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A brief biography :
In the seventh century some Jain and Buddhist missionaries had settled in
the Tamil country to spread their religions. In sacred Sirkali lived a pious
Brahmin by name Sivapada Hridayar with his virtuous wife Bhagavathiar. Both
of them were ardent devotees of Lord Siva. Sivapada Hridayar prayed to the
Lord for the boon of a worthy son. The Lord granted this boon and soon was
brought into this world a radiant male child. They brought up this child
with great love and devotion, knowing fully well that it was a purposeful
gift from the Lord. The child, too, would weep for his separation from his
divine parents Lord Siva and Parvathy, though ordinary people mistook it for
a baby’s crying habit.
One day Sivapada Hridayar and his wife took the child with them to the
temple tank in which they wanted to bathe. The child had insisted on being
taken with them. They left the child on the bank and went in to bathe. The
child looked at the tower of the temple and began to cry for his parents.
This outwardly appears to be a mere childish action but the Lord, who knew
its inner meaning, wanted to bless the child. So, He appeared with Mother
Parvathy and asked Her to feed the child with the Milk of divine Wisdom. To
obtain His grace and divine knowledge, the grace of the Mother is necessary
and Parvathy fondled with the child and suckled him with the Milk of Wisdom.
From that moment he was known as Aludaiya Pillayar or one who enjoys the
protection of the Lord: and also as Tiru Jnana Sambandar as he attained
divine wisdom through the grace of Lord Siva and Parvathy. From the moment
he drank the Milk of Wisdom, he began to sing soul-stirring songs in praise
of Lord Siva. The collection of these songs is called Thevaram.
The next day Pillayar went to Tirukkolakka and sang a song, clapping his
hands to keep time. Lord Siva, pleased with this, presented him with a pair
of golden cymbals. Sambandar began to sing, with the help of the golden
cymbals. Sambandar then went on pilgrimages. During the course of them, many
miraculous events took place. Sambandar demonstrated to possess the nature
of those truly great saints who adore even devotees of the Lord as the Lord
Himself and sing their glories, not regarding that as worship or adoration
of a human being, but of manifest divinity. Sambandar and Appar was together
in diverse places, realizing sincere service to the Lord for the benefit of
devouts.
The news on the existence of one young Brahmin alleged to have been blessed
with Divine Knowledge by Lord Siva directly provoqued anxiety among Jains,
whose king gave them permission to burn Sambandar’s camp. The Jains failed
to set fire to Sambandar’s camp. So, they set fire to the camp in which the
devotees were lodged. They got up, ran to Sambandar and told him what had
happened. He sang a Padigam expressing the wish that the fire for which the
king was responsible should proceed towards him. As soon as Sambandar sang
the Padigam, the fire in the camp died out and proceeded towards the king,
in the form of a dreadful disease. The king experienced burning sensation
all over the body. All the endeavours of the doctors and the Jain priests to
alleviate the king’s suffering proved futile. The queen and the ministers
understood the real cause of the king’s ailment and requested him to call
Sambandar immediately so that his grace might relieve him of the distress.
Sambandar sang a Padigam in praise of the sacred Ash (Bhasma) and with his
own hand smeared the Ash on the right side of the king’s body. At once the
burning sensation stopped and the king experienced a cooling sensation.
Sambandar applied the holy Ash on the left side also and the disease
vanished completely. The queen and the minister fell at Sambandar’s feet.
The king followed suit and praised him. Equally the Buddhist had oportunity
to appreciate the spiritual greatness of Sambandar.
In Mylapore there lived a merchant by name Sivanesar. He was a staunch Siva
Bhakta. He had all wealth but had no children. In answer to his sincere
prayer, Lord Siva blessed him with a female child. They named her Poompavai.
She was very beautiful. Sivanesar heard of Sambandar’s greatness and felt
that he was the only suitable match for his daughter. Mentally, he had
offered her to Sambandar. One day when Poompavai was gathering flowers in
the garden, she was bitten by a poisonous snake and she died. Sivanesar at
once cremated the body of the girl, collected the ashes and preserved them
in a pot. Daily he would decorate the pot with flowers, etc., and sit near
it meditating on Sambandar. The news that Sambandar was staying at
Tiruvotriyur reached the merchant; at once he decided going to the encounter
of Sambandar. He had heard about Sivanesar and his worship of the pot which
contained the ashes of his daughter, and he wanted to please Sivanesar by
bringing the girl back to life. Having worshipped the Lord and sang hymns,
Sambandar asked Sivanesar to bring the pot of ashes. Sambandar addressed the
pot and sang a Padigam. While he was doing it, Poompavai got her form and
got her life becoming a twelve year old girl. When Sambandar finished the
tenth stanza, she came out of the pot, even as Lakshmi came out of the
Lotus. All were amazed at this miracle. According to the wishes of Sambandar,
Sivanesar built an Ashram for his daughter where she spent her days in
worship of the Lord and attained Him.
After visting a number of shrines, Sambandar returned to Sirkali. He had
reached his sixteenth year. Moved by the wish for getting him married, his
father selected the adecuated woman and welcomed the alliance. The wedding
was to take place at Nallur Perumanam. Sambandar went to the temple,
worshipped the Lord and got His blessings. In a pearl palanquin he came to
the place where the wedding was to take place. Sambandar held his wife’s
hand and, accompanied by many devotees, the couple went into the temple and
worshipped the Lord, with total self-surrender. Sambandar sang a Padigam
praying for Liberation. The Lord granted his wish and said: ‘Oh Sambandar,
you, your wife, and all those who witnessed your marriage will merge in the
Siva Jyoti and come to Me.’ At once, an effulgent Light emerged from the
Lord. Before merging in that Light, Sambandar sang a Padigam known as the
Panchakshara Padigam. Then all those who were there merged in the Light of
Siva.
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