MANICKAVASAGAR LIFE HISTORY

INTRODUCTION

Manickavasagar is a Tamil Poet and his known for his poetic work called ‘Thiruvasagam’ and his unconditional live towards Lord Shiva. He is one of the sixty three Nayanmars and also predominantly stands in the list of ‘Naalvar’, which includes Appar, Sambandhar and Sundharar. There is a saying in tamil meaning one who doesn’t melt on reading thiruvasagam, never melts on any poetry in this world. Thus, Thiruvasagam is one exotic work in Tamil Literature depicting the divinity and unconditional love towards Lord Shiva. This Thiruvasagam has been sung in several Saiva temples all over Tamil Nadu and those temples in which these works like Thiruvasagam,Thevaram are sung are called as ‘Paadal Petra Stalangal’.


EARLY LIFE

Manickavasagar was born in a place called ThiruVaadhavoor near Madhurai. Hence, he is also called as “Thiruvaadhavoorar”. He had immense talents in literature ,arts,etc and is he had an outstanding behavior. On hearing these specialities of Manickavasagar, the pandiya king made him as his country’s predominant minister. On seeing his talents in governing the country, he was awarded the name “ Thennavan Brahmaraayan”.

IMPORTANT INCIDENT 

In the beach of Chozha dynasty , there was an exhibition of Arabian Horses. Manikavasagar was ordered by the king to buy those horses. When the poet was travelling to the chozha dynasty, he met a devotee of Lord Shiva called ‘ParamaSaari’. Manickavasagar melted in the unconditional love of Paramasaari towords Lord Shiva. He was literally transformed into a devotee of Shiva by Paramasaari. He spent all the money given by the king on service to the devotees of Shiva. He considered it as his duty and completely forgot about the king and the Arabian Horses.

Later, he was in a position to get punishments from the king for his action of deviating from his words. Paramasaari was also at the edge of punishment and he assured that the horses will reach the king’s place. And finally when the day arrived, the horses reached the kingdom, but within sometime they became foxes, as a karma of the king’s action. The king became very angry, but Manickavasagar never had any guilty feeling regarding it. 

SPIRITUALITY AND POETRY
Manickavasagar  had a thought that everything happens because of God and his meaning of birth is to serve Lord Shiva.He knows nothing,but God.  His divine love towards Lord Shiva, led to the emergence of a great poetic work called ‘Thiruvasagam’.