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.
