Chit-Shakti -The Bhakti of Poosalar Naayanar
Om Namo Namaha Shivaya
One of the paths of Yoga is that of Bhakti- the Yoga of pure devotion. Here, the consciousness of the Jivaatma (individual) is directed towards the Paramatma (all-pervading supreme consciousness) through the practice of Ishwara Pranidhana (absolute surrender). The surrender is to that of a chosen entity, what the Hindus call Ishta Devata, a manifested form of a deity that is rendered divine and chosen in alignment with one’s consciousness, driven by the force of Karma. The self is surrendered in various degrees to weaken the Ahankara (ego) and eventually drop it off completely freeing oneself from the bondage of Maya which is caused by this Ahankara.
In the past and present, this land of India has had countless people, from saints and mystics to householders, from Kings and commanders to commoners, from all the four Varnas ( Brahman, Kshatriya, Vysya, and Sudra), rich and poor, men, women, and children, who have steadfastly tread on the path of Bhakti as a means to expand consciousness and find liberation.
From the land of Tamil Nadu in southern India, there is a Puraanam (ancient account) known as Periya Puraanam authored by Saint Sekkizhar. This Puraanam accounts for the lives of sixty-three saints (main) along with nine other liberated souls, who lived between the 6th and 8th centuries, who came to be known as the Naayanars. These Naayanars also became instrumental in setting up the Bhakti movement in the south.
The Naayanars belonged to the Shaivism tradition, which meant that their devotion, their surrender, their compassion, their love, their existence were all directed towards Lord Shiva. In the path of Bhakti, when the ego is made to realize the Maya of the manifested world, there arise conflicts both from the external and from within. The Naayanars, no matter how extreme (as it may appear on the surface) the external and internal conflicting circumstances were, held with absolute Vairaagyam to their devotion.
Naayanar Poosalar lived in Ninravoor during the 8th century. He lived a life of austerity. A simple hut was his home and a stone placed on the earth was his Shiva Lingam to which he offered all his devotion. Shiva Bhakti filled his being. His eyes held the form of the Shiva Lingam, his ears heard the nada of Shivaya perennially, his lips bore the vaak of Triambakam, his skin, that contacted the Rudraksha mala, that was smeared with Vibhuthi (sacred ash) dwelt in the ambience of Kailasa (the abode of Lord Shiva), his breath took in the divinity of Dhatura (the sacred flower offered to Lord Shiva), his energies held the balanced consciousness of Ardhanarishwara.
When such is the devotion there could be nothing of the external that could manipulate the consciousness and thus was he filled with Ananda (Bliss). And yet, there was manipulation by the worldly manifestation in the form of Desire.
One morning when Poosalar finished his ablution and was meditating in front of his humble Lingam a divine message came to him:
‘How long are you going to be worshiping this piece of stone? Look, it is crumbling away beaten by the heat and wind.’
He was shaken out of his meditative state. The voice constantly stayed with him throughout the day. In the evening at sunset, he sat contemplating: ‘What was the Lord saying to me?’. The sun had gone down and the moon appeared in the sky. ‘Yes,’ he said to himself ‘the Lord wants me to build a temple’. He walked away and slept the night a contented man. He knew exactly what his next action should be. The next full moon to full moon, night and day, with all intent, neglecting food and sleep, he went far and wide, meeting the people with wealth in the town trying to find someone to donate a piece of land and resources for the temple. A man being filled with the Shaiva consciousness, it struck to him how he was disconnected from the external world that he could not gather enough even for a single stone for the temple.
‘O Mahadeva, the strength of an elephant has thy endowed me with,
Carry would I with all my might every single stone to build thy temple.
Blessed me have You with the wisdom of the Vedas that I know every mantra,
To purify and welcome to the sacred space that Thee would dwell in.
My heart burns with desire to see the grandness of the temple I build,
My shoulders bear the weight of the divine Lingam,
I wish to place in the Garbhagudi.
Where is the piece of pure land that I fail to find?’
Thus lamenting and tired he passed out. When he woke up the next morning there was a glow on his whole being. The bliss had returned to his existence. Nobody who saw Poosalar could miss this radiance. ‘what is the matter Poosalar? Have you found the place to build the temple?’
Poosalar replied ‘Yes I have’. To the curious ones he had to explain the land he had found and his plan. ‘What can be a purer sacred space than my very own consciousness. If this manifested world is the work of my Chitta, this is where I will build my temple for my lord’. Most people dismissed him off thinking that his desperation and failure in his attempt to build the temple made him blabber silly things. They laughed, told him ‘have you heard that the Kadava Raja of Kanchi also has started work on the building of a grand temple. Even your imagination would not match that grandeur’.
Poosalar was not discouraged. He started an intense purification of his whole being starting from his physical being. Every grain he ate that became his physical body he consumed with absolute reverence and gratitude so that he was pervaded by Sattvic energies. The water he consumed he treated as the water from mother Ganga who emerged from the dreadlocks of Shiva. He worked with fierce intensity on his Prana. He chanted the Shiva Stotras brought his complete consciousness to Ekagra with the form of the three-eyed one.
In his consciousness, he gathered all the required workforces, laid the foundation, performed the rituals, transported the material and did everything that he would have done if he was working on a physical dimension. He needed no sleep no food and sat in absolute stillness as his consciousness did the work of building the temple. On the day he completed the temple he worked with the astrologer and fixed the auspicious time for him to perform the Prana Pratishta (Consecration). Then he stood and looked up at the temple he had built; tears of ecstasy flowed. He experienced a harmonious contentedness that indicated to him that his Lord had accepted his devotion.
At the same time, the Kadava Raja also had completed his grand temple and consulted the astrologer who had suggested the same time as it was the most auspicious for the Prana Pratishta. The Raja asked the messengers to send word to the priests to prepare for the rituals. That night Lord Shiva appeared in the dream of the Raja and told him ‘Raja, you have to wait and conduct the ritual on the next auspicious day as I am going to be present at the temple of Poosalar of Ninravoor on your chosen day’. When the Raja woke from his dream he was surprised. Who could build a temple greater than his in his own kingdom that he is unaware of? So, he summoned his transport and set off to Ninravoor to see this great temple that the Lord had chosen over his own temple.
On reaching Ninravoor he asked around for Poosalar and was shown directions to find him. He reached a humble hut and found a skinny simple man and asked him with humility ‘ Where can I find Poosalar?’ Poosalar was surprised at the king’s inquiry and said ‘Why my king, I am Poosalar, how can I be of service?’.
King said, “I come to you to request you to lead me to the grand temple that you have built. None have heard of it. But, Lord Shiva has preferred your temple to the one I have built with all grandeur. I wish to see this temple of superior divinity that the Lord Himself has chosen.” Poosalar understood all. He narrated to the king everything about the building of the temple. Being a man of spiritual intent, the king spoke nothing but simply bowed down in reverence to the devotion and acknowledged the grandeur of Poosalar’s temple.
Today The Irudayaleeshwarar (Lord who resides in the devotee’s heart)temple built by the Pallavas in Thirunindravoor stands in honor of Naayanar Poosalar.
Thennadudaiya Sivane Potri:
Author: Yoga Sadhaka Narendhran- Teacher at Ek Omkar Yoga Center