There was a tribal leader named Nagan around current day Kalahasti. After great prayers, he begot a son and named him Thinnan. Thinnan mastered all weaponry at young age. He was adept at archery and throwing spears. Nagan announced his son Thinnan as the new leader of the group when Thinnan was still young.
One day, Thinnan hunted a boar inside a dense forest. Two servants accompanied him for the hunting expedition. They were tired after the hunt and they felt extreme hunger and thirst. They climbed a mountain looking for water. The servant informed him that there was a shiva temple on top of that mountain, Thinnan was curios to visit the temple.
Thinnan started the climb only to find elusive water but he felt a strong affinity on climbing the mountain as he climbed higher and higher. All his hunger and thirst simply vanished on seeing the shivalinga. He somehow felt attracted to the linga.
Thinnan was overpowered with emotions. He quickly hugged the Shivalinga with love. Incessant tears poured from his eyes. On seeing a few leaves and wild flowers lying over the shivalinga, he enquired-“Who has kept these offerings.” The servant replied that it must be the brahmin who comes once a day to wash, decorate and offer food for the shivalinga. Thinnan felt the urge to worship shiva but did not know the right procedure.
Thinnan cooked the meat of his hunt and tasted it before offering to the Lord to ensure a good eating experience for the lord. Being hungry himself, he chose to serve his lord quickly. He had to wash the Lord and decorate him before offering the food. He wanted to do it fast as he thought the Lord would be hungry like him. He plucked some wildflowers and fetched water from a pool. He had the arrows and meat in his hands. So he decided to put the flowers on his hair and filled his mouth with the water and ran to the temple.
Thinnan went running inside the temple with his slippers on. With great love, he dusted the flowers with his feet. He spilled the water from his mouth and transferred the flowers from his hair to the linga. He then placed the cooked meat before the lord and requested the lord to start eating. He returned home as it was getting dark.
The Brahmin priest Sivagochariar came next morning and was aghast to see footprints and meat lying around the linga. He then cleansed the temple with great difficulty and completed his routine. Thinnan could not resist the urge to see the Shivalinga the next day. He came back and repeated the same routine. Thinnan spent the next 5 days doing the same routine losing all consciousness of his body. The Brahmin priest would keep cleaning the mess created by Thinnan every day. This kept repeating every day.
The priest cried out to the lord on the sixth day of this routine “Oh Lord, please forgive my sins, and stop this once and for all.”
The lord appeared in his dream that night and said- “My friend, what you are perceiving as mess is the labour of love from my faithful devotee. His actions could be crude but all in my interest. When he places flowers from his head to mine, it is more pleasurable than my own son Skanda’s embrace. The water he spits from his mouth seems purer than the Ganges. When he lovingly asks me to eat the meat cooked by him, his calls are far sweeter than the hymns of rishis. Stand behind me tomorrow after your routine and watch yourself for a first-hand experience”.
The pujari couldn’t sleep the entire night. He hid behind the Shivalinga the next morning after his prayers. Meanwhile Thinnan climbed the mountain with a longing to feed the Lord. He saw numerous inauspicious omens on the way and feared for his lord’s safety. He went running to the spot with great speed. To his dismay, he saw blood oozing form the lord’s right eye. Oozing did not stop even after wiping the blood. He began to sob and roll on the ground unable to bear the sight.
In rage, He stomped out to kill the person who has caused such a pain to the lord. But he couldn’t find anybody in the vicinity. He cried “Oh lord, my father, What has happened to you? How can I help you?” He got some herbal medicine from the jungle and rubbed it on lord’s eyes, the oozing did not stop.
He remembered a tribal saying- “Flesh for Flesh” Thinnan pecked his right eye with his arrow and slowly pasted it on the lord’s bleeding eye. The blood stopped at once. The temple began to reverberate in his joy.
Alas, now even the lord’s left eye began to bleed. Without any hesitation, Thinnan decided to offer his left eye as well. Only hesitation is the challenge of how to locate the bleeding eye after removing his left eye which was the only left eye. He thought about a solution. He quickly placed his feet on the left eye marking the spot. As he went to peck his other eye, the lord quickly extended his hand and pulled him to his side and embraced him. Since, Thinnan had sacrificed his one eye and was ready to sacrifice another eye, the lord called him with passion, Kannappa.
“You are the very personification of love and sacrifice. You shall forever stay with me.” Lord said. Thus, the priest Sivagochariar understood the true POWER OF LOVE & PASSION.
Management and Leadership Topics covered in the previous posts
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Jaganathan T
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