#the lives of the sixty-three saivite saints

[shinymoonbird]

Anaya Nayanar, also known as Anaya and Anayar, is a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu Shaivite sect. Anaya is considered to be the 14th of the 63 Nayanars. His playing of the Panchakshara (five-syllable mantra 🌟na, ma, śi, vā, ya🌟) on his flute so pleased the god, Shiva, that he took Anaya away to the eternal world.

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The life of Anayar is described in the Thirutthondar Puranam (Periya Puranam) by Sekkizhar, which documents the Histories of the 63 Nayanmar. Anaya is described as a cowherd (ஆயர் or Aayar). Anayar was born and lived his life in Tirumangalam (Thirumangalam), currently in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tirumangalam is a place of pilgrimage, famous for its Samavedeshvarar Temple, dedicated to Supreme Lord Shiva. Aanaayar used to tend cows. He used to take the cows for grazing in the pastures outside of the town. He used to protect the cattle from disease and beasts of prey. Anayar used to smear Sacred Ash on His body. In the meadows, He used to play the Panchakshara (Five-Letter) Mantra of Supreme Lord Shiva on his flute. Music was his way of worshipping Lord Shiva. A verse from Periya Puranam tells about how he crafted a flute from bamboo, as prescribed in the science of music (Gandharva Shastra).

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One day at the onset of the monsoon, Anayar started playing the Holy Five Letter Word on His flute under the Konrai tree, which is sacred to Lord Shiva, in a garden of blossoming konrai trees. The Periya Puranam devotes several verses to describe the natural beauty of the location.

✨Aanaaya Naayanaar spread sweet melody all aound, playing on his flute with supreme skill, according to the prescribed technique. The basic note of the music - Panchaakshara - streamed sweetly like celestial nectar mixed with honey into the ears of the listeners. Entranced by this the herd of cows forgot to chew the cud, after cropping the tender shoots of grass; the little calves with mouths on the udders of the cows let the foaming milk drip down on the ground; the might-horned bulls and the wild animals like the deer came near, with the hairs of the body standing on end. The dancing peacocks stood still; the flocks of birds with their hearts filled with melody, kept quiet as in a swoon; the herdsmen left tasks incomplete. The 'Naagas', inhabitants of the underworld came out of their caverns; the celestial ladies gathered in the heavens and stood quite charmed; the other denizens of the outer space - the Gandharvas, Charanaas and the Kinnaras - too crowded the sky in their chariots. The heavenly damsels feeding their pet parrots on nectar under the shade of the Kalpaka tree, hurried to drink in the sweet music. Both the weak and the strong were caught in the same spell - the serpent with the venomous fangs leaned gently on the peacock; the unmoving lion and the huge tusker kept company; the deer with the grass in its mouth stood by the side of the tiger. ✨All nature too came under this spell - the wind ceased to blow and the blossoming branches of the trees stirred not; the streams and brooks meshing down the mountain stopped dead in their tracks; the clouds lay quiet and shed no drops of rain; the lightning did not flash and there was not a ripple in the wide seas. ✨Thus all things - movable and immovable - lay ensnared in the mesh of the nectarine music that flowed from the sweet-red lips of Aanaaya Naayanaar touching his flute. ✨Ah, the sweet music welling up from the gushing love of the player for the feet of his Lord, which filled earth and heaven then filled the ears of the indwelling Lord dancing in the Golden Hall, hard to reach for all those lacking in real Love.

✨Next, the Lord, with His consort, the very soul of compassion - He from whom all sound and music arise - the three-eyed Supreme being - appeared in the heavens, seated on His Bull-Mount. ✨His crowding hosts kept utterly quiet, so as not to disturb the music of the Panchakshara which the dancing Lord relished so much! ✨The Lord then declared: "Come unto Me, in the same pose as you now are, to enable the righteous devotees to savour your music ever" ✨This Naayanaar willingly complied! ✨The celestials rained flowers on earth; the sages chanted the Vedic hymns, while the flute continued with melody. ✨The Lord and His devotee then entered the Golden Hall at Chidambaram.

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Note: Rasikas may recall in this context the techniques of music portrayed in Silappadhikaram and the effect of Sri Krishna playing on His flute graphically described by Sage Suka, Periyaazhvaar and Arunagirinathar.

A rasika is a term for an aesthete of Indian classical music. The term is derived from the Sanskrit word 'rasa', meaning full of passion, elegant, and with discrimination. Connoisseur - An expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts.

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[shinymoonbird]

🕉️  MUSICAL 63 NAYANMARS  🕉️

 # 1. AANAAYAR - Musical Periya Puranam of Kesava Mudaliar 🕉️

🌟 Ram MohanK In Arunachala - @RamMohanABvideos  🌟

🌟 In search of Sri Ramana and Arunachala Grace 🌟

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Periya Puranam - The Lives of the Sixty-Three Saivite Saints

The Periya Puranam in Tamil and Siva-bhakta Vilasam in Sanskrit are great devotional and spiritual classics which attract many aspirants, right from the 12th century Basavanna of karnataka and saints like Ramalinga vallalar and Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi of recent times.  Countless spiritual seekers are inspired by these scriptures.

In the past 1000 years, apart from numerous prose works on the lives of the 63 Saints based on the Periya Puranam, many poets have also composed melodious poems.

Of these, Kesava Mudaliar’s simple composition covering the core incidents of the 63 Saints’ lives, is being presented in these videos. An English gist of the poems is also added to convey the meaning of the poems. The Tamil verses from Kesava Mudaliyar's original print (published in 1865) is also reproduced as it is in the videos.

All songs have been rendered in their original musical notes (Raagam & Taalam), with great devotion and dedication by Ms.Mylai Divya Sundar of Chennai.  

It is intended to post 2 or 3 videos per week (a video for each of the 63 Saints). Therefore, the whole project may last a few months (with in-between breaks for other videos that may come up). 

Finally and most importantly, these video are the dedicated hard work of a co-bhakta of Bhagavan Ramana, who compiled all the ingredients of the videos AND of Ms. Mylai Divya Sundar for her devoted renditions. I have only put the skin, so to speak, over the real flesh and bones! Hope viewers will derive immense devotional benefit from this Series.

# 1. AANAAYA NAAYANAAR

Audio: Aanaayar from Tiru Thondar Puranam rendered by Ms. Mylai Divya Sundar.

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Aanayar, a siva bhakta tended his cows feeding them with Panchak-shari* playing on his flute. Once he saw a bunch of Kondrai flowers that reminded him of the Lord Parama-siva. He played his flute with due melody and Nature itself melted with that music, Parama-siva and Parvathy too melted and fell in his net of devotion.

Aanayar was blessed by Lord Siva praised by Kesava**, to play the music in Kailas.

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The Panchakshari* Mantra (or the "five-syllable" mantra  referring to the five syllables of na, ma, śi, vā, and ya. It is associated with Shiva's mantra, Om Namah Shivaya, which also contains these syllables.

Kesava** - the name of the author of the poem is mentioned, at the end of all poems.

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