There is a school of Thought which considers that Lord Shiva was a Human being and He composed poems in Tamil.
I am looking into the legend and verify whether there is any truth in this.
This may sound ludicrous for rationalists.
The point is that I do not consider me to be super intelligent,right and correct at all times and others ,especially my ancestors were fools to believe anything,spend time and money to build huge marvelous temples.
I have , in my Life ,seen many things which defy my Logic.
They make/made sense as I grew.
Hence I do not dismiss anything offhand by sheer arrogance.
The open approach has yielded good dividends in History in that it has brought to light many truths so far hidden because self-importance and intellectual arrogance.
At the same time I do not belive or trust anything which is not supported by internal and external evidence.
The proof of my labors lies in my posts in this blog.
As to Shiva, I have noticed a lot of curious facts between Shiva in the South and the North, though they are the same.
The Avatars of Shiva in the South were not reported in the North.
Shiva as a family man with children is not as popular in the North as in the South.
Mostly the legends of Siva in the North revolve around only the marriage of Shiva with Uma, and incidents connected with it, while in the South the information is more detailed and Shiva has been portrayed as lending a helping hand to people in distress.
His avatars are different from the Avatars of Vishnu in that while Vishnu stayed in a womb Shiva is described as one who does not stay in the womb, Ayonija'; Tamil calls Him as Unborn Eldest, ‘Pirava Yaakaip Periyon’.
Yet He appears in a Flash , helps people in distress and disappears.
Sixty four of his Avatars of this nature are recorded in Tamil literature, all in the City of Madurai.
He is reported to have married a Pandyan Princess Meenakshi in the form of Chokkanatha.
Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple is dedicated to Meenakshi and Shiva as Chokkanatha/Sundareswara.
These sixty-four avatars have not been recorded in any north Indian legends though some of them are hinted in Puranas, especially in Linga and Bhagavatha Purana.
In one of these Avatars Lord Shiva composed a Poem in Tamil.
This is it with meaning.
This appears as the second poem in Kurunthogai, a Sangam Literature.
The author is given as Iraiyanar, a Name for Shiva.
‘
The Tiruvilaiyadal Puranam relates an incident involving Nakkeerar’s confrontation with Lord Shiva.[4] Once the Pandiyan king had a doubt as to whether the scent from a woman’s hair was natural or artificial. He announced a prize of 1000 gold coins for anyone to resove his doubt. A poor poet named Tharumi prayed to Lord Shiva to make him get the award. The Lord gave a poem to the poet and asked him to take it to the King. When this poem was read in the court, Poet Nakkeerar found fault with it and stopped the Pandiyan king from giving the prize. Tharumi’s grief grew and he again appealed to the Lord. He said he was not worried for not receiving the prize but he could not bear anyone finding fault with the Lord’s poems.[4]
Thereupon, Lord Shiva himself came to the court and challenged Nakkeerar. But Nakkeerar was not moved. Though Lord Shiva asked him if the hair of Ganapoongodai, the consort of Lord Kalathinathar, whom Nakkeerar worshipped,did not have a natural scent,the undaunted Nakkeerar asserted that it was so. Shiva opened the eye in his forehead (Netrikkan) which emitted fire and looked at Nakkeerar to show the poet who he was. Even then, Nakkeerar persisted in his statement. As he could not bear the scorching heat emanating from the divine eye he jumped into the water of the Golden Lotus Tank. Then at the request of the other poets, the Lord took Nakkeerar out of the tank, forgave him and made him study under ‘Agasthiar’, the Tamil Sage. This story remains a popular legend.
Citation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakkeerar
http://creative.sulekha.com/song-from-tamil-sangam-kongu-ther-vaazhkai_34464_blog
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கொங்கு தேர் வாழ்க்கை அஞ்சிறைத் தும்பி! |
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காமம் செப்பாது, கண்டது மொழிமோ: |
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பயிலியது கெழீஇய நட்பின், மயில் இயல், |
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செறி எயிற்று, அரிவை கூந்தலின் |
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நறியவும் உளவோ, நீ அறியும் பூவே? |
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இயற்கைப் புணர்ச்சி புணர்ந்தவழி, தலைமகளை இயற்கைப் புணர்ச்சிக்கண் இடையீடுபட்டு நின்ற தலைமகன், நாணின் நீக்குதற்பொருட்டு, மெய் தொட்டுப் பயிறல் முதலாயின அவள்மாட்டு நிகழ்த்திக் கூடி, தனது அன்பு தோற்ற நலம் பாராட்டியது. – இறையனார். |
Filed under: Hinduism Tagged: Avatars of Shiva, Kurunthogai, Legends of Madurai, Lord Sundaeswara, Madurai Meenakshi temple, Sangam Literature, Shiva, Shiva as a Human being, Tamil
