By Swami Sivananda
Narasinga Munaiyar Nayanar, was a petty chieftain. He lived in Thiru Munaipadi. He was highly devoted to Lord Siva. He was a champion of Saivism. On every Thiruvathirai day, Narasinga Munaiyar would conduct special puja, feed Siva bhaktas in whatever form they appeared and offer the gift of a hundred gold coins to each. On one such occasion, one Siva bhakta came with sacred ashes on his stark naked body — this evoked disgust in the hearts of the other bhaktas. Narasinga Munaiyar Nayanar understood this and fell at the naked devotee's feet and welcomed him with more respect. Narasinga Munaiyar fed the bhakta nicely and gave him 200 gold coins. This earned the Lord's supreme grace for Narasinga Munaiyar Nayanar.
Here is an illustration of the subtle way in which saints manifest their cosmic vision, and also the way they bring about the necessary change in the outlook of others. To Narasinga Munaiyar Nayanar, all the devotees are the manifestations of Lord Siva. The naked man does not evoke the least trace of disgust or contempt. When Narasinga Munaiyar finds this unhealthy attitude in others, he does not violently correct them. In his own subtle, mysterious but very effective way, he demonstrates the truth (all are God Siva's devotees) and brings about a change in the attitude of the ignorant. Both these lessons are important.
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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