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| Sasikala addressing on Konunattu Sthalapuranangal |
While today there are stringent rules
against religious conversion through 'fraudulent' means, centuries
ago, conversions of faith were carried out through still more
enticing ways. As Buddhism and Jainism dismissed immortality and
afterlife in their doctrines, Shaivism, a major branch of Hinduism,
used clever strategies to lure people by promising them the
impossibilities in life as possible by fabricating them in puranas
and ithihasas.
“While Buddhism and Jainism lost
popularity among the people for their rational views of life,
Shaivism succeeded by creating and spreading unbelievable myths and
fables” said G.Sasikala, a resource person in Tamil Virtual Academy
and a researcher on temple myths.
Addressing on the topic 'Kongunattu
Thalapuranangal' ( Temple myths in Kongunadu) in the monthly lecture
series at The Vanavarayar Foundation recently, she compared the two
incidents in the lives of Lord Buddha and Sundaramurthy Nayanar, a
shaiva bakthi poet.
“ Once, a grieving woman, who lost
her only son, came to Lord Buddha and prayed to him to bring her boy
back to life. Though Buddha took pity on the poor woman, he wanted to
teach her indirectly the fact of death being inevitable to all. He
told her that he would resurrect her boy, on condition that she must
bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house, in which no one had
ever died. As instructed by Him, she visited a number of houses and
realised that there could never be one such house on earth. By making
her do so, Buddha made her know that none on earth can escape death”
But, Sundaramurthy Nayanar, in his
Tevaram narrates an incident that he heard two discordant
notes coming from opposite houses – one echoing joy and the other
sorrow. The poet learned that two boys of the same age had gone to
bathe in a tank, from which a crocodile emerged and devoured one of
them. And after three years, the parents of the surviving boy were
happily conducting Upanayanam ( Thread ceremony) for their
son, while the parents of the dead were wailing over their departed
son. Moved by this scene, Sundaramurthy Nayanar sang a pathigam (
poem in praise of a deity consisting generally of ten stanzas ),
worshiping Lord Shiva to resurrect the dead boy. As a result, it is
said that the crocodile appeared from the surging tank and ejected
the boy, which it had swallowed !
“ Thus Shaivism brought the people
into its faith by making them believe the impossible as
possible”explained Sasikala.
An author of the research books
Pullamangai, Thiruchennampoondi and Keeragaloor ,
Sasikala, however, said that
sthala puranas are
great resources to know the regional history of places.
“ Despite
myths enveloping such local histories in sthala puranas, a
serious researcher on them can separate out the facts “ noted
Sasikala.
Muthupalaniappan,
former Joint Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
Department, who republished the works Avinashi sthala
purana and Thirumuruganpoondi
sthala purana, chipped in:
“ The
Thudisai Sthalapurana
has documented Sundaramurthy Nayanar's visit to Thudiyalur. As Lord
Shiva is believed to have treated the devotional poet with a dish of
mouth-watering Murungaikeeerai
(cooked leaves of drumstick), the deity came to be called
'Viruntheeswarar'. Moreover the sthala puranas of
Thirumurthi temple and Dharapuram temple in the Kongu region, were
penned by a barber and the saatrukavi (
A poem in praise) for the works was written by a Muslim, whose
profession was fixing laadam (
horse shoe) for oxen”
Link to the article in The New Indian Express : http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/957899/The-New-Indian-Express-Coimbatore/05102016#page/18/1
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