By Swami Sivananda
In Thiruperumangalam in Ponni Nadu, there was a Vellala by name Eyarkon Kalikamar Nayanar. He belonged to the family called "Eyarkudi," which produced Commanders-in-Chief to Chola kings. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva.
The news that Sundarar-Moorthi Nayanar had used Lord Siva Himself as a messenger to settle the domestic dispute between him and his wife Paravayar, so greatly annoyed devout Kalikamar that he said to himself, "Is this man who behaved like this a devotee? I am a great sinner, too, otherwise my life-breath would have departed on hearing the news."
Sundarar came to know of Kalikamar's attitude. Sundarar realized his own fault and entreated the Lord to appease Kalikamar's anger.
The Lord caused Kalikamar to suffer from colic and told him in a dream that only Sundarar could cure it. Kalikamar preferred death to being cured by Sundarar!
In the meantime, the Lord appeared in Sundarar's dream and asked him to go to Kalikamar and cure him of the colic. Sundarar at once went to meet Kalikamar.
As soon as he heard that Sundarar was coming to cure him, Kalikamar gave up his life by cutting his bowel open.
Sundarar was greeted by Kalikamar's wife. When he asked for Kalikamar Nayanar, she made her people say that there was nothing wrong with him and that he was asleep.
After much persuasion, they showed Sundarar Kalikamar's body. In desperation, Sundarar also wanted to cut his throat. But by the grace of Lord Siva, Kalikamar at once came back to life. They embraced each other. Kalikamar spent the rest of his life in the service of the Lord and His devotees and finally reached Siva's abode.
References:
Sekkilaar, and G. Vanmikanathan. Periya Puranam — A Tamil Classic On The Great Saiva Saints of South India. Ed. Dr. N. Mahalingam. Chennai: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 2000.
Sivananda, Swami. Sixty-Three Nayanar Saints. World Wide Web edition. India: Divine Life Society, 1999.
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