There have been instances of those who kept their word, even under the most trying circumstances, said T.Rajarathinam in a discourse. One of the 63 Nayanmars was Thirukkurippu Thonda Nayanar. He derived great happiness from washing the clothes of Lord Siva’s devotees. One day, a devotee of Lord Siva appeared before him. The devotee wanted his clothes to be washed and dried the same day. Thirukkurippu Thondar agreed gladly. But, it rained heavily, and the devotee’s clothes could not be dried before that evening. Dejected at not being able to keep his word to the devotee, Thirukkurippu Thondar decided to give up his life. He was about to dash his head against a rock, when Lord Siva appeared before him and told him that the devotee had been none other than He. The Nayanar attained liberation.
In Pazhaiyanur, near Thiruvalankadu, lived 70 agriculturists known for their honesty. A merchant wanted to marry a woman he had fallen in love with. So he killed his wife, and married a second time. One day, as he was passing through the forest near Pazhaiyanur, his wife appeared before him. She asked him to take her home, but the merchant refused. The agriculturists of Pazhaiyanur asked the man to take her home. He said it was not his wife, but a ghost. They said he could spend the night in a rest house in their village and leave for his village the next day. If some harm came to him, they said they would all give up their lives. That night the merchant’s wife, who had come as a ghost, killed him. Because they could not protect the merchant as they had promised, the agriculturists ended their lives. This story is recorded in Gnanasambandar’s Thevaram verses relating to Thiruvalankadu and also in Umapathy Sivachariar’s Thiruthondar Purana Varalaru.
