There was a devotee whose name was Appattu Adigal in Tamil Nadu.
Because he did not know Shiva directly,
He started worshipping as he was devotee.
Thirunavakarsar was a great devotee of Shiva.
So Appattu Adigal who was a rich man started worshipping Thirunavakarsar as a embodiment of Shiva here.
So he did much charity.
Everything he named after Thirunavakarsar.
He built a village tank,
Thirunavakarsar tank.
He built a cow shed for the stray cows,
Thirunavakarsar cow shed.
He built a temple,
Thirunavakarsar temple.
He had four sons,
He named them Thirunavakarsar I,
Thirunavakarsar II,
Thirunavakarsar III,
Thirunavakarsar IV.
This is a devotee.
They are not reasonable people.
So one day one man came who looked like a Shiva bhakta with ash on his forehead.
He came and asked someone in the town,
Why is this tank named as Thirunavakarsar tank?
They said Appattu Adigal is a great devotee of Thirunavakarsar.
So he calls everything Thirunavakarsar.
All his four children are Thirunavakarsars.
His house is named after Thirunavakarsar.
Everything is Thirunavakarsar.
So this man said,
Can I meet him,
Where does he live?
They told him where he is.
He went to Thirunavakarsar,
Appattu Adigal's house.
Appattu Adigal in the morning,
After the cooking is done in the house,
He is always waiting outside in the street,
Anybody who comes,
Please can you come and eat in my house.
Anybody who passes this way,
Can you come and eat in my house?
That's his joy.
So he was waiting outside.
This man came,
A Shiva bhakta.
He thought it's a great benediction today that a Shiva bhakta has come on the road.
He welcomed him and took him inside and he brought all his four sons,
Introduced them – Thirunavakarsar 1,
Thirunavakarsar 2,
Thirunavakarsar 3,
Thirunavakarsar 4.
His wife took his blessings and they wanted to serve him.
He told the eldest boy to go into the garden and cut a plantain leaf and come to eat upon as you're eating here.
The boy went out to cut a plantain leaf and when he opened up the tender leaf which is still rolled,
When a guest comes of some significance,
They don't serve in a leaf which is opened up.
They want to take that leaf which is still rolled.
So he wanted to cut that one.
When he cut that one,
A cobra came out of it and bit him in the neck.
The boy came running home and in the garden he fell and when his mother came,
He said,
A snake has bitten me and he started frothing in the mouth and collapsed.
His wife totally distraught called her husband.
A patrodigal came and saw and now if this news spreads,
The Shiva bhakta will not eat in their house,
The whole thing will be… whole hospitality will be gone.
So he just took a mat,
Covered the boy,
Kept him in the garden.
He told his wife,
You should not show any sign of your grief.
We must serve him first.
After he leaves,
We will handle our matters the way we have to handle it.
The wife also agreed.
They went and they prepared everything and they wanted to serve him.
He wanted the whole family to come and have the meal with him.
Then he asked,
Where is your eldest boy?
A patrodigal said,
No,
He has gone out,
Let's have the meal.
He said,
No,
Where is the boy?
It looks like you are hiding something.
A patrodigal said,
Nothing to hide,
Let us eat.
And why have you called all these four boys Thirunavukarsar,
That man asked.
Then immediately a patrodigal got angry,
How dare you ask such a question?
Do you know who Thirunavukarsar is?
He is embodiment of Shiva here.
You cannot talk like this.
Then that man said,
I am Thirunavukarsar.
Then they fell at his feet and then Thirunavukarsar asked,
What happened to your son?
Then the man said,
He was bitten by a snake but I did not want to disturb the hospitality.
We wanted you to eat properly and leave.
That is before they know he is Thirunavukarsar,
Just some devotee on the road.
Then Thirunavukarsar said,
Don't you do such a thing,
Bring the boy here.
And using certain siddhi,
He relieved the boy of the poison and brought him back to life,
Blessed them and went.
These are different kind of people.
They are completely different kind of people.
They don't belong to this world.
They just have one foot in this world.
Their ways and their ways of living,
The power with which they existed is completely otherworldly.
