Nandanar Discourse - Page 2

Saying thus Nandanar calls out to his friends. Please listen, "kan padacha payane...antha eshanai poi parkalam" (having eyes, lets go see the God who gave you that). But will they listen so easily, no one will. Whatever you say first there will be doubts and questions. There will be just 4-5 bhakthars and 400 non bhakthars will be there. Suddenly the entire cheri starts asking, "What are you saying nandanar? Should we all come to Tiruppungur Kshetram with you? If we come with you will they all let us inside to see?" All these conversations along with ragam, Gopalakrishna Bhagavathar has given in the form of music in Nandanar Charithram. Nandanar says that this a Ther Thirunal and everyone can see during Ther (chariot).

"The chariot will come on a procession. It will be a great sight for us to see", says Nandanar. They all reply, "ok Nandanar, you always say, Eesan (sivaperumAn) is everywhere, Sarvam Brahma Mayam, everywhere there is Siva Mayam. Why then should we go and go specially to Tiruppungur to see sivaperumAn. Why can’t we see him here itself". Talk can come in any manner, out of shrewdness and cunningness. Sri Anna would often say, for all the shrewd and cunning questions, only Mahan’s will be able to give an apt answer. So Nandanar replies, "Eesan is everywhere I agree, but do we have the qualifications or the goodness to be able to see him everywhere". As we know Prahlada could see sivaperumAn in a pillar. What do we see when we see a pillar, do we see Bhagavan. Even when we go to the temple and stand before sivaperumAn, some with eyes closed, the mind is not with the God, it’s still thinking of the home. Then once at home and thinking of bhagavan and performing pooja or dhyanam, do we have the yogyatham to be able to see bhagavan? When Nandanar asked like this, eleven of them changed in their attitude. Gopalakrishna Bharathiar gives it with list itself... Vella, Mari, Mamundi, Paacha... Now 11 of them changed and accompanied Nandanar to Tiruppungur. They come down happily making their way into Tiruppungur with high hopes and expectations. As they enter the Kshetram, they start to feel something stirring within them, in their desire to see siva peruman.

Thalam Vandhu
Veedhi Valam Vandhu
Kangal Jalam Vandhu
Sorumm....

Palan Vandhu Engal Kulam Sudhamachu
Manam Vendhu Pochu....
Nalam Kandom Endru Nilam Kondu Nindraii....

The Ethiprasam as it is told is very beautiful...Thalam Vandhu Veedhi Valam Vandhu, Kangal Jalam Vandhu.... Gopalakrishna Bharathiar just pours the Ethiprasam which gets us into a state of anandam and the music is so loved by us. Nandanar is now coming near the temple doing pradakshinam and with the expectation all the elevem of them come to see siva peruman with the desire looking from under the chariot. But now as soon as they lift their head expecting to see the great form of siva peruman, alas!, what they see is only pure darkness and there is no siva peruman visible at all. Instead there is a huge Nandikeshwarar statue right there in that place and that’s the darkness they see as they stand in front of the huge Nandikeshwarar. Nandikeshwarar is blocking their view and feeling very sad about this, poor Nandanar eyes filled with tears and was shivering with disappointment and sadness. But the other 11 were not like that instead of feeling the sadness what they felt was pure anger, they start shouting at Nandanar. "You said there will be a sight for the eyes and the darshan of siva peruman, did we come all this way only for this. There is no siva peruman here. As soon as we go back, all the others will laugh at us and start mocking". Nandanar doesn’t know what to do now. To say that Nandikeshwarar is blocking, a bhaktha can’t say, can he tell? He cannot get his heart to say so. He was a true bhakthar and he did not feel like scolding Nandikeshwarar, instead he sings with devotion, the famous song...

SIVALOKANATHAN THIRU SANNIDHANAM
MALAYAAGIYA NANDI....MARAYTHIDUDH INGHE
PALA KAALAM SEYTHA PAZH VINAY
KUVINTHU KUVINTHU
PAZHVINAY KUVINDHU KUVINTHU KUVINTHU
MALAYAAGI IPPADI MARAYTHATHO
PALA KALA SEYTHA PAZH VINAY –

"My Papam (wrongs), filled with loads and loads and loads...which is like a mountain, this Papam is not now allowing me to have the darshan of Siva Peruman and this is obstructing me"......says Nandanar

VARI MARAYTHIRUKUTHE
MALAI POLE
ORU MALA PADI IRUKKUTHE
PAVIL PULAIYAN...
PAVAM THIRENO PADATHATHIL SERENO....YENO...
SIVALOKA NATHA VARI MARAYTHIRUKUTHE MALAI POLE......

Thus crying, Nandanar says, "Eesa! everyone will tell me to move always. Move away, don’t touch, but now I request you to tell your cow to move just a bit. Just 1 foot, 1 foot alone would be sufficient, am I coming to your sannidhanam and asking that I need to stand in front and worship you. Can I at least from afar be just able to see you, Have I not done even that bhagyam (benefits earned through karma)"?

Kanakadasar story is like the same. Kanakadasar is also not a brahmin. When Kanakadasar is seeing Udipi Sri Krishna from afar and worshipping, people are telling him to move away and were threatening to throw him out from that place. Kanakadasar was crying. On the back wall of the temple, kanakadasar hits his head on the wall with despair and says, "Kanna! Can I not see you, am I such a papi, don’t I have the bhagyam to see you even from afar. Am I such a papi?". As he hits on the wall saying this, Udipi Sri Krishna being a kripalo, would he just allow his bhaktha to hit himself like that. Udipi Sri Krishna would have in his hand a “Matthu”, Sri Krishna now turned nicely around and with that “Matthu” he made a hole in the wall exactly on the spot where kanakadasar had hit his head upon. Upon hearing this sound, Kanakadasar seeing the hole in the wall, behold a wonderful sight of Udipi Sri Krishna smiling upon him in all his supreme glory, waiting for Kanakadasar to see. From then on, until now, we all devotees are seeing Udipi Sri Krishna only through the same hole through which kanakadasar saw and that’s the only way we can see even now. As Sri Sri Anna would say, the way in which kanakadasar worshipped Udipi Sri Krishna was not a bhitthi (meaning Wall) dwaram, it was bhakthi dwaram.

Nandanar crying thus says, "Can I not worship you, cannot your cow just move a slight bit". Siva peruman moved by the devotion of Nandanar now looking at Nandikeshwarar says with the affection as one has towards a child calls out,

SATRU VILAGHI IRUM PILLAI
SATRU VILAGHI IRUM PILLAI
SANNIDHANAM MARAITHIDATHE
SATRU VILAGHI IRUM PILLAI
NATRAVAM PURIYUM NAMIDAI
THIRUNALAIPOVAR...VANDIRUKIRAR....SATRU VILAGHI