Detailed story of Chandesha Anugraha from Skanda Purana

Among the twenty-five forms that are most praised the chaNdEshanugraha mUrti (1) is one. It is the form of the Lord blessing the chaNdEsha n^AyanAr for the great deed he did. In fact chaNdEsha n^AyanAr is one of the five forms that are worshipped in all the temple festivals even today (others being vinAyakar, subhramaNyar, saha umA ska.ndar (2), shakti ). He has a special place in all the temples, where the water after anointing the Lord falls out. Anybody before leaving the temple after worship must take permission from chaNdEsha n^AyanAr sitting in that place for taking any of the material as the leftover blessing ( prasAdham ) from God. Needless to say, he is praised in the honey-like twelve thirumuRais in many places. The great deed he did in a young age will moralize one who comes to know about it. To write that excellent devotion, is an effort similar to an illiterate explaining sophisticated literature.

The Lord Muruga(Skanda) who blew the mountain that was the form of illusion with the shUla of knowledge, gave the town of Vedic soulful, called thiruch chEynyalUr . With the sweet sound emerging from the Vedic schools where young boys sit around the master like the stars surrounding the moon and chant the holy Vedas without changing the format prescribed for chanting, making a sound as if there is a perennial thunder. The cows that give the five special substances that are used in the worship and the rituals move in huge numbers in that town. Like the music is the use of rhythm, a sight is the use of eyes, the Holy five letters that are the use of thinking, the rain is the use of the sky, the Shivam that is the use of the Vedas , that town was the use of the world. It was one of the five towns where the Cholas used to have their crowning ceremony.

Among the people who chant the Vedas in that town came a person called echcha thaththan in the Kashyap gOthram (tradition founded by sage kashayapar). Like the snake that gives both gem and poison, he was the form of both good and bad deeds. His wife came from a good family, chaste in her heart, blessed for getting a son of unlimited fame. For the truth of shaivam grow, she gave birth to the kid by name vichAra chrumanAr . Like the bud that gets the scent of the flower as it blossoms he experienced the Vedic knowledge as a continuation of his previous birth's knowledge when he became five. When he was seven they did the upanayana ritual for him. To the wonder of others, he knew the arts that are worth knowing in his young age, but still, as in the tradition, he went to school. That small aged, wide knowledged prodigy realized that "The ultimate thing is the Holy feet that dance in the ambalam ". In the bliss of slavery to the shiva who sang the Vedas, his love for Him multiplied as an avalanche.

One day he saw the shepherd hitting a cow in the herd with a rod heavily. His heart which always beats on love, couldn't bear this. The cows are the superior creatures of all in the world. All the holy waters reside in them. They give the five holy substances that the Lord like the most for anointing. They give birth to the raw materials used for the preparation of the holy ash. They belong to the same family of the holy Bull Lord who carries the Lord always. Thinking of the greatness of cows, he told the shepherd that from then on he would take over the control of that cows. He took the cows every morning to the places where they will get enough grass to graze. If there is not enough he would pluck and give them. After they get enough food and water he would make them sit in a cool shady place. He protected them from the attack of other animals. When they gave the milk he used to duly produce it to the appropriate owner without failure. Under his supervision, the cows lived in peace, multiplied, and gave milk in huge quantities than one could expect. That made the people happy about him.

Excited by his care the cows came to this child instead of their calves and started giving milk automatically without anybody sucking it out. This became an indication to him for the anointment of the Lord who best likes the bathing in holy substances than anything else as worship. With the enthusiasm to worship the Almighty that gives perennial bliss to the worshipper, he made a form of It, and constructed a temple out of the sand as a play. He brought the leaves and flowers from the shrubs surrounding to offer to the matted hair of the Lord. When he went to the cows they all gave him a lot of milk. Putting his heart under His feet, the flowers over His golden hair, he started anointing the milk like sweet God with milk and his love replacing the other substances that were not available to him for the worship. The cows gave the same amount of milk to their houses as well in spite of giving for the worship of the small but adorable devotee. This devotion and worship grew as the days grew.

One day a passerby, who had no sight to see the God, saw only the His form made of sand to which out n^AyanAr was anointing with milk. He went and told the people that the young Vedic boy is wasting the milk pouring to the sand (!) The town council enquired echcha thaththan about this. Nobody realized the presence of the Lord in the sand form nor the devotion of the young prodigy nor about the respect they have to give to the worship and not even the fact that they were getting more milk than they used to get before the Vedic young boy took over that job. echcha thaththan told the council that he would take proper action to prevent any such things from happening in the future. He came back home after the evening worship, didn't tell anything to his son, but wanted to find out for himself what happens. After our n^AyanAr started from home with the cows, he followed without our n^AyanAr noting it and hid over a tree.

With the truthful bhakti, n^AyanAr made the form of the Lord and His abode out of the sand as he did every day, put the flowers and leaves on the head that is ornated by bones and skulls and started anointing with the milk that cows gave out of affection. Unable realize the dedication of his young son and appreciate it, he saw only through the mask of his own defined duty. Hence angered heavily, he beat the n^AyanAr heavily many times. But what n^AyanAr was doing was not just a kid's play. It was the thapas that is full of love. He knew then nothing but shiva, the milk that He enjoys. The beating never pained him. He was well out of bodily feelings and was in a state of bliss. Irked by this echcha thaththan kicked the milk pot that he was pouring on Lord's head. Our n^AyanAr realized that it was his father who did that crime. But in complete neutrality, he realized that it is the God who wears the water in His head to be the only relation for the real "I" (pashu). When a person does a sinful deed against the Lord it should not matter what the relationship is, but misdeed is a misdeed. That great young boy whom the world salutes took a stick that lied nearby. It became an axe. He threw it on echcha thaththan, which cut his legs that did the sinful deed and disturbed the worship. He fell down on the sand. The loveful devotee continued the worship.

The Lord delighted by the impartial behavior of his love came on the holy Bull accompanied by His consort with the praise of the sages and the chanting of Vedas. The kid prostrated the King of love. mahaAdEva took, hugged, and kissed him, "You punished even your father for My service. Now I am your father". The importance he gave to the service of the Lord made the God who transcends everything to be his father. By age he was young, but he taught the entire world the lesson of service. The child who was touched by the Lord of luminant form appeared with the luminance of thousands of Suns. The Lord of the universe made him the head of His devotees and said, "Everything the vessels of food, the ornaments, and dress that are offered are for you after my usage, and you are given the great name "chaNdIshan" " and crowned his shining hair with the konRai garland with the crescent in it. (He got a form of liberation called sArUpyam where the liberated soul gets the appearance of the Lord with three eyes, crescent crown, axe and deer and bull vehicle.) Amidst the flower rain by the people of heaven and praise by the good-hearted, with the path of shaivam illuminated he accompanied the Lord. His father who was corrected also got the shivalOka entry with the family. Let his fame be hailed who became the son of the Lord for the great dead. Let the impartial nature of chaNdEsha n^AyanAr's service and his excellent love for the crescent crowned shiva stay in the mind.