63 Nayanmar - 9 Enathi Nayanmar

9 

Enathi Nayanmar

Enathi Nayanar was a Shanar (Nadar) (toddy tapper). His name "Enathinatha" means "Lord of the Generals" .He was born in Eyinanur in Chola Kingdom situated to south east of Kumbakonam on the banks of River Arisol. Enathi Nayanar was an excellent swordsman and was a general in Chola army and tutor to the chola princes in Swordmanship.

Enathi Nayanar was an ardent shiva devotee. He was attached to external marks of Shaivism ie Tripundra ( the three horizontal white lines of Vibuthi(Sacred ash) on ones forehead and body were enough to evoke his love towards shiva.

Tripundra is the three lines represent the soul's three bonds: anava, karma, and maya. Holy ash, made of burnt cow dung, is a reminder of the temporary nature of the physical body and the urgency to strive for spiritual attainment and closeness to God.

The "tri" in the word Tripundra siginifies the

Triguna – Satva, Raja and Tama;

The three qualities in man are:

· Sattva is the quality of balance, harmony, goodness, purity, universalizing, holistic, constructive, creative, building, positive, peaceful, virtuous

· Rajas is the quality of passion, activity, neither good nor bad and sometimes either, self centeredness, egoistic, individualizing, driven, moving, dynamic.

· Tamas is the quality of imbalance, disorder, chaos, anxiety, impure, destructive, delusion, negative, dull or inactive, apathy, inertia or lethargy, violent, vicious, ignorant.



Triloka – Bhuhu, Bhuvaha, Suvaha;

Tritapa – Bbhoutika, Daivika, Adhyatmika.


According to him the three lines remove

- three types of impurities like Anavam ( Vanity), Karma ( Selfishness) and Maya (Illusion)

- three desires or Eshanas (desire for worldly goods, for son and for wife)

- three Vasanas or subtle tendencies (Lokavasana (worldliness), Dehavasana (attachment to the body) and Shastravasana( blind faith in scriptures and polemics)



Onw who applies a tripundra can transcend the three bodies (physical, astral and causal), and the three states, viz., waking, dreaming and deep sleep,—and eventually attain union with Lord.

Enathi Nayanar worshipped whoever came to him with the tripundram on his forehead as Lord Shiva himself. He was ready to give his life at the feet of any person who would wear a tripundra in his forehead such was his devotion to Lord Shiva.

Enathi Nayanar was popular on account of his devoution and swordmanship and this earned him professional jealousy from another swordsman by the name Athisooran as his home was thronged by students.

AthiSooran was wicked and he was not as skilled as Enathi Nayanar in Swordsmanship. Enathi Nayanar was challenged for a duel by AthiSooran. AthiSooran came to the house of Enathi Nayanar with his realtives with arms and planned to defeat Enathi Nayanar with aid of his relatives. Enathi Nayanar accepted the challenge and came to fight but AthiSooran asked him to come to a nearby groove so he would plan to defeat with aid of his relatives and no witness. He was like a jackal very scheming and cunning.

The relatives of Atisuran were waiting in the grove. In the mean time, the friends of Enathi had also gathered around him. The two parties fell on each other, and in the terrible fight that ensued many lives were lost. AthiSooran ran away to save his life yet he had a strong desire to defeat Enathi Nayanar. AthiSooran knew that it is difficult to defeat Enathi Nayanar in an open fight .

Athisooran sent a message to Enathi Nayanar “ Let us fight again tomorrow without any aides at this stipulated hour at a lonely place without anyone’s knowledge as many innocent lives have been lost.”

Enathi Nayanar accepted the duel and frisked to the scheduled place at the scheduled time without informing anyone about the duel. AthiSooran knew about Enathi Nayanar devotion towards Lord Shiva and his Tripundram. AthiSoooran applied Tripundram on his forehead but hid his tripundram with his shield and awaited Enathi Nayanar.

Enathi Nayanar approached AthiSooran and pounced on him , Athissoran removed the shield revealing the tripundram. Enathi Nayanar quickly lowered his Sword as he thought it was a sin to attack a Shiva devotee.

Enathi Nayanar wanted to throw the sword but his warrior sense did not allow him to drop the sword as it was a sin to kill an unarmed person and he dint want a person wearing Tripundram to get sinned. So much great was his mind and love for Lord Shiva.

Enathi Nayanar  stood on the ground awaiting his death from the hands of devotee of Shiva as he had the scared Thirupundram on his forehead. AthiSooran seeing his chance struck Enathi Nayanar  and killed him on the sight. Lord Siva was highly pleased with this self-sacrificing devotion that Enathi had for the sacred ash and Tripundram. The Lord appeared before Enathi as he fell, and took him to His Abode.