(tirunIlakanta yAzhppAna nAyanAr purANam - Periyapuranam as English poetry)

 
 
        "I am a servitor of Tiruneelakantatthuppaananaar." 
         
                        - The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai. 
 
1.     He was a resident of Erukkatthampuliyur; he would 
    Ever play on the proper yaazh the glory of the Lord; 
    Adoring all the grace-abounding shrines in the fecund 
    Chola realm, he proceeded to Naanmaadakkoodal 
    To hail the Lord whose bow is the mountain, at Aalavaai.    (4215) 
 
2.     Reaching the temple where the Lord of Aalavaai is enshrined, 
    He stood at its entrance and tightened the strings of his 
    Yaazh which stood ready to yield the fourteen-fold 
    Panns of Paalai; among the panns he chose the one befitting 
    The hour and touched the strings again and again 
    To produce it in absolute harmony; then he played on his 
    Yazzh the melodious hymns of the Lord concorporate 
    With His Consort of fragrant and long hair.            (4216) 
 
3.     The King Soundara Paandya who presided over 
    The aeviternal Aalavaai at Madurai, was pleased 
    With his instrumental rendering; 
    As commanded by Him that night in their dream, 
    All the servitors conducted the great Paanar who was 
    Graced by Siva, to the presence of the Lord, 
    Who, of yore, smote the hostile citadels.            (4217) 
 
4.     When thus conducted before the Lord Partner of Uma 
    The great Paanar became aware of the truth that it was 
    By the behest of the Lord; so the immortal Paanar 
    Who was before Him-- the Singer of Vedic Hymns--, 
    Began to hail the Primordial Lord of Kootal 
    With the hymns that he played on his yaazh.            (4218) 
 
5.     He sang of the Lord’s burning of the triple citadels, 
    Of His standing posture on the car for smiting the citadels, 
    Of His peeling the hide of the tusker, of His gutting 
    With fire Kaama, of His inaccessibility to Vishnu 
    And Brahma and of His easy accessibility to the devotees; 
    The Lord hearkened to him in grace and blessed him.        (4219) 

 

 

6.     An ethereal voice then spake thus: “The melodious yaazh 
    Played by Paanar, in love and devotion, will get affected 
    By its contact with the cool and moist ground; so, place 
    Beneath it a beauteous plank.” Thus commanded, the servitors 
    Did so; thus, even thus, was Paanar of splendorous 
    And redemptive Tamil blessed with the divine grace of the Lord.    (4220) 
 
7.     Seated on the seat of gold, he played the yaazh; he so hailed 
    In hymns the bounty of the Lord concorporate with His 
    Consort Uma, that the whole world came to know of it 
    And celebrated it; he then left the shrine even as the Devas 
    Hailed him, and adored the Lord in His innumerable shrines; 
    This done, he came to Aaroor for ruling which the Lord 
    Forsook His reign over the celestial world.            (4221) 
 
8.     Standing before the entrance of the temple, he played 
    Fittingly on his yaazh, of the Lord’s great puissance 
    Of kicking Death to death, of His great mercy excelling 
    Even mother’s and of his serene grace meted out to His Devotees. 
    When the Lord who was pleased to listen to him 
    Created for him a new entrance at the north 
    He moved into the temple through that entrance 
    And adored the Lord.                        (4222) 
 
9.     He worshipped the Primordial Lord Enshrined 
    At the Moolattaanam; there he remained a long time; 
    Then with the leave of the Lord he departed from Tiruvaaroor 
    Whence the holy ones never part, an moved on 
    Adoring the Lord whose neck sports the stain of venom, 
    At His many shrines where He is joyously enshrined.        (4223) 
 
10.     Having adored the Lord at His many shrines 
    He moved on to adore the lotus-feet of our lord-- 
    The Prince of Kauniyas of Kaazhi city, who by the grace 
    Of the Lord enshrined in the Ark afloat 
    On the encircling ocean, was fed with Gnosis by Uma 
    Whose words are tuneful as that of the yaazh--; 
    Thus Paanar, the player of the melodious yaazh 
    Arrived at Pukali, the city of beatific Brahmins.        (4224) 
 
11.     When the Partaker of Gnosis heard of his arrival 
    He duly honoured the great Paanar of wondrous music; 
    Abiding with him, Paanar played on his yaazh 
    The lofty decades of the godly child; ever in his company 
    He reached the feet of the blue-throated Lord 
    At Tirunalloor-p-Peru Manam along with him.            (4225) 
 
12.     Adoring the flower-feet of the great Paanar, born in the clan 
    Of Paanars and blessed to attain deliverance, 
    We proceed to narrate the glory of Sataiyanaar-- 
    The wearer of a garland buzzed by chafers, 
    The recipient of grace from Siva who wears 
    The burgeoning crescent and the serpent on His crest, 
    The Siva Brahmin well-versed in the scriptures 
    Who hailed from Tirunaavaloor abounding in fields 
    Rich in sugarcanes and paddy crops.                (4226) 
 
---------------- 
 
NOTES 
 
Verse No. 
 
    This Naayanaar and his wife sang their way toSiva.  He and his wife were  
    expert musicians. 
 
 5-6.    Lord Siva blessed our Naayanaar and his instrument too.  Our Naayanaar is  
    hailed as the Master of Sakota-yaazh by St. Sekkizhar. 
 
   8.    This Naayanaar, an untouchable by birth, was very dear to Siva.  More than  
    once Lord Siva proclaimed his glory. 
 
  11.    Our Naayanaar made it the mission in his life to accompany St. Sambandhar,  
    both literally and figuratively.  Ever in his company, he reached the feet  
    of Siva at the wedding of St. Sambandhar. 
 
 
        Here ends the Puranam of Tiruneelakanta Yaazhppaana Naayanaar 

Sincere thanks to Sri. T N Ramachandran of thanjavur, for permitting his English rendering of the holy text periyapurANam be published here.

See Also: 
1. thirunIlakaNda yAzpANar nAyanAr purANam in English prose 
2. திருநீலகண்ட யாழ்பாண நாயனார் புராணம் (தமிழ் மூலம்) 
3. thiruththoNDar purANam main page
4. 12 shaivite thirumuRais