We have seen Sankara's Siva Manasa Puja and from then on about various devotees who did
pujas of a different kind.
We shall see Pooslar Nayanar today. Poosalar was a poor brahmin, who was living in a town
called Tiru Nindravoor. This town comes in the Madras - Arkonam broad gauge line.
He suddenly desired to build a temple for Siva. He was poor and so he went to several rich
landlords for money, but without success. Then he decided to build a temple for Siva in his mind!
On an auspicious day, he started. He visualized that he was getting stones and boulders, chunam
and other materials. He made the four walls first, then the inner portals. He then built a bali peetam
and dwaaja sthambam. Then the inner shrine. He installed a nice Siva Linga. Over the building,
he constructed a nice tower, with 9 golden cones called kumbhas. Then only prana-pradishta and kumbhabhishekam remained. He then prayed to Siva to come and bless the inauguration of the
temple! Siva agreed and a date and a muhurtam, a good time, were fixed!
In the meantime one Varman, who was ruling in Kanchipuram, which is near Tiru Nindravoor,
had really constructed a big temple for Siva in Kanchipuram. He then asked Siva to come
and bless the occasion of opening the temple. Siva came and told him in the dream, that the
date contemplated by the king would not suit, since He had to go to Tiru Nindravoor to bless
Poosalar's temple! The king was surprised. Is there any other temple for Siva coming up nearby?
He then rode in his horse and went to Tiru Nindravoor. He asked the townsmen where was the
temple of Poosalar? The people were laughing and said that there was no such new temple in
Tiru Nindravoor, but there was one Poosalar, a poor Brahmin living in the nearby street. The king
rushed there and saw the brahmin in Siva meditation, stood before him and prostrated. Then he
told him that he had come as per Siva's information to him in the dream and he would like to visit
Poosalar's temple first. The poor brahmin was horripilated. He shed profuse tears and told the king:
O King, shame on me. I have only built a temple in my mind and Siva had agreed to come. There is
no temple outside. I am sorry for the inconvenience. The king also stood dumbfounded. He then once
again prostrated to Poosalar and said: Your temple is greater than mine. It is your own work.
Every stone and wood have been procured by you single handedly and temple completed. Where am I?
I am using all my money power to construct a temple, without any effort on my own part.
Both hugged each other. Siva then appeared before them with His consort and said: "I appreciate
both your efforts. But Poosalar's effort stands higher. I shall visit the king's temple and then take
Poosalar to my Abode. "Varman, you do service to me and then come to me in due course."
Poosalar did manasa puja like this. He went one step more than Sankara in building a temple itself
to Siva in his manas.
Arunachala Siva.
