(iLaiyAnkudi mARa nAyanAr purANam - Periyapuranam as English poetry)

 
 
        “I am a servitor to the servitors of Ilayankudi Maran.” 
                                 
                        - The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai 
 
1.     He for ever wears on his crown the feet of the Dancer 
    Who dances in the Ambalam roofed of gold; 
    He is stablished in the lofty excellence 
    Of servitude to the Lord-God; 
    As a result of the askesis of the ancient clan of Sudras 
    He came to be born to illumine this world; 
    He is Maranar of Ilayankudi.                    (440) 
 
2.     He desired the flourishing on earth 
    Of the limitless wealth 
    Derived from husbandry 
    And the mind made 
    Abidingly rich 
    By the glorious service rendered 
    To the servants of the Lord 
    That sports on His crest the Ganga, 
    And from these, secure for him enduring gain.            (441) 
 
3.    Whenever devotees visited him -- whoever they be --, 
    He would, rooted in devotion, humbly receive them 
    And would address them kindly with loving words; 
    The sole reason which impelled him to revere them was, 
    That they were the servitors of the Lord who wears 
    Bones as ornaments and skulls as garland.            (442) 
 
4.     He would receive them into his house and wash 
    Their feet in ritual love; 
    He would have them duly seated, and adore them; 
    Then to please those devotees of the Lord of gods 
    He would treat them to fourfold victuals 
    Rich in sextuple taste.                        (443) 
 

 
 
5.     As a result of the participation of the devotees 
    Of Siva -- the Lord of all entia --, in the virtuous feasting 
    Offered by him daily to their great delight, 
    His wealth, immovable and movable, extended 
    And increased, and he was like the Lord of Alakapuri, 
    The companion of the eight-shouldered Lord.            (444) 
 
6.     To reveal to the world that he would behave thus 
    Not only during his days of plenty but also 
    During times when he is steeped in miserable penury 
    The Lord-God of Tillai thought fit to cause 
    The daily diminution of his wealth 
    Resulting in abject poverty.                    (445) 
 
7.     His wealth wilted; but the mind of our deity 
    -- Maran, the Lord of Ilayankudi --, did not wilt; 
    By barter, pledge and mortgage he came by 
    The wherewithal to do as before his service divine 
    To the devotees, in which he grew mellow.            (446) 
 
8.     While thus flourished his service, the Lord 
    Unknown to Vishnu -- the triumphant Boar, 
    And Brahma -- the Swan, stepped down on earth 
    To bless it, in the guise of a great tapaswi 
    Unaccompanied by His Consort, and His mount, the Bull.        (447) 
 
9.     On a night when it rained Maranar remained 
    Behind latched doors wallowing in soaring hunger 
    With nothing to relieve him. 
    It was thus, even thus, he welcomed his guest.            (448) 
 
10.     He dried His dripping person and then 
    Offered to Him duly a seat; 
    He desired to feed his guest; 
    He addressed his wife thus: “Great is the hunger 
    Of this tapaswi; what shall we do?”                (449) 
 
11.     “Even though we have no food for ourselves 
    We must yet fittingly feed him who is a devotee 
    Of the Lord whose Consort is the daughter of Himavant. 
    In what way do we, this achieve?” Thus he.            (450) 
 
12.     His wife replied him thus: “I see no other way. 
    There are none to give us aught; 
    It’s late in the night; there’s no other place to go; 
    What is there for this sinner to do?” Thus she.            (451) 
 
13.     And she added: “If you can gather back the seeds 
    Of paddy that this day were sown in the fields, 
    It’ll be possible for me to provide food; 
    We can thus rid our misery; I see no other way.”        (452) 
 
14.     When he heard these words of his wife, he felt delighted 
    As if he got back all his former wealth; 
    He willingly agreed to the course suggested 
    And prepared himself to visit the watery fields.        (453) 
 
15.     The rain it rained fierce and violent; 
    It was blindening to boot hiding all the sides; 
    It looked as though the dark inky midnight 
    Dissolving in black torrents poured on earth.            (454) 
 
16.     Men would shudder even to think of it; 
    Such was it, the dead of night, 
    Verily a sheet of inky wash 
    Well-nigh impossible to brave.                    (455) 
 
17.     Enthused by impelling love, with a big basket 
    Held inverted on his head, through via trita, 
    Fared forth Ilayankudi Maranar, the princely patron, 
    To the fields where slumbered water-fowls.            (456) 
 
18.     He went his way feeling the ground with his feet; 
    With his hands he gathered the germinating seeds 
    Which lay floating, into his basket, and filled it, 
    And hastened home with the basket on his head.            (457) 
 
19.     His wife that awaited him at the threshold 
    Received it, and in love washed the mire away 
    From the seeds; then she spake to him thus: 
    “To cook the grain there’s fuel none for the oven.” 
    Then the great one pulled down the rafters of his roof 
    That covered the house. O the house eternal!            (458) 
 
20.     With splintered rafter as fuel, she lit the oven 
    And fried the moist germinating grain into rice 
    Which she poured into a vessel and cooked. 
    This done the paragon of excelling chastity  
    Humbly addressed her husband thus: 
    “What shall we do for curry?”                    (459) 
 
21.     He thought: “The great devotee must have suffered much 
    By reason of his fatiguing journey and cruel hunger,” 
    Driven by love, he hastened to the backyard 
    And plied his feeling hands and gathered the greens 
    Which have grown a little in the small germinating pits; 
    It looked as though he plucked out Pasam by its root.        (460) 
 
22.     The wife received the greens from the husband, 
    Sifted them clean and washed them well; 
    She put them in spotless vessels and with wonted skill 
    Prepared many a dish; old memories assailed her; 
    She consoled herself with the thought 
    That she could do that much at least.                (461) 
 
23.     She then addressed her husband and showed him 
    The dishes of curry and said: “Let us at once 
    Serve the peerless one with food.” He neared Him 
    Who is not to be comprehended by any one, 
    And gently woke Him up from His slumber.            (462) 
 
24.     He beseeched Him thus: “O great one that hath 
    Deigned to redeem humble me sunk in misery! 
    Be pleased to partake of the repast.” 
    When the servitor spake thus, He rose up 
    And blazed as pure flame; the devotee 
    And his divine wife stood wonder-struck.            (463) 
 
25.     Before the devotees who stood transfixed in awe 
    When the Lord unknown to Vishnu and Brahma 
    Blazed forth as flame, Sankara with His Consort 
    Of perfumed locks rejoicingly manifested 
    On His mount, the Bull; addressing the great devotee 
    Who performed the Maheswara Pooja, He said:            (464) 
 
26.     “Dear one, you have (all through your life) 
    Performed Maheswara Pooja; with your wife 
    Abide in My world; with Kubhera himself 
    To carry out your mandates with all his wealth 
    At your disposal, be in bliss immersed.” 
    The One far far superior to all, blessed him thus.        (465) 
 
27.     Rewarding him fittingly and conferring on him bliss, 
    The One that burnt the triple cities, grew invisible; 
    Wearing the feet of that great servitor on my crown 
    I now proceed to narrate the annals  
    Of Mei-p-Porul, the King of Sethi realm.            (466) 
 
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Stanza    Line 
 
   4     5    Fourfold victuals:    Food to be eaten (devoured) masticated,  
                licked and drunk. 
 
     6    Sextuple taste    :     Bitter, sweet, sour, hot, salty and  
                    astringent. 
 
  25        Sankara        :    He who does good; a name of Siva. 
                    Maheswara Pooja:  The ritual worship  
                    offered to the servitors of the Lord;  
                    feeding forms part of it. 
 
 
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. iLaiyAnkudimARa nAyanAr purANam in English prose 
2. இளையான்குடி மாற நாயனார் புராணம் (தமிழ் மூலம்) 
3. thiruththoNDar purANam main page
4. 12 shaivite thirumuRais