The Religion and Philosophy of Tevaram (Thevaram)
by M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy | 1958 | 410,072 words
This page describes 鈥渘ayanar 56: pugazh thunai (pukalttunai)鈥� from the religion of the Thevaram: a comparative study of the Shaivite saints the Thiruthondathogai. The 7th-century Thevaram (or Tevaram) contains devotional poems sung in praise of Shiva. These hymns form an important part of the Tamil tradition of Shaivism
Nayanar 56: Pugazh Thunai (Pukalttunai)
The 56th saint is Pukalttunai Nayanar (Pugazh Thunai), and 础谤耻谤补谤鈥檚 words are, 鈥�Putai culnta puliyatalmel aravata atip ponnatikke manam vaitta Pukalttunaikkum atiyen鈥濃�� 鈥業 am the servant of Pukalttunai who concentrated his mind on the golden feet of the Lord of dance who dances whilst the serpents on the tiger鈥檚 skin round him, dance.鈥�
Nanacampantar himself speaks of this saint as the servant of the Lord, who was in a sorry plight and who received a coin every day and worshipped at Puttur in the morning and evening. One may be tempted to make him a contemporary of Nanacampantar because of the verb in the phrase 鈥�Porrum Putture鈥�.
In his Arisirkaraiputhur hymn, Arurar gives the story of this saint in the 6th verse: 鈥淭he Brahmin who belonged to the inner circle of service (akattatimai) brought water from the Aricil river and was bathing the Lord. He was so famished and weak that he let fall the water pot on your crown. He shook with fear. You arranged a daily batta of one gold coin and made it enter the grateful hands of Pukalttunai. You were happy for having done this. O, thou pure God of Tirupputtur full of gardens鈥濃�攖his is the substance of the verse.
Nampiyantar makes him a native of Ceruviliputtur. There was a great famine and this saint had no food. Therefore, he had to let fall the wnter pot on the Lord who, therefore, blessed him with wealth.
Cekkilar tells us that a sleep overcame him when on account of fatigue he let fall the water pot. In the dream, the Lord appeared to inform that a coin everyday would be placed till the famine was over. Waking up from sleep he found a coin below the seat of the Lord.
The Darasuram sculpture represents this story on its northern wall. This story has to be read from the left to the right. We find a vimana, and a linga beneath it in the Garbhagrha, on which linga, Pukalttunai is letting fall his water vessel whilst he himself collapses and sits down overcome by fatigue. Probably he had dreamt of the promise of the gold coin and we see him walking away having left the garbhagrha and the mantapa in front of it. We see him walking between his mantapa and the sacred bull, holding up his slightly extended hands in wonder and awe. There is a 鈥�balipitha鈥� behind the sacred bull, and we see Pukalttunai in the act of taking away a coin from there. There is another temple probably of the Mother Goddess also represented behind him though it does not explain the story any further.
Pukalttunai Nayanar鈥檚 name is translated into Kirtinatha in the Sanskrit and Kannada traditions which though giving the story of the saint letting fall the vessel, does not mention the gift of the coin by the Lord.