Murugan is revered as the supreme deity above the Trimurti-s and Deva-s in both dream and consciousness. Pamban Adikalar was a devotee who worshipped such a deity in both dream and waking life. He was a follower of Shuddh-advaita and was the Guru of Tamil scholars Thiru Vi. Kalyanasundaranar (Thiru ViKa) and S Sachinandam Pillai. He was a leading sage among other Gurus and was knowledgeable in the ashtama-sidhdhis. Despite his mastery of supernatural powers, he controlled them as they were obstacles to attain moksha.
I will provide a portion of his history here. He was born as a result of the devotion and penance of Saththappa Pillai and Sengamalathammai in Pamban in the Shaiva Velala tradition in 1850. He was named Appavu.
Pamban Adigal had a deep devotion to Lord Murugan from a young age. He regularly recited the six-letter “Sa-ra-va-na-bha-va” mantra, also known as the Sadakkara mantra in Tamil, and received the blessings of Lord Murugan as a result.
With Arunagiri Nathar as his inspiration, Pamban Adigal made a promise to write one poem dedicated to Lord Muruga for every ten poems he wrote. He sought the blessings of the deity and became fluent in classical Tamil language. He began writing poems about his beloved deity, Lord Muruga. Despite leading a household life for some time, he longed for a life of asceticism within.
Let’s know about an incident that happened in 1891. One day, Pamban Adigalar said to his friend Angamuthu Pillai, “I will go to Palani tomorrow”.
His friend asked, “When will you return?”
“I won’t return” Adigalar replied.
His friend asserted, “You started immediately without a word. is it an order from Murugan?”
Adikalar agreed, “Yes”.
In the evening, as Pamban Adigalar was meditating on the terrace, a towering figure appeared before him. The figure was grinding its teeth in anger and pointing its index finger at Adigalar. It shouted at him, “Dey, Did you lied as an order from God? I don’t think I ordered you. Why did you lied?”.
Pambal Swamigal was shaking with fear upon seeing that figure. He was sweating profusely and could not utter a word. Instead, he silently prayed in his mind. ‘Oh my lord, the ocean of kindness! I did not lie to earn a land or wealth. I lied in considering the anma-laabam (benefit of my soul). Kindly forgive me’.
Almighty asked, “Do you want to get the anma-laabam by lieing? Can’t I offer it to you?”. In addition, it ordered, “You should not come to Palani until I order you. tell me you won’t!”
Adigal’s tongue twisted, “I won’t come until I get an order”.
The massive figure vanished.
Adigal rose to his feet and fell to the ground to pay homage to his deity. From then on, he never told a lie, even jokingly, out of fear of incurring divine retribution.
Adigal implored Murugan to call him to Palani, but the deity declined. Adigal visited and venerated all sacred sites except Palani, and was punished for a minor falsehood.
After embracing the ascetic lifestyle, he boarded a boat and crossed the Pamban River. With hands folded in reverence, he silently paid homage to his birthplace. “Oh my mother land, I will not come to this soil with this body”.
He venerated various sacred shrines and was known by the monastic name Kumara Guru Dasar.
In the Tamil month of Panguni (March-April) 1894, he was residing in a village called Pirappanvalasai, where he was attended to by a disciple named Udayanayagam Pillai.
Pamban Swami had a strong desire to see and worship Murugan with his own eyes. He made a firm resolve that he would survive only if he were granted the vision of Kandavel, otherwise, he would not.
Kumara Gurudasa Swamigal (also known as Pamban Adigal) visited a cemetery with his disciple UdayaNayagam Pillai. They erected a pavilion, under which Gurudasa asked his disciple to dig a pit that could accommodate a person. He instructed UdayaNayagam to surround the pit with thorns as a fence.
He said, “UdayaNayagam, I will sit inside the pit and start my penance towards Murugan. I will come back if I happened to see Murugan. Or else, I’ll die and disappear. You keep a small scoop of food without salt in every afternoon. If I did not take it, you don’t have to feed me later. Never ever forget Murugan” and blessed him.
Gurudasa descended into the pit, clasped his hands and placed them on his head. He prayed by uttering “Kumara Guru!” and faced the north direction while sitting inside.
UdayaNayagam Pillai was heartbroken at the sight and, out of fear of disobeying his guru, worshiped him before returning home.
Adigalar concentrated and delved deep into meditation. He battled with his monkey mind for five days while eating saltless food. During this time, a snake appeared and six or seven ghosts of both male and female genders tried to distract him by dancing at night. Despite these disturbances, Adigalar continued to pray with the sadakara mantra, and the ghosts were unable to touch him before eventually disappearing.
A muni with a tall, pure white form approached and entered the pit to lift Adigalar out. The muni used a oak stick as a yoga tandam to beat it, and the stick disappeared into smoke along with the muni. Adigalar loudly recited the sadakara mantra, causing the king of ghosts to retreat a mile to the south before disappearing.
Adigalar prayed and cried towards baby god, “oh my lord, Shanmugha, the ocean of grace, the treasure of mercy, what a challenge I’m facing. Why do I suffering this much? I wanted to see your divine form. I abandoned my relatives, parents, wife and children. I forget all obscenities. Oh the husband of Valli! I am your servant. I forget everything and got down into the pit in graveyard and started this penance to see you. why do you refuse to possess me?”
On the seventh day, a male infant appeared and bestowed blessings upon Adigalar. The baby was accompanied by two rishi-s with matted hair on either side. The rishi-s told the baby, “Oh thy baby god, he is in penance towards you”.
The baby, named Velan (meaning “the one with the sphere”), beckoned Adigalar towards him and blessed him. Adigalar rose to his feet and prayed to Velan. The divine being whispered something into Adigalar’s ear and blessed him. Murugan and the rishis disappeared like a thunderstorm towards the west.
Adigalar sat in meditation, following the divine preaching. He remained still, like a tree trunk, and became an embodiment of Saint Arunagiri Nathar’s poetry.
சொன்ன கிரவுஞ்ச கிரியூடுருவந் தொளைத்த வைவேல்
மன்ன! கடம்பின் மலர்மாலை மார்பா! மௌனத்தையுற்று
நின்னை யுணர்ந்துணர்ந் தெல்லாம் ஒருங்கிய நீர்க்குணம்பூண்டு
என்னை மறந்திருந்தேன் இறந்தேவிட்ட திவ்வுடம்பேOh, king of the sphere, who pierced the Grauncha hill!
Kandhar AlangkAram by Thiru Arunagirinathar – 19 sonna kirounja
Oh, one with a chest adorned with a garland of Kadamba flowers!
I sought solitude to contemplate and focus my mind on you.
I have lost myself, this body is but a mere shell.
Adigalar was so absorbed in his devotion that he lost track of time, spending 28 days in contemplation before descending into the pit. After 35 days, there was a loud, thunderous sound and the land and sky appeared to shake.
A brilliant light appeared and a divine voice spoke from the sky. “Ekadasa Rudra-s were coming. You get up!”
Adigalar said, “I will not get up for anybody’s order except Kandavel”
There was another voice “It is the order of Murugan, Get up!”
Upon hearing the divine voice, Adigalar rose to his feet and offered a salute by placing his hands on his head. He then bid farewell after saying “I cant leave this place where I was blessed. I am afraid to refuse the order of my father-like God. Hence I leave”. Moon was shining in west direction.
Adigalar sat on the shaded verandah of UdayaNayagam Pillai’s house. Once dawn broke, UdayaNayagam and other disciples gathered around him. Adigalar asked for a Panchangam (Hindu calendar) to determine the date. He realized that he had been in meditation for 35 days.
Adigalar recorded these events in his poetry.
Adigalar worshipped his deity in both his dreams and waking state and rejoiced repeatedly.
Adigalar had the practice of eating a small lunch devoid of salt, tamarind, chili, mustard, oil, and sugar. He lived an ascetic life, embodying the qualities of a rishi.
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On December 27, 1923, Adigalar was involved in a vehicle accident that resulted in a fracture of one of his legs. The British doctors who treated him advised that the leg should be amputated, given his age and habit of avoiding salt and spices. However, on the next day of the new moon, Adigalar prayed to Murugan and requested to be saved.
During his prayer, he saw a vision of a blue peacock dancing in the sky with its feathers spread, and another peacock dancing below. He was amazed and worshipped this sight from his hospital bed.
Adigalar then saw a vision of two small spheres scratching his fractured leg, and suddenly, the leg joined back together. The next day, when the British doctor came to check on him, he saw a child in the bed, but the child disappeared as he approached.
Miraculously, Adigalar was able to walk again, and he attributed this to the intervention of Murugan.
Adigalar composed 6,666 poems in classical Tamil and also wrote prose.
On May 30th, 1929, his soul reached the divine steps of Lord Murugan on the day of Sashti Thithi.
His memorial temple is located in Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai and is considered a place of supreme peace, where enmities are said to be removed upon worship.
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Today is Thaipusam day. This is a special post to celebrate the same. It is an ancient Tamil festival celebrated by the Tamil community around the world, including in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is not associated with Tamil politics.
Translated to English as part of Blogchatter’s WRITE A PAGE A DAY 2023 campaign.