Jai Sriman Narayana !!
Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara !!
Mandu Kadhalin Maravar Makizhdhudan Year
Andar Thampiran Thiru Arai Kovanam Athuvum
Konda Anpinin Kuraipada Adiyavar Adimaith
Thondum Oththathal Othuner Nindradhath Thulaithan
Amarnidhi Nayanar was a wealthiest merchant in Pazhaiyarai, one of the prosperous cities in the Kingdom of Chola Dynasty. Amarnidhi Nayanar was a trader by profession, dealing with precious jewels, silks and cotton. He imported superior qualities of goods and sell them at a reasonable price. Thus, he made a huge wealth out of fair business. Nayanar was a zealous devotee of Lord Shiva. He receives the devotees of Lord Shiva with utmost respect and devotion. He serves them with food, offer cloth and sends them off with a handful of gifts.
Sri Dharbaranyeshwar Temple of Lord Shiva situated at Thirunallar is the place where Amarnidhi Nayanar visits quite often to worship Lord Shiva, especially during the festivities. Subsequently, His supreme devotion to Lord and everlasting desire to serve his devotees made him to settle down in Thirunallar. He was passionate about his regular visits to the temple and serving his devotees with their requirements. He established a Mutt (to serve the devotees of Lord with food and shelter) led a devoted life, found divine pleasure in constant chanting of ‘Panchakshara Mantra’ and serving devotees. The most empathetic Lord pleased at the devotion and services of Amarnidhi Nayanar and decided to glorify his good deeds to public.
One day, a Brahmachari with all the appearances of a devotee of Lord Shiva, the brilliance in his face reveals the saintly grace and divinity in him, beautifully smeared ashes on the body and Rudraksha added brilliance to his looks, he gracefully walked towards the Mutt. Nayanar was extremely joyful at the sight of the Brahmachari and rushed to him. The scintillating eyes of Brahmachari keenly looked into the eyes of Nayanar and pleasingly informed him about his willingness to remain his guest on that day. It mounted the happiness of Nayanar. Brahmachari handed Nayanar with a dried loin cloth to keep it safely as he wanted to have holy dip in the river and perform oblations. He also informed that he would be back any time to receive Nayanar’s honor and left the place.
Brahmachari arrived at the Mutt after finishing holy dip and oblations. He asked for his loin cloth to Nayanar. Nayanar who has kept the lion cloth safely went to get it for the Brahmachari. To his utter amazement, the cloth was not in its place. Nayanar was felt ashamed of his irresponsibility to keep a simple loin cloth safe in his custody. He was feeling guilty at his carelessness; he came back to Brahmachari with a face hung down of shame and guilt. Nayanar revealed his innocence and his readiness to offer anything in its place of a loin cloth. Brahmachari genuinely exposed to his desire to have nothing other than a loin cloth. Nayanar agonizingly remembered the truth that a Brahmachari does not require any wealth other than a minimum cloth to wear, due to his negligence the Brahmachari lost that too. After seeing the anxious state of Nayanar, Brahmachari agreed to receive anything which weighing equal to his drenched loin cloth. Amarnidhi Nayanar felt relived at this and brought a balancing equipment to weigh the drenched loin cloth of Brahmachari. He placed the drenched loin cloth in one plate and his precious jewels on the other. He kept adding his wealth one by one on the balancing machine, miraculously the scale was not moving a bit. Nayanar painfully remembered that all his wealth were added on the balancing machine and he had nothing to offer, so far the weighing machine was not showing any sign at all.
Nayanar worriedly approached Brahmachari and fell on his feet. Nayanar vulnerably revealed the truth that he has nothing to offer other than himself, his wife and a child. At this, Nayanar, his wife and the child got into the other plate of scale, remembering the services he had offered to Lord and his devotees were true to his spirit or not. To his utter amazement, the scale balanced equal, Brahmachari disappeared instantly. The people witnessed were astounded at the devotion of Nayanar. Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati appeared before Nayanar and blessed him with eternal salvation for his unparalleled devotion to the devotees of Lord.
In the Tamil Month Ani – Puram is celebrated as Guru Puja Day to commemorate the above incident.
Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara !!
Jai Sriman Narayana !!
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