There were a couple who were very devout adherents of Siva.  They did not have
a child. After a number of years, they went to see their praeceptor.
    A praeceptor is a Guru. He is not an ordinary guru but carries several responsibilities
and special functions. He may be a Dhiiksha Guru. He gives initiation when a child
reaches a particular age. He will be responsible for all things religious, spiritual, and
raditional until death. He is consulted on serious matters. A Dhiiksha Guru is thus
responsible to a whole community or jathi. Something like a Kula Guru.

    This couple had a Dhiiksha Guru who was one of the top-notch scholars of Saivism
at the time. He was a Sivaachaariyaar hailing from an illustrious Siva Brahmin family.

    He was given very great honours by the king; thus he was given the special previlege
of riding a palanquin which was borne by men. He was preceded by musicians playing
music; sycophants who sang his glory; and also torch bearers who bore burning torches.
Even in day-light, because it was a sign of a rare special honour.

    The couple went to seek his guidance in overcoming their distress.

    The Guru sought the aid of a predictory method called 'kayiRu saarththi paarththal'.
    In those days, everything was written on palm leaves. A leaf is called the 'Edu' and
a number of Edus will be compiled to form something known as 'Suvadi'.
    The Guru took a suvadi of a religious work; after a prayer to Siva, done with very
severe concentration, he took a thread and inserted it in between the Edu sheaves.
    Then he separated the Edu and read the verse that was written there.
    It gave a negative reading.
    However, the Guru instructed them to observe severe penances and beg Siva for
a child. They were to go to particular Siva Sthalam and worship the Lord with a
ThEvara Thiruppadhigam hymn.Thus they would overcome 'vidhi' with 'madhi'.

    In due course, the lady conceived.
    She gave birth to a male child.
    The child was ordained into saivism by the Sivaachaariyaar who thus became his
Dhiiksha Guru.

    The child was a gift from God and he was miraculously educated by Polla PiLLaiyaar.
Thus he became a genius. He would be all the time engrossed within himself.
    One day, he was seated on the thiNNai slab of his house.
    The Guru happened to come along that way. He came with all the paraphernalia,
being borne on a palanquin, etc. Of course with lighted torches.
    When he passed by, everyone was supposed to prostrate on the ground in supplication.
    But the boy did not budge from his posture of casual seat from the thiNNai.
    The Guru saw this.
    Fuming with the fullness of fury on being slighted by a young upstart who was his
sishya by right, he bade the palanquin to stop and strode haughtily to the boy.

    The boy gave a sarcastic sneer and said,

"A day-blind riding along on a dead wood" -
"patta kattaiyil pakal kurudu pOguthu".

    The Guru was beside himself with rage and being consumed by his own pride and vengeful anger, he came near the boy.
    He asked him why he was so arrogant. Is he that wise and learned? And he asked one single question as a test of his scholasticity..
    "What is the meaning of Aanavam?"
    The boy simply looked straight ahead nonchalantly and without a word, he pointed his fore-finger at his Guru.
    At that moment something seemed to unloosen itself from deep deep within the Guru.
    Everything melted away - his anger, pride, his status, his arrogance. In fact his very 'self'.
    The Guru fell at the feet of his sishya and became his sishya - disciple.
    And so, AruLnandhi Sivaachaariyaar went on to write the  commentaries on his young Guru Meykandaar's philosophy on Saiva Siddhanta.

Regards
JayBee

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