Chapter 3 - The Temple of Heaven

Sometimes, big events come out of small events. Wasn't Vandhiyathevan standing by the roadside watching Pazhuvertaraiyar's entourage leave? His horse was standing not far from him.

The eyes of the last few of Pazhuvertaraiyar's men went to that horse.

"Oh! Look at this child!" said one.

"Don't say! The horse is my word!" said another.

"Let there be your grammatical research; First of all, find out whether it is a guru or a donkey!" said another, a funny man.

"Let's take a look at that!" said one of the men, approaching the horse. He tried to jump on it. The wise horse knew that the man trying to climb was not his master. I would not take that stranger!

"This is a wicked horse! I shouldn't be climbing on this! Only a hereditary royal can climb it. In that case, Thanjavur Mutharaiyan should come back and climb on it!" the other soldiers laughed at his equanimity.

Because it has been a hundred years since the Thanjavur Mutharaiyar tribe was destroyed. Now the tiger flag of the Cholas was flying in Thanjavur.

"Maybe that's what the horse intended. But if you ask me, I would say that a living Thandavarayan is better than the dead Thanjavur Mutharayan!" said another soldier.

"Thandavaraaya! See if the horse that refuses to take you is a real horse! Perhaps, it was the Poikkaal horse that came to Perumal's festival!" said another mocking lover.

"I will test that too," said Thandavarayan and went to get on the horse and twisted its tail. The angry horse immediately kicked its hind legs four times and ran away.

"The horse is running! The real Guru!" shouted the soldiers, "Uyi! Ui!" they shouted, pushing the running horse further!

The horse ran through the crowd. People moved frantically to avoid being trampled underfoot. Still, some of them were kicked and fell. The horse ran frantically.

All this happened very quickly in front of Vandhiyathevan's eyes. Azhvarkadiyan knew from the look on his face that the horse was his horse.

"You see, brother! What the Pazhuvur thugs did! Isn't it to show them the bravery you came to show me?"

Vandhiyathevan was furious. However, he gritted his teeth and exercised patience. The Pazhuvur soldiers were in a huge crowd. There is no point in going into a fight with so many people at the same time. They didn't even wait to fight him. They laughed at the horse and hurried on. Vandhiyathevan went in the direction the horse had gone. He knew it would run a short distance and then stop on its own. So he didn't care. The thought of teaching Pazhuvertaraiyar's arrogant men a lesson was firmly ingrained in his mind.

Beyond the tamarind grove, in a deserted place, the horse was standing sadly. When Vandhiyathevan went near it, the horse neighed. 'Why did you leave me and put me in this trouble?' its tired sound sounded as if the dumb creature was complaining. Vandhiyathevan patted its back and began to calm it down. Then he took it back and headed towards the road. Many people in the festival crowd looked at him and said, "Why did you bring this wild horse into the crowd, brother! How many people has it kicked away?"

"What will this child do? What does a horse do? Aren't those Pazhuvertaraiyar's rude men who have done this?"

Azhvarkadiyan was still waiting on the road. "Is this the case? It looks like he won't let us go!" thought Vandhiyathevan and frowned.

"Brother! Which way are you going to go?" asked Azhvarkadiyan.

"Me? I will go a little west, then turn south, bend a little east and then go southwest!" said Vandhiyathevan.

"I didn't ask for that, I said, 'Where are you going to stay tonight?'"

"Why do you ask that?"

"If you want to stay in Kadambur Sambuvaraiyar's palace, I have a job there.."

"Do you know magic, do you? How did you know that I am going to Kadampoor palace?"

"What's the wonder here? Today many guests come there from all over the country. That's where Pazhuvertaraiyar and his entourage are going."

"Really?" asked Vandhiyathevan.

"Indeed! Dont you know that? Elephants, horses, palanquins and parivattams all belong to Kadampoor palace. They face Pazhuvertaraiyar and take him. Wherever Pazhuvertaraiyar goes, all this respect has to be done to him."

Vandhiyathevan was lost in silent thought. Staying in Pazhuvertaraiyar's shelter was not an easy option. Perhaps there is an opportunity to get acquainted with the great warrior. But his experience with his rogue entourage was still bitter to him.

"Brother! Will you do me a favor?" asked Azhvarkadiyan in a compassionate voice.

"What can I do to help you? I'm new to this side."

"I'll tell you what you can. Take me to Kadampoor palace tonight!"

"What for? Is there any Veerashaiva coming there? Is Shiva a great deity? Is Thirumal a big deity? Are you going to discuss that and settle it?"

"No, no, don't think it's my job to fight. There will be a big feast at Kadampoor palace tonight. After the feast, Kaliyattam, Samiyattam and Kuravai Koothu will take place. I want to see the monkey!

"Then how can I take you?"

"Call me your servant."

The suspicion in front of Vandhiyathevan was strengthened.

"You'll have to find someone else for that kind of deception. I don't want a servant like you, and they wont believe me. Besides, if I think about what you have said, I wonder if they will let me into the fortress today."

"Then tell him that you didn't take an invitation to Kadampoor!"

"There is a kind of invitation, Sambuvaraiyar's son Kanthamaravel is my best friend. He has invited me many times to come to their palace if I come this way."

"Is that all? In that case, your work will be a little difficult today!"

The two of them went on in silence for a while.

"Why are you still following me?" asked Vandhiyathevan.

"I might as well repeat the question; Why are you following me? Shall I go your way?"

"It's because of the crime of not knowing the way. Believe! Where are you going? Is there a job for Kadampoor?"

"No; You said you couldn't take me there, didn't you? I am going to the temple of heaven."

"To the shrine of Veeranarayana Perumal?"

"Yes."

"I also want to come to that temple and serve Perumal."

"I thought you might not come to the Vishnu temple. Temple to visit; A shrine to be visited. Here, a pattar by name Eswara Muni is doing kainkariyam to Perumal, he is a great saint."

"I've heard that it's a crowd! Is there any special festival in the temple?"

"Yes; Today is Andal's Thirunakshatra. Andal's Thirustar joined the eighteenth Perukku of Aadi ; That's why there's so much excitement. Younger brother! Have you heard any Andal pasuram?"

"I haven't heard."

"Don't ask! Don't listen to it!"

"Why are you so angry?"

"There is no Vaishyam; There is no hostility; I said it for your own good. If you listen to Andal's sweet hymn, then you will throw away your sword and spear and set out on a celestial pilgrimage with love for Krishna like me!"

"Do you know Andal hymns? Will you sing?"

"Some know; We know some of the hymns of Nammazhwar made by Vedam Tamil. I am going to sing in the presence of Perumal, if you want, listen! Here comes the temple!" By this time they had really come close to the Veeranarayana Perumal temple.

Parantaka Chola I, the grandson of Vijayalaya Chola had the title 'Kopparakesari of Madurai and Eelam'. He laid the foundation of the Chola empire. He is famous for his golden roof for Thillai Chittambalam. He bore the epithet Viranarayana, along with many titles such as Cola Sigamani, Surasigamani etc.

In the time of Parantaka the Rashtrakuta kings of the twin mandalams were powerful in the north. Parantaka expected them to invade from the Manukhedam. So he sent his eldest son Prince Rajathitha with a large army to stay in Tirumunaipadi Nadu. When millions of soldiers of that army were idle, Rajathitta made an idea. He wanted to do a great job through the citizens which would be useful to them. The great river called Vada Kaveri by the devotees and Kollidam by others was flowing through the flood waters and flowing wastefully into the sea. With the help of his soldiers, he built a lake as vast as the sea. He called it Veeranarayana Lake after his father's name. He built Veeranarayanapuram on its bank and took a celestial shore from it. In those days Vishnugriha was translated into Tamil as Vinnagaram. Isn't Srimanth Narayana Murthy the one who is immersed in water? Therefore, it was customary in those days to build a temple for Sri Narayana Murthy on the banks of the lake to protect the tanks. Accordingly he built a temple for Veeranarayana Perumal at Veeranarayanapura Vinnagaram.

It was to such a Perumal temple that Vandhiyathevan and Azhvarkadiyan went now. As soon as he reached the sanctum sanctorum, Azhvarkadiyan began to sing. After reciting some of Andal's hymns, he sang a few hymns from NammazhwAr's Tamil Veda.

As he sang thus, tears streamed down Azhvarkadiyan's cheeks. Vandhiyathevan listened to the songs attentively. His earlier opinion about Azhvarkadiyan also changed. 'He is a great devotee!' he thought.

Like Vandhiyathevan, a few others listened to the appasuras carefully. The temple chieftains asked; Priest Eswara Bhatta also stood with tears in his eyes and asked. Standing beside him, he heard his young son, a polygamous boy.

He finished the hymn.

The child son of Pattar who had heard said something to his father. He wiped his tears and said, "Sir! Gurugur Sadagobar alias Nammazhvar seems to have sung a total of 1000 songs. Do you know all that?"

"I am not so fortunate, I only know a few tens!" said Azhvarkadiyan.

"As far as I know, I have to teach this child," said Iswaramunigal.

Later, this town is going to achieve many glories. The child who listened to the hymns of NammazhwAr with his face flowing with milk is going to grow up and become the first Acharya in the Vaishnava Acharya lineage with the name Nathamunigal. He is going to go to Gurugur Azhwar Thirunagar and collect the thousand hymns of 'Vedam Thamizh Seytha Nammazhwar'. His disciples are going to sing the hymns with music and spread them all over the country.

Aalavandar, who is going to be the grandson of Nathamuni, is going to perform many miracles.

Sri Ramanuja himself is going to come one day to have darshan of the kshetra where these two were born. When he comes, he will be amazed to see the Veeranarayana Lake and its 74 passes. Just as the water of the lake flows through the seventy-four passes and sustains the people, so the soul of the saint is going to arise that seventy-four Acharya Peetams should be established to make the flood of Narayana's mercy flow to the millions of living beings. Accordingly, there will be seventy-four Vaishnava Acharya Purushas with the title of 'Simhasanadhipatis'.

Let the history of the Vaishnava Guru lineage tell us all these great events in detail and let us look at Vandhiyathevan again.

When he came out of the temple after serving Perumal, Vandhiyathevan looked at Azhvarkadiyan and said, "Nambis! I did not know that you were such a great devotee and Pandit Shikhamani. I am sorry if I have said anything abusive."

"I beg your pardon; Younger brother! But now do me a favor, tell me!"

"Didn't I tell you I couldn't help you? Have you agreed?"

"This is another matter; Ill give you a small chit. If you stay in Kadampoor palace, you should give it to someone at the right time."

"To whom?"

"To that woman who went behind Pazhuvertaraiyar's elephant in a covered palanquin!"

"Believers! Who do you think I am? Am I the one who got into all this work? If anyone other than you had said such a word to me..."

"Brother! Don't be nervous! If you can't, go and be a king! But if you had helped me alone, my help would have been of use to you at some time; Goodbye!"

Vandhiyathevan did not stop there even for a moment. He jumped on his horse and hurried towards Kadampoor.