PATTINATHAR

Pattinathar also called Pattinathu Chetty, was born in an affluent Nagarathar (trading community of Tamilnadu – Natukotai Chettiars) family. His orignal name was Swetharanyan.  The people called him Thiuvengkaadar. His parents were Sivanesan Chettiar and Gnanakalai Aachi. He had an elder sister. At the time, it was the privilege of the most affluent community to conduct the coronation of Kings who ascended to the throne. And for three generations or more, Pattinathar's ancestors have crowned the Kings in the Chera, Chola, Pandya and the Pallava Kingdoms. That gives us an understanding of how wealthy their family should have been. They owned ships that sailed to various countries for trading.

 
Swetharanyan, born in the lineage of traders, instinctively had the skills for trade and over the years, he became very successful and became the wealthiest trader in Kaveripoompattinam. Thereafter, due to his eminence, his proximity to the King and his generosity he was referred to as Pattinathu Chetty or Pattinathar, as the people hesitated to address him by his given name due to the respect & fear that he commanded in society. He was married at the age of 16 to a girl named Sivakalai, the daughter of Sivachidambara Chettiar & Sivakami Achi. The couple did not beget a child even 15 years after marriage. They were worried as there was no heir to their wealth. They visited a lot of temples but still were not blessed with a child. Pattinathar's mother even suggested that he marry another girl. In those days, it was normal for a man to have more than one wife. However he was not willing to think of any other girl as his wife. His mother, honoured his wish and did not pursue this suggestion.

Pattinathar had a dream one night in which He saw an elderly couple near Thiruvidaimarudhur, with a young infant. They were in despair as they were very poor and were unable to feed themselves, and could not provide for the infant. Pattinathar heard a divine voice asking him to travel to Thiruvidai Marudhur. He woke up from his dream and the next day Pattinathar and Sivakalai headed to Thiruvidai Marudhur. And when he reached Thiruvidai Marudhur, he saw the same elderly couple that he saw his in dreams. They told him that they were poor and the child was born at a very late age, and now they were weak and unable to feed themselves. They were Sivasarumar & his wife. He exhausted all his wealth in feeding the devotees of Lord Shiva. When all his wealth was spent he sold his wife's nuptial chain (thali) and fed the devotees of Lord Siva. Once in his dream, Lord Siva appeared and told him, he would find Him (Lord Siva) as a baby at a certain spot. "Hand over the baby boy to Thiruvengkadar. He would give gold equal to the weight of the baby”.

The  Saivaite devotees found the baby and took him to Thiruvenkadar who was also known as Pattinathar (town resident) or 'Pattinathar Chetty' trader from the town. Pattinathar and Sivakalai were in tears. They considered that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi themselves came as the elderly couple and blessed them with the child and they took the child in adoption

Pattinathar's sister, who had assumed that her family would automatically inherit Pattinathar’s wealth, as he had no heir, had her dreams shattered by the adoption of this child. She argued and quarrelled with his brother. But Pattinathar made a firm decision that he is going to adopt that child and that child will be his heir. The child was adopted in a grand ceremony and was named - Marudhavanan. They considered Marudhavanan as their own child and showed him a great love and affection.

Marudhavanan grew up like a prince. While still young, Marudhavanan expressed his interest to set sail across the oceans to where Pattinathaar's ships travelled.

Pattinathaar, pleased that his son evinced interest in business, made necessary preparations and Marudhavanan set sail on the ocean to far off countries where his father had business interests promising his father that he would return with wealth that his father had never seen. On its return, the ship that carried Marudhavanan was caught in a terrible storm and there was danger of the son losing his life. The father prayed fervently for the safe return of his son. He prayed that his son’s life may be spared and that he was not mindful of the loss of any wealth. Marduvanan returned safely to Kaveripoompattinam. Pattinathaar was overjoyed upon receiving the news that his son was back safe and unharmed. He went to receive his son back home. Marudhavanan hugged Pattinathaar and happily exclaimed that he has brought all the treasures he promised. He asked his father to order the workers to unload the treasures he brought with him and ran out saying that he is going to meet Grandmother. Pattinathaar ordered his men to unload the treasure. The men unloaded many sacks. Pattinathaar was surprised because, precious gems and gold were not tied up in sacks. They would be locked up securely in boxes. He opened one of the sacks and all he found was dried cow dung cakes (Varatti) and husk.

Pattinathaar grew furious and asked one of his men to carry a sack, went home angrily and shouted for Marudhavanan. His mother came out and was surprised to see her son angry, asked why he was angry. Pattinathaar said with great asperity, "See what your grandson has got?" and kicked the sack down. The sack fell open and to his surprise the dried cow dung shattered into precious gems and the husk was nothing but strands of gold. Pattinathaar's joy knew no bounds and was very happy that his son Marudhavanan had brought in such enormous wealth. By then, his mother came near him, gave him a box and told that Marudhavanan asked her to give Pattinathaar this box. She also told Marudhavanan is a very playful kid and that after giving the box He ran away saying that no one needed to search for him. Pattinathaar opened the box and found a needle with a broken eyelet and a small palm leaf with something written on it. It read,

"Kaadhatra Oosiyum Vaaraadhu Kaan Kadaivazhikkae"

meaning, even this useless needle with a broken eyelet (actually kadu means ear) will not accompany you in your final journey (after death).

Pattinathaar was dazed upon reading these words. He found everything to be an illusion before him. He realised that he went sought wealth that is ephemeral in nature. At that moment, His mother appeared to him as Goddess Shakti (Lord Shiva's consort) and Marudhavanan as Lord Kandhan (Lord Murugan). He realised that everything in life is just an illusion and that we are all trapped in such an inescapable illusion. He realised that he was caught in the whirl of bonding and affection. Then & there he decided to renounce such worldly life and become a sanyasi. He met his mother and told her. His mother said that she was not surprised, but she expected this. Pattinathaar went inside one of the rooms in the house and came out dressed in the loin cloth. Then his mother instructed Himto get the blessings and diksha from the Guru from whom his grandfather got sanyasam. Before he left, his mother tied a small cloth pouch to his hip and told Him that he should meet her if the pack unties, because that will signify her end.

Pattinathaar went to the Gurukulam for the first time in his life, though it was the Gurukulam established by one of his ancestors and their family were the patrons of that Gurukulam over the ages,  Pattinathaar never ventured there before. He went in and got the blessings and diksha from the Guru. When he came out of the Gurukulam, he was given the beggar's shell (Thiruvodu). Sanyasis are expected to beg and eat their daily meal as they have renounced everything in life and nothing belongs to them. Hence even the food for their living has to be given by others, symbolising that everything in this world, including one's soul is the alms given by God.

Pattinathaar, with his Thiruvodu, went to meet his mother as the first alms for a sanyasi should be from his mother. That's when he pondered thus:


Veedirukka Thaayirukka Vendu Manayaal Irukka
Peedu Irukka Oon Irukka Pillaigalum Thaanirukka
Maadirukka Kandrirukka Vaitha Porulirukka
Koodirukka Nee Pona Kolamenna Kolamae

meaning  "You have your home, You have your mother, You have a wife. You have the fame, You have good healthy body, You even have children. You have the cow, And the cow has its calf, you even have the wealth for generations. While body is still alive, look what you have been – (a Sanyasi)"

Then he walks straight to his home to get the first alms from his mother. He called his mother from the gates. His mother came out with an empty hand and asked "My dear son, are you still rich?" Pattinathaar was puzzled at his mother's question. He wondered why his mother asked this question when he had renounced everything and was begging for alms. His mother replied:

veedu unakku anniyam aagivittathu aanaal Oodu unakku sontham aagivittathae appa!
 

meaning "Though home is now alien to you, but now you own the tiruvodu my son!

Pattinathaar realised that even the Thiruvodu was an asset that was to be forsaken. He had a much better realisation now that He was a sanyasin not a beggar; he was about to throw away his thiruvodu, but his mother stopped him and said. "Use it my son, but if you lose it don't search as if you have lost your property". Then she gave the first alms to Pattinathaar, he moved on. Then he came across his elder sister's house, she saw him and invited him into her home and provided him a feast. When Pattinathaar obliged and sat for the meal, his sister asked about transferring the right to Pattinathaar's property in writing. Pattinathaar immediately left the house without eating and made up his mind never to come to that house. But his sister went behind him always, she sent spies to look where he was going. Finally one day, she sent her children to meet their maternal uncle. She asked the children to give their uncle the Appam (see recipies) she had prepared. The children sprang up in love on Pattinathaar when they saw him. He had a lot of affection for those kids, so he picked them up in his arms and talked to them. They gave him the Appam that their mother had asked to give him and they left. When Pattinathaar was about to eat it he realised that the appam was poisoned. He realised that his sister had tried to kill him. He went straight to his sister's house and threw the appam on roof top and went away singing these two lines

than vinai thannai sudum , Ottappam vittai sudum!

meaning, As one gets burnt by his sin, so shall the appam on the tiled roof top burn the house.

The entire house was engulfed in flames. Upon witnessing this miracle, his relatives and others recognised that he was no ordinary mortal now but a Siddha purusha and began revering Him as Pattinathadigal.

From then on Pattinathaar went on to the temples in the nearby towns and sang in praise of Lord Shiva in those temples. One day when he was in Thiruvidaimarudhur, the small pack that his mother tied to his hips untied itself indicating the his mother was her deathbed. He rushed to see his mother and as he was praying while he rushed, his mother held her life in her hands until Pattinathaar reached. Then his mother passed away in his hands. Pattinathaar wept profusely remembering how his mother had brought him up from a baby to a man. The funeral pyre was made ready. Pattinathar covered the body with fresh plantain stems & leaves and lamented by singing 10 verses in utter sorrow. When these verses were uttered, the pyre caught fire on its own. These verses even now move devotees to tears, when read.

Pattinaththar was wandered throughout the land.On one such a soujourn, he came to Tiruvarur. He found a small old Ganapati temple there. There was a small porchlike mandapam hall in the front of the smaller garbhagriham of the temple. There, he soon went into a deep meditation and attained Nirvikalpa samadhi. Nearby was a beautiful big pond. On that particular day, the queen was bathing there. Even though there were armed guards everywhere, a thief sneaked into the tent, where the valuable jewellery of the queen were kept and he stole the royal pearl necklace. The guards immediately spotted him and they gave chase. The thief ran as fast as he could. But he soon realised that he could not outmatch the guards as they were converging from every direction. He passed the small temple. He saw Pattinaththaar there, sitting with closed eyes and he threw the pearl necklace around the neck of the silent figure of Pattinaththaar. Since he did not have anything incriminating the guards let him go but they found Pattinaththaar in the temple, with the royal necklace around his neck. The soldiers and imprisoned him. The news reached the king, King Bhardragiri by name (a king of a province near present day Thanjavur in the 9^th century, not to be confused with King Bhartrahari of Ujjainof the 7^th century). When he was told that the necklace was stolen and was recovered and the thief has been caught with the necklace around his neck, he immediately ordered the miscreant to be impaled upon the kalzu.  The kalzu is a very cruel and painful form of death penalty. It was a pike of wood or iron. One end was very very sharp. It was planted in the ground vertically, with the sharp end pointing upward. The tip was well-oiled with castor oil which served as a lubricant. The sentenced victim would be stripped naked and hoisted up onto the tip of the stake. He would then be placed with his anal orifice resting on the tip. Then he would be pressed down. The body by its own weight would slide downward with the lubricated pike going up through his anus until it came to a stop somewhere within the body or came out through some soft part of the body. The death would be a lingering and painful one, unless the pike, by some unseen stroke of  mercy, injured some vital organ like the heart.

This was the punishment that King Bhradragiri pronounced on the  innocent Pattinaththaar who was lost in meditation and was blissfully unaware  of what was going on. When Pattinaththaar was brought to the kalzu maram and when he realised what was happening. He realised that it is the will of Lord Shiva and sang the following Aram (Truth) song:

"Enn Seyal Aavadhu Yaadhondrum Illai Ini Dheivamae
Unn Seyal Endru Unarappetraen Indha Oon Eduthu
Pin Seidha Theevinai Yaadhondrum Illai Pirappadharkku Munn Seidha Theevinaiyo Innaganae Vandhu Moondadhuvae"

meaning, `There is nothing I did or can do to this. I now realize that it is your will my God. I haven't committed any sin after being born into this body. But the sins that accumulated over my previous births now stand before me to end this life’

With those words, the kalzu maram went up in flames and was burnt to a cinder. The guards ran to the king and reported the matter to him. The King, Bhadragiri ran to meet Pattinaththar, realising that he had sentenced an innocent man on the word of his guards, without even seeing him or questioning him. The King Bhadragiri came in search of him and found Him in the cremation grounds. He asked Pattinathar, Why are you in such a pathetic condition, on the ashes. The Sithar answered, Nan amara, nee nirka  meaning, "Don't you see? We beggars sit while you a king stand before us - What more evidence do you need?" The king pondered over these words and the incident about the stake going up in flames upon this saint merely uttering a few phrases. Appreciating the high state of the mendicant, He renounced his royal life and became Pattinathar's disciple. He realised the folly of kingship and realised the power of the Siddha that was the truest power. Before such power, all others were in vain and worthless. He shed his regal crown, attire, ornaments etc, and wore a kovanam( loin cloth), left his kingdom and followed Pattinaththaar in His sojourns to the Holy Kshetras. But wherever they went, he lamented about the futilities of the vainglorious material life all the time; lamented about the reality that was so elusive. He longed for the eternal peace and freedom from births and deaths. About all these he lamented. Thus was born another Siddha - Bharathragiriyar and of course, his Lamentations, ' Bharathragiriyar Pulambal'.
 
One day, Badhragiri found a Thiruvodu and he picked it up. Pattinathaar told him that a Sanyasi owns nothing, so he told Badhragiri to leave that Thiruvodu where he found it. Badhragiri justified saying that they don't get food quite often and the Thiruvodu is the vessel used by Sanyasis, even Lord Shiva used it. Pattinathaar said, "do as you please". Then they proceeded, later Badhragiri found a small bag, he took and looked at Pattinathaar, again Pattinathaar told "See you have started gathering your assets". Badhragiri argued, "it's of no use to others, why not we use it". Pattinathaar again said, "do as you please" and proceeded.

And on another day, he found a puppy stranded in the road. It was very weak and appeared as if it hadn't eaten for a few days. Badhragiri took pity on the puppy, fed it well and took it with him. Pattinathaar reminded Badhragiri that he was a Sanyasi and he is going back into his family bonding by taking the puppy with him. Again, Badhragiri argued that being a sanyasi does not mean that we should ignore the poor and hapless creatures. As usual, Pattinathaar said, "It's your wish" and proceeded.

A few days passed, then one day, both of them did not get any food for the day and they reached Thiruvidaimarudur and decided to rest for the night. Pattinathaar lay down to rest in one place and Badhragiri in another keeping all his possessions and the puppy nearby. Sometime later in the night, a beggar came near Pattinathaar and begged for food. Pattinathaar told the beggar that he is a Sanyasi however the man near the eastern Gopuram was a family man and he might have something.

Badhragiri realised that Pattinathaar was referring to his attachment to the various things he had collected. At the same time, he got angry because he had renounced everything to become a Sanyasi, yet his own Guru called him a family man. Immediately he threw away his possessions and flung the puppy so forcefully against the wall that it died after having a last gaze at Badhragiri. Badhragiri did not understand the meaning of that gaze the puppy gave him. Then the beggar revealed Who He was, He was Lord Shiva Himself. At that moment, Badhragiriyar attained Moksham/ mukti salvation and He merged with the Lord. Pattinathar despaired that His disciple was granted salvation before Him. He wandered about lamenting. These lamentations are the Meigyaana pulambal (the lamentations of true enlightenment). While wandering thus, A celestial voice (asireeri) told Him that He will attain Mukti (salvation) in the place where He could find Peyarumbu (wild sugarcane – see glossary of terms) that was sweet. Pattinathaar set off on foot to various Kshetras  (holy pilgrim centers) of Lord Shiva seeking this. He eventually reached Thiruvottriyur. There He found Peykarumbu growing wild and He tasted it and found it to be sweet indicating that this was the place where He would attain samadhi. He walked along the seashore by the near the Vadivudaiamman temple. Fisher boys were playing by the shore. He called them to play a game. Pattinathar asked them to bury him and then call for him. After they had covered him completely, they called him and he appeared from the opposite direction and greeted them. They buried him in the sand again. He walked towards them from another direction. They buried him for the third time. They called and they called. He never came back. On digging up the place they had buried him they found nothing but Shivalinga (see glossary of Terms). Pattinathar visited this temple in 9 A.D. Pattinathar has composed several poems on Otriyur’s God, Sri Thiagarajaswamy. His shrine called Pattinathar Samadhi still stands by the shores of Tiruvotriyur (location available on Google maps).
This is the life history of the saint Pattinathaar who was born as a wealthy man, but renounced everything on realisation that nothing in this world is permanent. He has left us his life experiences and his realisations as songs that will serve as a reminder that one should not be attached to the materialistic possessions in this world. His works include Koyinaan Manimaalai, Thirukazhumala, Mummanikkovai, Thiruvidai Marudhur Mummanikkovai, Thiruvegambamudaiyar Thiruvandhaadhi, Thiruvottriyur Orupa Orupadhu.

Naapilakka Poiuraiththu Navanidhiyam Thaedi
Nalanondrum Ariyadha Naariyarai Koodi
Poopilakka Varugindra Puttreesal Pola
Pulapulena Kalakalavena Pudhalvargalai Peruveer
Kaapadharkkum Vagai Ariyeer Kaividavum Maateer
Kavarpilandha Maraththulaiyil Kaalnuzhaithu Kondae
Aapadhanai Asaithuvitta Kurangadhanai Pola
Agappatteerae Kidanthuzhala Agapatteerae

meaning, `You gather all the nine kinds of wealth by uttering lies until your tongue gets split. You marry women who don't even know what is good and what is bad. And like the termites that fly out cracking up the earth, you beget a lot of children. You don't know how to save them, you won't leave them and go away. This act is like that of the monkey that inserts its leg in the gap of a tree branch split up by a wedge gets stuck there’

(Pattinathaar sang the above song at a marriage)