How Thirugnana Sambanthar Cured The Pandyan King and Defeated The Jain Monks

Tirugnana Sambanthar is one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars who lived between the 6-9 CE. His poems form the first three volumes of the Tirumurai, the religious canon of Tamil Saiva Siddhanta.

In the first half of the seventh century, apart from Saivism, Jainism and Buddhism were among the popular faiths in south India. The king Koon Pandian had embraced Jainism, but the queen Mangaiarkkarasi and his minister Kulachirai Nayanar were both Shaivites. The King became a Jain fanatic and did not permit the queen even to wear Thiruneeru on her forehead. Hindus suffered persecution and having converted the king, the Jain monks started to wield greater power in the kingdom.

The queen and the minister minister Kulachirai Nayanar were struggling to find a way to get rid of Jainism and bring Shaivism to its former glory in the kingdom. During this time, the queen heard the news that Appar and Sambandar had performed the miraculous task of opening and closing the doors of the Vedaranyeswarar Temple with their devotional verses. She made up her mind to seek the help of Appar and Sambandar and dispatched the Prime Minister to invite Appar and Sambandar to Madurai.

Appar and Sambandar accepted the queen's invitation and came to Madurai. The mandapam where they stayed caught fire. Sambandar divined that it was the work of the Jains. He therefore sang, 'Payyavae senRu pandiyarku Ahave' ("பையவே சென்று பாண்டியர்க்கு ஆகவே') - 'Let the fire catch the Pandyan'. The heat of the fire that engulfed the mandapam got redirected towards the king and Koon Pandya was afflicted with heat boils (வெப்பு நோய்). Then next morning, Sambandha went to the king and it was decided that Sambandha and the Jains should sit on either side of the king and use medicine/mantras to cure his affliction. When the Jains touched the king's body with peacock feather and intoned some mantras, the burning sensation became acute. Sambandhar applied Vibhuti and sang MandiramAvathu Neeru.... and cured the king not only of the burning sensation but straightened his back too.

The Jains countered that Sambandha had done some magic. So it is they who asked for two competitions with a wager that the loser should voluntarily go to the gallows (கழுவேறுதல்). The competition was Anal Vadham (அனல் வாதம் ) and Punal Vadham (புனல் வாதம்). When Sambandha placed his Tiru NaLLARRu Padigam, it did not burn but came out as a green fresh palm leaf! When Jains placed similarly their palm leaf containing the mantra Asti Nasti, it got burnt. During Punal Vadham, Sambndha placed his poem VAzhga AndhaNar, vAnavar, Aninam (வாழ்க அந்தணர் வானவர் ஆனினம் வீழ்க தண்புனல் வேந்தனும்) in the Vaigai river, and it floated and reached the bank at Tiruvedagam(திருவேடகம் ஏடகநாதேசுவரர் temple near Madurai). The grateful saint called the place ‘Edu Senradanai Tharum Edakam' (வைகை நீரேடு சென்றதனை தரும் ஏடகம்). The Jains' palm leaf got drowned. Sambandar had clearly won the bet.

The Pandya king became an ardent Saivite. According to legends, the Jains refused to convert to Shaivism, and the king ordered their killing by impalement over sharp, conical structures in sitting posture.

The Tamil poet Sekkizhar honored Koon Pandiyan, Kulachirai and Mangaiarkkarasi by naming them among the 63 Nayanars in Periya Puranam. Thiruppugazh referring to these incidents:

1. moola mandira (மூல மந்திரம்)
2. paattil urugilai ( பாட்டிலுருகிலை)
3. vEzhamunda ( வேழமுண்ட)
4. ezhugu nirai naabhi (எழுகு நிறை)
5. thirumozhi (திருமொழி)
6. vanjaga lobha (வஞ்சக லோப)
7. thamara kurangalum (தமர குரங்களும்)
8. nyanaa vibhooshani (ஞானா விபூஷணி)
9. kiRimozhi (கிறிமொழிி)