Pamban Swamigal – Life History
Pamban Gurudasa Swamigal, popularly known as Pamban
Swamigal, was a Saivite saint and poet. He was a
devotee of the Tamil god Murugan and composed and wrote poems in
his praise. His samadhi is located at Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. This pious seer
is considered, to be one of the siddhas of later Tamil tradition. Pamban
Swamigal was a believer one God that is Siva the Para Brahman and Subramanya is
part of Siva and comes from Siva. He clarifies this in his book Subramanya
Veyasam. Pamban Swami got the name "Kumara Guru Dasa Swamigal"
because of his deep love for Palani Murugan. His Sanskrit teacher named him as
Kumara Guru and also as Pamban Swamigal because Swami lived and left his family
at Pamban Island.
Pamban Swami's full name is Adhyaasrama Suddha Vaidheega
Saiva Sidhantha Gnanabanu. He was a sanyasi who followed the Suddha Advaita in
the Vaideha way of Saiva Siddhanta in the Dasa Marga. In his lifetime Pamban
Swami wrote 6,666 poems, 32 viyasams and 1000 names of Lord Murugan. By reading
his Jnanaamirtham hymn one will benefit in both worlds. He composed
poems on Lord Kumara in more than 130 different forms as per Tamil grammar.
Pamban Swami always liked to do silent Aka Puja rather than audible Puja.
Early Life & Education:
In between the year 1848-1850 a child was born to a
Saivite family in the town of Rameswaram which then formed part of the Ramnad
District. The child was named Appavu but later became known as Pamban Swamigal
as he had lived and left his family at Pamban Island. A psychic predicted that Appavu
would be great man of words and wisdom. In his school days, Appavu was very
good in his studies and other activities and ranked high in Tamil and English. At
the age of thirteen, on a Friday at sunrise Appavu had a vision and was induced
to write poems on Lord Kumaraguru, which he wrote immediately on a palm leaf in
a facile pen in his coconut estate.
He wrote one poem each day before his lunch for 100
days, ending each decad with his manasika guru's name Arunagiri Nathar. After
seeing Appavu's poem, a temple priest named Seddu Madhava Iyer marveled at the
young boy's knowledge of Tamil and his faith in Lord Murugan. Later Appavu was
given upadesam on the holy six-letter mantra on Vijaya Dasami day at Agni Tirtham by the Rameswaram seashore temple and was made to
read Sanskrit by Sethu Madhava Iyer.
His experiences with Lord
Muruga:
Since Pamban Swami was interested in the holy life from
the early days, his parents and guru Sethu Madhava Iyer were keen to get him
married soon in the year 1878. His wife's name was Kalimuthami; they had one
son and two daughters. Even after marriage Pamban Swami lived like a saint,
mostly doing pujas and prayers. After his father's death Pamban Swami took over
the family business. He won many legal cases related to his business by the
grace of Lord Murugan.
One-night Pamban Swami's daughter was crying due to
illness. Her mother requested Pamban Swami to give Vibhuti to the crying child
but Pamban Swami refused to do so and informed his wife to pray to Lord Murugan
for help and started his meditation to Lord Murugan. She did as she was told by
Pamban Swami. After some time Pamban Swami saw the child was not crying and
found her fast asleep. When Pamban Swami asked the mother about the change she
replied that after her prayer to Lord Murugan, a saintly figure came inside the
house and applied Vibhuti on the child and went away. From that moment on the
child was cured. He felt that Lord Murugan himself came and helped him at their
request.
One-time Pamban Swami was walking on a rough track and a
thorn pricked and pierced into his foot. The terrible pain made Pamban Swami to
shed tears and pray to God. On the same night Lord Murugan came in the dream of
a cobbler in the next village and informed him to make and give a pair of
slippers to Pamban Swami. When Pamban Swami was traveling to the village the
next day the shoemaker came with the pair of slippers to Pamban Swami saying
that in his dreams, Lord Murugan came and had given instructions to make a pair
of slippers for him. Pamban Swami was very much pleased and thanked Lord
Murugan for his kindness to his devotees.
Pamban Swami was once very ill due to diarrhea. Due to
this, he fainted and fell down and upon seeing this his wife fainted too. Lord
Murugan came to their house just then and tapped with a stick, made Pamban
Swami's wife get up and said "Don't worry. He will be alright. Just smear
Vibhuti on his body and say 'I will never leave you'." But Pamban Swami's
wife was afraid to touch Vibhuti as it was her menstrual time. Lord Bala
Murugan said to her, "There is no prohibition during emergency." She
did as she was told. Immediately Pamban Swami was cured.
One day someone told Pamban Swami that a poet was
writing a song of 100 verses that was incomplete for the last two months. Upon
hearing this Pamban Swami decided that he would compose a song similar to that.
So, he started and finished 125 verses within an hour. To this day no poet or
saint has duplicated such a feat. The poem is called Tiruvorumalai Komagan. The
first verse of four lines consists of 64 words to each line with total 256
words. Pamban Swami composed the remaining 124 verses without adding any other
words. He said with the divine guidance anything is possible.
Palani Incident:
One day a friend of Pamban Swami informed him that he
was going to Palani, the sacred hill temple. Pamban Swami also wanted to go to
Palani and left his family life without informing them. When his friend asked
if he had permission from his god, Pamban Swami said 'Yes' and lied to his
friend. On the same day Lord Palani Murugan appeared before him with a smiling
face and said "If I want your presence at the hill I could have done it easily.
There is no reason for you to lie. I will call you when the time comes. You may
remain there without any attachments." Then he asked Pamban Swami to
promise that he would not go to Palani without his permission. To keep his word
Pamban Swami never went to Palani till his last days. Pamban Swami also gave up
the taste of lime, salt, and hot spices. He used to take plain rice with green
dal and ghee. He used to take food only once a day before noon; if he missed
the time he would take food the next day only.
Making of Shanmuga
Kavacham:
In 1891 Pamban Swami wrote Shanmuga Kavacham, a powerful
hymn of 30 verses composed for the benefit of Lord Murugan's devotees to
protect them from illness of body and mind as well as from foes, wild beasts,
poisonous creatures, demons, devils and biting insects. Several instances prove
that this Shanmuga Kavacham verses effective in this respect. If you recite it
with heart and soul to Lord Murugan, the results will be swift and miraculous.
Making of Panchamirtha Varnam:
Also, in 1891 Pamban Swami composed Panchamirtha Varnam.
Lord Murugan himself has said to an old lady in Tiruchendur that "I will
be present physically wherever the song is sung on a pleasant note." If
anyone does puja inside the heart by reciting this poem, it is equal to doing abishekam
and puja.
Visit to Kumarakottam:
On his visit to Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Pamban Swami
had failed to visit Kumarakottam, the famous Murugan temple in the town. On his
way back, Lord Murugan appeared before him in the form of a 30-year-old man
with a turban and asked if he had visited Kumarakottam where Kanda Puranam was
composed by the temple priest Kachiyappa Sivachariyar. He took Pamban Swami
near to the temple and vanished. After the pujas, Pamban Swami was very much
delighted by the grace of Lord Kumaran. In the railway station the train was
delayed due to some fault as though it was only waiting for Swami and then the
train proceeded without delay.
Oru Mozhi:
In the year 1894 at Peerapan Valasai near Ramanad in
Tamil Nadu, Pamban Swami was determined to get upadesam from Lord Kumara Palani
Andi himself and from no one else. So, he obtained permission from the
government officer to dig a pit in the burial ground to the size of 3' x 3' x
3' covered with lock & key for the roof. Before starting meditation, he
asked his followers to have faith in God. Because this was a burial ground
there were a lot of disturbing events that took place. Once a big demon tried
to seize Pamban Swami, but by hurling his Dhandam the demon vanished. On the
seventh night a voice commanded Pamban Swami to get up.
Pamban Swami replied that unless Lord Palani Andi himself
comes, he would not get up, even if he had to die. Once again, the voice said,
"Your Lord has come to see you. Open your eyes." Pamban Swami was
delighted to see Lord Murugan in the form of Palani Andi with a Dhandam in one
hand and the other hand in chin mudra accompanied by two rishis. With a smiling
countenance Palani Andi came forward and gave a "single utterance"
(oru mozhi) upadesam in Pamban Swami's right ear. After that they turned back,
walked towards the west and vanished.
Without getting up on hearing that one-word Pamban Swami
was very much pleased and continued his meditation for 28 days without food,
water or sleep. On the 35th day once again a voice was heard and commanded him
to "Come out of the pit." Once again Pamban Swami replied that only
if it is by his Lord he would get out. The voice said, "Yes it's me."
At once Pamban Swami got out of the pit and saw Chitra Poornima full moon in
the sky. He had a cloth of one-piece cloth like Patanatar or an Andi.
Later his followers requested him to wear two pieces of
white cloth one around the waist and the other over his shoulder. Pamban Swami
was content to remain in silence but others wanted him to speak of his
experience. Even today the oil lamp that Pamban Swami used in the pit is
preserved in Ramanad town by Pamban Swami's followers. In 1895 Pamban Swami
took sannyasa and left Pamban village. One-day Lord Murugan appeared in his
dream and asked him to proceed to Madras. He accepted the command of his Lord
and proceeded to Madras by train.
Madras Trip:
On his arrival at Egmore railway station in Madras a cart
man came to Pamban Swami and requested Pamban Swami to sit in his cart. Without
saying anything Pamban Swami sat in the jatka. The cart man took Pamban Swami
to St. George Town to house number 41 Vaidhyanatha Mudali Street. Pamban Swami
got down from the jatka and in front of him an old lady Mrs. Bangaru Ammal came
to Pamban Swami and told him that in a dream the previous night Lord Murugan
had said that a saint would come to her house and that she should provide him
with food and accommodation. And Pamban Swami accepted her invitation and
stayed there for some time.
Making of Thagaralaya
Rahasiyam:
In the year 1896 Pamban Swami went to Chidambaram and
wrote an Upanishad known as Thagaralaya Rahasiyam. Lord Guha lives in every
heart in a tiny light form. Pamban Swami gives examples from the Vedas, agamas,
Upanishads, Thevaram, Thiruppugazh and other scriptural sources. Pamban Swami
also wrote two books known as Tiropa and Paripuranat Buthan. In this book,
Pamban Swami provides quotations from all the 108 Upanishads. Pamban Swami is
the only saint who has composed 50 poems on Lord Murugan in pure Tamil without
any words from other language due to his love on Tamil. Pamban Swami once said
that anyone who speaks ill of Sanskrit or Tamil is his enemy. The two-sacred
language are like two eyes. You cannot have one and despise the other if you
want full knowledge of the spiritual world.
Visit to Varanasi:
On Pamban Swami's visit to Varanasi, he stayed at Kumara
Guruparar Mutt. Pamban Swami wrote that he was very happy to stay at this
famous mutt. The head of the mutt once offered Kavi cloth by taking away his
white dress and requested Pamban Swami to wear it. Pamban Swami at first
hesitated but upon reflection Pamban Swami took it as God's wish from that day
to wear two-piece Kavi dress.
Miracles:
Once on a Shasti Puja, when Pamban Swami was present, the devotees had
cooked rice for one hundred. But the one rice pot kept giving rice enough to
feed nearly 400 people. So much was the demand that the other foods like
vegetables, sambar and Rasam had to be prepared three times, but the cooked
rice never got emptied. Such miracles were commonplace in the life of Pamban
Swami.
Strictly adhering to his
Sanyasa:
While in Madras, Pamban Swami had a premonition of his
mother's death and his elder son's death. Before the telegram came Pamban Swami
gave instruction for no one to disturb him because he is a sanyasi, a man without family or bindings.
Enmity with Vaishnavas:
Once at Pinathoor near Chidambaram the Vaishnavas wanted
to kill Pamban Swami and tried via black magic. When a demon approached him,
Pamban Swami said to him "I have not done any wrong. Return to the person
who has done the wrong". Next day he heard that one Vaishnava was dead
suddenly. Swamiji also filled cases for more than seven years against persons
who had published ill of Siva and Saivites He won every case with the help of
Lord Murugan. Research papers on these Vaishnavas entitled Nalayira Prabandha
Vicaram and Saiva Samaya Sarabam were published by Pamban Swami; the Vaishnavas
purchased all five hundred copies and burned them due to ill feelings.
Fracture Cure:
In December 1923 Pamban Swami had an accident at Thambu
Chetty Street in Madras. Pamban Swami was run over by a jatka and his left
ankle was broken. He was admitted to the General Hospital. The doctors who
attended upon Pamban Swami's leg said it would have to be amputated. Pamban
Swami was only praying and said, "Let them do what they want do." On
hearing the news only Chinaswami Jothidar had extraordinary faith in Pamban
Swami's poem Shanmuga Kavacham and started to recite it. Chinnaswami Jothidar
had a vision of the Vel entering Pamban Swami's broken ankle. Miraculously the
leg was cured in the hospital. Even British doctors were astonished and
described it as divine grace.
On the 11th day Pamban Swami saw two peacocks dance
before him and also saw Lord Murugan in an infant form lying next to his bed.
In remembering the day Pamban Swami told his followers of the Maha Tejo Mandal
Sabhai to believe in Lord Murugan and to do Mayuravahana Sevana Vizha without
fail, which is still done annually at his temple in Thiruvanmiyur. Pamban
Swami's life proves this- "Velum Mayilum Thunai" is a not just a
saying; it really helps sincere devotees in need.
Prediction of his Last
Days:
One-day Pamban Swami called Chinaswami Jothidar to look
for land in Thiruvanmiyur as his last days were near. Pamban Swami marked the
floor corners with his leg all arrangements were made to for that portion of
land to be purchased. On 30 May 1929 at 7:15 am Pamban Swami called his
followers and advised them to believe in Lord Murugan. Then he took a deep
breath, held it inside his stomach and entered Samadhi state.