Saint Arunagirinathar

 

This has come down to us through generations by way of hearsay. This is mostly based on the earliest written poetic work on the life of Arunagirinathar entitled, "Arunagirinathar Swamigal Puranam" by a saintly Swami — Thandapani Swamigal — who also goes by the names of Murugadasa Swamigal and Thiruppugal Swamigal (1839-1898). He composed the puranam about Arunagirinathar about the year 1865. It is as follows:

Arunagiri was born in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, and is believed to have lived in the middle of the fifteenth century A.D. He was the son of a Daasi (a dancing girl) named Muthu and had an elder sister by name Adhi. It is also said that Arunagiri was born to Muthu from the famous mystic saint of Tamil Nadu, Pattinathar, in an unusual manner.

When the boy attained the age of five, he was put to school. At his seventh year of age, his mother passed away. She loved the boy so much that while she was in the death-bed, she entrusted Arunagiri to the care of her daughter (i.e., the elder sister of Arunagiri) with specific instructions not to do anything that would displease him. Arunagiri's sister understood the anxious mental condition of her mother and gave her a word of promise that she would leave nothing undone to please Arunagiri and keep him happy.

As Arunagiri grew in age, he found the company of women more pleasing than his studies, which he virtually neglected and sought the pleasures of enchanting courtesans. Slowly, he became a confirmed debauch.

His sister, who came to know of this conduct of Arunagiri, tried her best to extricate him from the traps of public women. But nothing could prevent Arunagiri from his infatuated love for women. He must have his ways at any cost.

The poor sister could not do anything drastic, lest she should be harsh to Arunagiri or displease him, which would mean breaking her promise to her mother. Thus, did Arunagiri indulge in sex heedlessly and depleted all the wealth hoarded by his mother.

Slowly, he began to snatch away, one by one, the ornaments of his sister, sometimes with her knowledge and sometimes otherwise. The helpless lady could do nothing except pray to the Lord to save Arunagiri.

In the meantime, Arunagiri contracted many diseases and suffered much. Yet he would not learn a lesson. He squandered all his sister's wherewithal and left her a complete pauper. But he would yet demand money from her to satisfy his sexual appetite and if she pleaded helplessness, he would threaten her of sinking before her very eyes.

In spite of her being reduced to this most pitiable condition, she could not imagine displeasing Arunagiri. But, now she was utterly helpless. She grew desparate and said, "Brother! I had been helping you with all that I had. But now I find no means to help you. Yet I cannot think of displeasing you. Brother, tell me what can I do? Well, only one means is left now. Though we are born of the same mother, our fathers are dfferent. Hence, the pleasure that you seek from a woman, you can find with me!"

She would have continued, but her throat choked; she became silent.

Lo! These words entered Arunagiri's heart like sharp arrows and shook his very being so fundamentally that he repented with a contrite heart for all his past misdeeds and wept bitterly. And in a moment he decided to put an end to his life as an expiation for all the sins committed by him.

Before his sister could understand as to what was happening to Arunagiri, he ran posthaste, climbed the tower of the Arunachala Temple, repented with an honest feeling, cried aloud the Name of the Lord, "Muruga! Muruga! Muruga!" and jumped down, to put an end to his miserable existence and thereby be freed from his sins.

Who can understand the ways of the Lord! Ere Arunagiri fell towards the ground, when there stood the Lord with His outstretched hands and held Arunagiri in His warm embrace. Yet, Arunagiri knew not anything.

 

With His Vel, the Lord wrote His sacred Mantra on Arunagiri's tongue, gave him a Japa Mala, named him "Arunagiri-naathar," and commanded him to sing His glories. Arunagirinathar hesitated. The Lord Himself then gave the first line as:

From Thiruppugal #6:

Transliteration:

muthai-tharu pathi thiru-Nagai
athi-kiRai sathich-saravaNa
muthi-koru vithu-guru-bara ...... enavOthum

Meaning:

Deivayanai's Lord! O Saravanabhava, Sakthi-Vel holding! O Guru Supreme! O Seed (Source) for Moksha gaining! — Thus, sing.

Lord then disappeared. Arunagirinathar stood there totally transformed. He adopted the life of a renunciate. The erstwhile sinner shone now as a saint. His body was cured of all its diseases; his mind was purged of all impurities; his heart was brimming with devotion and he was in a highly ecstatic mood.

Arunagirinathar then emerged as the enlightened saint endowed with the grace of knowledge (Arul Jnana Inbam Athu Tharuvaye ….). Arunagirinathar thus became the privileged three who directly received saintly advice from Muruga; the other two were Lord Siva and sage Agastya. As Arunagiri did not know how to go about, the Lord commanded him to come to Vayalur. Arunagirinathar then proceeded to the temple at Vayalur and stood praying before the deity of Muruga. It is believed that the Lord has come to his vision again and set out the task before him. “Sing about me, about my Vel (lance), about my peacock (Mayil) about Seval (rooster) about Vayalur and about my various other abodes”. It is indeed a rare honour to be able to sing Thy glory”, Arunagiri said and prostrated before Vayalur Muruga in total surrender. After worshipping the shrine of Poyya Ganapathy nearby, he rendered his second song “Pakkaravi Sitramani”.

Having received the blessings of Muruga and Ganapati, Arunagirinathar has set out his divine journey. Having got a new direction, he started visiting different temples. He visited the six sacred abodes of Muruga (Aaru padai Veedu), many other holy shrines in South India, the distant Kasi in North and beyond the border at Sri Lanka in Kadirkamam. In one of his songs he said: “Oh God, give me the avocation of singing your glory (Paadum Paniye Paniyai Arulvai). Wherever he went, Lord of Vayalur was always at his heart and Arunagiri made pointed reference to Vayalooran in most of his songs. Arunagirinathar visited over 300 temples of Siva, Muruga, Vishnu and other deities.

At every temple he visited, he composed songs highlighting the importance of the shrine there. While referring the history of a temple, we often find special mention being made about Arunagiri’s visit there, as if his mere visit has brought sanctity and sacredness to the temple. After extensive visit of temples Arunagirinathar returned to Tiruvannamalai and continued his spiritual mission. Prabhuda Devaraja, the reigning king of Tiruvannamalai, honoured him with the title “Poet of the Royal Court” (Asthana Vidwan).

The influence of Thiru Jnana Sambhandar, a great Saivite saint, is overwhelmingly present in Arunagirinatha Swamigal’s works. Arunagirinathar followed the Chandam method, which Jnana Sambhandar first used in his songs. Arunagirinathar also followed the footsteps of Jnana Sambhandar and undertaken pilgrimage to different temples. Like Jnana Sambhandar Arunagirinatha Swamigal also stressed the value of knowledge. Just as Sambhandar composed a composite work as essence of all the songs he composed and presented to his father, Arunagirinathar also composed a song “Thiru Ezhu koottirukkai” (Or Uru Vakiya) that contained the essence of all his songs. There is a belief that Lord Muruga Himself has manifested as Sambhandar to sing the glory of his father, Siva. Since Arunagirinathar also held such a belief, he has addressed Muruga as one who appeared in Pugaliyur, the birth place of Jnana Sambandar. There is also a belief that Arunagirinathar was the manifestation of Lord Siva who rendered songs in praise of his son, Muruga to return the compliments Muruga has given as Sambhandar.

Arunagirinathar is believed to have composed over 16,000 songs from different temples in India. He said he would never forget the blessings bestowed on him by Muruga. (Seippathiyum Vaithuyar Thiruppugazh Viruppamodu Seppana Enakkarulgai Maravene….Pakkaraivi Chitramani ….Vayalur song). In another song, Arunagirinathar says: “Oh Lord, how gracious you are! You have blessed me the talent and skill to compose Thiruppugazh that excels in poetic grandeur that resonates in Chandam style and radiates the light of knowledge. What a grace that you made me a messenger to highlight the glory of Thiruppugazh to all corners of the world. I would never forget this kind gesture on your part.” (“Sithra Kavithva Satham Mikuntha Thiruppugazhai Sirithu Adiyenum Seppena Vaithu Ulakir Parava Therisitha Anugraham Maravene”) (Bhakta Gana Priya…Thiruchengodu song).

It was the time when people grouped themselves under the label, Saivisim and Vaishnivism. Arunagiri, as the enlightened disciple of Muruga, the eternal Guru, shattered these concepts and brought about a sense of unity among devotees. He related Muruga to Perumal (Lord Vishnu) by describing him as Malon Marugane (son in law of Thirumal). In his song, Sivanar Manam Kulira, He described the various acts of frolics done by Krishna (stealing the butter from the neighboring houses). References to Ramayana can be found in many songs of Thiruppugazh (Udukka Thukil Vendum). While describing the events of Yudha Kandam, Arunairinathar states that the entire events took place somewhere around Kadir Kamam, the abode of Muruga.

In his song, ‘Niramaya’ , the poet says that Lord Rama has manifested in human form to destroy the evil forces represented by Ravana. In another song, Arunagirinathar says that lord Surya, Lord Indira and other Devas joined the forces led by Sri Ramachandra in his crusade against evil forces. There are Ramayana written by various saint-poets known as Valmiki Ramayana, Kamba Ramayana, Tulsidas Ramayana, etc. Glimpses of Ramayana are so widespread in Thiruppugazh that there is a scope for compiling an exclusive work titled as ‘Arunagiri Ramayana’ as well.

The word ‘Thiruppugazh’ means glory to God. When all devotional works that hail the glory of the Lord, come under the general category of ‘Thiruppugazh’, the question arises why only the songs of Arunagirinathar got the title “Thiruppugazh”. Many reasons are given for this title exclusively given to Arunagirinathar’s works. While many saints underwent penance and meditation and realized God at the end, Arunagirinathar was among the privileged few who attained God realization at the very beginning. While others rendered songs and then realized God at the end, Arunagirinathar realized the God at the very beginning and then rendered his songs. Since the songs were rendered after he realized God, it is believed that they were rendered by the blessings of God. Besides, many poets and pundits hailed the glory of Muruga in magnificent verses but perhaps no one described Muruga, his qualities, his knowledge, his velour, his compassion, his beauty, his Vel, his peacock, his lance as completely as Arunagirinathar. That perhaps may be reason why Arunagirinathar’s works got the name “Thiruppugazh”.

As the individual progresses, his goal and priorities keep changing at every stage. Thiruppugazh seeks fulfillment of all that one aspires in every stage of his development. It prays for the grace of Muruga for a smooth sailing in this ocean of life. But a true spiritual aspirant seeks not just a smooth sailing only. He seeks to reach the shore, the shore of Lord Muruga and ever remain there without an occasion to come back to the ocean of life (Samsara) again. While the first set of Arunagiri’s songs seek the grace of Muruga for a smooth sailing through this turbulent ocean of Samsara (material life), the second set of songs seek Self-Realisation and ultimate liberation. In one of his songs, he said: “Bless me Oh Lord so that I do not get caught in the cycle of death and birth (Piravamal Iravamal)”

Apart from Thiruppugazh, the three most wonderful creations of Arunagirinathar are Kandar Anubhuti, Kandar Alamgaram and Kandar Anthadi.

Arunagirinathar has made a profound impact in Tamil Nadu because he hailed the glory of the God of Tamils (Thamizh Kadavul) eloquently in sweet Tamil. Never before devotion and literature were blended so harmoniously as in Thiruppugazh. Other Tamil writers like Kambar or Thiruvalluvar stuck to their norm of using only Tamil words (Ilakkana Thamizh) in their compositions, by virtue of his universal outlook, Arunaginathar weaved a colourful set of poems blended in Tamil and Sanskrit. It is doubtful whether such fusion of the beauty of Tamil and the sublimity of Sanskrit was ever been attempted before or after Arunagirinatha Swamigal’s time

 

Source : http://www.skandagurunatha.org, http://www.thiruppugazh.org