Kannappa: Difference between revisions

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{more footnotes|date=April 2017}}{{Expert needed|Hinduism
 | date = October 2020
-}}{{Infobox person
-| name               = Kannappar
-| image              = Kannappa.JPG
-| caption            = Kannappar Nayanar
-| birth_name         = Dinna Vyadha
-| birth_date         = Unknown
-| birth_place        = Uduppura, Bharatavarsha
-| known_for          = [[Nayanmar]]
 }}
-'''Kannappa''' was a staunch devotee of [[Shiva]] and is closely associated with [[Srikalahasteeswara Temple]].<ref name=kannappa1>{{cite book |last=Michell |first=George |title=Southern India: A Guide to Monuments Sites & Museums|publisher=Roli Books Private Limited|date=2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdBbBAAAQBAJ&q=kannappa+srikalahasti&pg=PT338|isbn=978-81-7436-903-1 }}</ref><ref name=kannappa2>{{cite book |last=E|first=Desingu Setty |title=The Valayar of South India: Society and religion|publisher=Inter-India Publications|date=1990 |isbn=81-2100-237-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ButtAAAAMAAJ&q=kannappa+srikalahasti }}</ref> He was a hunter and is believed to have plucked his eyes to offer to Srikalahasteeswara linga, the presiding deity of Srikalahasti Temple.<ref name=kannappa1 /><ref name=kannappa2 /> He is also considered one of the 63 [[Nayanars]] or holy [[Saivite]] saints, the staunch devotees of [[Shiva]]. According to historical chronicles, he was [[Arjuna]] of the [[Pandavas]] in his past life.
-==Birth and Life==
-Kannappa Nayanar is a South Indian saint also known as Thinnappan, Dinna, Kannappa, Tinnappan, Dheera, Bhakta Kannappa, Thinnan, Kannappan, Dinnayya, Kannayya, Kannappa Nayanar or Nayanmar, Kannan, Bhakta Kannappan and Dheeran. He was born in a ''vyadha'' (hunter) family, the son of [[Raja]] Naga Vyadha and his wife in Uduppura (modern Vutukuru) near [[Sri Kalahasti]], in present-day Utukkuru, Rajampet [[Andhra Pradesh]]. He is an ancestor of the modern-day [[Vettuva or vedar currently Vettuvagounder]] community.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} His father was a notable [[wiktionary:gerent|gerent]] among their hunting community and a great [[Shaivism|Shaiva]] devotee of [[Kartikeya|Sri Kartikeya]].  He was named Dinna or Dheera by his parents, which is known to Tamil-speakers today as Thinnan or Dheeran respectively.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} His wife's name was Neela.
-==History==
-[[File:Kannappa.jpg|thumb|Kannappa is stopped by Shiva as he tries to remove his second eye]]
-When Arjuna was meditating on Lord Shiva for [[Pashupatastra]], to test him, Shiva entered that forest as an animal hunter and due to two arrows from Shiva and Arjuna killing a demon named Mooka, a war started between Shiva and Arjuna, a battle took place between both and finally impressed by Arjuna's efforts, Shiva gave him the Pashupatastra. However, because of his boastful nature of being the greatest warrior, he is born again as a devotee in the [[Kali Yuga]] as Kannappa Nayanar and finally got liberation.
-Kannapa was born as Thinna and was a staunch devotee of the ''Vayu Linga'' of the Srikalahasteeshwara Temple which he found in the forest while hunting. Being a hunter, he did not know how to properly worship Lord Shiva. It is said that he poured water from his mouth on the Shiva [[lingam]] which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered Lord Shiva whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. But Lord Shiva accepted his offerings since Thinna was pure at heart and his devotion was true. Once, Lord Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Thinna. With his divine power, He created a tremor and the roof-tops of the temple began to fall. All the priests ran away from the scene except for Thinna who covered the linga with his body to prevent it from any damage. Hence he was named thereafter as ''Dheera'' (valiant one).
-Thinna noticed that one of the eyes of the Shiva linga was oozing blood and tears. Sensing that Lord [[Shiva]]'s eye had been injured, Thinna proceeded to pluck his one eye out with one of his arrows and placed it in the spot of the bleeding eye of the Shiva linga. This stopped the bleeding in that eye of the linga. But to complicate matters further, he noticed that the other eye of the linga has also started oozing blood. So Thinna thought that if he were to pluck his other eye too, he would become blind to exactly know the spot where he has to place his own second eye over the bleeding second eye of the lingam. So he placed his great toe on the linga to mark the spot of the bleeding second eye and proceeded to pluck out his other and only eye. Moved by his extreme devotion, Lord [[Shiva]] appeared before Thinna, stopped him from plucking his only eye and restored both his eyes. He made Thinna the 10th of the 63 [[Nayanars]] and he was called as ''Kannappan'' or ''Kannappa Nayanar''. Kannappa merged into the linga along with Lord Shiva and Kannappa, who was Arjuna in his past life, got moksha (liberation) at last.
-==See also==
-* [[Kalahasti Temple]]
-* [[Bedara Kannappa]]
-* [[Bhakta Kannappa]]
-==Bibliography==
 * Bai, Lilli. ''Kannappa Nayanar Puranam''. (in Tamil) 1990. [https://archive.org/details/KannappaNayanarPuranam Archive.org]
@@ Line 40: / Line 11: @@
 *[https://shaivam.org/devotees/the-history-of-kannappa-nayanar Shaivam.org: Kannappa Nayanar]
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120426050605/http://www.srividya.org/Divine_Stories/Kannappa%20Nayanar.htm Srividya.org: Kannappa Nayanar]
-{{Nayanars}}
 {{Authority control}}