Religion and Spiritualism- The twelve Azwars-Thonderadipodi Azwar

One night there was a heavy down pour with thunder and lightening and water was flowing in streams all over the place. Vipranarayan opened the door and saw Devadevi drenched and shivering in cold. He got pity on her and called her inside and gave her his clothes to wear. She prostrated before him and took hold of his feet. She pleaded with him to accept her love. Vipranarayan lost his control and he caught hold of Devadevi’s arms and hugged her. Maya had concealed his eyes and he had fallen prey to kamam. Thus Devadevi had succeeded in her vow to her sister. Vipranarayan fell in deep love with Devadevi. After some time Devadevi wanted to go home to tell her success story to her sister. She told Vipranarayan that she felt homesick and wanted to see her mother and sister. She promised to return after a few days. Vipranarayan acceded to her request and gave her permission to go home. When Devadevi left, Vipranarayan felt as if his soul was separated from him. He felt his life was plunged in darkness. He was waiting for Devadevi to return, but there was no sign of her returning. He could not tolerate her separation and so he left for Thirukarambanur in search of her. He went to her house and asked her mother of Devadevi’s whereabouts. He told her that she had told him that she would return to him after seeing her mother and sister, but had not kept her word. Devadevi’s mother told him that if he wanted to get her married, he should give her lot of money. Vipranarayan told her that if she would call Devadevi, he would speak to her. Her mother told him that she had gone to a relative’s house and was not at home. Vipranarayan had become dejected and left her house. He went to a mandapam at the end of the street rest for a while and out of frustration and tiredness he was in a semi-conscious state.
At that time the Uthsava Deities of the Thirukarambanur temple were brought in Veedhi ula. Piratti saw Vipranarayan and asked the Lord who he was and why he was lying down in such a state. The Lord told her that he was Vipranarayan, His devotee who was doing pushpa kaimkaryam to Him, but now he got himself entangled in worldly affairs. Then Piratti told him that it was not good on His part to play with a true devotee’s emotions. The Lord replied her with a bewitching smile that He would bring him to His fold again with His playful act.
Lord Ranganatha went to Devadevi's house with a gold vattil that was used for His aradhana and gave it to Devadevi’s mother. He told her that his name was MaNavaaLan and he was the servant of Vipranarayan. He had been instructed by his master to hand over the vattil in this house. Devadevi’s mother was very happy to see the gold vattil and she told him to go and tell Vipranarayan to come to her house. Lord Ranganatha in MaNavaalan's guise went to the mandapam and woke up Vipranarayan and told him to go and meet his beloved.
Vipranarayan happily went to meet Devadevi. Devadevi didn’t know that her mother had received the gold vattil as she was not at home.
There Lord Ranganatha went and slept on His AravaNai feigning innocence. The next morning when the bhattar opened the temple and went in to perform aradhana, he found a gold vattil missing. He and other emploees searched all over the place and could not find it. Then they informed the king that some one had stolen the gold vattil from the temple. The king ordered to enquire the employees, but all of them denied any knowledge of the theft. The whole town came to know about the theft.
A maid servant at Devadevi’s house went and told the king that Vipranarayan had given a gold vattil to Devadevi. The king sent his men to search Devadevi’s house and they found the vattil in her bedroom. As per the king’s orders all persons in Devadevi’s house were brought to the court. The king asked Devadevi’s mother how she had accepted the vattil when she knew it belonged to the temple. She replied that she did not know it was stolen from the temple and that a man calling himself as MaNavaaLan told her that he was Viprasnarayan’s servant and Vipranarayan had told him to give it to her.
Then the King looked sternly at Vipranarayan and he replied that he neither had a servant nor had he sent anybody with theVattil to give it to Devadevi’s mother. He further told that he was not even at Srirangam when the vattil was stolen and he was sleeping at a mandapam at Thirukarambanur when the incident took place. Not only that, he was woken up by the servant of Devadevi’s house and was told to go to her house.
The people at Srirangam told the king, that Vipranarayan was not bringing garland to the Lord since many days. The king also came to know that there was no male servant at Devadevi’s house. The king fell in a dilemma and did not know whom to believe. He returned the gold vattil to the temple and ordered his men to keep Devadevi and Vipranarayan under cutody until the truthcame to light.

Thondaradippodi Azwar ThiruvadikaLe SaraNam!​

To be continued​

 

Dear AC,
Thanks for your instant FB. For the time being I am very much pressed for time. Hope that I'll get more time in another ten days.