Maheshwar Bhakthas - 63 Nayanmargal

**Raghu** · 2nd September 2005, 08:57 PM

Dear all,

Shall we all discuss about the 63 Nayanmargal, and their devotion towords Parameshwar. It would be great if intellectuals like Sudhama Sir, Balaji anNe, Viggop anNe badri anNe discuss about the great Nayanmarghal, like Apar, Suntharar, Thirunavakuarasar, Thiru gnana sambhanthar, .. to all 64 of these Saiva Bhaktha's.

It would be great if discuss each of these swamighal in a structured way, one at a time, so I kindly request some one to start with Thiru gnanan sambhanthar, please.

Om NamaShivaya

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**viggop** · 2nd September 2005, 10:00 PM

THirugnanaSampandhar was born in Sirkhazhi(then known as brahmapuri).
His father had left the baby near a tank and had gone to do pujas.Then, the baby cried for milk.Parvathi devi herself breastfed the baby(gave gnana pal). when father returned, he saw milk on the baby's lips and asked him whi gave the milk.gnanasampandhar pointed to Shiva and parvathi but the father could not see them.Gnana sampandhar sang the song "Tholudaya Seviyan" to describe what he is seeing.It is the first song in Thirumarai.

He was a friend of appar and he participated in many debates against the jain monks and defeated them.Hence , people came back to Hindu religion.He passed away when he was 16 years old during his marriage ceremony. The mandapam caught fire and it is said the entire people attending the marruage got moksham.

within the short span of 16 years he is supposed to have composed a lot of songs.A musical prodigy and a good scholar in debate.many miracles are attributed to him.

**viggop** · 2nd September 2005, 10:03 PM

Raghu
Can you please remove this poll you have started? i feel it is not right.Thanks

**S.Balaji** · 3rd September 2005, 01:12 PM

Dear Raghu,

Another feather to your Cap… Great …. Looking forward to very informative postings from learned Dfers…

**S.Balaji** · 3rd September 2005, 01:17 PM

Dear Raghu,

Great thread…. One suggestion…. As there were 63 great characters…. I WISH WE TAKE UP PERSON BY PERSON AND FOLLOW THAT SEQUENCE….

Also, Viggop is right. we should not do any polling….

**S.Balaji** · 3rd September 2005, 01:20 PM

Raghu,

It must be 63 ….. not 64…………….

**S.Balaji** · 3rd September 2005, 01:32 PM

Must have lived during the early years of the seventh century AD That Sambandar is a contemporary of Appar and Siruttondar, otherwise known as Parañjotiyar, is evident from the legend in the Periyapuranam. We know Paranjötiyar was the Commander-in-chief of the Pallava King Narasimha Varnian I who distinguished himself against the Chãlukyas. According to inscriptional evidence, Narasimhavarman I succeeded Mãhêndravarman I in A.D. 630 and continued his rule to A.D. 660. Thus the age of Sambandar must be looked for sometime in the middle of the seventh century A.D.

The town of Siyãli in Tanjore District is recorded by tradition as a Noah's Ark. When the whole world was submerged under a great deluge, this was the only spot which was not affected by the waters of the flood. Hence its well-known name Tonipuram (literally Boat city). Besides, other names are given to the same city. In this ancient town of Sivãli was born Tirugna-sambandar. He was a Brahmin by caste. When he was three years old, his father took him to the temple tank, placed him on the bank and went for a bath. Perhaps feeling lonely the child cried ‘mama’, ‘ papa’, when Lord Siva and His Consort appeared before him and consoled him, Pärvati giving him milk of wisdom. When his parent saw him thus drinking milk out of a golden bowl and questioned the child as to who gave it to him, the boy pointed to the distant temple, and sang in praise of the Lord.

Thenceforward he became a great and devout bhakta. It was the desire of the youngster to visit places sacred to the Lord Siva. His father yielded to his wishes and took him from one place to the other always carrying him on his shoulder. As befits a dvija, his upanayanam ceremony was performed. He then visited many a place of pilgrimage and established his reputation by miracles. In the course of his religious tour, he met Appar at Tiruvilimilalai near Mãyavaram and helped to relieve the famine stricken people there. Both Swãmijis then proceeded to Vedãranyam where an invitation came to them from the Pãndyan Queen and Minister to visit their capital Madura, especially as the king was under the influence of the Samanas. Leaving Appar at Vëdãranyam, Sambandar repaired to Madura. With the connivance of the King, the Samanas set fire to the residence of Sambandar with no effect. When this was brought to the notice of the Swãmiji, he cursed the Pãndyan King to be attacked with burning fever. The Samanas tried all their resources to effect a cure, but with no success. At last the king prayed to Sambandar to relieve him of his fell disease, which he immediately did. Then an assembly by both Saivas and Samnas was convened to establish the superiority of either sect. After a number of tests in which the Samanas had an inglorious defeat, Saivism was accepted as the true religion by the king.

After this, Sambandar set out on pilgrimage and visited many places preaching and singing and working miracles until he came back to his native home. There he responded to the wishes of his father and consented to get himself married in the old Vedic style. But at the very early age of sixteen the revered Swãmiji became one with the Holy of Holies. This ãcãrya is generally taken to have flourished in the first half of the seventh century. To the same period belongs Appar Swamigal who was a contemporary of Sambandar. While the latter’s collection of hymns forms the first three Holy books (Tirumurai), Appar’s are the next three Holy books of the Thevaram.

Sambandar praises the little town of Tönipuram by twelve different names. For every name he sings one stanza, each one of these stanzas consisting of the same lines repeated four times. The ordinary reader who sees only the surface is apt to think that this repetition is but for the sake of greater emphasis and nothing more. But it should be understood that the whole thing is pitched in a high key and the repetition has a mystic force and hidden meaning and produces a wonderfully powerful effect.

The four lines of each stanza which admit of different interpretations would not produce the intended effect, namely, to bring out the full force and significance, if rendered in any other medium than the ancient Tamil language, and hence would not be of much interest to the common reader. Under these circumstances we refrain from any elaborate exposition of these stanzas. But it may be noted here that the language is mystic or as stated at the outset, mysticism here is of the formal kind.

**viggop** · 3rd September 2005, 01:35 PM

Balaji
Seikizhar's sivapuranam mentioned 63.But, it did not mention Manicavasagar name at all.SO, some scholars argue that manicavasagar was born after 10th century etc. while some scholars put his date at 7th century AD.

Gnanasampandhar went to a lot of places and composed padhikams.He even composed songs on Lord Shiva's temple at thiriconamalai(anglicised as Trincomalee) in Sri Lanka standing in Rameshwaram.
So, it means there were Tamils in Sri Lanka atleast by 6th century AD and they had knowledge to build temples of Lord Shiva. So, Tamil people might have moved to Sri Lanka long before 6th century AD.

**viggop** · 3rd September 2005, 01:41 PM

Pandya queen was Mangayarkarasi.She was also a devout shiva bhaktha and is also considered as a nayanmar.I dont think it was sampandhar who will curse the king to become sick.
It was sampandhar who called "Thirunavukarasar" by the name "appar"(a father).That is because sampandhar was a kid and appar was quite old enough to be his father.

Gnanasampandhar will come to present day chennai(mayilapur etc.). he is said to have broght back a dead girl to life in mayilapur