Page:The story of saiva saints.pdf/11

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4. IYARPAGAI NAYANAR

In kaverippoompattinam there lived a Saint called Iyarpagaiyar who was born in Merchant Caste. He would offer to any one anything without saying “NO” to them. One day Lord Siva came in the form of a venerable and Handsome person and requested the Saint to offer him his lady. The Saint prostrated before the incumbent, offered him his lady and bade him go. The relatives of the Saint attacked the new comer with fury and ferocity but the Saint fought with his relatives, killed them and asked him to go. while the saint was returning, he heard once again the cry of lamentation. "O Saint Iyarpagaiyar! Please do come”. The saint pushed to the spot. The new comer vanished and appeared in the from of Rishabaruda (as mounted on the Sacred Bull ) and blessed him, his wife and the dead relatives will beatitude.

5. ILAIYANKUDI MARA NAYANAR

There was a Saint called Marar at Ilaiyangudi. He was an agriculturist born in the Vellala Caste. As a devotee of Siva, he used to feed the Lord's devotees with dishes of six flavours, Lo! be became poor day by day. But yet he did not abstain from his devoted service of feeding the devotees of the Lord. One night it was raining incessently; they had nothing to eat and were extremely hungry. Owing to ravenous appetite they could not sleep. At dead of night Lord Siva came in the form of a devotee to the house of the Saint and wanted food. The Saint requested him to be seated, ran up to his field while he ploughed and sowed that day, collected the seeds, gave them to his wife and supplied firewood by dismantling the roof laths. His wife prepared food and made curry of greens. The Saint then went to the devotee to invite him for dinner and to his astonishment, the devotee appeared in a mass of fire and bestowed beatitude.