tamil Nadu. Nambiyandar Nambi compiled the first seven volumes by Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar as Tevaram during the 12th century. During the course of time, a strong necessity was felt by scholars to compile Shaiva literature to accommodate other works. Tiruvasakam and Tirukovayar by Manickavasagar are included as the eighth, nine parts are compiled as the ninth Tirumurai out of which most are unknown, and the tenth as Tirumandiram by Tirumular, the famous Siddhar. The eleventh is compiled by Karaikal Ammaiyar, Cheraman Perumal and others. The contemporary Chola king was impressed by the work of Nambi and included Nambi's work in the eleventh Tirumurai. Sekkilar's Periya Puranam, composed a century later, contains the life depiction of all the 63 Nayanmars. The response for the work was so tremendous among Shaiva scholars and Kulothunga Chola II that it was included as the 12th Tirumurai. Tirumurai along with Vedas and Shaiva agamas form the basis of Shaiva Siddantha philosophy in South India and Sri Lanka.
The Nayanars were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. Along with the Alvars, their contemporaries who were devoted to Vishnu, they influenced the Bhakti movement in early medieval South India. The names of the Nayanars were first compiled by Sundarar. The list was expanded by Nambiyandar Nambi during his compilation of material by the poets for the Tirumurai collection, and would include Sundarar himself and Sundarar's parents.
Manakanchara Nayanar, also known as Manakkanychaara Nayanar, Manakkancharar, Manakanjara Nayanar, Mankkanjara Nayanar and Manakkanjarar, was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the twelfth in the list of 63 Nayanars. Like other Nayanars, he was a fervent devotee of the god Shiva. Manakanchara Nayanar is dated to the 8th century and was a contemporary of Eyarkon Kalikkama Nayanar, a Nayanar saint and his son-in-law as well as Sundarar. He is described to have cut his daughter's hair and given it to Shiva disguised as a Shaiva ascetic, on her wedding day.
Sundarar, also referred to as Chuntarar, Chuntaramurtti, Nampi Aruran or Tampiran Tolan, was an eighth-century poet-saint of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism. He is among the Tevaram trio, and one of the most prominent Nayanars, the Shaiva bhakti (devotional) poets of Tamil Nadu.
The Tevaram, also spelled Thevaram, denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection Tirumurai, a Shaiva narrative of epic and Puranic heroes, as well as a hagiographic account of early Shaiva saints set in devotional poetry. The Tevaram volumes contain the works of the three most prominent Shaiva Tamil poets of the 7th and 8th centuries: Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar. The three poets were not only involved in portraying their personal devotion to Shiva, but also engaged a community of believers through their songs. Their work is an important source for understanding the Shaiva Bhakti movement in the early medieval South India.
Muruga Nayanar or Muruka Nayanar is the 15th Nayanar saint. Traditional hagiographies like Periya Puranam and Thiruthondar Thogai describe him as a great devotee of the Hindu god Shiva. He is described to have lived an ascetic life, filled with austerity and selfless devotion to Shiva, spending his time in collecting flowers from woodlands and decorating the Shiva Lingam with garlands and coronets.
Somasi Mara Nayanar, also known as Somasi Maranar, Somasi Marar, Somasimarar and Somasira Nayanar, is a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the thirty-third in the list of 63 Nayanars. He is also called Marar, Maran and Mara Nayanar, names he shares with Ilayankudi Mara Nayanar. The two Nayanars are generally differentiated by the prefixes "Somasi" and "Ilayankudi". He was a contemporary and devotee of Sundarar.
Isaignaniyar, also spelt as Isainaniyar, Isaignaniyaar, Isaignaniar and Isaijnaniyar and also known as Isai-jnani Ammaiyar, is the mother of Sundarar, one of the known Nayanar saints. She is regarded as a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism, along with her husband Sadaiya Nayanar. She is counted as the last in the list of 63 Nayanars.
Sadaiya Nayanar or Sadaiyar is a 7th century Nayanar saint in the Hindu sect of Shaivism, venerated for being father of the prominent saint Sundarar rather than for individual merit. He and his wife Isaignaniyar are generally counted as sixty-second and sixty-third on the list of the sixty-three Nayanar saints. Sundarar is the only Nayanar with both parents venerated.
Viralminda Nayanar, also known as Viranmindar (Viranmintar), Viranmintan and Viranminda Nayanar, is a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the sixth in the list of 63 Nayanars. He was a contemporary of Sundarar. He along with Cheraman Perumal Nayanar are the two Nayanars from Kerala. Viralminda Nayanar is described in legends as the reason Sundarar composed a hymn to the Nayanar saints, which became the first compilation of the list.
Eyarkon Kalikkama Nayanar, also known as Kalikkamanar, Kalikamba Nayanar, was a King of Haihaya (Eyar), Commander-in-chief of the Chola army, a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the 29th in the list of 63 Nayanars.
Sirappuli Nayanar, also known as Sirappuli, Sirapuli Nayanar, Sirappuliyar (Chirappuliyar), was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the thirty-fifth in the list of 63 Nayanars. Sirappuli Nayanar is described to have served the devotees of the god Shiva and worshipped the god with various ritual practices.
Amaraneedi Nayanar, also known as Amarneethi (Nayanar), Amarneeti (Nayanar), Amarniti (Nayanar), Amar-Nidhi (Nayanar) and Amarneethiyar, was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the seventh in the list of 63 Nayanars.
Pugazh Thunai Nayanar, also known as Pugazhthunai Nayanar, Pugalthunai Nayanar, Pukazhtthunai Nayanar, Pukazhtthunaiyar and Pukalttunai, was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the fifty-sixth in the list of 63 Nayanars.
Munaiyaduvar, also known as Manai Aduvar Nayanar, Munaiyaduvar Nayanar, Munayaduvar, Munayaduvaar, Munaiyaduvaar and Munaiyatuvar, was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the 52nd in the list of 63 Nayanars. Munaiyaduvar is described as a mercenary soldier, who would fight for the weak and vanished and use the fees received in service of his patron deity Shiva and the god's devotees.
Meiporul Nayanar known as Meypporul Nayanar, Meipporul (Meypporul), Meiporular, Meypporular, Maiporul Nayanar and Miladudaiyar is a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the fifth in the list of 63 Nayanars.
Iyarpagai Nayanar, also known as Iyarpagaiar, Iyarpahai Nayanar, Iyarpagaiya Nayanar and Iyarppakai Nayanar is a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the third in the list of 63 Nayanars.
Tiru Nilakanta Yazhpanar was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the sixty-first in the list of 63 Nayanars. While the first part of his name can be spelt as Tirunilakanta, Tirunilakantha, Tiru Neelakanta, Tiru Nilakanta, Nilakantan and Thiruneelakanda, Yazhpanar is spelt as variously as Yalppanar, Yalapannar, Yalpanar and Yazhpaanar. He is described as a companion of Sambandar, one of the most prominent Nayanars.
Tirunilanakka Nayanar, also known Tiruneelanakka, Nilanakkar and Nilanakkan, was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the twenty-eighth in the list of 63 Nayanars. He is described as a contemporary of Sambandar, one of the most prominent Nayanars.