Nandanar Discourse - Page 4

Once again Nandanar pleads, "Its a Maha kshetram, Pancha bhootha kshetram, Akasa kshetram, Patanjali vyasar performed pooja there, only once I want to go". The brahmnan asks scornfully, "can you just see like that, will you be able to just like that go and see in the temple". "No I will see on the streets, Nandanar says, as sivaperumAn comes on a chariot, it will be a great sight for me. Only once just to see on the streets, I am asking. On Marghazhi Month, Tiruvadurai day, Ther will come it seems..."

MargaZhi Matha Tiruvadurai Naal....
...Oru dharai poi vaaa..

"Ok, go and come is the reply". Then Nandanar is so happy and says, "I will be ever dedicated to you for saying this". But now the brahmnan puts a condition to plant 40 Veli bhoomi.

Narpathu Veli Bhoomi Nadavu Nattagavillai
parpathum illai seiva palamathu nindrai.....
Cheeriyai Tholaindhu Poda....

Here "Narpathu Veli" (Tamil word VELI means open place or field)


Saying he shuts the door.


Anyone who asks what's the way to Chidambaram, this is the way is not the answer one will be able to say it seems. "Chidambarama!, Are you going to Chidambaram", in just saying that they will faint...he is like that. Nandanar feels so dejected he cannot go back to cheri as his dissapointment is immense. Nandanar cannot go beyond his yajaman's words, he has so much determination and confidence that siva peruman will grant his wishes somehow through his yajaman. But Nandanar could not go to the Cheri. He tries to come, but without going to Chidambaram I cannot have this body, he feels like he would like to burn his body, that's how yogyam Nandanar is. Like Sabari, Sarabhanga, Bhismacharya, he is such a man of yogyatham. He just sits near fields around the Cheri and he faints and falls due to shock of rejection faced from his yajaman. He felt his heart would burst and he fainted. When he falls this, a dream darsanam comes to him...

Kanavil Kandaare
Nandanaar Kanavinil Kandaare
Nee Nadum kalanighal Naa Nada Sonnen....

Siva peruman gives darshanam and calls Nanda, "Dont worry, whatever that 40 veli bhoomiyum that needs to be planted, I have asked my bhoothangal to do the work for you. Just get up now and show the yajaman, he will immediately give permission and you can come with anandam and have my darshanam".

As soon as this was told, Nandanar gets up. He feels that siva peruman has so much compassion for him, how much with love and compassion has siva peruman for him when he said like this and talked to him. Immediately he runs to the place where his yajaman is. A normal person will first check if the 40 veli bhoomi is present before going to his yajaman. But not Nandanar who has so much determined confidence in sivaperumAn. Once sivaperumAn has said I have done it, he thinks it will have been done. So he runs straight to the yajaman and says, "Siva peruman has done it for us and can you give me the permission to go now to Chidambaram". Immediately the yajaman thinks that Nandanar has gone mad. "What Nanda, you are blabbering? You have gone only for 5 minutes and how come 40 veli bhoomi has been planted". As he went near the land and saw that the 40 veli bhoomi was full of radiant harvest (kathir aruvadai) cool and swaying in the wind and he was stunned.

kaLai yedAmal salam vidAmal
kathir oru muzam kANumAm
kaLikkuthu payir irukkuthu athu
kadduk kaddAkath thONu mAm

Everyone was surprised and all the village folk hither and thither assemble to see this great event happening in front of their very eyes, there were all surprised as this was not present yesterday when they passed by here and there is so much kathir aruvadai today. How was Nandanar feeling at this time, that's what's important isn't it. What happened, did he become happy or overcome with the shock or what did he do? What Nandanar did was, he took some of the kathir in his hand and put it on his heart and said, "Ennapan, ponappan" - this has been laid for me - Ennappan!!!

Ennapan allava En Thaayum allava
Ennapan allava En Thaayum allava
Ponappan allava ponnambalatham allava

Like this he cried and left, "My eesan has done this for me what kindness and he cried and left". After seeing this that yajaman brahman cried and fell at the feet of Nandanar. He has had the greatest surprise and he now he asked Nandanar to give him upadesam. He said that he thought Nandanar was a slave but it looks like the bhagavan himself was slave to Nandanar's bhakthi. "Aham Bhaktha Paradeenaha", what all is being done by bhagavan for his bhaktha. Pandurangan stitches the slippers for a bhaktha, for another the bhagavan performs a shave as well like that Aham BhakthapradeenaHa, what will not the bhagavan do?

When the yajaman asks Nandanar to perform upadesam for him, Nandan says, "What, upadesam by me to you. You were everything to me, gave me food, place to stay, dress to wear, you gave all and you are asking me to give you upadesam". Saying thus, he circumambulates his yajaman and performs namaskaram. He did not say, ok did you realize my power now, come fall at my feet was not what Nandanar said. Will a bhakthar say like this?

ayyE mettakkaDinam umakkaDimai ayyE mettakkaDinam
poyyAda ponnambalattaiyA-yirukkumiDam
naiyAda manidarkku uyyAdu kaNDu koLLum
shAttiram nalla kSettiram
sad-pAttiram jnAna nEttiram koNDu (ayyE mettakkaDinam)
muppzhum tANDi
vandu appAlE ninravarkku
ipparvai kiDaiyAdu
tiru naTanam AduvAr tALam
pODUvAr
anbar kUDuvAr ishai pADuvAr (ayyE mettakkaDinam)
kaNDArum kiDaiyAdu viNDArum
shonnadillai ANDANDa kOTiyellAm onrAi
shamaindirukkum allavO paraiyan shollavO angE shellavO nEramAgudallavO (ayyE mettakkaDinam)

Getting the anugraham of the brahmnan, Nandanar comes to Chidambaram. He has come to the borders or the precincts of Chidambaram now. He has to just enter the kshetraM isn’t it? Having had the grace of siva peruman who recently planted the field for him, he could have entered straightaway. But even then he had such humility and his bhakthi was such. As he comes closer, he starts to feel that he is not such a great bhaktar and whether he can come closer, only great bhaktas will be allowed. Not to enter the temple but even just to enter the place.

varugalAMO ayya undan arugil ninru koNDADavum pADavum nAn
(varugalAmO)

Which keerthanam to sing for this charithram and which to leave as there are so many and short of time. There are so many of such keerthanams poured into this charithram, Smt Vishaka Hariji says!!!

When Nandanar asks himself thus, he thinks to himself that he can go afterwards. At every step, siva peruman is leading him. He is still situated now at the precincts of the city. He feels that if siva peruman says that he can come only then he will enter. But then he thinks that during the chariot procession on the streets, Enperuman will come, when will eesan come...VaruVaaro Arul purivaaro....Hara Hara Shankaraa...Ambalavaanan....

eppO varuvaarO
 eppO varuvaarO
eppOvaruvArO-enthan kalithIra-eppOvaruvArO
eppO varuvaarO
eppOvaruvArO-enthan kalithIra-eppOvaruvArO
eppO varuvaarO
 seppiyathillai cithampara thEvan
(eppO)

bAlakirushNan pORRip paNin-thidumIsan
mElE kAthal koNdEn veLippadakkANEn
(eppO)

Asking thus and having had no response from siva peruman, Nandanar is just circumambulating the town, without food or sleep. Normally people will circumambulate the garbha graham, some will circumambulate the temple itself, some will do veedhi pradakshinam like they do in Srirangam. Even in Brindavan, there will be Dwaja Parikrama, they circumambulate the town itself. Like that Nandanar is going round Chidambaram in pradakshinam. Due to his humility he is not appearing in front of anyone and nobody is giving him food or water. Again he fainted. Once again siva peruman comes in a dream, how much blessed is Nandanar to have the grace of siva peruman. Only for a bhakthi of Nandanar's nature will bring this kind of anugraham from sivaperumAn.

Nanda, "don't worry or be afraid! I will ask my bhakthars of Thillai brahmins 3000 of them to come to you. In front of them, fall into Agni and perform Thirumanjanam and then kanakasabha pravesam can be done". Saying thus sivan vanished.

In another place, sivan appeared again, where? In the Thillai 3000 brahmins dream at the same time, same dream! "bhaktars! listen. One of my most loved bhakthar, Thirunalaipovar has come to offer himself to me. In the desire to see me, he is still hesitating to come and see me due to fear and he is near the North Gopuram (Madhilvai) wall. You escort him as you would escort me and let him into Agni and perform kanakasabha pravesam". Ennai pol Ninaithu, Siva peruman pole Ninaithu! bhakthan is not different from bhbagavan as they say often. Nearly 3000 dikshitars performed pooja at Chidambaram in those days. One got up and said I had a dream like this, another said he had the same dream, like this all the 3000 of them joined together and they come in search of Nandanar. SivaperumAn has given even the correct location itself. Correctly as they come there, they see Nandanar standing there with fear and humility. They say to Nandanar, "Natesan has ordered you to come to perform Agni pravesam". Nandanar did not hesitate or flinch one bit at this instruction. The Agni is burning as a Jwala in full force, without even a fraction of hesitation, Nandanar entered into the flames. As they watch

Everyone is now doing Namasankeerthanam now,

HARA HARA SHANKARA
JAYA JAYA SHANKARA
HARA HARA SHANKARA
JAYA JAYA SHANKARA
HARA HARA SHANKARA
      JAYA JAYA SHANKARA .....

They are all wondering whether Nandanar drowned in the flames will come back. Nandanar had no hesitation since it was siva peruman order and jumped into the fire. Suddenly there is a great roopam, with vibhuthi on the forehead and Rudraksha, Nandanar came out of the fire. The brahmins were all astounded and astonished and happy as they were worrying as to what would happen. As we listen to the story, we wonder what would happen next, isn’t it. We shouldnt listen to this as a katha, we should imagine the same, Nandanar has gone into the flames, what would happen next. Seeta entered the flames, what would happen is the feeling we would have when hearing the Rama Katha. The brahmins are seeing live and when they see Nandanar back from the flames unscathed, with vibuthi and rudraksham and a radiance in the face and body, the devas are showering flowers from the heavens, instruments are being played. Seeing and hearing all this the bhajan went into a crescendo...

HARA HARA SHANKARA JAYA JAYA SHANKARA...

All of them are slapping their cheeks and fall at the feet of Nandanar all 3000 of them. This shows that true bhakthi has no bedham towards caste. Why then all this leelai, Agni pravesam leelai, siva peruman could have straightaway told to perform kanakasabhapravesam instead of the Agni pravesam. But it was to perform Agni Pravesam and drown in Agni and then perform kanakasabhapravesam was the instruction.

If we are told something that is suited to our convenience, for example, bhagavan comes in our dream and says, bhaktha! In that area I have stored 1000 gold coins, dig and take it. What we will say, aha! bhagavan has done such a kripa for us, we will keep telling! FIRST WE WILL CHECK, DIG and TAKE IT and THEN SAY TO EVERYONE! Same next day bhagavan comes again and says, bhaktha! Circumambulate my sannidhi daily 108 times! Next day morning, we will say, dream! what dream? its no dream just a day dream. Whatever is anukulam we will take, but if its pratikulam we will leave! But Nandanar, when he was told that narpathu veli land was planted, he treated as siva krupa, perform Agni pravesam then also its siva kripa. Can we be like this?

Sukha Dukha Same Krithva!

Manaabhi Maanam Vittu Thaanaghi Nindru...as told in Ayye Metha Katinam

SUKHA DUKHE SAME KRITHVA LABHA LABHAU JAYA JAYAU can we be like that.

Thats why this Agni Pravesam. As Nandanars main desire is to go and see Natarajar, his heart is throbbing with that desire. With that he runs towards saying, here I come and as he comes in, there is the magnificient great darshanam of Natarajar. Putting his right leg down and lifting the left leg over, Natarajar with his Mandahasam starting to dance the Tandavanam with the charanam and natyam. Where is sivaperumAn performing this dance, according to Sri Anna - Saran Sparshitha premika hridayaga. The dance is on the heart of the devotee on all the hearts of the bhakthars present. With an indication from the eye, Siva peruman is asking Nandanar to come and Nandanar entered inside the garbha graham and then vanished merging with the body of siva peruman. On this great Puratasi masam, Rohini nakshatram, the day on which Nandanar entered the Kanakasabha and attained the siva swaroopya. The World now speaks pof Nandan as Thirnalaipovar and Nandamamunivar. Even today Nandanar Charithram as Harikatha Kalakshepam or is performed as an Isai Natakam (Dance Drama). Concerts sing Nandanar keerthanams, even in temples pooja is performed with Nandanar. This charithram teaches us so many meanings - Bhaktans bhakthi, bhagavans love, How bhakthi has no bedham for caste or creed, why even Muslims do bhakthi leave alone caste or creed - Kabirdas, Rahim, latif, haseena, hamids, sultan so many muslims have attained bhagavan. Bhakthi alone is important, bhagavan is expecting only love. Lastly one important meaning is coming through - Temple arising archA avatAram procedures and mahimai has to be understood. Whenever anything is obtained easily, the value of it will be depreciated. Guruvayurappan, we can go anytime, its only in Kerala isnt it, Tiruvananthapuram Padmanabhar anytime we can go..saying thus people living in Kerala itself would never have gone for darshan. Somewhere someone from other states, foreign countries and places people will come and have darshan of Guruvayurappan. Thinking we are close and close we will miss it. This charithram shows that we should not be like that. All his life can I not go to Chidambaram was what this mahan felt and such a Mahanubhavar charithram, its a great thing to even hear this charithram and more punyam for telling this charithram. You can hear the original audio of this charithram at Google Drive which has a folder Nandanar Charithram containing 4 audio files

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4_29nxYwPquSkNMV0R6ZW45TGc&usp=drive_web

HARA HARA SHANKARA JAYA JAYA SHANKARA!

RADHE KRISHNA!