Introduction
Pattinathu Pillayur, popularly known as Pattinathu Adigal or Pattinathu, was a renowned mystic and saint, who lived in the southern part of India many years ago. He was an ardent Lord Shiva devotee who attained his ‘jeeva samadhi’ at Thiruvotiyoor, Chennai.
Pattinathu was a wandering monk who used to beg for his living and preach to people on how to get rid of ‘maya’ and reach the ‘Supreme’.
Pattinathu’s real name was Thiruvengadar. He was born to Sivanesan (father) and Gnanakalai (mother), in Kaveripoompattinam, Tamil Nadu. The couple also had an elder daughter.
Pattinathu’s transformation
Thiruvengadar got married to a girl named Sivakalai and they started a righteous life. The couple adopted a child from a priest and the child was named Marudavanan.
As Marudavanan grew older he earned immense respect and recognition for his skill and knowledge on merchandising. Marudavanan quickly learnt all tricks of his trade and commenced on high sea trading and visited many places at an early age. Once, Marudavanan, along with his fellow traders, went on to explore an island. On reaching the island, he requested his friends to leave him there alone and pick him up, from the same place, after they had finished their business.
All his friends traded in valuable items and other assets but, on the contrary, Marudavanan accumulated sacks full of virati (dried cow dung mainly used for burning) and rice dust. Marudavanan’s weird gesture brought astonishment to all his fellow traders, but he decided to remain mum and proceed towards home. When they returned to Kaveripoompattinam his father, Thiruvengadar, gave him a warm loving welcome.
However when Thiruvengadar opened his son’s sacks, to his utter astonishment, he had brought only virati and rice dust in them. Enraged with his son’s action, Thiruvengadar angrily kicked off the sacks and bawled out his son in public. But, to everybody’s shock what seemed like virati and rice dust at first glance were in reality costly gems and diamonds.
Thiruvengadar eventually realised his mistake and earnestly decided to apologize his son Marudavanan for this impulsive behaviour. But, his decision came too late as by then Marudavanan had already left home leaving a small wooden box behind him for his dearest father. Marudavanan’s grand message to his father was stored in the wooden box.
Thiruvengadar opened the box and got a broken needle and a small palm leaf. In the palm leaf, the following message was written for his father by Marudavanan.
“Kadatra oosiyum varadhukan kadai vazhikye”
Meaning – Even the broken needle would not accompany you once you are dead.
Thiruvengadar reflected on this word and it completely changed his life.
Thiruvengadar renounced his wealth, estate, jewellery etc., giving them to the poor and needy. He left his home in simple clothes to attain his salvation. Thus he gained the name Pattinathu Adigal/Pattinathu.
Pattinathu’s travel
Pattinathu roamed the streets of Kaveripoompattinam and begged for food every day. Once, Pattinathu’s sister saw her brother begging for alms. The mere sight disgusted her as she thought Pattinathu had disgraced their family’s prestige. She then decided to kill her own brother.
She called her brother for food and gave him an “appam” mixed with poison. Pattinathu after seeing the appam realized that it was poisoned and he said –
“than appam thannai sudum…ottappam veetai sudum”
Meaning – “your deeds will burn you and this appam will burn the house”. Thus saying he threw them on the roof and the house started burning.
Once, Pattinathu travelled to Ujjain and worshipped Lord Mahakaleshwar and was seated beneath the tree. On the way, a few thieves were rushing out with the stolen jewels from the kingdom’s treasury. While crossing the tree, they hastily pelted a necklace on to the tree which fell directly on Pattinathu’s neck. Pattinathu was meditating and was unaware of any such happening.
He was noticed by the soldiers and they concluded that Pattinathu was guilty of the theft and they brought him before the King Badragiri. The king ordered the soldiers to hang him up. Pattinathu was taken to the hanging place.
There Pattinathu said the following words,
“Andha maram inda marathai, marathil yetra pogirathu”
Meaning – “this lifeless body is intending to punish my lifeless body.”
He prayed to the Lord that this could not be an outcome of his deeds and that it was not quite his will but rather the will of the Supreme Self, following which the entire hanging stage began burning.
As soon as the king heard the incident, he understood Pattinathu’s divine nature and rushed to him, prostrated before him and sought his blessings. King Badragiri thus became his greatest disciple.
His disciple, Badragiri
Both Pattinathu and Badragiri used to beg at the temple of Thiruvidaimarudur and share their alms for living.
Pattinathu used to sit for meditation near the eastern gate of the temple of Thiruvidaimarudur. Maharaja Badragiri used to sit near the western gate of the temple after getting bhiksha and serving his Guru. One day, a hungry bitch came to Badragiri and waved its tail. Badragiri pitied the dog and gave it the remaining portion of his alms. Thus the bitch remained with him and lived thereby. Lord Shiva, knowing this, went to Pattinathu and pretending to be very hungry, begged for alms. Pattinathu said, “I am a sanyasi with a kaupin only. There is a sanyasi (householder) at the western gate. Go to him and you will get Bhiksha.” Lord Shiva came to Badragiri and told him what Pattinathu had said. Hearing this Badragiri got quite vexed and said, “This bowl and this dog only have made me a householder.” He flung the bowl in great disgust and banged the head of the dog. The dog died instantaneously and Lord Shiva disappeared.
Reincarnation of Badragiri’s dog
Badragiri’s dog was later born as the daughter of Raja of Kashi. When the girl reached marriageable age, the Raja asked the priests to arrange for her marriage. The daughter – aware of her path in life – said to her father, “I am not destined for marriage. My Guru is meditating at the western gate of the Shiva temple at Thiruvidaimarudur. Send me over there to my Guru.” The Raja brought his daughter to Badragiri.
Badragiri came down from his samadhi and saw through the yogic vision that his dog had come again in the form of this girl. He took her by the hand and brought her to his Guru Pattinathu and asked, “Can the dog which ate the remaining portion of my alms attain the birth of a girl?” to which Pillayur replied, “It is all His will.” Both Guru and his disciple then spent most of their lives praying and meditating on Lord Shiva.
Pattinathu Philosophy
Pattinathu Pillayur came at last to Thiruvallur, twelve miles from Madras (present day Chennai) and there he played with the shepherd boys singing the following song which describes the vanity of human life and egoism:
“Kuchu Kuchu Amklsm Kuya Kuya
Amklam Machu Machu Amklam
Maya Maya Amklsm”
As soon as a child is born, he cries out, “Kuchu Kuchu” and as he grows up into manhood, he runs with egoism and vanity saying, “Kuya Kuya” and when he becomes old with grey hair and tottering steps he chants, “Maya Maya”, but he never realizes the “Amklam”, the chidakasa, the Absolute or the Para – Brahma.
Pattinathu’s salvation
Pattinathu visited various Shiva temples and sang many songs in praise of Shiva and cautioned people to remain balanced in their worldly attachments. At last, he reached a fisherman town and resolved to leave his body and merge himself in the Supreme Atman. Pattinathu played with the children and asked them to hide him within the ‘parisal’ (Tamil name for a convex shaped boat used as water vehicle in villages) and he showed himself up on the other one. He performed such magic and entertained the children and the third time he was not seen and thus attained his salvation.
This place is the present day Thiruvottriyur in northern Chennai. At the place of his Samadhi, a Shiva Lingam is there.