Story

After the Lord’s departure the king Rajasekhara again fell to brooding and became restless. He was overcome by grief and emotion when he recalled the days of Lord Bhootanatha’s life in his palace. Disinterestedness so prevailed with him that he neglected his duties, even the duty of ruling his country.

Maharshi Agastya came to relieve his distress. He was received with due reverence and the king, overcome with grief at the departure of Manikantha, said: “Will you not tell me where Manikantha is now? I am unable to forget the days he spent in my palace and his association with me, how he lived here as a son, a servitor and even as an administrator. How can I forget Him? The events of those days still pass before my very eyes as though they were happening today. Will you not bring solace to this afflicted heart?” The Maharshi replied:

“I am here at the bidding of Manikantha. Have you forgotten the advice he gave you? All this is the game of Maya which is beyond human understanding. Manikantha is that Timeless and Spaceless Tarakabrahma. It is the result of your past Karma that you are not able to understand him. Therefore you set your heart on Tarakabrahma in order to free yourself of the effects of Karma. All that has been earned by past Karma has got to be experienced. There is no escape from it. To free yourself from Karma, serve the Lord without desire and meditate on Tarakabrahma. I am here now to advise you on the contruction of the temple for Lord Bhootanatha. Do not waste any more time in taking up this work.”

The Maharshi then described the importance and sacredness that had attached to Kumbhadala Tirtha and Pampa Tirtha ever since the time of the Ramayana. The king desired to know where kumbhadal Tirtha was and why it was important. The Maharshi told him that Kumbhadala Tirtha was the water with which the Devas performed the Abhisheka of Lord Bhootanatha at Ponnampalam and which came down to earth.

Once in Pandya Desa there lived a Brahmin by the name of Vijaya, who was rich but had no children. Although he devoted his time and money to religious and charitable actions he still had no child. One day a sadhu whom he entertained with the usual show of respect was pleased with him and said:

“I know the reason of your grief. It is because your desire for a child still remains unfulfilled. Be of good heart. Your desire shall be fulfilled if you follow my advice.” Vijaya was prepared to do anything if only he could get a child, so he readily agreed. The sadhu continued: “The only way of attaining your desire is to pray to Tarakabrahma. To the north of this place lies the river Pampa. To the east of that, on the mountains, lives the great tapaswini Sabari. Go straight to her and seek her favour. She will tell you what next to do.”

Vijaya did as he was bade. He reached Sabari’s Asram and as advised by the mendicant, prayed to her to grant his desire. Moved by vijaya’s spontaneity and earnestness the great Sabari said: “If you go northwards for a short distance you will see a great waterfall from a very high peak. If you can once immerse yourself in that water before it touches the earth you will be redeemed from your sins and your desire will be fulfilled. This is the water coming from the Ponnampalam of Lord Bhootanatha after his Abhisheka by Devas. I will give you a pot to collect it in.”

Taking the vessel in hand Vijaya went northwards until he reached the place. He held out the pot to collect the water, but it broke into pieces and at the spot where it fell broken to the ground a small pit was formed in which the water collected. Vijaya immersed himself in it. Even as he did so, his sins flew away from his body in the form of black birds and died at a distance. The Devas praised him. Vijaya was unable to understand anything but stood bewildered with closed eyes. After a while he opened his eyes and, so his surprise, he saw standing before him a beautiful boy with a smiling face. Recognizing this as Lord Bhootanatha who had Himself descended, he praised the Lord. The Lord asked him to choose any boon he desired, and he thereupon expressed his Lord Himself should become his son. The Lord blessed him and said: “In your next birth I shall live as your son. In this birth you will have children and will be happy. Your sins have vanished and are dead.”

Vijaya took the opportunity to ask the Lord what his past sins were. The Lord said:

“Your pas sin is betrayal of trust, which is one of the grate sins from which redemption is not easy; but you have bathed in this all-redeeming Tritha which has come here a the prayers of the great Sabari. Though you are redeemed there is still desire in you. Therefore you must take one more birth and in that birth of yours I shall live with you as your son.”

Thereafter the Lord instructed Vijaya on the Yugas, the nature of mankind in the different Yugas, how man will deteriorate and fall into sin and also the path of redemption.

Vijaya listened with reverence to the Lord’s sermon and was overcome with emotion. With tears in his eyes he prayed the Lord to reveal to him His universal form. Pleased with his devotee, Lord Bhootanatha did so and Vijay beheld the whole Universe, good and evil, past and future, all the Gods and Goddesses, Devas, Vedas, Itihasas and Puranas, the great Rishis and all the different worlds in the Timeless and Spaceless Being. Unable to bear the sight of the Lord’s Universal form, he prayed with upraised hands for mercy. The Lord then took the form of a boy again and, embracing Vijaya, assured him of his avatar in his next birth.

Rajasekhara was that Brahmin Vijaya.

To the noble Pandya Brahmin Vijaya we owe a debt of gratitude, since but for him we would perhaps not have the opportunity to pen the epic of the Lord. Nor would we have a sacred Sabari Hill to which to go on pilgrimage every year, nor the shrine thereon in which to consummate our pilgrimage, or the scene that greets our mortal eyes of the fraternity of the Lord’s children on the banks of the sacred Pampa. Maybe, if there had not been a Vijaya, there would have been another under a different name to be the cause of the Incarnation since this was per-ordained.

Vijaya’s only desire, which culminated in a mad craving, was to have a child, and it was for this that he had undertaken the task. When he saw the Lord standing before him in the form of a beautiful boy he could not restrain himself from desiring to retain the Lord in this form as his won on earth. Innocent Vijaya did not know the secret veiled beneath his prayer, that it is to say, that the Divine was working through him to fulfil His purpose on earth. He did not know the invaluable and sacred service that he was rendering to mankind at large by his prayer.

In striking contrast to the pursuit of worldly desires by a man who annihilates a tribe, a race, a nation or even a kingdom, as in the case of Ravana, we have here the enlightening example of a man’s innocent desire for the Lord’s mercy. We see also how, by his quest, he not only achieved his own ambition but bestowed on mankind at large teachings of immeasurable value and, what is more, brought the Lord down on earth to sanctify it by treading it in human form.

No less is the debt we owe to the great Sabari. Perhaps it is even greater. Oh! What a great person she was to bring down the Divine grace on earth by the power of her penance and sacrifice in order to redeem Vijaya from his sins!

After the Maharshi had ended the story of Vijaya, the Brahmin, he next explained to the king the sanctity of Pampa Tirtha. “This sacred Pampa is the confluence of all the holy waters of Bharata Varsha brought into Kerala by Parasurama by sacrificial tapasya. Immersion in the Pampa Tirtha will redeem you from all your sins.” On concluding his story, the Maharshi asked the king not to waste any more time in proceeding with the construction of the temple and then left.

Choosing an auspicious day, the king accompanied by his Dewan and Brahmins and the architects, set out for the noble purpose of erecting the temple. At Erumeli, as enjoined by Lord Dharma Sasta, the king erected a temple for Vapara and installed him. After the poojas, the king and his party crossed the river Alasa and reached the banks of the Pampa. Here he made his ablutions before resuming his journey. Towards evening the party reached Sabari Asram. As night was approaching, the king decided to halt there. After satisfying their hunger his entourage retired for rest. Tired as they were, they all fell asleep, but the king himself could not get sleep, although he also was tired.

While he was lying awake, Vapara, the Lord’s lieutenant, came to him and said:

“I am Vapara and have come here at the bidding of Lord Dharma Sasta who is now seated in Ponnampalam. He has ordered me to take you to Him. You can be back before your men awake. The Lord will protect them”.

The king followed Vapara and arrived at the Ponnampalam, a temple built of precious stones, dazzling with the light of thousand suns. There could be seen Truth personified as a gate keeper. Purity, Faith, Humility, Mercy, Steadfastness, Love and Bliss were arrayed on the steps. Vapara took the king to the Lord. The king saw eighteen steps carved from precious stones. As king of kings, Lord Bhootanatha was sitting on a golden throne, praised by great Rishis, Vedas and Sastras.

The king prostrated before Him and praised Him in many words. Embracing the king, He said:

“Glory be upon you. I am pleased with your devotion. While I was in your palace my guru blessed me that I should become a king of kings. I have now assumed that position to fulfil his blessing”

Here we see the bond between the Lord and His devotees and how He fulfils their desires, true to the words “nati-nuti-para-dasam”. That He is the upholder of the faith of His devotees needs no more testimony than this one instance from which we learn how much a Bhakta means to Him.

The Lord said:

“I desire to be adored in a figure wearing a Pattabandha (a belt around the knees) and with Chinmudra (the sign of Tatwamasi). You will get proper guidance in due time for the carving of my idol. Oh king! The body is the world, the heart the temple and the life inside it is Myself.” With this blessing, the Lord presented the king with a sword and said: “Consider Vapara as myself, Manjambika as my Sakti”.

In no time the king was brought back by Vapara to the place where he had been resting. This interlude was not known to his entourage who were still fast asleep.

The next morning he proceeded to assemble the necessary materials for the building of the temple. Meanwhile Indra grew anxious. He was jealous of the immeasurable Grace that the Lord bestowed on the king and feared that his won place might be given to him. He therefore decided to end the life of the king so as to ensure his safety in his own kingdom.

That night he accosted the king in the guise of a hunter, accusing him of trespassing on his territory and cutting his tress without permission. A quarrel ensured which ended in a fight between the hunter and the king. Indra (the hunter) ultimately took out his Vajra and used it against the king. Having no other weapon with which to defend himself, the king used the sword Lord Dharma Sasta had given him. This pursued Indra by its own power. Indra was unable to defend himself and his end appeared imminent. He took refuge at the feet of Lord Dharma Sasta and prayed for succour. The Lord said: “I have given the sword to king Rajasekhara. It is his. He alone can withdraw it. I am helpless”. So saying, the Lord directed Indra to the king. Indra came and, falling at his feet, begged for his life and disclosed his identity. The innocent king readily agreed and withdrew the sword. The king said: “My heart is set on Lord Dharma Sasta. I am not ambitious for your position.”

One whose heart is set on the Lord and His Divine words finds no pleasure or satisfaction in anything but the attainment of the Eternal Bliss, that is, the realisation of Supreme.

Indra in turn agreed to send Viswakarma to help the king erect the temple. The following morning, which was the 1st of Vrischikam, Viswakarma came, as ordered by Indra, and showed the king where the temple was to be erected. The king then laid the foundation stone.

When the construction of the temple was duly completed, there still remained the carving and installation of the Lord’s idol. The king did not know that form it was to take, and while he was puzzling over this, Parasurama came in the guise of a stone carver and showed him several idols of Lord Dharma Sasta with Pattabandha and Chinmudra. The king was astonished to see them and asked how so many idols happened to be there. Parasurama said: “You are not the only king of Pantalam who is to instal the idol of Dharma Sasta. There have been many before you who have done so.” Parasurama then disclosed his identity and said: “This is the most important temple of Lord Dharma Sasta through there are many others in Kerala. The idol here should be one with Pattabandha and Chinmudra.” Parasurama instructed the king as to the form it should take.

The idol was duly carved and Parasurama himself installed it at an auspicious time on Makara Sankranti day.

Parasurama instructed the king on the Poojas to be performed and the celebrations to be conducted. The king readily agreed to comply and gave the necessary instructions to his Dewan.

Al the other installations were duly made, and as the king completed his mission a voice was heard from heaven saying:

“Oh king! You have attained immortality”.

The king and his entourage returned to the plains. After reigning for a few more days the king abdicated in favour of his son and retired to the banks of the river Pampa where he spent the rest of his mortal days as a hermit.