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Who is Thirumoolar? Tamil Nadu's revered Siddha Yogi who wrote 'Thirumandiram'

Ever heard of Thirumoolar, a great Siddha Yogi? I am almost certain you haven't! Stories about Rishis, Siddha Yogis and spiritual masters have so much to teach us. In one of Swami's divine discourses, I read the story of a highly revered Siddha Yogi from Tamil Nadu known as Thirumoolar.  This is the story of Thirumoolar.

                                              [Source: Facebook]
  
Thirumoolar's story
Once upon a time, there was a Pandyan King, who wanted to develop his kingdom by breeding horses. A young minister in his court, known for his exemplary character, was entrusted with the task of buying horses by the King himself. On the way, he met a holy man, a 'Shiva Yogi', and became his disciple. The young Minister lost interest in the task of buying horses and gave away the King's money to build a temple for Lord Shiva and he immersed himself in prayers.

Imagine the wrath of the King when he found out that his Minister had not only not returned but had failed to buy horses and had not even returned the money!

An angry King summoned him and charged him with misusing the money. To this, he replied that everything comes from God and that he had not misused the money but had used it for God. 

He questioned the King, "Did you come into the world with money? So who gave you the money? It is a gift of God. Everything belongs to God." 

The King jailed him and found himself unable to sleep peacefully. Meanwhile, the prisoner was so engrossed in contemplating God that he composed the much revered and famous 'Thirumandiram' while in jail.  This comprises more than three thousand verses and is known to date back to the sixth century or earlier.

Thirumoolar as a revered Siddha Yogi
In Tamil Nadu, this masterpiece is considered to be a 'Vedham' in itself. 

In conclusion, Swami introduces the 'hero' of the story as Thirumoolar.

Till I read this story , I didn't know that Thirumoolar is. 
  1. Revered as one among the 18 revered Siddhas who has been chosen by Lord Shiva himself as the interpreter of great mysteries pertaining to Life itself. 
  2. He is also one of the few mortals to have witnessed Lord Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava, the Cosmic Dance. 'Nataraja' darshan.
  3. A scholar in Tamil language
  4. Proponent of the Siddha medicine system
  5.  A master of performing miracles and cures 

The year 2020 may be a good time for us to contemplate on the deeper purpose of life through stories that make us reflect on the deeper meaning. 

Best of all, we can sit with our loved ones and children and share these stories to get their thoughts on it too.

If you enjoyed reading this story, check these out too:








Simply put, spread the goodness and knowledge to everyone around you!
Do you like stories like this? Share your favourite story in comments below.

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