Native placeThiruthalaiyur (Chola Nadu, Thiruvarur district)
Associated templeBaleswarar Temple (Parvati sameda Baleswarar), Thiruthalaiyur
Guru PujaPurattasi — Ashwini
In the sixty-threeNo. 17
The Life
Rudra Pasupathi Nayanar was a devout Brahmin of Thiruthalaiyur, learned in the Vedas and wholly given to the worship of Shiva. His chosen austerity was the constant recitation of the Sri Rudram of the Yajur Veda. Morning and evening he would stand immersed in the temple tank up to his neck, his hands raised in anjali above his head, and chant the sacred hymn with perfect concentration, undistracted by cold, heat, or discomfort. Through this unbroken, disciplined devotion the vibrations of the holy Rudram became his very life. Shiva, pleased by the purity and steadfastness of his tapas, granted him liberation and union at his feet. He is honoured among the sixty-three for his lifelong recitation of Rudra's praises.
திருநீலகண்ட நாயனார்Thiruneelakanta Nayanar
the potter of Thillai who kept his vow of chastity
Chidambaram (Thillai)Read the life ›
தில்லைவாழ் அந்தணர்Thillai Vazh Andhanar
the three thousand Brahmins of Chidambaram
Thillai (Chidambaram)Read the life ›
இயற்பகை நாயனார்Iyarpagai Nayanar
the merchant who gave away his own wife at a devotee's word
Kaveripoompattinam (Puhar)Read the life ›