GMS07-Manikkavasakar
Published:01 Jul 2019 8 PMUpdated:01 Jul 2019 8 PM Sakthi Vikatan
சக்தி கொடு! - 7
Give Sakthi - 7
Vikatan Correspondent
வி.ஆர்.சுந்தரி  authoress: V. R. Sundari
1. Cittirai Tiruvōṇam1, Āṉi Tiru Uththiram2, Āvaṇi waxing moon Caturdaśī (14th day)3, Puraṭṭāsi waxing moon Caturdaśī4, Mārgazhi Tiruvāthirai5, and Māci waxing moon Caturdaśī6: These are the six Abhiṣēkams (Ritual ablutions) in Chidambaram.

2. The most special holy festivals in honor of the Lord of Dance are Āṉi-Tirumañjaṉam and Mārgazhi Tiruvāthirai. Chidambara rock engravings document the donation of large tracts of land expressly to celebrate these afore-mentioned festivals from the time of Gañgai-koṇda Chōzaṉ. Such is the greatness of Nataraja Perumāṉ. Let us take a Darśan of his advent in Chidambaram and his divine appearance and keep them in our heart, mind, and soul as a treasure.

33. For Pathañjali and Vyāghrapāda (the two Ṛṣis), on the Thursday with the full moon in the month of Tai, a day of festival, Brahma and the Devas appeared in the sky with the accompaniment of sounds of kettle drums, Vedic recitations, and a floral rain from the sky, Nataraja Peruman along with his companion Aṉṉai Śivakāmasundari appeared in the Hall of Consciousness (Cit-Sabā) in Chidambaram Koil.

4. Kaṉaka Sabhai (Golden Hall) shined with an inundation of Light. He had expansive braids of hair, the Ganges on his sacred head, Koṉrai flower, the crescent moon, peacock and crane feathers adorning him, and the sun, the moon, and Agṉi as his eyes. He had a gentle smile, a blue neck, the forehead decorated with holy ashes, palm-leaf ear ornaments, a garland of skulls, sacred thread across his shoulder and chest, elephant and tiger skins as clothes, writhing and winding snakes on his body, two hands carrying an hourglass drum and fire, two hands in the poses of Abhaya Hastam and Gaja Hastam (Have-No-Fear and Revealing Grace), anklet, warrior anklet, and hero ring with bells on his ankle. He danced on one leg, stomping Muyalakan with his other leg. Śiva Mantras were glowing as the flames on the ornamental arch with Aṉṉai Śivakāmi seated on his left as a confluence of a 1000 beautiful Ratis (celestial Nymphs). His holy dance of ecstasy was indescribable, as Natarāja Perumāṉ presented a performance of his dancing.

5. Pathañjali, Vyāghrapādar and the rest had the Darśan as said before and were joyous. The two Ṛṣis held the palms together in homage and worship to Śiva and Śivakāmi. At the request of Pathañjali and Vyāghrapāda, Chidambaranāthar continues to dance for the weal and welfare of the world since that day.
                                    

1.   யோகாம்பிகை.  2. ஸ்ரீ ஆத்மநாதர். 3. குருந்த மரத்தடி உபதேசக் காட்சி.  4. குதிரை வியாபரியாக வந்த சிவபெருமான்.

2.     Yōkāmbikai.  2. Śrī Āthmanāthar.  3. Scene: Instructions at the foot of the Kurunta tree.  4. Śiva as a horse trader.

Manikkavasakar seated on the bull.

6. Did we not come to know of the special event Āṉi Tirumañjaṉam? Monday (July 8, 2019) is a Āṉi Uttira holy day. On that sacred day, offer worship to Chidambaranāthar and receive boons for the uplift of your life. There is another special significance for the month of Āṉi month. We will soon find out.

7. As Vyāsar dictated, Vināyakar wrote Mahābhāratam, Śiva Perumāṉ, with no beginning or end, transcribed it with his holy hands, which is a treasure of wisdom, Tiruvāsakam. If Tiruvāsakam (holy composition) melts not a person, no Vāsakam (composition) will melt him: That is an old saying (proverb).

8. Having read Tiruvāsakam, it is a wonder a Christian and Tamil scholar G.U. Pope dwelled in it deeply. When he wrote a letter, he never missed referring to a Tiruvāsakam poem.

9. Once, G.U. Pope wrote a letter and shed tears on it, causing smudging of the letters. The blurring of the letters did not deter him from posting that letter. His stated reason was a surprise.

10. ‘Tiruvāsakam is not only pure; the tears that I shed while writing it are pure. That is why I did not write a new letter but sent you the letter with smudged characters.’

11. Tiruvāsakam is the highest among its peers, given to us by Māṇikkavāsaka Swāmigaḷ. His parents were Sampupāthācriyar and Śivajñavathi of Tiruvāthavūr 15 km south of Madurai. His fame spread all over Tamil country when he was only 16 years old.

12. Commensurate with the saying, ‘The king likes a person with knowledge,’ king Arimartthaṉa Pāṇḍiaṉ invited Māṇikkavāsakar and made him a minister. Once the king gave him money to buy horses. He spent it in constructing the temple in Trirupperunthuṛai. On his behalf, God morphed the foxes into horses for the king to see, and sustained cane lashing during transportation of sand and mud (for being slow) for food. We heard about these holy stories of the gracious pastime of God.

                                                                             

13. Soon after that, Māṇikkavāsakar gave up his ministerial job and became a tapasvin. He entered Ālavāy Aṇṇal Temple, received Darśan of Swami and attained liberation on the shores of freedom (Mukti).
                                                                         
14. Māṇikkavāsakar sang songs from his heart about the Perumāṉ who took possession of him as a Guru in Trirupperunthuṛai. The God in the guise of a Guru gave Darśan to the servitors and Māṇikkavāsakar. The God-Guru addressed them, “Servitors! A Jyōthi (Beam of Light) will rise from the pond before you. You, the most upright devotees, enter the Light one by one and come to me.” Then the God-Guru addressed Māṇikkavāsakar, “Māṇikkavāsakā! You go on a tour of the temples for Darsan, sing soulful songs of Triruvāsakam, and at last go to Thillai.”

15. The time predicted by Kaṇṇuthalōṉ (One with an eye in the forehead) came to the present then. From the pond gurgled and rose a Beam of Light. One by one, everyone merged with the Light. Following the order of Śivaperumāṉ, Māṇikkavāsakar did not go with them.
Māṇikkavāsakar sobbed: “I need true love of your servitors. Śivanē! Do your act of grace. I am in distress. Is this your plan (justice)? O, God!” His inability poured out as poems. He went on a Darśan tour of many temples and reached Thillai (Tiruvaṇṇāmalai). During Tiruvaṇṇāmalai Darśan, he sang Triruvempāvai and Triruvammāṉai songs.

16. Having received Darśanof the Lord of Dance, Māṇikkavāsakar performed Tapas in the neighboring grove on the outskirts of the city. One day, a Vedic Scholar came looking for him. At the moment of his arrival, his Tapas ended.

17. The Vedic Scholar addressed him, “Māṇikkavāsakarē! I hail from Pāṇḍya country. I want to compose your Tiruvāsaka poems and write them down on the palm leaves. I beg you to offer that help.”

18. “You are asking me to sing the greatness of Paramaṉ. Is it not a great merit?” said Māṇikkavāsakar. He sang, and the Vēdhiyar wrote them down fast.

19. The Vēdic scholar said to him, “Pāvai, you sang; now, sing Kōvai.” Pāvai = Tiruvāsakam; Kōvai = Śaiva Religious philosophy. He sang both. Tiruvāsakam and Tirukkōvaiyār are the 8th book of Tirumurai. Once the Vēdic scholar finished writing, he disappeared. (This scribe-and-scoot would have been accused of  plagiarism nowadays.) Shocked, Māṇikkavāsakar stood up and went looking for him.

20. Māṇikkavāsakar realized, ‘This must be the play of Lord of Dance of Thillai.’ He had tingling in his body. Tears of ecstasy bathed his body. The poems, scribed by God on the palm leaves, reached the hands of the Thillai-Vāzh Brahmanas (Dīkṣithars). The manuscript bore the writing, ‘Tiruvāthavūr Tiruvāi Malarntharula Azhagiya Tirucchiṛṛambalar holy signature.’ (= God’s signature.) The Dīkṣithars picked up the palm-leaf document, looked at it with surprise, performed Archaṉai, narrated to Māṇikkavāsakar what happened and requested him to expound the meaning of Tiruvāsakam.

21. Māṇikkavāsakar realized it was God’s notation from his holy heart and said, “Assemble before the holy presence of Ambalavāṇar (Śiva Natarājar), and I will do the exposition.” That day was Āṉi Māmakam (A great luni-solar festival). As he approached the Ambalam (Open space), he circumambulated Sitsabēsar Natarājar, said, “This is the meaning,” and approached the Swami. An inundation of Light rose. Māṇikkavāsakar entered the flood of Light. He merged and became one with it. The bells rang, ‘Om Om.’ Sitsabēsar = Chit-Sabā-Īṣvar = Intellect-Assembly-Lord = The Lord of the Assembly of Intellectuals = Śiva.

22. In Chidambaram, the devotees celebrate with great fanfare Māṇikkavāsakar’s day of Mokṣa. Āṉi month Brahmōṛsavam under auspices of Maham star, Māṇikkavāsakar with Pañchamūrthis in the morning go on a circumambulation. The priests present him before the icon of Swami. Later, the waving of lights before the two takes place. The Śiva devotees must witness and obtain Darśanat this wonderful celebration.
அருள் செய் சிவனே!
O Śiva, Give us Grace!

1. Cittirai Tiruvōṇam, Āṉi Tiru Uththiram, Āvaṇi waxing moon Caturdaśī (14th day), Puraṭṭāsi waxing moon Caturdaśī, Mārgazhi Tiruvāthirai, and Māci waxing moon Caturdaśī: These are the six Abhiṣēkams (Ritual ablutions) in Chidambaram.
2. The most special holy festivals in honor of the Lord of Dance are Āṉi-Tirumañjaṉam and Mārgazhi Tiruvāthirai. Chidambara rock engravings document the donation of large tracts of land expressly to celebrate these afore-mentioned festivals from the time of Gañgai-koṇda Chōzaṉ. Such is the greatness of Nataraja Perumāṉ. Let us take a Darśan of his advent in Chidambaram and his divine appearance and keep them in our heart, mind, and soul as a treasure.