Nayanars 63 or 64

Source: http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/shakti-sadhana/121768-nayanmars-63-64-a.html

The holy scripture “ Thiru Manthiram “ has many of the Mahavakyas of Saivism.

“ANBE SIVAM “ – goes one of the mahavakya which means God is Love. The 64 Nayanmars were living commentaries on this statement with their singular shiva bhakthi adored the lord with songs from their heart revealing their burning love for the lord. It was this unparallel devotion that expressed itself, in the
various inspiring deeds they had performed.

Purists may say the number of Nayanmaars were only 63 and NOT 64.

I would like to share the experience on this subject of Brahma Shree Kannan
who was a hand picked and close aide of Maha Swamy of Kaanchi for more than 30
years.

On one of the occasion Mahaswamy instructs Shree Kannan to arrange for a chair
after doing the evening Puja, as if He was expecting some dignitary. A French
national soon arrives to share his personal experiences with Mahaswamy and
continues to talk in English.

( Being an European he is not used to sitting on the floor.)





He introduces himself as a French man working for a bank and reveals that how he
frequently experiences, as if his physical body is thrown on the space flying
while he is awake.When he lost his loving wife this person did not feel like
crying or feel the pain and that tragedy was soon followed by the death of his
only teenage son, which also did not affect him. He laughing said that his
relatives and friends call him mad and nothing affects him.



Then he prostrates before Swamy asks him to be ever with him. MahaSwamy tears a
portion of his ochre robe and blesses him after which the French guy leaves
happily back to France.

These events witnessed by Sri Kannan at close quarters bemused , which prompted
him to ask Mahaswamy to talk more about the French National for which Swamy only
replies as

– “ Appalum Adi Sarndhar and retires for the day.

When on the next day when Sri Kannan not satisfied with the answer talked about
him again, Swamy directs Sri Kannan to count the number of the Idols of
Nayanmars at Kapali temple - Mylapore -- Chennai.

Curious, Sri Kannan goes to the Kapali temple, instead of counting , opts to ask
the chief priest directly and comes back with a reply of 63 . Maha Swamy
asked Sri Kannan again to go to the temple and do the physical counts. Sri
Kannan this time taking care of the instruction does the physical count finds it
as 64 ( even the Chief Priest was ignorant ) and announces this number to
Mahaswamy .

Mahaswamy smilingly clarifies while the 63 known Nayanmaars have their name
behind their idols, the 64th idol is without a name and confirms that these
Sivan Adiars exists through out the world and includes many like this French
National, few thillai Vaz Brahmins, and other unknown in the world – are
commonly called – Appalum Adi Serndhar.

Kannappa Nayanar or Kannappan was one of the 63 Nayanmars o

source: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:EPB103oQN9IJ:www.shibam.in/index.php%3Fid%3D102+kannappa+nayanar&cd=15&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhAOkxENhgM

Kannappa Nayanar or Kannappan was one of the 63 Nayanmars or holy Saivite saints, the staunch devotees of Lord Shiva. The Periyapuranam compiled by Sekkizhar and also the Tiruthhthondar Thogai by the poet-saint Sundarar enlists the 63 Nayanars.

Kannappa Nayanar was born in a tribal family in and around the temple town of SriKalahasti, in present day Andhra Pradesh. He was named Thinnan or Dheeran or Boya Tinnadu by his parents.

He hunted in the forest around SriKalahasti and the hills - Sripuram and Mummidi-cholapuram.

Thinnan was a staunch devotee of the Vayu linga of SriKalahasti which he found in the forest while hunting. Being an illiterate and of a low-caste birth, he did not know how to properly worship Lord Shiva.

It is said that he poured water from his mouth on the Shiva lingam which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered the Lord whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. But the Lord accepted his offerings since Thinnan was pure at heart and his devotion was true.

One day, Lord Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Thinnan. With his divine power, He created a tremor and the roof-tops of the temple began to fall. All the sages ran away from the scene except for Thinnan who covered the linga with his body to prevent it from any damage. Hence he was named thereafter as Dheeran.

In another incident (thiru vilayadal of Lord Shiva), one day Thinnan or Dheeran noticed that one of the eyes of the Shiva linga was oozing blood and tears. Sensing that the Lord's eye had been injured, Dheeran proceeded to pluck his one eye out with one of his arrows and placed it in the spot of the bleeding eye of the Shiva linga. This stopped the bleeding in that eye of the linga.

But to complicate matters further, he noticed that the other eye of the linga has also started oozing blood. So Thinnan thought that if he were to pluck his other eye too, he would become blind to exactly know the spot where he has to place his own second eye over the bleeding second eye of the lingam. So he placed his great toe on the linga to mark the spot of the bleeding second eye and proceeded to pluck out his other and only eye.

Moved by his extreme devotion, Shiva appeared before Thinnan and restored both his eyes.

"Nillu Kannappa" ("Stop Kannappan!")

He made Thinnan as one of the Nayanmars and henceforth he would be called as Kannappan or Kannappa Nayanar.

On the southern hill of the Kalahasti Temple, there is the shrine of Kannabeswara in his memory (Kannappa = Thinnan, eswara = Shiva which means "Kannappa, the devotee of Shiva").

Some Saivite traditions believe that Kannappa was the reincarnation of the Pandava - Arjuna. Arjuna worshipped Siva for seeking the Pasupatha Astra (a divine weapon) and failed to recognize Shiva when He appeared before Arjuna in the form of a hunter. Thus, due to this reason, Arjuna had to be born as Thinnan/ Kannappa, the hunter and adore the Lord before attaining final liberation. This belief is not adopted by all Hindus though.