Kunguliya Kalaya Nayanar – One of the sixty-three Nayanmars

Greetings on this auspicious Maha Shivaratri!!

Pleased to present the story of a devotee of Lord Shiva named Kunguliya Kalaya Nayanar. This is stated in the Periya Puranam narrated by Sri Sekkizhar Peruman.

To know who Nayanars / Nayanmars are please click here.

Tirukkadayur or Tirukkadavoor as it is called is a well-known Kshetra in the present state of Tamil Nadu. It is in this place that Lord Shiva known by the name Amritaghatesa, punished Yama, the God of Death, while protecting his ardent devotee, the sixteen-year-old Markandeya. It is also here that Devi Parvathi known as Abirami Amman, manifested the full moon on a New Moon day to save her devotee named Abirami Pattar.

In this prosperous and flourishing town of Tirukkadayur, there lived a person by name Kunguliya Kalayar. He was extremely devoted to Lord Amritaghatesa. His favourite form of service to his Lord was to burn Kunguliyam for Him. Kunguliyam is the resin got from the Sal tree (Shorea Robusta) and is used as incense during worship. It gives a wonderful fragrance when burnt with the help of charcoal.

Kunguliya Kalayar was financially well off. Therefore every day he used to go and purchase a large quantity of Kunguliyam and offer to the Lord in the temple. That is the reason he was called Kunguliya Kalayar.

In course of time, Lord Shiva wanted to showcase Kalayar’s devotion to the world. Kalayar’s life ran into a bad phase and his wealth started dwindling slowly. Kalayar and his family consisting of his wife and children reduced their needs to see that money was available for the Kunguliyam service to continue without interruption. One by one their lands and assets were sold to buy Kunguliyam. Slowly, three meals a day became two and thereafter to one meal a day and then one meal on alternate days. Kalayar’s wife was deeply pained that the children were starving and suffering for no fault of theirs. The clothes worn by all of them became old and ragged. Poverty was writ large on their faces. However the Kunguliyam service by Kalayar continued without fail.

Now, the time came  when Kalayar’s wife  had only her Mangalsutra (wedding chain) left on her person. And as per custom, that chain is to be worn continuously and not to be removed at all. All the other jewels had been pawned or sold. It happened for the first time that the family had not eaten consecutively for four days.

That afternoon, Kalayar’s wife, with a heavy heart decided to pawn her wedding chain. She told her husband that at least the children needed to eat. “Please take this Mangalsutra of mine to the pawn broker and get some money and  buy some rice and vegetables. The kids have not eaten for four days now and I cannot bear to see them like this” she said, breaking into sobs. Kalayar’s face was downcast as he  rued upon his financial position. The fact that his wife had to remove her wedding chain upset him. But there was no other way.

After pondering for a while, Kalayar accepted his wife’s suggestion. He took the chain from her and started walking to the pawn broker’s shop in the market. As he was entering the market place he heard the sound of a hawker.

“Kunguliyam… Kunguliyam… buy best quality Kunguliyam… for the best price…”

The word ‘Kunguliyam’  was magic  and the hawker’s call sounded like music to Kalayar’s ears and his face lit up. He completely forgot the purpose of his coming to the market. Hurriedly he called out to the Kunguliyam hawker. The hawker came nearer carrying a big sack full of Kunguliyam.

“I have some gold. See how much Kunguliyam you can give for this” said Kalayar as he took out the gold Mangalsutra of his wife.

Looking at the chain the hawker said, “Well it seems the chain is quite heavy. You can have this whole sack of Kunguliyam in exchange”.

Kalayar was delighted beyond words. He broke into an exuberant smile. “So much Kunguliyam for my Lord” he thought. “And that too after so long… What a stroke of grace of my Lord Shiva!”  Thinking thus, he gave away his wife’s  chain without any qualms or bargaining.

Literally grabbing the sack from the hawker, he changed his direction and started walking fast towards the temple of Amritaghatesa. He went straight to the store-room of the temple where the items used for Pooja were kept and placed the sack there. Then, proceeding to the temple tank, he took a dip and returned to the store-room, picked up the Kunguliyam, lit the charcoal and went to the presence of the Lord and offered the Kunguliyam incense. And when he watched the milk-white fumes with a beautiful aroma spreading beautifully in front of Lord Shiva, he felt so blissful and forgot himself. He continued offering the Kunguliyam in the mid-evening and night Poojas too oblivious of the fact that his family was waiting for him.

As the night advanced, the sanctum was shut , but Kalayar was sitting in a trance in the Mandapa with his eyes closed and he was enjoying the Darshan of Lord Shiva in his mind’s eye.

At home, Kalayar’s wife and children waited and waited  and  the fatigue and weakness due to having remained hungry for days together pushed them into a deep slumber. The house was plunged in darkness as there was not even a wee bit of oil to light a lamp.

Lord Shiva decided that He had tested Kalayar enough. He ordered Kubera (the Lord of wealth) to go and fill up the house of Kalayar. Kubera instantly manifested bags of gold , silver coins, diamonds, grains, clothing , jewelry, vegetables, fruits , milk, curd and ghee and filled up the house of Kalayar. Lord Shiva then appeared in the dream of Kalayar’s wife and indicated to her that there was no dearth of anything in their house now.

Woken up by the dream, Kalayar’s wife sat up and the brightness of the gold, silver and diamonds had lit up the whole house. Startled to find that her dream was indeed true, she rubbed her eyes in amazement again and again and it was real. She immediately thanked the abundant grace of Lord Shiva and her first thought was to cook food for her children and husband.

At the temple, in the quiet of the night, an Ashareeri (divine voice without body) sounded. “Kalaya!” it said in a deep, yet soothing voice. Kalayar woke from his trance with a start. “Kalaya! You must be very hungry. Go home, eat food and satiate your hunger” said the voice. Kalayar looked around and there was no one around. He realized that it was the voice of Lord Shiva. He then remembered that there was not even a grain of rice at home! What would he eat? He then recollected that he was supposed to have bought rice and vegetables after pawning his wife’s chain. Now what could he do?

Kalayar was deep in his thoughts when the voice urged him once again. “Go Kalaya! Go home and eat food! Go!”  Kalayar thought that it was improper to disobey the divine voice. He felt he should not stay back at the temple when the voice was urging him to go home. So he traced  his steps back slowly to his home. As he neared his home, he could see lights inside. Puzzled, he went to the entrance and knocked the door. His wife came with a beaming smile and opened the door.

Kalayar was pleasantly taken aback seeing his wife bedecked in rich ornaments and wearing a beautiful silk saree. Staring in disbelief, he eyed all the treasures stacked in his house and smelt the wonderful aroma of food that was being cooked. His wife then told him about her dream of Lord Shiva and how it turned out to be true. Kalayar was simply overwhelmed and had goosebumps all over, thinking of the shower of grace by Lord Shiva. Kalayar and his wife stood with their palms enjoined in obeisance to the Omniscient Lord Shiva not able to thank him enough.

Now Kalayar’s coffers would be ever full to enable him offer as much Kunguliyam as he wanted to his Lord and entertain Lord Shiva’s devotees in a manner befitting their devotion.  And from then on, till he reached the Lotus Feet of Lord Shiva, Kunguliya Kalaya Nayanar as he came to be called spent his life solely in the service of the Lord whom he loved so much.

Om Namah Shivaya!