Āhā! Āhā! Beautiful lines, line by line. Pardon me! These poetic lines
need elucidation word by word. Birth: No one can tell how and when it
will happen. Example: On the way to the Maternity Hospital, delivery
takes place on the vehicle.
Attempting to tell the end: That is impossible.
Let us look at life between birth and death. Nothing is apparent. The
cause? The future path is unseen and unknown. In the path of life, all
events come and go with no itinerary and ever-changing tunes. In the
end, the journey is over.
‘When we see what we did in life’ on a retrospective look, it is a zero
and a blank page.
If we chart our path and put it to practice, will the mental confusion
clear up? Kannadasan says it will clear up.
Tiruvaruḷ-Selvarkaḷ (= ‘திருவருள்செல்வர்கள்’ = Starets with Divine
Grace) understand the change of paths.
The eminent and virtuous person who understood the changing paths begins
his life’s journey here.
Poet Chidambaram was a resident of Madurai. In his tender age, he
received the divine grace of Mīṉākṣi Ammai. He was a scholar of grammar
and literature. His right mind was the highest and the loftiest. His
erudition and good conduct took him to Avināsi. Yes! A servitor near
Avināsi knowing his reputation invited him to teach his two sons.
In Avināsi, Kumaradevar from Viruddasalam was the guru of the poet, who
regarded the Guru as God and followed his guidance in all matters.
When the poet was in meditation, he had a vision of a dancing peacock
with its spread-out iridescent tail hiding his inner vision. The poet
not knowing its significance asked the Guru, who told him to go to
Madurai where Aṉṉai Mīṉākṣi would offer her grace and knowledge to him.
The Guru blessed him and sent the poet on his way.
The poet came to Madurai and performed Tapas seeking Ambikai’s grace.
Impediments came along. Diseases afflicted him giving him severe
hardships and handicaps.
“What is this? I came here on the advice of the Guru. Minākṣī is giving
me a mother lode of hardship. These adverse events do not help me.” The
poet did not think in that fashion. He sang Minākṣī Kaliveṇpā and
praised Ambal, the Goddess and the Consort of Siva. Steady mind, great
soul and dedication brought Ambal before him. She showed the way to the
humble Kavirāyar. Ambikai said, “Kavirāyā! Go north to Tiruppōrūr to
find my son Murugan’s temple. It is in a ruined state. I want you to
renovate and rebuild it. For you to know and realize it, Murugan came in
the form of a peacock during your meditation, described to you the
temple’s layout and then disappeared. Go to Tiruppōrūr! Murugan himself
will become your spiritual teacher and explain the Truth.” Saying thus,
Minākṣī disappeared.
Minākṣī opened his path; Kavirāyar never vacillated. He followed the
path shown by Gurunāthar and Ambikai. Hereafter Kavirāyar will be known
as ‘Aṭikaḷ.’ Aṭikaḷ = Servitor of God and his devotees. He left Madurai
for Viruthāchalam where he paid homage and circumambulated Gurunāthar in
Niṣtai and later continued his journey. On his way back, he obtained
Darśan of Sivajñāṉa Bālaya in Bomma Pāḷayam town, stayed there a few
days and enjoyed talking with him.
In Tiruppōrūr, the first one he obtained Darśan of, was Vēmpadi
Vināyakar under a Neem tree. He took a ritual ablution and immersion in
the sacred waters of Vaḷḷaiyār ōdai and went looking for
Aṉṉai-Mīṉākṣi-recommended Ārumugaṉ Temple.
Those days, Tiruppōrūr was a grove of Palmyra trees resembling a forest.
Aṭikaḷ was in search of Ārumugaṉ Temple, paid homage and obtained Darśan
of Muruga Peruman as Svayambhū Mūrthy under a palm tree. (The tree is
the Swayambhu Murthi of Murugan.) Ārumuga Temple’s identity became
apparent to him. Swayambhu Murthi = சுயம்புமூர்த்தி = cuyampu-mūrtti =
Uncreated image of God.
He found the location of the temple. It needed money for renovation and
to create public awareness. A path was born. Aṭikaḷ, remaining in the
Vinayakar temple, offered Vibhuti (sacred ash) for the people who came
to see him. The visitors narrated their problems and had the problems
solved. Pointedly, diseases of many people just vanished.
What next? The devotees gave what they can afford as offerings. The
wealth (monetary help) offered by the devotees gave ideas to the thugs.
Virtuous deeds take days to yield fruits. The evil deeds (theft in this
case) produced fruits immediately.
The thieves decided to take what the devotees contributed to Aṭikaḷ.
They moved closer surreptitiously. Aṭikaḷ did not know the thieves’
move. But Ārumugaṉ knew it. The thieves coming to rob Aṭikaḷ lost their
vision. The panicked thieves stepped out of hiding and stumbled all the
way to Aṭikaḷ, fell at his feet and begged for a cure.
Aṭikaḷ was compassionate and told the thieves, “Stop thieving from
today! Give all the stolen money to the Murugan temple. You will regain
the lost sight.”
Loving words of Aṭikaḷ and lost sight changed the thieves to good
citizens. They gave all the riches stolen to Sevvēḷ (red lance or
spear), Kumaran Temple. Yes, Murugan gave them back their eyesight.
Some wealth came into the future temple’s treasury. The temple must
become a reality. Ārumuga Perumāṉ showed the way. Before the Aṭikalār,
KumarakKadavuḷ appeared in the guise of his guru Kumāradēvar. Aṭikaḷ
raised his hands in homage above his head with opposed palms and
uttered, “Gurudēvā! Gurudēvā!
Later, the two reached the Palm tree where the temple existed once.
Then, Kumāradēvar applied on Aṭikalār’s forehead sacred ash (The Third
Eye) and told him, “See now! Holey temple will come into your view!”
There, Aṭikaḷ saw before his spiritual eyes the previously existent
complete temple. Surprised at the turn of events, Aṭikaḷ wanted to talk
to his Guru and turned towards him. As he was looking, Kumarakkadavuḷ
entered Svayambhu Mūrthy and disappeared.
That minute, what appeared in the divine vision of Aṭikalār disappeared,
and the palm tree grove was back in its place.
Aṭikaḷ felt the horripilation, realizing that Muruga Perumāṉ Himself
came in person to show him the temple and the way. He in the right
earnest began his sacred duty (of building the temple). The erstwhile
thieves now reformed and devout having received the holy ash to cure
their collective blindness, thanks to Murugan, were of great help in the
building and completing the construction of the temple.
Aṭikaḷ established the traditional sacerdotal codes for the Puja
services, having built the temple wonderfully. Ever since the temple
building was complete, the holy name of the Aṭikaḷ was ‘Tiruppōrūr
Chidambara Swāmigaḷ.’
For some more details click below:
http://murugan.org/temples/tirupporur.htm
He worshipped Tiruppōrūr Murugaṉ, composed and sang a beautiful
panegyric poem, ‘Tiruppōrūr Sannidhi Treatise.’ The treatise has 18
chapters referring to the 18 eyes on Murugan’s face: Six faces with
three eyes on each head, two physical eyes and the third eye in the
center of the forehead
Above all, a rare Yantra established by Srī Chidambara Swāmigaḷ is in
the Tiruppōrūr temple. By realizing the importance of this Yantra,
Kanchi SrīMahā Swāmigaḷ touched the Yantra with his holy hands and
extended his grace to all. This Yantra is powerful.
http://murugan.org/temples/tirupporur.htm
Aṭikaḷ went to Madurai at the behest of Gurunāthar and received direct
Darśan of Ambāḷ, who showed the way to Tiruppōrūr. There he reformed the
thieves. Murugaṉ came in the guise of the Guru and asked him to build a
temple. He benefited us with his treatise and the Yantra. Srī Chidambara
Swāmigaḷ on Vaikāsi Visākam merged with Muragapperumāṉ. He showers on us
even today his grace. Let Tiruppōrūr Murugan protect us by expunging our
deadly sins.
Holy Grace will grow!
Images: t. Ashokkumar.
________________________________________
கடவுள் நம்பிக்கை!
Faith
in God! By Swami Chinmayananda.
Swami Chinmayananda offered this answer to a question, “Though faith in
God exists, sometimes mental agitation and disbelief occur.” Here is the
answer. “Do not listen to the noise of the mind. It will cheat you. Hear
the voice of your Ātmā. It will rescue you, taking you to your objective
(Mōkṣa or liberation). With weak faith, no human effort can bear fruits.
A rock-steady and robust faith made Prahalāthaṉ and Dhruva eternal.
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