7. எறிபத்தர் - Eripaththa Naayanaar


Eripaththa Naayanaar was born in Karuvur, one of the main cities of the Chola Kingdom. It was a very sacred place, situated on the bank of the river Ambiravati (Amaravathi). On both the banks of this river saints and sages were doing Tapas and were radiating spiritual vibrations. A famous temple was there which is dedicated to Lord Pasupatheesvarar, who was showering His grace on the king and the people alike. They were all happy.

Eripaththa Naayanaar was daily worshipping Lord Pasupatheesvarar with great faith and devotion. His one aim in life was to serve Shiva devotees and to offer them every kind of protection. He always carried a weapon, an axe, for this purpose. And with his axe, he cut down the troubles put to the devotees, whenever such an atrocity appears. With the axe he would punish anyone trying to harm Shiva devotees. He was doing by this the Lord’s own work!

In that city, there lived a saint & devotee of Lord Shiva by name Shivakamiyandar, who engaged his body and mind in the service of submitting sandal-smelling garlands to the Lord Pasupatheesvarar. He was very regular in his daily worship of Lord Siva. Early morning would find him in the garden after bath, collecting flowers, making garlands for taking to the temple and offering to the Lord. One day on fine morning in his routine he filled his basket with fresh flowers with the mind filled with the thoughts of God. He rushed to the temple to be in time for the service.

That day was the day before the great Maha Navami (during Dusserra) celebrations and hence the decorated royal elephant of the emperor Pukazch Chozar was going around the town. On its back were two Mahouts, and three others were escorting it. Suddenly, it went mad and was chasing the people. They were running here and there. It saw Shivakamiyandar who was rushing to the temple with the basket full of flowers and walking fast in a hurry. The impudent elephant grabbed the basket and strew the flowers onto the ground thus straying his heart into pieces. The elephant had destroyed the flowers he had kept for the worship of the Lord. The guard controlled the elephant realizing the sin it did and whisked it away, but the stalled Shivakamiyandar ran behind the elephant to hit it in despair, but couldn't owing to his old age. He rolled on the ground cried, wept with tears quenching the ground. He screamed, " Oh Shiva ! You ripped the roaring elephant and wore its skin ! You are the strength for the strength less! What can I do now? The elephant strewed off the flowers I brought for your scented head!! Oh my Shiva! Oh my Shiva!!"

When he was weeping bitterly, crying aloud: ‘Sivada, Sivada’ (a cry expressing agony). Eripaththa Naayanaar happened to pass that way. He heard Shivakamiyandar’s pitiable cry and the cause of it. ‘Where is that elephant?’ asked Eripaththar and began to run in the direction indicated by Shivakamiyandar. He went like a storm, like the god of death, to slaughter the elephant. He sprang and cut off its trunk with the dreadful axe in his hand and killed the guards who failed in their duty, but tried to stop him from his deed. The other guards who escaped ran to the guard of the kingdom to tell, "Somebody killed the royal elephant and the guards".

The superior king (Pukazch Choza Naayanaar), who was a nightmare for enemies, reached the spot as a roaring lion - eyes red in anger, with his rich armed forces. Contrary to his expectation, he didn't see any enemy army but saw a sage standing in front of the elephant, which was rolling in the sea of blood. "Where is the enemy who dared to do this", he roared. The guards said it was Eripaththar, the Siva yogi who was standing in front of him. He got surprised and said, "If the devotees who are the form of love get irked, then there should be strong valid reason behind it. What a worst sin I could have done for the devotee to become dreadful"? He climbed down from his horse, bowed to the devotee Eripaththar who was in the form of fury, and asked humbly addressed Eripaththar: ‘Oh Swami, I did not know that you killed the elephant. Definitely, the elephant and the Mahouts must have done some harm to you and you rightly punished them.’ "What was the crime the elephant and the guards did to get this piteous condition?" Eripaththar narrated to the king all that had happened, and said: ‘Since the elephant and the Mahouts were guilty of Siva-Aparadham, I killed them.’ The moment the king heard the expression Siva-Aparadhara (sin against Lord Siva) he suffered terrible mental agony. He fell at the feet of Eripaththar and said: ‘O Swami, for what they have done, the punishment awarded by you is not enough. I have committed a great crime by keeping such an elephant and such Mahouts. Now, I do not deserve a death through your holy weapon, the axe. Here is my own sword. Please be gracious enough to cut off my head with it.’

Eripaththar was stunned to hear these words. He himself was struck with remorse. ‘What a great pain have I inflicted on the king? What a noble king he is!’ he thought; and, lest the king should execute the punishment on himself, he took the sword from the king. Eripaththar felt that he was the cause for the king’s affliction, and in self-punishment, he began to cut his own throat. The king was alarmed. He thought that he would now be guilty of another offence and at once gripped the sword and stopped Eripaththar from cutting his own throat.

The Lord’s play was over. A voice was heard in the sky: ‘Oh noble souls! This is Lord Pasupatheesvarar’s Leela(play). It is His wish that His devotee’s sincere and faithful service to Him must be recognized by the world.’ Immediately, the elephants and the Mahouts got up, as from sleep.  Sivakamiyandar’s flower basket was full. All were amazed and began to sing Lord Pasupatheesvarar’s glory. Eripaththar placed the sword at the king’s feet and prostrated to him. The king also fell at Eripaththar’s feet. Both embraced each other and were in great joy. Eripaththar wished that the king should mount his pet elephant. The king did so. Eripaththar returned to his place. Sivakamiyandar went to the temple with the flowers.

Eripaththar continued his service to the Lord and became the head of Shiva gyana on reaching Kailasham. Let the valor of Eripaththar who raised his sword against the elephant without bothering about it being the royal elephant because of the sin it did and the fame of Pukazch Chozar who gave his sword to kill himself for the sin of his possession stays in the mind.