written by London swaminathan

swami_48@yahoo.com

Date: 14 FEBRUARY 2019

GMT Time uploaded in London – 19-39

Post No. 6074

Pictures shown here are taken from various sources including google, Wikipedia, Facebook friends and newspapers. This is a non- commercial blog. ((posted by swamiindology.blogspot.com AND tamilandvedas.com))

STORY OF TAMIL DEVADASIS- PART 4,MANIKKA NACHIYAR AND GNANAVALLI (Post No.6074)

MANIKKANACHIAR

Manaikkanachiar was born in the family of Rudrakanyas at Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu. She was beautiful and trained herself in music and dance. Everyday she went to temple and worshipped Lord Shiva. She donated a lot towards the temple work and other charities. One day Lord Shiva himself came to her house in the disguise of a Siddha (Yogi). She gave him all the honours due for an ascetic of his stature and gave him a big feast.

After all these he spoke to her revealing his desire for the sexual pleasure and warned her that he can give her only Rudraksha garland and not money for the sexual favour. As soon she got the Rudraksha in her hand she became very happy and felt blessed by the god.

She told him to come back at night and she would be ready to entertain him. As he left, she placed the  Rudraksha garland in the place where she used to keep all the gem studded jewellery. Her servants who saw this asked her why she placed the Rudraksha in the locker which is only for the valuable gems. Then she explained them the great benefits of Rudraksha.

In the meantime, Lord Shiva wanted to show to the world her devotion. So Lord Shiva called his friend Alagesan and asked him to visit her in the night as a customer. When Alagesan went to her house in the night she turned him down saying that night was booked by someone else. He tempted her with more and more offers of money and gems and yet she did not yield. Alagesan went back to the temple and reported to Lord Shiva what happened.

Lord Shiva went to her in the night as planned during the day. But when he went to her house he pretended that he was suffering from severe stomach disease. Shed asked her for the location of toilet and she herself led him to the rest room. This happened several times during the night. At the end he dirtied the bed and the room. All through these she got worried and got him all the medicines through her servants and looked after him like her own husband . In the morning he died. ((posted by swamiindology.blogspot.com AND tamilandvedas.com))

Manikkanachiar cried and cried and decided to burn herself in the funeral pyre. She arranged his funeral and her own funeral. When she jumped into the funeral pyre reciting the Panchakshara – Om Nama Sivaya – Lord Shiva appeared in the sky and blessed her.

STORY OF GNANA VALLI

The author gave the story of great Tamil saint Pattinathu Adikal of Kaveri Pumpattinam and his friend Bhadragiri. Bhadragiri was very fond of a female dog and took her to all the places wherever he went. He gave her the left over prasadam (food offering) to the dog. In the previous birth the dog was born as a Rudra kanya in the Anga Desa. She was a very bad woman and earned money only through bad ways. One day she gave food to a Siva devotee who was full of virtues. Even when she gave him the food, it was to tease him and not to feast him. ((posted by swamiindology.blogspot.com AND tamilandvedas.com))

When Bhadragiri was going to all the places Shiva wanted to test him. So he came as an ascetic and begged to a person. That person directed him to Bhadragiri saying that he was the Grahastha (householder) who can feed him. Shiva in the ascetic form  told Bhadragiri, ‘that a person directed me to you saying that you were the best house holder who can feed me’.

As soon as Bhadragiri heard this, he was wondering, and exclaimed, ‘If a dog and this begging bowl can make me a householder I don’t want this anymore’ and threw the begging bowl with force. It went in a circular way and hit the dog. The female dog died on the spot and Lord Shiva appeared in his true form and blessed her.

That female dog was born as Gnanavalli , the daughter of Kasi Raja, King of Kasi. When she grew up, the king made arrangements for her wedding. But she asked him to leave her at Tiruvidaimaruthur where a saint by name  Bhadragiri was doing penance.

When the king came to know that it was true , he came to him with his daughter. When he ended his penance,  Gnanavalli fell at his feet and said’ The Dog is Back’. Bhadragiri sought the advice of Pattinathu adikal, who prayed to Lord Shiva. As directed by him, Bhadragiri and Gnanavalli entered fire and reached the feet of god.

At the end of the story the author reminds her colleagues that doing little charity and taking divine food would help them to reach the feet god.

Here the author gave the dog’s three lives and the story of Pattinathu Adikal (Tamil saint) and the Puranic story of Jata Bharata. ((posted by swamiindology.blogspot.com AND tamilandvedas.com))

–to be continued