Nayanmar 1 - Thiru Neelakanta Nayanar

Thiru Neelakanta Nayanar (திருநீலகண்ட நாயனார்)



photo courtesy : vikatan prasuram



Birth place: Chidambaram

Star: Thai Visakam

A very pious potter, who was fascinated by the episode of Lord Shiva drinking the Alahala visham (poison) which came out while the Devas and Asuras churned the Paarkadal, used to always chant “Thiruneelakantam, Thiruneelakantam” that his original name was forgotten and he came to be called Thiruneelakantar.

A staunch devotee of the Lord, he lived a peaceful life with his wife making pottery and giving away at least one clay bowl (thiruvodu திருவோடு) everyday to the devotees of Lord Shiva.

One day, due to his past life karma, he went to a prostitute and when he came back, his wife was furious and swore in the name of the Lord that Thiruneelakantar should not touch her anymore. Ashamed by his action, he accepted his wife’s condition and they stayed together not leading a life of man and wife but continued the service of giving away a clay bowl a day to the devotees.

This went on for many years and Lord Shiva wanted the world to know their devotion. He came in the form of a Shiva devotee and gave a bowl to Thiruneelakantar stating that the bowl is capable of purifying anything put in it and Thiruneelakantar is to keep it safe until the devotee came back. Thiruneelakantar kept it very safe in his house and when the devotee came many years later and asked for the bowl, it was not to be found anywhere.

Very upset with this, Thiruneelakantar offered to make a new bowl for the devotee, but the devotee insisted that he wanted his own bowl back. He said he did not believe that the bowl was missing and accused Thiruneelakantar of cheating him. When Thiruneelakantar pleaded with him that he is saying the truth, the devotee asked Thiruneelakantar to prove that he is not lying by taking a dip in the temple pond nearby holding his son’s hand.

When Thiruneelakantar said that he did not have a son, the devotee asked him to hold his wife’s hand and take a dip. Baffled by this, (as he had not touched his wife after the promise) he kept quiet. The devotee insisted that the case be heard by the village head and Thiruneelakantar agreed to take a dip with his wife with both of them holding either end a bamboo stick. The devotee did not accept this either and Thiruneelakantar was forced to admit in front of the village about his life with his wife.

The village head gave judgement that Thiruneelakantar has to take a dip in the pond holding his wife’s hand and he had no other choice. After a dip, the two of them came up. Lo and behold, both Thiruneelakantar and wife had become young!

Lord Shiva gave darshan along with Goddess Parvathi and explained that He wanted the world to know the devotion of Thiruneelakanta Nayanar!

photo courtesy : shaivam.org

The temple where this happened is Thiruppuliswarar Temple (திருப்புலிச்வரர் கோயில்) aka Ilamai Thirumbinar Koil (இளமை திரும்பினார் கோயில்), very close to Chidambaram.

Recipe - Tepla

Tepla

This is one of the North Indian recipes I learnt from my sister Sundari during my six months stay in Bombay. I love making this often as it is a hot favourite at home.

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

Wheat flour                      - 1 cup

Channa dal flour               - 1 tbsp

Rice flour                         - 1 tbsp

Methi leaves                     - 1 cup (washed and chopped fine)

Sesame seeds                   - ½ tsp

Ajwain                             - ½ tsp

Chilli powder                    - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder              - ½ tsp

Asafoetida                        - ½ tsp

Salt                                  - to taste

Equal mixture of oil & ghee- ¼ cup

Add all items except the last to a wide bowl, mix well and add a tsp of the oil/ghee mixture. Add water little by little and make this into the consistency of roti dough. Keep it aside for about 15-20 minutes. 

Take small balls of the dough and roll into rotis (not very thin). Place the rolled roti on a heated tawa and turn it when brown spots appear on one side. Once the other side also has some brown spots, add a little oil/ghee mixture and turn it like you do a roti.

Delicious, healthy methi tepla is ready to eat.

The advantages of tepla are

-         no special side dish is needed as it can be eaten plain or with pickles/raita/curd/etc

-         tepla can be stored for 4-5 days

Chithirai (சித்திரை)

Chithirai (சித்திரை)

Chithirai the first month of the Tamizh year marking the beginning of a new Tamizh year, is usually from April 14 - May 14. This Tamizh year is called the Nandana varusham (நந்தன வருஷம்). This year the New Year has begun on April 13, today.

Chithirai is one of the hottest month in India. The beginning of the new year is celebrated with reading the almanac (panchangam), making the maangai pachadi (மாங்காய் பச்சடி) and veppampoo pachadi,(வேப்பம்பூ பச்சடி)  signifying that life is full of different tastes like inippu  (இனிப்பு), pulippu (புளிப்பு), kaaram (காரம்), karippu (கரிப்பு), thuvarppu (துவர்ப்பு) and kasappu (கசப்பு). Of course people do make other sweets like payasam today but the most important dishes are the maangai pachadi/veppampoo pachadi as it is mango season and one can see the neem tree full of fresh flowers. Neem tree is as good as the banana or coconut tree where all parts are useful only thing is we do not use the neem tree products for everyday cooking but the leaves and flowers are of great medicinal values.

 

Mango is part and parcel of summer and it is very difficult to find somebody who does not like mangoes, raw or ripe!

photo courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Vishu_kani.jpg

Vishu, (விஷு) celebrated as new year by the  Keralites also usually falls on the same day as the Tamizh New year, but these two vary by a day some times. This year is one of those, Vishu being celebrated tomorrow and Tamizh New Year today. The Vishukkani  (விஷுக்கனி) is very important in Kerala and this ritual is also followed in many Tamizh households including ours. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, rice, dal, is kept in a tray along with betel leaves, betel nuts and turmeric pieces. Also some gold jewels and rupee coins are kept along with this. The whole tray is kept in front of a mirror decorated with flowers and early morning as soon as one gets up, he has to look in the mirror, see himself and all the positive things displayed there. This mainly signifies the auspiciousness and usually the children are given the coins as gifts called Vishukkaineetam (விஷு கைநீட்டம்). For Keralites the yellow flower is also an integral part of the Vishukkani 

One of the most important festivals of Chithirai is the Akshaya Thrithya (அக்ஷய திரிதியை), the third day after the Amavasya (new moon) Traditionally in many parts of India it is celebrated as birthday of Lord Parasurama. It is also said to be the day river Ganga flowed into the Earth. It is a very good day to begin any venture, but last 20 - 25 years, jewellers have named this day the best for buying gold and there is a great rush for the gold on this day. From what I have heard, it is considered to be good to gift gold on this day, but can anyone imagine giving gold free to anybody now?

This year Akshaya Thrithya is on 24 April

The hottest period of the year called Agni Nakshathram (அக்னி நக்ஷத்திரம்) or kathiri veyyil (கத்திரி வெய்யில்)  begins in this month and ends in the Tamizh month of Vaikasi. This year Agni Nakshathram begins on 4th May and ends on 28th May. During this period abhishekams with water and cooling things like ilaneer are performed for the deities in the temples.

 The full moon day of the month of Chithirai is called the Chitra Pouranami (சித்ரா பௌர்ணமி). This is celebrated as the birthday of Chitragupta who accounts all our good and bad deeds and reports to Yama, the God of death. Hence special prayers to Chitragupta on this day. This year Chitra pournami falls on 5^th May.

Nayanmars (நாயன்மார்கள்)– an introduction

Nayanmars (நாயன்மார்கள்)– an introduction

 

To start with Nayanmars are very different from Azhwars. Azhwars, devotees of Lord Vishnu, sang his praise. The compositions of all the Azhwars are well recorded.

Nayanmars, a huge number compared to Azhwars, were from all walks of life and their simple devotion to Lord Shiva gained them this status. Only some of them were well versed in singing on the Lord. The collection of hymns by many devotees is called Panniru Thirumuraigal.(பன்னிரு திருமுறைகள்) 

These Thirumurais were composed over a number of years by devotees who lived during different periods and there was no information about any palm scriptures of the same. Many hymns were sung in temples regularly and on hearing one, Raja Raja Chozhan was in ecstasy.

He wanted to find out more about such compositions and also if any written records were available. He requested Nambi Andar Nambi (நம்பியாண்டார் நம்பி) to help him find these who in turn requested the Polla Pillayar of Thirunaraiyur to let them know the location of these scriptures. (More details about Nambi Andar Nambi in another blog).

 

On hearing from Lord Ganapathi that the original palm scripts of the hymns were kept locked in a chamber in the Chidambaram temple, The King and Nambi Andar Nambi proceeded to Chidambaram. On opening the chamber, they were shocked to see that most of the palm leaves were eaten away by white ants and they could recover only some of it.

When they were saddened about losing such a treasure, they heard a divine voice saying that the hymns they recovered were enough for the present world. The 13680 verses of the Thirumurais 1 – 11 found intact is only a small part of the total compositions by the devotees.  Nambi Andar Nambi compiled and documented the recovered hymns as Thirumurai 1 to 11 adding his own compositions to the lot.

-         Thirumurais 1, 2 and 3 are the verses sung by Thirugnana Sambandar (திருஞான சம்பந்தர்) called Thevaram.(தேவாரம்)  It is also called Thirkkadai kaapu (திருக்கடைக் காப்பு) 

-         Thirumurais 4, 5 and 6 are the hymns sung by Thirunavakarasar (திருநாவுக்கரசர்)  (Appar) called Thevaram

-         Thirumurai 7 is by Sundaramurthy Nayanar (சுந்தரமுர்த்தி நாயனார்) also called Thevaram. It is also called Thiruppaatu.(திருப்பாட்டு)

-          Thirumurai 8 is the Thiruvasagam (திருவாசகம்) and Thirukkovaiyar (திருக்கோவையார்) by Manickavasagar (மாணிக்கவாசகர்) 

-         Thirumurai 9 consists of the verses of Thiru Maligai Thevar (திருமாளிகைத் தேவர்) and eight others (Senthanar (சேந்தனார்), Karuvur Thevar (கருவூர் தேவர்) ,   Poonthuruthi Kaadanambi (பூந்துருத்தி காடநம்பி), Kandaraathithar  (கண்டராதித்தர்),   Venaatuadigal  (வேணாட்டடிகள்), Thiruvaaliamudhanaar  (திருவாலியமுதனார்), Purutothama Nambi  (புருடோத்தம நம்பி), Sethirayar  (சேதிராயர்) ) and it is called Thirvisaippa (திருவிசைப்பா) and Thiruppallaandu (திருப்பல்லாண்டு) 

-         Thirumurai 10 is the Thirumandiram (திருமந்திரம்) by Thirumoolar  (திருமூலர்)  

-         Thirumurai 11  by Lord Thiru aalavai udayar (திரு ஆலவாயுடையார்) (Lord Shiva) himself and eleven others (Karaikal Ammaiyar (காரைக்கால் அம்மையார்), Iyadigal Kadavarkon (ஐயடிகள் காடவர்கோன்), Seraman Perumal  (சேரமான் பெருமாள்), Nakeerar (நக்கீரர்), Kalladar (கல்லாடர்), Kabilar (கபிலர்), Baranar (பரணர்) ,  Ilamperuman Adigal (இளம்பெருமான் அடிகள்) , Athiraavadigal (அதிராவடிகள்) , Patinathu adigal (பட்டினத்தடிகள்). This Thirumurai also includes the hymns sung by Nambi Andar Nambi who compiled all above. This is also called Prabhandam(பிரபந்தம்) 

 

-         Thirumurai 12 is the Periya Puranam (பெரிய புராணம்) by Sekkizhar  (சேக்கிழார்) . This was written very much later compared to the compilation of the first eleven Thirumurais and documents the devotion of the 63 Nayanmars to their Lord.  This was initially called Thiruthondar Puranam (திருத்தொண்டர் புராணம்) and later came to be called as Periya Puranam and considered as the twelfth Thirumurai.

Though Sekkizhar has accounted details of 63 Nayanmars only in his Thiruthondar Puranam, the Thirumurais  9 and 11 include compositions of other devotees too.

Kindly wait for Thiru Neelakanta Nayanar Puranam  (திருநீலகண்ட நாயனார் புராணம் ) until 16^th April!

Arupathimoovar (அறுபத்திமூவர்)

Arupathimoovar (அறுபத்திமூவர்)

I have been meaning to write a series on Arupathimoovar after the series of Azhwars, but never got around doing same till now.

The first time I tried, I wanted to begin with the Arupathimoovar festival in Mylapore, but since I could not combine with it, I dropped the idea.

Now right after this year’s Arupathimoovar festival, I hope to start with a blog on one Nayanmar on every Monday and Thursday.

To begin with, Arupathimoovar festival is something I have only heard of all these years. Despite being a Chennaite, I have never had the opportunity to see the festival.

This year, I wanted to go at least on one day and as usual thanks to my sister Jayashree’s persuasion with a bit of pressure on me, I visited on the day of Arupathimoovar urchavam.

I have to say that I was zapped by the sight of the whole area. First of all, vehicles were stopped at the junction of Luz Church Road and only pedestrians were allowed beyond this point. I was stunned to see the ever empty Thirumayilai MRTS station full of people.

It was a great sight to see refreshments being distributed free of cost at a number of thannir pandals (தண்ணீர் பந்தல்) (these are still called thannir pandals though they offered right from biryani, sambar rice, biscuits, chocolates and what not!). As far as I could see these thannir pandals were not just around the temple but in the whole area all the way to Alwarpet.

The path was already full with roadside vendors selling a variety of stuff right from coconut/banana/camphor to be offered to the Lord to toys for the kids. 

One eyesore were the paper plates and cups strewn on the same path as well as in the median. Some had even thrown leftover eatables. Of course this was the first time I was there during the festival so I am not sure whether this happens every year or it was messier this year!

The crowd was so much that people were really pushing each other to move forward. I managed to reach the junction before the theppa kulam and there was some breathing space. I could hear the police announcing names of people from different parts of the city who had missed their kith and kin and was in search of them which made me feel a bit bad about not making an attempt to attend this festival even once despite having lived in Chennai all my life!

In front of theppa kulam was a long line of Gods and I saw Kolavizhi Amman first followed by Draupathi Amman, Periyanayaki sametha Vaaliswarar and Ganapathy. 

Kolavizhi Amman (கோலவிழி அம்மன்)

Draupadi Amman (திரௌபதி அம்மன்)

 

After these Gods were the great Arupathimoovars preceded by Poompavai and Sivanesar!

 

I could read the name placards of some of the deities only as it was a procession of four nayanmars on each palanquin.

As I was slowly taking photos of the first few rows, suddenly the procession started moving at a good speed and I managed to catch a small movie of same.

All this while, my sister Jayashree was somewhere in the crowd and we were communicating only on the mobile. Jayashree, who is more familiar with the rituals of the day as she had visited last year, said that what I saw was only the tip of the iceberg and processions of many Gods and Goddesses led by Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal were elsewhere. As I did not have much time and was a bit keen to catch the CSK match and had a long way to go home, I called it a day.

Kindly wait for the blog on Nayanmars on Thursday, 12 April 2012!