Shri Pasupatheswarar - The One Who Gifted A Weapon To Arjuna



In the ancient times, devotees of Lord Shiva called themselves Nayanmars. There were 63 of them prominently. Three of these saints wrote hymns in praise of Lord Shiva, titled as Thevaram. Thevaram mentions 276 temples which Lord Shiva graced with His presence. These temples came to be called as Paadal Petra Sthalam (The place where the Lord placed His holy feet). Last week, we read about one such place - The Chidambaram temple. This article is about another temple from the list of Paadal Petra Sthalam. 

In the town of Chidambaram, there lies a temple called as Tiruvetkalam Pasupatheswarar temple where Lord Shiva, in His linga-roopa, is worshipped as Shri Pasupatheswarar. He is accompanied by His consort Satgunambal, a form of Devi Parvathy. 


This temple dates back to the Chola period, almost 2000 years ago.

Legend has it that before the Kurukshetra war, Shri Krishna advised Arjuna to meditate on Lord Shiva and to request Him for His divine weapon Pasupatam - astra. Accordingly, Arjuna meditated on the Lord. While he was meditating, a wild boar tried to attack him. To save himself, Arjuna shot an arrow at the boar. At the same time, a hunter who was passing through and who had seen the boar, also shot an arrow. The boar was killed but a new fight erupted, both the hunter and Arjuna claiming to have killed the boar with their arrows respectively. The fight turned aggressive and Arjuna hit the hunter with his bow. This hit is said to have echoed throughout the world. The hunter merely tossed Arjuna with a swipe of his toe. Arjuna fell into Krupa Samudram (a sacred tank), realising very late that the hunter was none other than Lord Shiva. Devi Parvathi was greatly aggrieved by Arjuna hitting the Lord with his bow and was about to punish him. Lord Shiva gently reminded the Devi of Her motherly nature by addressing Her as Satguna (blessed with all good traits of nature). Arjuna had already received the grace of the Lord when His toe touched him. He humbly bowed to Lord Shiva who, pleased with him, granted him His Pasupatham-astra.  It is believed that the temple of Tiruvetkalam has been constructed in the place where this event occurred. Also, it is said that the Shiva-linga of this temple still bears the scar from the bow of Arjuna when he hit the Lord. 

The pillars inside the temple show images of Arjuna doing penance, of Devi Parvathy with Her hair let loose (possibly an indication of her anger towards Arjuna?) and many other legends. The temple also has a metal image of Arjuna receiving the Pasupatham-astra from Lord Shiva. 

The temple is located in Annamalai Nagar and is situated inside the premises of Annamalai University. Many saints are associated with this temple. Thirugnana Sambhandar, a prominent devotee of Lord Shiva stayed here and wrote many hymns praising the Lord Pashupatheswarar. Another devotee, Arunagirinathar, who is credited with authoring the amazing Thirupugazh, a set of hymns dedicated to Lord Muruga, is said to have written the hymns in this temple. 

The Shiva-linga of this temple is considered as a Swayambhu-murthy (formed on its own without any exterior help). Shri Narada Himself is said to have worshipped this lingam. It is also notable that the Devi's shrine inside the temple also has a Nandi facing Her. The temple also has idols of Lord Ganesha as Vinayaka and Shri Dakshinamurthy. There are idols of Surya and Chandra which are worshipped rigourously during the times of eclipse. 

The temple is said to have healing powers. Those with stammering problems are said to get cured of the same by having the sand-balls that are presented to devotees as Prasad here. Also,  those facing delay in marriages worship the Lord here to get His blessings for a smooth married life. 

Are you determined to surrender to the Lord of Tiruvetkalam, who wears a crescent moon, is wealthy and is blessing you? Then your woes will vanish and fate will not follow you. Develop the skill of devotion, that is the very purpose of life. - a hymn written by Thirunavakarrusar, one of the 63 nayanmars. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stories From The Bhagavatham - Narasimha Avatar (Part 1)

Image
In the previous chapters of Bhagavatham, we read about how the doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, the abode of Maha Vishnu, had been cursed to take three births as the enemies of the lord. One of their births was as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, two Asuras who wreaked untold damage upon the earth and made life miserable for all the devotees of the Lord. Hiranyaksha was killed by Maha Vishnu in His form as Varaha. Angered by the killing of his brother, Hiranyakashipu issued a command to his followers. “My brother has been killed by Narayana. I must destroy him. Go to the earth and wherever you see people performing Tapas, Yajna and other spiritual activities, kill them. Narayana is said to be present at the places where people worship him. I do not want him to be worshipped! Destroy anyone who utters his name!” Eagerly following his orders, the asuras went on a rampage, destroying places of worship, obstructing spiritual activities and harming every one who proclaimed themselves to be a de...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Prelude To An Avatar (Part 1)

Image
  While the Devas and Asuras were always rivals, once it so happened that the Devas lost all their strength and the Asuras began to conquer them. Worried about the future of the universe, the Devas approached Lord Brahma, the Creator to seek His help. Lord Brahma advised the Devas to seek Lord Narayana. The Devas, along with Lord Brahma approached Maha Vishnu and asked for His guidance. “I know what you need to win over the Asuras.” Maha Vishnu said. “First and foremost, you need to make peace with them. You need time to recover your strength and should avoid any fights. You need to obtain Amritha, the nectar of life which will grant immortality to you. To get this nectar, you need to churn the ocean using Mount Mandara as the churning staff and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. This churning will require powerful hands and you will need the assistance of the Asuras for the same.” Maha Vishnu also gave some advice to the Devas. “Whatever happens, agree with the Asuras for every...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Gajendra Moksham

Image
  In a hill named Trikuta, there was a garden named Rituman which was a paradise in itself. One could find every kind of tree, flower, fruit and animal there. In this hill, lived an elephant with his herd. The elephant was the leader of the herd and is referred to by devotees as Gajendra, and this leela of Maha Vishnu is named as Gajendra Moksham. This story is very special. I grew up listening to this story and simply love it because for me, it stands as a validation that no cry or prayer goes unheard in the Universe. Once, feeling thirsty, Gajendra entered a lake with his herd. After drinking water, the herd bathed in the lake. Unaware to the elephants, a crocodile stealthily swam up to the herd and clutched the leg of Gajendra. The elephant trumpeted loudly in pain. But try as he might, he could not lift his leg from the jaws of the crocodile. Seeing their leader in trouble, the other elephants tried to help him, but all their efforts went in vain. The crocodile kept tryin...
Read more