Sirappuli Nayanar

2

Sirappuli Nayanar

Thiruvakkur...

A rich hamlet brimming with bumper crops ...

The smoke emanating from the Yagakundams is rising sky high to induce copious rains is more profuse than the fragrant sandalwood smoke rising from the houses of people showing off their prosperity.

The Veda mantras are reverberating aloud drowning even the sound of the falling rain. Two Anthanars are walking along unmindful of the rain.

Anthanar 1 (irritatingly)

Hey! Do you notice? The voice of Sirappuli is drowning even the sound of this heavy rain. If he continues like this, everyone will call only him to conduct the yagams posing a great danger to our livelihood!

Anthanar 2

Why are you so angry with him? He is of a highly noble lineage. His ancestors were all very great scholars of Vedas.  His intonation of Veda mantras is a treat.  We are nowhere compared to him. But that does not mean we will be driven to despair.  The one who created us will look after us! We will carry on as before. Don’t keep on berating.

Anthanar 1

 His father, grandfather and great grandfather had all left enormous property for him. Their holding of fertile land is so huge and the produce so enormous that they need to employ elephants for thrashing the harvested paddy.  Their holding of gold is so much they don’t have even count of it!

Anthanar 2 (stopping on his tracks)

 So, What?

By now they are fully drenched in the rain.

Anthanar 1

What do you mean? I am talking because I am unable to bear his opulence!  Anyway, why should we get drenched more and more? Let us walk faster.

Both of them quicken their pace.

     ****

Sirappuli after concluding the Yagam is preparing to leave. The elders of the house   gift him a large number of gold coins along with Tambulam as Dakshina. Bowing to them, Sirappuli takes only the Tambulam   leaving the gold coins behind.   Noticing this, one of the elders wonders whether he has been named as Sirappuli as he has no craze for gold.

Sirappuli is also drenched completely as he returns home.

Sirappuli (to himself)

The loneliness, I feel as I enter the house is very disturbing.  I never felt lonely when my parents were alive. But now, I know nothing but loneliness.  Even the successful completion of Yagam has not given me any satisfaction. I have come totally drenched in the rain but I don’t feel like even changing my clothes... The mind is searching for something... Only I don’t know what it is seeking. Just by chanting Vedas perfectly, can I reach the sacred feet of Easan? By elucidating the Vedas to others, do I become eligible for His grace? Will Easan be pleased by conducting yagams and giving various offerings to Agni? Will Easan appear before us pleased by our pujas and other rituals? Is it feasible for mere mortals to have the darisanam of Easan’s sacred feet, who has created this entire universe and the creatures in it and makes them function? What can I do to please Him and earn His grace?

There are six duties which an Anthanar must perform.  These are, to recite Vedas and to teach Vedas, to seek knowledge and to impart knowledge, to give charity and solicit materials or take a wife.

Out of these, I have already learnt all the Vedas in proper manner.  However, I am not old enough to teach the same. To seek knowledge I have to go to foreign lands. There is no chance for that and so I am ineligible to impart the knowledge. Next is to give charity. That means giving away or using one’s wealth for the good of others. The last one is seeking wealth or seeking a wife. That is not for me in this birth. So the only duty that is left for me to do is to give charity.  The most superior of all charities is to provide Annadhanam. Yes! Only Annadhanam is going to remove my loneliness and be the elixir of my life. To serve Adiyavars is akin to serve Easan. If I do Padapujai of Adiyavars coming to this village, will it not please Easan? If I offer food and other items needed by Adiyavars and make them pleased, will it not please Easan also? From now onwards, my prime duty is to ensure welfare of adiyavars only. Let this be the sacred charity of Sirappuli!

Totally energized and brightened up by these thoughts, he quickly changes into dry clothes and goes into the kitchen to prepare his meals.

      *****

 The news that Sirappuli is going to do Annadhanam makes a lot of elders in the village proud. On the first day, he makes a huge pandal in the centre   the village and makes all arrangements for feeding the adiyavars in a grand manner. But to his disappointment, no one comes there and it is already going to be evening. He is distressed to that all the preparations and food may go waste. He sees an adiyavar standing hesitantly.  Greatly excited as if he has Easan Himself, Sirappuli rushes to welcome him. Making him stand on a plank, he washes his feet and showers flower petals. He leads him inside and serves tasty and sumptuous food. Some Anthanars look disgusted seeing his acts.

Anthanar 1

 No one knows who is he and where is he coming from.  Washing his feet with his hands, he has done an unpardonable sacrilege.   Is it not enough    to give him alms and send him away? Why do all these Padapujai and all other drama of making him seated, showing deepam, bowing him to him etc.?  

Anthanar 2

After seeing such a grand reception, I feel like becoming an adiyavar myself! I don’t get much lift in my own house. At least here, I will be shown these courtesies!

 Anthanar 3

Wait and see what Sirappuli is going to do next! You will faint on seeing that!

Curious as to what Sirappuli is going to do to give them such a shock all of them become crane their necks to see what is happening.

After the Adiyavar has finished his meals, Sirappuli helps him wash his hands and gets him seated to relax. He picks up a hand fan and gently fans the adiyavar.

Anthanar 4

Did you mean that we will faint seeing this?   This is only irritating us even more.   We all belong to high caste and no one knows to which caste this adiyavar belongs to. He is bowing in front of him like a lowly servitor! Has he lost his brains?

Anthanar 3

 Just wait! Just observe carefully lest you miss something important! 

Anthanar 4

Do you mean he is going to do something more? To hell with him!

After about an hour, Adiyavar gets up. Sirappuli takes him to the washing point and helps him refresh. He hands him over a towel to wipe himself. When the adiyavar returns the towel, he receives it with great piety.

Anthanar 4 (in whisper to Anthanar 3)

Did you man this?

Anthanar 3 nods his head in negative.

With unbound curiosity, Anthanar 3 keeps looking inside to see what is about to happen. The others are equally inquisitive.

The adiyavar walks slowly and comes outside. Sirappuli who is accompanying him quickly picks up a Tambalam which has been kept ready and presents it to Adiyavar.  The Tambalam contains new clothes for the Adiyavar, two gold coins, five silver coins and betel leaves and nuts as offering.  The Anthanars almost swoon on seeing the gold and silver nuggets but manage to compose themselves and look up.

Adiyavar

Sirappuliyare!   Words are insufficient to praise your service and devotion. I need only the clothes. We have shunned everything and taken the life of Adiyars. Why do we need gold and silver? A pair of clothes is more than enough for us!  Where there are people like you to feed us and where this motherland gives us a place to sleep, what care do we harbour?

My mind does not wander away from Sivan! I have a suggestion for you. Thiruvakkur is a village of Anthanars. People of other castes will feel shy to enter inside. Even I also feel so. I came here only to give a suggestion. If you erect the Annadhana Pandal outside the village, many adiyavars will come to eat. Can’t you avoid the embarrassment of Adiyavars?

He walks away after posing this question. Sirappuliar is stunned while the Anthanars are shocked to see someone shunning the gold and silver!

    *****

As per the suggestion of the Adiyavar, Sirappuli constructs a Annadhana Pandal and a matam outside the village. A large number of adiyavars starts coming to enjoy the hospitality of Sirappuli. One day, as   Sirappuli is walking fast in the street of Anthanars, an old lady hails him to stop.

Sirappuliar

 Aren’t you Ambujam Patti?  Salutations to you!

He bends down to touch her feet in reverence. But she retracts her feet quickly. Saddened by her action, Sirappuli looks up.

Patti

Hey! You are born in a high caste family. How can you indulge in such lowly acts? Do you know of your own mother?   I know her well. She is Mahalakshmi incarnate! How charming she was! How elegantly she conducted herself! She never violated the rules of the Brahmin sect.  Having born as her son, I am disgusted that you are behaving like this!

Realising what she is hinting at, Sirappuliar lets out a mild laugh.

 Patti

What is this? I am telling you something serious but you are smiling.

Sirappuliar (with a smiling face)

Patti!  Tell me what are the acts that I do are sacrilegious?

Patti

Come on! Tell me frankly! Don’t you know what I am implying at?

Sirappuliar

Unless you tell me what exactly I have done, how can I give an answer?

Patti

Right!  I will tell you. You are an Anthanan. If you do Padapujai to another Anthanan, it is not an offence. How can you do that to a Vanikar, Kshatriya or a Sudran?  Do you know what the people of the village are saying? They are going to “Jathiprashtam” (ex-communicate) you!

Sirappuliar laughs aloud on hearing this.

Patti (to herself)

I thought that he would be devastated on hearing what I said. But he is laughing like a maniac. May be he has gone mad as some people fear.

Sirappuliar

Patti! I have not gone mad as you think! You question me for washing the feet and doing Padapujai of anyone other than Anthanars by me and call it an offence.

Patti

Isn’t it so?

Sirappuliar

The caste is based on the work assigned to a particular sect as coded by Varnasrama. Those who carried on with their work due to their wisdom were called Anthanars. Those who used their intellect for their work were called Vaisyar. Those who used their physical prowess for the work were called Kshatriyar. People who were doing all other work were called Sudras. So the caste is to be determined based on the work one does or his occupation and not on birth.    Do you know how these names are derived? Anthanar is because he follows ‘Anthanmai” or the most righteous path. Vanikar is because he is involved in “vanikam” or business. Kshatriya are because they are warriors.   ‘Sudram’ means thread or rope. Just like a rope binds all other things, Sudras are meant bind all the other three castes. They got their identity because of the work they did. In due course of time, it came to be known as castes.

‘Adiyavar’ is not any particular occupation and hence adiyavars do not belong to any caste. It is a status! Do you know why they say, ‘to serve Adiyavar is to serve Easan Himself’? Can anyone tell us to which caste Easan belongs to? Can anyone tell to whom He was born to? Easan belongs to no caste! Likewise Adiyavars also have no caste. That is why they say, ‘to serve Adiyavar is to serve Easan Himself’.

When we revere someone, it is only because of his dignified status and not because of his lineage! We bow to the kings. Is it because of his birth? No, it is because of his work of administering and leading the kingdom. Likewise we regard Anthanars, Vaisyar, and Kshatriyar not because of their birth but because of the work they do for our sake.  No one reveres Sudras. It is not because of being born as a Sudra but because of the work he does. “Adiyavar” as I said is not a trade or profession.  To keep in mind Easan all the time with the purpose of attaining Him as the only aim of life and to hold nothing as one’s own is reaching the exalted status of Yogi. That is what an adiyavar is! I revere not an Anthanar, not a Vanikar, not a Kshatriyar and not a Sudrar. I revere an Adiyavar! To worship an adiyavar is to worship Easan Himself! To take care of him is like glorifying Iraivan Himself! 

You said that they are going to “Jathiprashtam” me. It implies segregating me or driving me out of my caste.  To which caste I will belong to if I am driven out of my caste? Will I belong to the caste of Easan Who is devoid of any caste affiliation? 

He closes his eyes and chants aloud the Panchakshara mantram.

“Om Namasivaya”

“Om Namasivaya”

“Om Namasivaya”

A blinding glow appears and in the place where he is standing and engulfs the whole place. Patti and others stand up and bow to Sirappuliar and cup their palms in reverence to Sirappuliar.

     ****

Kailayam...

The Boothaganas of Easan are busy clearing the flowers near the feet of Easan.  There is hectic activity as the flowers keep getting replenished with the same speed as they are getting cleared. Even all the Ganas of Kailayam are unable to clear the flowers that are getting poured at the feet of Easan. Ultimately overcome by fatigue, they all fall down. The flowers are getting piled up like a mountain. Annai is also surprised.

Annai (Bowing to Easan)

Ayyane! How come the flowers keep falling at your feet without a letup? Even all the Ganas have fallen down fatigued clearing them. May I know the reason?

Iraivan  

These are the same flowers with which Sirappuliar does Padapujai to adiyavars.

Annai (surprised)

How is he able to get the mountainous amount of flowers?

Iraivan  

Come! Let Us go and see for Ourselves.

Both of them reach Thiruvakkur and stand in the Annadhana pandal. Annai looks at the place where the flowers are kept. She is surprised to see only one basket of flowers kept there. At that time an adiyavar reaches there. Sirappuliar rushes to him and welcomes him with due reverence. He makes him stand on the plank and washes his feet. After cleaning his feet, he places the flowers on his feet and touches them in great piety.

The flowers multiply ten, hundred and thousand folds and reach many crores in number. Those are the ones which reach the sacred feet of Easan at Kailayam. 

With horns blowing resoundingly, Annai and Easan appear on their Nandi vahanam.  Sirappuliar with tears flowing down his cheek out of ecstasy catches the feet of Easan. Easan lifts him up with great compassion and hugs him to the chanting of Veda Mantras and auspicious music. The heavens open up with a shower of flowers.

Releasing himself from Easan’s grip, Sirappuliar steps aside.  Afraid that he may lose the darisanam of Easan and Annai, he keeps looking at without blinking his eyelids even once.

Sirappuliar

 I, a menial slave, must have done great penance during millions of my previous births to have sacred darisanam of Yours.

Iraivan (blessing him)

You are no slave... You are also my ‘Adiyavar’. Therefore I am also your slave!

All the adiyavars who have assembled there and the people of the village stand mesmerised having the darisanam of Easan and Annai.

Iraivan

Sirappuli Nayanare! You have made the world to realise that service to adiyavars is the supreme service!  Therefore, your name and fame will remain as long as this earth remains. Whosoever worships Me will worship you as well.

As Easan extends His arms in a welcoming gesture, Sirappuliar with his hands raised above his heads and palms cupped in great reverence merges unto Easan.

The sound of Omkaram pervades everywhere.

Thiruchchitrambalam