Home > Devotees > 63 Nayanmar Stories

In the plains of the chOza kingdom is the town eyinanUr. The fertility of that land was shown out with the long grown sugar canes bending down to hand shake with the rice plant that grew targeting the sky. To make the eyinanUr enter the history came EnAthin^Athar in the Iza tradition as a commander in the king's army. His sword would talk his valor, but his heart would talk the grace of Ash smeared Lord. The heaps of material that came appreciating his flawless valor was ever meant by him for serving the needs of the devotees of the Lord who enjoys the devotion of the two who in vein tried to find Its limits.

There was a man of stained thoughts too in that town by name adhichUran. He too coming in the same tradition as a fighter. He roamed around boasting there was none superior to him ! In spite of his claim that he was the best in the martial arts, very few students turned up to his school whereas people preferred the school of the filled pot like EnAthin^Athar. This fact irked adhichUran. When the curtain of ego becomes thicker the truth gets more and more obscured. A fox when it claims it is a lion, it will not become a lion. The jealous went with his best students to n^AyanaAr's place and called for a fight. Whoever wins the fight only would be allowed to run the school, he shouted. n^AyanAr's students were away that time. The valiant who came out as a roaring lion to his call, was joined by the powerful relatives. Some joined with adhichUran. The egotist said they could meet in the field and decide the authority to conduct the school.

The two warrior groups met in the specified place. The display of the might started with two sides colliding with the other shouting like the thunder. The sparks that rose at the meetings of their weapons resembled the lightnings. The rain of blood poured. The fight was very tough with the loses in both the sides. At this point the man of well cultivated valor rose like a lion to help his side. The entire battle very soon took a turn with the side of the jealous loosing in front of the mountain bowed Lord's devotee. His sword encircled the field like the rotating Sun. The other side lost its heart unable to tackle his attack. Now adhichUran jumped in the field to boost his side. But can fox stand the fight with lion ? He was defeated by the n^AyanAr soon and he ran away from the field.

More than the wounds on his body the deep wound called vengeance got roots in him. He was sure by then that he can never defeat that devotee of valor and action fighting straight in the field. His cowardness and vengeance led him to the sinful crooked thoughts. The dark minded fox decided over the night to do a sin and call it a victory. The coward who was absconding with shame sent across a message in the morning to the n^AyanAr that without the loss of other lives they both could fight at some other place. The crookedness in the thought was given a kind-hearted overcoating. Even the dharma gets used at the hands of the bad for bad things. The devotee who worships the Lord shiva the form of love, saw only the good in his proposal and agreed to it. Without informing the relatives he keeping his words went to the spot designated for the fight with his sword and shield. The cheat knowing that the devotee respects the Holy Ash more than his own life and that he would never harm the people who smear that holy substance, smeared his forehead full with the white ash. He never used to wear that holy symbol before !

The sight of the lion like devotee standing there frightened the crook. Cunningly he hid his forehead with the shield and went to the spot. The lion roared and sprang to defeat down the fox. The wicked removed the shield exposing his forehead full with Holy Ash. n^AyanAr was shocked at sight. He had never seen it in his forehead. The presence of the Holy Ash indicated that he had become a devotee of the Lord of the Universe, he thought. So n^AyanAr wanted him to accomplish what he wanted. He was about to throw away his sword and shield, but thought in that case adhi chUran would kill him when he was without any arm. That would be a sin. n^AyanAr did not want that sin to reach anybody in the form of devotee. What a great man he is ! How great and wide is his thinking !! He was not only ready to sacrifice his life for the glory of Holy Ash but above that did not want any bad mark on the opponent because he was wearing it !? He stood as if he was fighting, but did not fight. The wicked did what he wanted to do. The Lord who destroyed the hatable rite of dhakshan stood out. The highly reverable n^AyanAr got the boon of never separating from the Lord. Let the remarkable thinking of EnAthin^Atha n^AyanAr in thinking good even for the opponent who wanted to kill him, just because he had the sacred shaivite symbol stay in mind.