Thursday, September 23, 2010

Kalanginathar

Kalangi Nathar was the guru of Bhogar (or Bhogarnathar). Kalangi Nathar was from Benaras. He was also referred to the great confucious of china who was the back bone of the chinese civilisation.

Kalangi Nathar and bogar were considered to possess an ideal master and student relationship. It is said that they had a mutual care among both of them in their own spiritual progresses. Kalangi nathar, especially took more care and strain towards the spiritual advancement of his disciple bogar. Kalangi nathar was behind bogar's every development and his innovations for the world.

He is often referred to us kanjamalai siddhar. The word "kanjam" stands for the following meaning - gold, copper and Iron and malai means hill. It is said that paranthaka chozha who built sri nataraja temple with golden roof, took the gold from this hill. Also the water falls seen in this hill is called "ponni nadhi".

He is the disciple to the great siddha Thirumoolar. He is one among the seven disciples whom thirumoolar transcended his knowledge. The other six being -Indran, Soman, Rudhran, Kanduru,Brahman and kanjamalaiyan.

The shrine of Kalangi Nathar is found in a small village in Salem, Tamil Nadu. This village is 12 km away from salem city. This place is in via route to Ilampillai.

He is supposed to have been attained jeeva samadhi in this place several hundred years ago.

Kalanginathar is Boghar's father according to Boghar's poem. Boghar gloring kalanginathar in many of his verses.
Main Source: Gavanagar Muzhakkam Magazine

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Kumaraguru Paraswamigal

Another classic of the 17th century in praise of the of Tiruchendur is Kandar Kalivenba by Kumaraguru Paraswamigal, a Saiva ascetic. The author was horn in 1625 A.D. of a Saiva Vellala family at Srivaikuntam on the northern hank of the Tambaraparani, nineteen miles from Tiruchendur. His parents Shanmukha Sikhamani Kavirayar and Sivakami Ammaiyar were blessed with this child after a long penance to Muruga of Tiruchendur. The boy grew of age and until his fifth year showed no signs of speech. The parents were pained at this and resorted to Tiruchendur penance again. Weary of waiting for months and seeing signs of approaching speech, the parents determined to drown themselves in the sea along with the child if he would not speak by a particular day.

The day dawned, and yet there were no signs. At last, both the parents and the child entered the foamy waves. Deeper and deeper they went from knee to neck and, as they were about to sink with the waves over their heads a human form appeared with a flower in his hand and asked the child what it was; when lo! the child broke out in praise of the Lord with the words of the lines.

"Pûmêvu cenkamalap puttêLuntêRRiya
Pâmêvu teyvap pazhamaRaiyum…."

This poem, the Kantarakalivempâ of 244 lines is a delightful piece of the Lord's praise and the truths of Saiva Siddhanta. And it is considered even now with great propriety that its recitation with warmth and fervour wards off many an evil attending on man.

Having studied Tamil at the feet of his father Sanmukacikâmani Kavirayar, and attained in it great proficiency by divine grace, he grew up to manhood, took to an austere way of life, left home, and wandered throughout the Tamil country visiting famous places of pilgrimage and composing poems on the presiding deities. When he was at Dharmapuram, he was drawn to the monastery's head Mâcilâmani Tecikar, and begged him to be admitted as his disciple and initiated into the sannyâsa âsrama. Mâcilâmani asked the young poet to visit important pilgrim centers including Benares, and return to him then. Kumarakuruparar felt incapable of such undertaking, arduous and dangerous in those days. He was directed to stay at least in Chidambaram for some time and then apply. He complied with this condition and afterwards took the holy orders. While he was a court-poet of Tirumalai Nâyaka at Madurai, one day as he was inaugurating his devotional poem in praise of goddess Mînâtci at the royal court, the goddess appeared herself as a young maiden and sat on the lap of the Nâyaka king, and taking a necklace of pearls, put it on the neck of the poet and vanished.

Finally, Kumarakuruparar left for Benares. His fame reached even the Mughal court at Delhi. Emperor Aurangzib expressed a desire to see him, and the poet-saint (who had in the meantime mastered Urdu) rode to the Mughal court on the back of a lion, the symbol of courage and pride. The emperor was so much impressed by the poet's holiness and learning that he bestowed on him a plot of land in Benares near the Kedar Ghat, and there Kumarakuruparar built the Kumârasvâmi monastery which became soon the heart of religious activities. He lived in Benares till the end of his days except for a short visit to the South to pay his respects to his guru. The tradition also says that Kumarakuruparar who was very fond of Kampau's Tamil Râmâyana lectured on it in Benares and that Tulsîdâs, the great Hindi poet of Râmcaritmânas, heard these talks and became indebted to Kanpan through the lectures of Kumarakuruparar.

Amongst Kumarakuruparar's other literary works, Meenakshi Pillai-Tamil, Meenakshi-kurram, Neethineri-Vilakkami Madhuraikkalampakam and others are ever popular and widely read.

Main Source: http://murugan.org

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Seshadri Swamigal

Sri Seshadri Swamigal, well known as the "Saint with a golden hand", is one of the greatest Indian saints who lived Thiruvannaamalai. He is being worshiped as a religious guru by many Hindus throughout the world.

Sri Seshadri Swamigal was born on January 22, 1870 in a small village near Kanchipuram in South India in the renowned family of Kamakoti. He studied Vedas (Hindu religious literature) at a very young age. An incident in his childhood reveals the greatness of his power when his mother took him to a temple fair and he touched an idol from a seller who had all the idols sold out like hotcakes, which were not getting sold out earlier. This gave him the name "Thanga Kai" (golden hand). His parents died when he was still in his teens. Just before his mother died, she asked him to sing 'Ambe Sive' (a composition of his grandfather's) and then, in the moments before she died, she called out, "Arunachala! Arunachala! Arunachala!" The word Arunachala struck a deep cord in Sheshadri Swamigal. Though he had never been to Arunachala, he sketched the five peaks of the holy hill on a board and from then on worshipped Arunachala every day. Having no worldly attachments, he became a sanyasi (ascetic) and came to Tiruvannamalai in 1889 at age nineteen and remained there for forty years until he died in the year 1929.

When Ramana Maharshi came to Tiruvannamalai seven years after Seshadri Swamigal's arrival, Seshadri was immediately aware of the young swami's state of Self-abidance and he felt a motherly love for him. Sri Ramana spent his time then immersed in the bliss of the Self in the thousand-pillared hall in the front portion of the Arunachaleswara Temple. Urchins, not understanding his state, pelted him with stones. Sri Seshadri tried to protect the young swami who seemed quite unaware of his body and surroundings, but the urchins continued their harassment. To avoid this unwanted attention, Sri Ramana moved into the Patalalingam, an underground vault in the temple. He remained there, in deep meditation, for many day, oblivious to the ants, vermin, and mosquitoes who were feasting on him. Sri Seshadri found him there and asked his (Sri Seshadri's) devotee Venkatachala Mudaliar to lift "his child" out.[1] He cleansed Ramana's blood-oozing wounds and revealed Ramana as a [saint] to the world.

Seshadri Swamigal's behavior was quite eccentric and unpredictable. He acted like a mad man at times to fend off worldly people, but to earnest seekers he was extremely gentle and considerate.[2]

Sri Seshadri blessed his devotees and helped cure their illnesses with his wonderful touch. While roaming the streets of Tiruvannamalai, he would sometimes enter a shop and dump the cash from a cashbox or throw the articles from the shops. The shops he entered used to do good business on that day and so shop keepers would eagerly await his arrival. To this day, the shops in Tiruvannamalai have his photos as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

Sri Seshadri was a great worshipper of Shakti.

Sri Seshadri died in January 1929, at the age of 59. His body was not cremated but buried, as is the custom in the case of a saint. It is believed that Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi was present at the place silently observing the rituals till it was completed. It is often quoted that the devotees called Sri Seshadri "Periya Seshadri" (elder Seshadri) and Sri Ramana Maharishi as "Chinna Seshadri" (younger Seshadri).[3]

Monday, September 13, 2010

Yogi Ramsurathkumar

Yogi Ramsuratkumar (December 1, 1918 – February 20, 2001) was an Indian saint and mystic. He was also referred to as "Visiri samiyar" and spent most of his post enlightement period in Thiruvannaamalai, a small town in Tamil Nadu which is famous for attracting spiritual seekers worldwide and has had a continuous lineage of enlightened souls. He acknowledges the contribution of three of the most well known saints of his time in his evolution to enlightenment. These individuals were Sri Aurobindo, the founder of Integral yoga, Ramana Maharishi, one of the "spiritual superman" of his time, and Papa Ramdas, Yogi's eventual guru.
Pre Enlightenment History
Yogi Ramsuratkumar was born in a village near Varanasi on December 1, 1918. In his childhood, he loved very much to meet the yogis and monks. He was befriended by a number of holy men who built their huts on the Ganges shore or simply wandered nearby.
He grew up as a Grihasta but eventually, the tugs of spirituality in his heart took over. In search of a guru, he visited and spent time in the ashrams of both Sri Aurobindo and Ramana Maharishi. He later moved to Kerala at the ashram of Swami Ramdas. In his own assessment, Sri Aurobindo gave him Jnana, Sri Ramana Maharshi blessed him with Tapas and Swami Ramadas gave him the nectar of Bhakti. Swami Ramadas initiated him into the holy mantra : " Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram ", by pronouncing it thrice in his ears. Yogi Ramsuratkumar often refers to this instance as his "death", since from this moment on, his ego no longer existed, and he had a profound spiritual experience.
Post Enlightenment History
Yogi Ramsuratkumar travelled across India from 1952 to 1959. Not much is known about the exact whereabouts of the yogi in this period. He finally reached Thiruvannamalai in the Southern India in 1959. He was a "hidden" saint during this early period, with not too many individuals realizing that this "beggar" was someone who would bring riches to the lives of countless many. He was seen near the Temple chariot, at the corners of the Road,under the trees of the Temple. As more and more people started acknowledging the divine presence in him, Swamiji then began living in a small house in Sannadhi Street beneath the Temple. He continued to bless the devotees who thronged by the thousands to his house at the Sannadhi Street. At a point, his devotees became too many to be handled in a small house and the devotees wished him to have an Ashram which he gently accepted after much persuasion for the sake of his devotees. The Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram was constructed at Agrahara collai and occupies total area of 3.5 Acres. Yogi Ramsuratkumar attained samadhi on February 20th 2001 at Tiruvannamalai in the Ashram premises.
Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Message to the world.

To his followers, he assures that the mere thought of him and meditation with the repetition of the following mantra would address any difficulties that they have in dealing with their day to day problems.

Yogi Ramsuratkumar Yogi Ramsuratkumar
Yogi Ramsuratkumarara Jaya Guru Raya


The following excerpts are taken from one of his addresses to his followers. He often referred to himself as a "beggar" as a message for followers to not take their egos seriously.

"This beggar learnt at the feet of Swami Ramdas the divine name of Rama, and beg, beg all of you not to forget the divine name Rama. Whatever you do, wherever you are, be like Anjaneya -Maruthi thinking of Rama and doing your actions in this world. Live in the world and the problems will be there. If we are remembering the Divine name, we are psychologically sound. May be, we may feel a little some of the problems. Even then the intensity with which we feel if we don't have faith in God is much more than a man of faith - a man who remembers the name of Rama. So this beggar is always begging, begging for food, begging for clothes, begging that you should compose songs on this beggar, build a house for me - a cottage for me - this thing - that thing - so many things. But this beggar will beg of you this also, and you are always giving what this beggar has begged. So this beggar begs please don't forget the name of God. This Divine name has been always of great help to all in the world. You read Kabir, Tulsi, Sur, Appar Swamy, Manickavasaga Swamy - how they emphasized Namasivaya. Don't forget it- this is your heart- this is your soul. Whether it be Om Namasivaya or Om Namo Narayana whether Rama, Siva or Krishna whatever name you choose, whatever form you choose doesn't matter."

"But remember the lord with any name, with any form of your choice. Just as when there is heavy rainfall, we take an umbrella, and go on doing our work in the factory, in the field, wherever we go for marketing and catching hold of the umbrella we go though the rain is falling there. But still we work-still we work-do our work. Similarly we have got so many problems all around. This divine name is just like an umbrella in the heavy rainfall. Catch hold of the divine name and go on doing your work in the world. This beggar begs of you and this beggar has received all he has begged of you. So I think none of you will shrink away, when this beggar begs of you, don't forget the divine name. This beggar prays to his father to bless you all who have come here. My Lord Rama blesses you- My Father blesses you. Arunachalaswara blesses you. It doesn't matter to me what name it is. All the blessings of my father for all of you! Well, that is the end. That is all."
Yogi's sayings
“This name Yogi Ramsuratkumar is not this beggar’s name. It is my Father’s Name. My Father has invested in this Name. Whoever remembers this name my Father will come to their rescue.”
“This beggar has three Fathers. Ramana Maharishi, Sri Aurobindo and Swami Ramdas. Ramana kindled, Aurobindo did a little more and my Father Swami Ramdas completed the process."
“My Father alone exists. Nobody else. Nothing else. In the past, in the present and in the future, My Father alone exists.”

"Ramana Maharshi was suffering from cancer. There was much pain. He cried once. Someone said, "Bhagavan, you are crying. You are suffering like this!". They felt, "Bhagavan is dying." Then Ramana Maharshi sat upon the cot and said, "Have I been teaching only this all these years?" It is the body. All diseases, all sufferings come to the body only. Not to the soul. If you are firmly established that we are the eternal spirit, not the body, suffering will not touch us. That is the meaning. There will be no fear of death. You are the soul - all pervasive, all intelligent, all powerful soul. All sufferings, pain, disease, death come to the body only."
Main Reference: Wikipedia

References:
Rangarajan, Sadhu (1987). Glimpses of a great Yogi. Sister Nivedita Academy.
Wadlington, Truman Caylor (1972). Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the Godchild, Tiruvannamalai. Diocesan Press.
Parthasarathy, S. (2006). Amarakavyam, biography of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Parthasarathy.
Mani, A. (2004). A Man and His Master: My Years with Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Hohm Press. ISBN 9781890772369.
Ammann, Olga (2008). Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the miracle of becoming God. Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhavan.
Young, M (2003). Yogi Ramsuratkumar: Under the Punnai Tree. Hohm Press.
Ryan, Regina Sara (2004). Only God: A Biography Of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Hohm Press.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Pattinathar


Pattinathar (Tamil:பட்டினதார்) popularly known as Pattinathu Adigal, was a mystic/saint who lived in South India several years ago. He was a devotee of lord shiva and attained his jeeva samadhi in the place called thiruvotiyoor in Chennai. He was a wandering monk who used to beg for his day to day living and preach the people on how to get rid of the maya and reach the supreme self.It is believed that kubera the lord of wealth requested lord shiva for going to earth and worhip him in all his temples. Hence kubera was born as Pattinathar who detached himself from the maya bondage and worshipped all shiva temples and attained jeeva samadhi

Biography

Pattinathar's real name was thiruvengadar. He was born in kaveripoompattinam to a wealthy merchant couple named sivaneasn and gnanakalai. Thiruvengadar had a elder sister too. The story starts like this – for a long time the couples did not have a boy and they prayed the lord for a male child. Then they worshipped the lord shiva in the place thiruvengadu and with his grace a child was born, hence the name thiruvengadar is suited to the child. Thiruvengadar got a name pattinathu chettiyar as he was very famous in his merchandise.

Thiruvengadar was married to a girl sivakalai and they started a righteous life. Despite more wealth they did not have a child to take care of them. Hence the couple prayed to lord shiva for a child. Once the couple was praying in the mahalingeshwarar temple in thiruvidaimarudhur they adopted a child from a poor priest and they gave him gold equal to the weight of the child as thus the child was named marudavanan who was the lord himself.

Marudavanan grew as a good man and was respected for his knowledge and his skill on merchandising who was better than his father.He was very knowledgle that he could able to identify a good pearl from the fake even in his age of ten.Once marudavanan conveyed his wish to go abroad along with his friends for trading. Initially thiruvengadar did not agree but marudavanan convinced them and started for a high sea trading. there he visited many places and traded a lot of items. Once they reached an island and he requested his friensd to leave him here and pick him up again after they have finished their business.

All his friends traded for costly items and money but marudavanan has sacks of virati(dried cow dunk mainly used for burning) and rice dusts. all his friends commented him but he doesn't listen to them at all. After a long turmaoil days they reached kaveripoompattinam and thiruvengadara was happy to receive his son who was suffesfully completed his high sea trading.

To his astonishment he was only virati and rice dust and got enraged with his son and he scolded his son and asked his servants to carry all these sacks to his home. Upon reaching the home he started complaining to his wife about his child and agrily kicked off the sacks and everybody was surprised to see that the virati was full of costly gems and diamonds and the rice dusts was nothing but golden dust.He realised his mistake and asked for his son. Then his wife told him that marudavanan already left the home and he asked her to give a small wooden box to thiruvengadar.

Thiruvengadara opened the box and saw a broken needle and a small palm leaf. In the palm leaf written the message for this father

"Kadatra oosiyum varadhukan kadai vazhikye" means which: even the broken needle would not come with you once you are dead.

These words transformed thiuvengadar and he realised the self and thus became pattinathu adigal. He robed of his costly clothes and weared an ordinary cloth on his waist, convinced his wife and gave all his wealth to charity and left the home to attain his salvation.

He roamed the streets of the kaveripoompattinam and begged for food everyday. He used to play with children by asking them to tie his leg by a rope and drag him and thus he makes fun with children and entertain them. Once his sister noticed him begging for food and felt that he has disgraced their family prestige and honour and decided to kill pattinathar. Once she called pattinathar for food and gave him an "appam" mixed with poison. Pattinathar after seeing the appam comes to know that it is being poisoned and he says - "than appam thannai sudum.....ottappam veetai sudum" which means your deeds will burn you and this appam will burn the house.... thus saying he throws them on the roof and the house starts burning. Then she realises her mistake and apologises for her mistake.

Once he comes to know that his mother has expiried and the villagers were urging the funeral without informing Pattinathar. He sees them with his divine eye and rushes to that place. He immediately takes his mother body and put them on a fresh plaintain stem and sings for his mothers atmashanthi, the body gets fired immediately and thus pattinathar gets free from all the bondages

Pattinathar and badragiriyar

Once Pattinathar traveled to ujjain and worshipped lord mahakaleshwar and was seated beneath the tree. On the way few thieves were rushing out with the stolen jewels from the kingdoms treasury. Upon crossing the tree, they threw a necklace on to the tree which fell on pattinathar's neck. Pattinathar was meditating and was unware of any such happening.

He was noticed by the soldiers and concluded that pattinathar was guilty of the theft so they clamped him and brought before the king badragiri. The king got enraged and ordered the soldiers to hang him up. Pattinathar was taken to the hanging place.

There pattinathar said the following words,

"Andha maram inda marathai , marathil yetra pogirathu" - means, this lifeless body is intending to punish my lifeless body

Following to that he prays the lord – oh! Lord this is not a result of any of my deeds, Its not my will at all rather I believe this is the will of the supreme self and let this hang stage started burning.

The king was shocked after hearing this incident and he rushed to pattinathar and prostrated in his leg. As a result pattinathar gives him diksha and made as disciple.From that day king badragiri became saint badragiri.

Both pattinathar and badragiri used to beg in the thiruvidaimarudur temple and share their food for living. Badragiri used to have a dong as his friend. Once lord shiva himself came to badragiri and begged for food. Pattinathr asked badragiri to kill the dog and given the food to shiva, as a result the dog was born as a princess in her next birth.

After long years the princess comes to know about her brith secrets and shesearches for badragiri in asking him to take her. She found badragiri and ask him to take her with him as he was his father in giving her such a prosperous life which in turn has to be dedicated to her guru itself. Badragiri prays the lord and both badragiri and the princess were given salvation in the form of the holy fire.

Pattinathar and his salvation

Pattinathar after seeing this gets drowned by sorrow when the lord is going to accept him and how long he needs to wait in this world to attain salvation. He cries to the lord asking his mercy and grace, upon which lord orders him to roam the place and visit all his temple and where the top portion of the sugarcane taste sweet, there you will be given the salvation.

With the lords order he visits various shiva temples and sang lot of songs in praise of shiva and cautions the people to be balanced in their worldly attachments. At last he reaches a fisherman town where he experiences sweetness in sugarcane (pei karumbu which is soar in nature) and remembers the lords word and decides to leave his body and merge himself in the supreme atman. He plays with the children and asked them to hide him with the parisal (Tamil word: for a convex shaped boat used to carry people in the water. Usually seen in villages) and shows him up on the other one. He performs such magic and entertains the children, the third time he does he not seen and thus attains his salvation.

This place is the present day thiruvatriyoor in northern part of Chennai. We could see a Shiva lingam on his Samadhi.