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thirunavukkarachu-nayanar-VI-oh-lord-coming-to-your-graceful-feet

Thirunavukkarasu Nayanar - part VI (Oh Lord! Coming to your Graceful Feet)

After worshiping the Lord with matted hair at Tiruvaiyaru, Appar travelled to the shrines near that wonderful town. He saluted the Lord at Tiruneythanam, Tirumazhapadi and reached Tirupunthuruthi. Praising Shiva, who was the embodiment of Truth, besmeared with white ash, shining like a pearl and appearing on His white bull, the sage who never forgot to serve the Lord continued his stay in that town worshiping the Three-eyed Wonder. With His grace, he setup a magnificent monastery there to sing about the Lord, who sang the holy Vedas, and to serve that Lord, who enjoys in the Self. He composed many Devarams on the Lord while staying there. While he was in Tirupunthuruthi, the divine child of magnificent actions who established the path of Shaivam in the southern Pandya kingdom, straightening the back of both the king and his justice, Tirugnana Sambandhar arrived. Hearing that the King of words was in Tirupunthuruthi, he rushed there to meet the sage he revered so much that he did not want to call him appa (father) but addressed him as appar with even more respect.

Aanda Arasu - Thirunavukkarsar and Thirugyanasambandhar meeting at Thiruppunthuruththi.

Hearing that the young victorious saint was coming, the old sage, eager to get a glimpse of the prodigy, without anyone noticing, mingled with the huge crowd that was assembled to welcome the young saint. Great men become humbler as their greatness increases. The sage, who was widely adored for his service and devotion, that devotion for which the Lord had granted him the vision of Kailash at Tiruvaiyaru, humbly went and carried the pearl palanquin of Tirugnana Sambandhar. When the palanquin reached Tirupunthuruthi, Sambandhar enquired about the great sage. To that, the modest marvellous sage replied, "Thy servitor got the great boon of carrying thy feet. I am here!" Appalled to see this, Sambandhar hurriedly jumped out from the palanquin to prostrate the great sage and with quivering words asked the revered sage why he did that. The sage saluted him in all love and said he could not find any other way to serve the great Tirugnana Sambandhar. The entire sea of devotees roared to see the two oceans of devotion meet.

Those two beacons of Shaivam went together to worship the Father of the Universe at Tirupunthuruthi. The king of words eagerly heard from the devotees who came along with Sambandhar about the splendid deeds of resurrection of Shaivam in the Pandya kingdom by the prodigy. Hearing about the affection of the queen Mangaiyarkkarasi and the devotion of Kulachiraiyar, he wanted to go on a pilgrimage to that Tamil kingdom. Hearing about the splendid abodes of the Lord in the Thondai kingdom, from the king of words, the child saint went on his way to visit them. Soon, Appar went to the Pandya kingdom, starting with Tiruputhur. He then went to the abode of the Lord Jyeshta (Eldest), the famous Tiru-Alavay (Madurai). With folded hands and single-pointed mind, he enjoyed the honey-like bliss that the Lord offers. At Madurai, he was worshiped by the three wonderful devotees who served to establish Shaivam in Pandya kingdom, the king Ninrachir Nedumara Nayanar, the queen Mangaiyarkkarasi and the prime minister Kulachiraiyar. Appar praised the Lord at Tirupuvanam and went on to salute the Lord, who blessed the famous king of Ayodhya, the avatar of Mahavishnu, Shri Ramachandra, at Rameshwaram. He prostrated at the shrines in Tirunelveli, Tirukanapper and many others along the way.

Thirunavukkarasar - The Sage - Symbol of Renunciation!
Thirunavukkarasar - The Sage - Symbol of Renunciation!!

After worshiping the temples in the Pandya kingdom, Appar returned to the Chozha kingdom, to the town called Pumpukalur. Serving the Supreme there with his heart melting with devotion, he sang many of his famous Tiruthandakam hymns and many other songs. Then, God wanted to show to the entire world the blissful state of the sage. He made gold and gems appear along with the sand and stone on the temple premises. Considering them as valuable as the ordinary stones on the path, while cleaning the premises, Appar threw them along with normal stones using his hand plough into the pond. He was indeed very rich; he had the greatest wealth - Shiva. That sage had overcome the major distractions of desire in the form of wealth and beautiful heavenly damsels, whose beauty was hard to resist even for the bravest. These heavenly damsels used to dance, sing, pour flowers on him and tried all the tricks to veer him. But Tirunavukkarasar, while serving God with a single pointed mind, singing to these damsels, "What do I need from you? I am the servitor of the Lord of Tiruvarur. Don't strain yourselves". Unable to distract the great devotee, inseparable from God, they saluted him and returned. If one has the blessings of the Lord, who burnt Lust, even the unfailing arrows of Cupid will fail.

With that devotion, the king of words stayed in that coveted blissful state enjoying His grace for some time. Then he sat under the perennially blissful feet of the Attributeless, singing "Punniya! Unnadikke podhukinren" (Oh Virtuous! I am at your feet). With flowers raining down from the Heavens and the praise of many sages, on the day of when the moon was with the star of Shatabhisha, in the month of Chitra (Mesha), he attained the Lotus Feet of God. Great is God! Marvellous is the sage! Exemplary was his service! Inspiring are his Devarams! Let the unthinkable devotion, determined and flawless service of Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar stay in the mind.

Guru Pooja : Chithirai / Sathayam or Mesha / Shatabhisha

Har Har Mahadev

See also:  
1. thirunyAna champandhar   
2. maN^gaiyarkkarchiyAr   
3. ninRachIr nedumARa n^AyanAr   
4. kulachchiRaiyAr 

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