(kOtchengkat-ch-chOzha nAyanAr purANam - Periyapuranam as English poetry)

 
 
        "I am a servitor of Chengkanaar who ruled 
        As a Paandya king also." 
                         
                        - The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai. 
 
1.     In the Chola country of the Cholas who came in the line 
    Of Emperor Cibi, who to save a dove, chopped off and placed 
    In the pan of the scale his flesh equalling its weight, 
    Near Chandra Theertha situate on the bank 
    Of the beautiful Cauvery whose waters 
    Shore up by their waves pearls, eagle-wood, 
    Sandal-wood and gems, is a cool and stately forest, 
    Rich in cool gardens thick with good many a tree 
    Flourishing well for ever.                    (4197) 
 
2.     When in that flowery forest under a white naaval tree  
    The Lord of the flower-soft feet whose form is Truth 
    And who was, of yore, searched by Vishnu, manifested Himself, 
    A white tusker of exceeding tapas ritualistically bathed 
    Him with the beauteous water carried in its trunk, 
    Adorned Him with bunches of fragrant flowers and adored Him; 
    Thus it performed daily pooja to the Lord 
    Whose throat is dark like the blue lily.            (4198) 
 
3.     So the place came to be called “Tiruvaanaikka”. 
    A spider endowed with wisdom, to averruncate the fall 
    Of the dry leaves of the forest and the sun’s rays 
    On the crown of the Lord like unto ruddy gold, 
    Wove a dense and extensive and goodly canopy 
    With its salivary threads over the Lord’s head.            (4199) 
 
4.     The tusker that went forth to adore the Lord’s feet, 
    Beholding the extensive web beautifully wrought 
    By the spider, deemed it as pollution and destroyed it; 
    The spider but thought that the tusker’s trunk made 
    A (fortuitous) swish which destroyed the web; 
    So it wove it again; on the succeeding day to 
    The puissant elephant destroyed it.                (4200) 
 

                                                  
 
 
5.     “Should this elephant do away with my web of threads 
    Which I have wrought with pain, as a canopy 
    To prevent the fall of dry leaves on the person of the Lord?” 
    Thus thinking in great ire and sorrow, the spider moved 
    Into the hole of the tusker’s trunk and stung it; 
    Unable to bear the immense pain, the mammoth 
    Struck the earth with its trunk (repeatedly), 
    Fell down undone and died.                    (4201) 
 
6.     As the tusker smote the earth with its trunk 
    The spider that had entered into it also died; 
    The Lord who is the import of the Vedas duly rewarded 
    The musty elephant with a fitting boon; He graced 
    The spider to get born as a Chola par excellence 
    And guard the world with his reign benign.            (4202) 
 
7.     The King Subhadeva of the hoary Chola race with his 
    Queen-consort came to Tillai of aeviternal glory 
    And there regularly adored beneath the flight 
    Of the Panchaakshara steps (with) his crown touching 
    The ground, the flower feet of the Lord-Dancer of Ambalam.    (4203) 
 
8.     The childless queen fervently prayed to the Lord 
    And He whose long matted hair is like unto the hue 
    Of the crepuscular sky, heard her prayer and graced her; 
    So the spider that had wrought great service to the Lord 
    Came to be conceived as a beauteous child 
    By the queen Kamalavati, dear to the Chola king.        (4204) 
 
9.     The days of pregnancy for Kamalavati whose shoulders 
    Were like unto bamboo, ran their course and the hour 
    Of delivering a desirable babe drew near; then spake 
    The astrologers, the knowers of threefold Time, thus:  
    “If the tender babe gets born a naazhikai hence, he would 
    In time, grow to rule and foster all the three wide worlds.”    (4205) 
 
10.     Thereupon the brightly-bejewelled queen said: “Tie up 
    My feet and keep them lifted aloft that I may deliver 
    My child, not now, but a naazhikai later.” Thus it was  
    Done, and when the time foretold by the astrologers 
    Came they untied her feet; the immortal queen then delivered 
    The are gem of a child; taking him in her hands 
    She fondled him thus: “En Ko-ch-Chengkannanno?” 
    (“Is my prince a red-eyed king?”)                (4206) 
 
11.     Soon after the delivery, the queen passed away; 
    Subhadeva, the righteous Chola ruler brought up his son, 
    Dear to him as his very life; (in due time) he crowned him 
    As the king, and invested him with the rights of a monarch; 
    Then in all love he pursued the flawless path of great tapas 
    And ultimately reached Siva-loka.                (4207) 
 
12.     Ko-ch-Chengkat-Chola, the wearer of a garland 
    And the wielder of a spear, was, by the grace 
    Of the Primordial Lord, endowed with a consciousness 
    Of his former birth; he ruled over the earth 
    Poised in that awareness; he took upon himself 
    With all love, the duty of raising many spacious temples 
    Where the Lord of the Hosts would willingly abide.        (4208) 
 
13.     As he was aware of the grace with which he was endowed 
    At Aanaikkaa in the past, he began to build there 
    A temple for the Lord whose divine hand sports 
    And antelope, and who would abide there in joy; 
    So with the Vennaaval tree ever-associated with Gnosis 
    He built a temple of ever-during goodliness, 
    For the Lord, the hue of whose neck is like 
    Unto a blue lily to get enshrined there.            (4209) 
 
14.     Chengkanaar endowed with pre-eminence-- the ancestor 
    Of Anapaayan of great munificence--, commanded his ministers 
    To build in the Chola country of eternal glory, 
    In all vast and great towns, beauteous temples where 
    Would be enshrined in joy Lord Chandrasekara.            (4210) 
 
15.     In each temple, for providing nectarean food and other 
    Services to Lord Siva, he made, in all love, 
    Exceedingly great and rich endowments; his unique sceptre 
    Held sway in all the directions; then the king 
    Of vast chariotry, thinking of Tillai par excellence 
    Where dances the Lord of triple eyes, came thither.        (4211) 
 
16.     He hailed the feet of the Lord who dances in the Ambalam 
    Wrought of ruddy gold and abounding in excelling grace, 
    Melted in love and devotion, adored and extolled 
    The Lord feeling delighted in his mind, and abode there. 
    It was then he built many a mansion 
    For the Tillai-Brahmins who were poised in truth.        (4212) 
 
17.     By reason of his servitorship to the God of gods 
    The Chola king Ko-ch-Chengkanaar solely reigned 
    Over the earth with none to contest his kingly rights; 
    He performed in this world many a service as commanded 
    By Siva; eventually, he-- hailed by the celestials, reached 
    The umbrage cast by the feet of the Lord of divine Tillai.    (4213) 
 
18.     Adoring the flower-feet of the Chola Chengkanaar 
    Who came to be born only to reach the umbrage 
    Of the ankleted feet of the Lord whose neck is of the hue 
    Of the blue lily, I now proceed to articulate the glory 
    Of Tiruneelakantappaanar, the master of dulcet 
    And harmonious yaazh, hailed by the whole world.        (4214) 
 
---------------- 
 
NOTES 
 
Verse No. 
 
    See Introduction. 
 
  14.    This Naayanaar was a great builder of temple. 
 
  15.    The maintaining of temples is more important than even building them.  So our  
    Naayanaar brought into existence endowments for the upkeep of the temples. 
 
  16.    This Naayanaar took care to build houses for the Tillai-Brahmins who are dear  
    to Siva. 
 
 
            Here ends the Puranam of Ko-ch-Chengat Chozha 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. kOchcheNkatchOza nAyanAr purANam in English prose 
2. கோச்செங்கட் சோழ நாயனார் புராணம் (தமிழ் மூலம்) 
3. thiruththoNDar purANam main page
4. 12 shaivite thirumuRais