The Samayakuravar or Nalvar

The very name of Manikkavachakar, evokes unlimited love in the hearts of true devotees. He was a human embodiment of devotion expressed as a stream of incessant tears and words that surged out of the love from his tender heart on beholding the Dancing Lord. He inspired the spirits of the Tamil people to experience the sweetness of devotion to the Supreme. This great saint, who invigorated the spiritual and religious fervour of the land, is revered as one of the four Samaya Kurvars (Religious Gurus).

Manikkavasagar - The Chief Minister

In the Pandya kingdom, which had been ruled by the great God Himself as Raja Saundara Pandya, near the capital Madurai, is the town Tiruvadavur where the great Vadavurar (Manikkavachakar) was born. By the time he was sixteen years old he had mastered philosophical truths and the scriptures. But it was his love for Lord Shiva and service to His devotees that stood out. The jasmine flower does not proclaim its fragrance, yet its admirers automatically use it to adorn their heads. In that way, the Pandya King Arimardhanan realising Vadavurar’s talent and discipline made him the Prime Minister in his court bestowing on him the title of “Thennavan Brahmarayan”. He ably guided the kingdom, the land, the people and their minds on the righteous path to prosperity. Yet his mind was constantly seeking a spiritual guide who would illuminate the blissful path leading to the Ultimate Truth.

Manikavasagar - The Tryst with The Guru

Once, King Arimardhanan heard that high quality horses were on sale on the eastern coast. He sent his prime minister Vadavurar with lots of money to buy them. On the way, Vadavurar reached a town called Tiruperunturai (Avudaiyar Koyil). There, emanating from a garden, he heard the sweet chants of “Hara Hara”. The mind, that usually leaps in all directions, got focussed on those chants. He soon forgot himself and like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he was drawn in the direction of those sweet chants. There he saw the Lord sitting in the form of a Shaivite Guru under a tree elucidating the Truth to His pupils, a vision for which sages observe austerities for many births! His mind was overwhelmed at the sight of the Guru he was yearning for. He surrendered himself to the Holy Guru's feet and pleaded with him to accept him as a disciple. God, who crosses by His own will the path of devotees to bless them, enlightened him with Shiva Gnanam (Supreme Knowledge). Vadavurar who received this ultimate wealth of Supreme knowledge, expressed his state as an outpouring of glorious hymns offered at the Glowing Feet of the Lord, submitting his body, belongings and soul to the Ultimate. He began with the first song of Tiruvachakam - Shivapuranam starting “Namachivaya Vazhga”. The Peerless Master heard the songs and blessed him with the epithet “Manikka Vachakar” (he whose utterances are like precious rubies). He then ordered Manikkavachakar to build a shrine there and disappeared. Manikkavachakar had transcended the sense of belonging that binds men. With the money he had (given by the king) to buy horses for war, the devotee built a marvellous temple for the Lord that would help advance the minds of the seekers of bliss. 

Many days passed. The king sent some people to find out the whereabouts of his Prime Minister. His attendants returned and reported all the incidents. The king was irked and sent a strong message to Vadhavurar ordering him to bring the horses. Manikkavachakar sought the refuge of the Lord of Tiruperunturai. The Lord assured him that He would bring the horses on the day of “Avani Mula” (Month of Avani when the Moon was in the asterism of Mula) and presented him with a gem for the king as a mark of assurance. The prime minister Manikkavachakar conveyed to the king about the arrival of the horses. The king was happy.

Manivasagar - Steadfast Faith

The Lord, probably keen to show the importance of patience and perseverance in devotion, made it so that there was no sign of the horses till the day before the stipulated “Avani Mulam”. The king, who was running out of patience, was livid and arrested the prime minister. The mature Vadhavurar, knew that for the devotees who totally surrendered themselves to the Three eyed Lord, it was God who was acting through them. He earnestly prayed to the Lord singing “Anre Enran”. Lord Somasundara, who rides the white bull, in an act of play changed all the foxes in the nearby forest to thoroughbred horses overnight and Himself arrived as a lead horse merchant. While handing over the horses to the king, He advised him on the identification of good horses! With that the horse merchant went his way. That very night the horses turned back into foxes and created havoc all over the capital city. The king’s fury peaked and he ordered his men to torture Manikkavachakar by making him stand on the hot sand of the Vaigai river with a rock tying him down. The poor devotee with absolute trust still in his Lord, who had created the Vaigai river for quenching the thirst of His attendant, prayed to his Master.

The Lord’s Play with Manikkavachakar

The Lord, who stopped the proud mighty river Ganga in His matted locks and allowed only a small stream as a blessing for the penance of Bhagiratha, caused the river Vaigai to flood. The flood waters entered the streets of the capital. The king ordered the citizens to help with managing this deluge by raising the levels of the embankments along the river. There was a lonely old poor lady, Vandhi, who practiced devotion to the Absolute with her simple mind and activities. She was not able to contribute to the construction of the embankment, as per the royal decree, owing to the infirmities of her age. To save her from getting penalised, the Lord appeared as a labourer and agreed to contribute towards the work, in her place, in lieu of the rice cakes she had cooked. Is there any end to His Divine play! Instead of working on bringing sand for building the bank, he ate and slept innocently!! As soon as he was informed, the king was annoyed and beat Him with a stick. Lo! The pain was felt by all the creatures including the king. The flooding of the river subsided and the Lord disappeared. The king realized the play of God and the glory of saint Manikkavachakar. He begged for the saint's forgiveness. The benevolent Manikkavachakar forgave the king and requested that he be relieved of his post of Prime Minister.

The Pilgrimage

Manikkavachakar travelled to many shrines of the Lord singing wondrous hymns at Tiruperunthurai, Uttara Kosamangai, Tiruvarur, Tiruvidaimarudur, Sirkazhi, Tiruvannamalai and Tirukkazhukkunram. Finally, he reached the holy shrine of Thillai (Chidambaram). He experienced what the Vedas proclaim - "One experiences bliss (Amrita) here, even in this very body" - on seeing the Lord, who dances to the joy of all eyes. He sang many hymns on the Lord there.

Victory over the Buddhists 

A group of Buddhists from Sri Lanka once challenged Manikkavachakar to a debate on religions. As per the Lord's command, he took it up. He countered all the flaws they were trying to attribute to the Lord expertly. He made a mute girl sing about the greatness of Lord Shiva and left his opponents dumbstruck. He established the glory of Shaivam. The opponents realising the Truth, started worshipping the Supreme Lord Shankara as laid down in the scriptures of Shaivam. Manikkavachakar continued his service to the Lord. The Lord was getting anointed by the constant flow of honey in the form of words of pure love. The Lord wanted those gems in the form of unparallelled hymns to be glorified and passed onto future generations. These hymns have the power to melt even the hardest of hearts. The Lord Himself went one day to the blessed saint Manikkavachakar and asked him to sing the complete Tiruvachakam while He wrote it down. He further asked him to sing the songs of love about the Dancing Lord of Tillai - Tirukkovaiyar (a collection of hymns). He wrote them too on palm leaves and attached His seal - "As told by Manikkavachaka, the Lord of Tiruchitrambalam wrote this". He kept this manuscript on the holy Panchakshara steps of the shrine and vanished.

Becoming Shivam 

The next day, the priests of Tillai were surprised to find the manuscript on the steps of the shrine, signed and sealed by the Lord Himself. They rushed to Manikkavachakar to inform him about this. They saluted and requested him to explain the essence of the compositions. He took them to the Golden Hall of the Lord and pointed to the blissful Dancing Lord, indicating that “He” was verily the essence. At that moment the Supreme Luminance appeared in the sanctum and Manikkavachakar merged himself with It, attaining the lotus feet of Lord Shiva.

 The history of this great saint is narrated in the Tiruvadavur Puranam and the Tiruvilaiyadal Puranam. His compositions are Tiruvachakam and Thirukkovaiyar. The Tiruvachakam is praised for its simplicity and deep sense of love for God. 

Guru Pooja: Ani / Magam or Mithuna / Magha
Har Har Mahadev

See Also:
1. Life of Manikavasgar as drama
2. Thiruvadhavurp puranam 
3. Thiruvilaiyadal puranam 
4. Thiruvachakam 
5. Thirukkovaiyar 
6. Mention of Manivasagar in various thirumurais

माणिक्कवाचक दिव्य चरित्र