We may sum up the glorious life of Saint Arunagirinathar, based on internal evidences, inscriptions, etc., as follows:

Arunagiri was a descendant of the family of Gowda Brahmins, who came from the North and settled in Mullandiram and other villages. He lived in Tiruvannamalai. He was well-versed in Tamil and Sanskrit even from his young age. He had good education and upbringing. He was married and had wife, children, in-laws and other relatives. Probably, for the sake of his education, his parents and he had settled in Tiruvannamalai. Even though married, as fate would have it, he fell a victim to the courtesans of Tiruvannamalai, lost all his wealth and contracted incurable diseases, on account of which he was ridiculed and laughed at by his dear and near ones, including the courtesans. He was not wanted by anyone. Time is a great healer. He became ashamed of himself and felt sorry for having wasted the precious human life. Taking pity on him an elderly person advised him to devote his time in prayer and contemplation on Lord Murugan. As advised, sitting near the temple Gopuram Arunagiri tried to fix his mind on God, but to no avail. Finally, to end this kind of wretched life, and as an expiation for the sins committed, he decided to put an end to his life. He climbed the top of the Arunachaleshwarar Temple Gopuram, offered a prayer to Lord Murugan and dropped himself down. When he was close to the ground, the all-merciful Lord Skanda, for whom he had love in his heart, held him in His arms, wrote the sacred Mantra on his tongue with His Vel, gave a Japa-Mala and commanded him to sing His glories, giving him the first line to commence the sacred mission. The sinner, in a moment, was transformed into a Saint of the highest realisation, had diverse divine experiences in addition to being cured of all his diseases. He was shining with divine glow. A temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan right at the bottom of the tower (Gopuram) where the Lord held him in His arms, with a statue of Arunagiri. It is called the Gopuraththu Ilayanaar Koil. He became a renunciate, a wandering monk, in the

true sense of the term, ever singing the glory of the Lord. His fame spread in all directions and the king of the country, Pravuda Deva, was all admiration for him and became his devotee. He wished to have the Lord's Darshana and Arunagiri sang the 'Athala Sedanarada' Tiruppugazh, when Lord Murugan appeared from a pillar (Khamba) in an open assembly, and gave Darshana with the dancing Peacock, to the great joy of the king and everyone assembled there. At that Pillar where the Lord appeared a shrine is dedicated for the Lord, called the Khambattu Ilayanaar Koil. Neither the king lost his eye-sight by the Lord's darshana nor did Arunagiri go to Devaloka as a parrot to fetch Parijata flowers, as told in the traditional and hearsay stories.

After that event, Arunagiri went on sthala-yatra or pilgrimage, visiting all the shrines of Lord Murugan throughout India and singing the glory of the Lord in all those places. He had different kinds of experience and vision of the Lord at many places. At Tiruchchendur he had vision of the Lord as a dancing child. In that town he also won against Villuputturar in a literary contest. At a place called Tirut-thurutti the Lord appeared in Arunagiri's dream, etched His emblems of the Vel and the Peacock on both his shoulders and commanded him to sing the 'Kandar Anubhuti'. Most probably the 'Kandar Anubhuti' was given by Arunagiri immediately at Tirut-thurutti. As wished by Arunagiri at Pothiya Malai to be enlisted in the elite group of Tapasvins like sage Agastya, and as prayed for by him at Tirutthani to stay there and do intense Tapasya, the Lord called him to Tirutthani again at the fag-end of his pilgrimage, to fulfil both the prayers. He stayed there for some years doing intense penance (Tapas) and gave the wonderful Tiru Vaguppus. As the purpose of giving the Tiru Vaguppus was to bring delight to the Lord's heart, there is no reference at all to sex in any of them, and also to fear of death (except in a few). Finally, he returned to his home town of Tiruvannamalai, from where his mission had commenced. Thus, he is said to have given 16,000 Tiruppugazh songs (of which about 1300 or so only are available) and composed many other works during the pilgrimage.

**The Glorious End

(The Holy Samadhi Shrine for Saint Arunagirinathar in Thiruvannamalai)**

When Arunagiri returned to Tiruvannamalai after the long pilgrimage, the King Pravuda Deva received him with due honour. Arunagiri spent the rest of his life in divine contemplation and meditation, and attained the highest state of Sayujya or the Advaitic realisation of being One with the Almighty Lord Skanda or Parabrahman. When he shed the body, perhaps in gratitude for the extraordinary blessing of having had the Darshana of Lord Skanda due to him, king Pravuda Deva got a Samadhi or Altar built for Arunagiri, wherein is interred his body, with an image of his carved in stone, in the precincts of the Arunachaleshwarar temple in Tiruvannamalai. This Samadhi shrine of Arunagirinathar is there even today.

It will be worthwhile noting that it was in the temple of Arunachaleshwarar in Tiruvannamalai that on Day One, when Arunagiri dropped himself from the temple tower, Lord Murugan saved and commissioned him (Gopuratthu Ilayanaar Koil); that the Lord appeared and blessed Arunagiri, the

lxvii king and the large audience with His darshana (Kambatthu Ilayanaar Koil); and where finally Arunagiri's body was interred when he attained Liberation (Arunagirinathar's Samadhi Altar/shrine). (In that small shrine of Arunagirinathar, the image of his -- picture 3 on page-lv -- truly represents his physical condition after his long period of Tapasya or austerity in Tirutthani.) All these three monuments are in the temple premises.

Thus did Arunagiri live a glorious life of God-consciousness, exhibiting many a superhuman deed, lifting people from the quagmire of Samsara and planting them firmly in the awareness of God; and the Saint continues to guide devotees and seeking souls to perfection, lending them the needed support, even today. May the grace of Saint Arunagirinathar be upon us all, always! May the blessings of all saints and sages be upon mankind, for ever and ever!!