Story of Andalakkum Ayan Perumal Temple, Thiru Adhanur: Where Bhagavan Paid the Dues
Thiru Adhanur, also called Aadanoor, is a village in
Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Here stands the Andalakkum Aiyan Perumal
Temple, dedicated to Bhagavan Vishnu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the
holy places of Vishnu praised by the Alvar saints in the Nalayira Divya
Prabandham. The temple is built in the Dravidian style. Bhagavan is worshipped
here as Andalakkum Aiyan, and Thayar is worshipped as Ranganayaki, a form of
Mahalakshmi.
The Story of the Devotee and the Sand of Kollidam
The regional tradition says there was a rich devotee who
wanted to do seva to Sri Ranganatha. He appointed many workers for this
purpose, but some of them misused his bhakti and cheated him. Slowly, all his
money was gone and he became poor.
Seeing his sincere devotion, Bhagavan came in his dream and
promised to solve the problem. He told the devotee to bring a marakkal, the
measuring vessel, and the same workers to the bank of the river Kollidam.
There, Bhagavan said, the dues would be paid.
Bhagavan came in the form of an old man. He measured the
sand of the river bank and gave it to each worker according to the work he had
done. The sand became precious gems for those who worked honestly. For those
who avoided work, it remained plain sand. The workers who got nothing became
angry and ran behind the old man. At that moment, Bhagavan showed his real
form, and the workers understood their mistake.
Kamadhenu and the Name of the Place
Another belief says that Kamadhenu, the divine cow,
worshipped the reclining Vishnu at this place. Bhagavan appeared before her in the same form.
The name Adhanur is explained as "her place", meaning the place of
the cow. Thirumangai Alvar, the great poet-saint of the 8th century, also had
darshan of Bhagavan here and sang about him.
Indra and Agni at Thiru Adhanur
Puranic tradition adds two more stories. Indra once insulted
the sage Bhrigu by placing the divine garland given by the sage on his elephant
Airavata. Bhrigu cursed Indra to lose all his powers. Indra came to this place
and did severe penance to Bhagavan to get back his position.
Agni, the god of fire, suffered from Brahmahatya Dosha. This
happened because he burnt the head of Brahma, which was handed to him by Shiva.
Agni worshipped at this temple and was freed from the curse.
Importance and Symbolism
The story of the sand teaches a clear truth from our
scriptures: Bhagavan sees the heart and the effort of every person. The
Bhagavad Gita says in the second chapter that we have the right to action but
not to its fruits. The workers who did honest karma received the fruit in the
form of gems. Those who cheated received nothing. This shows the law of karma
working justly.
The measuring marakkal is also symbolic. Bhagavan is the one
who measures the deeds of all beings with perfect fairness. The old man who
pays the dues shows his quality of being easily approachable to a devotee in
need, which Vaishnava tradition calls saulabhya.
The story of Indra shows that pride and disrespect towards a
rishi bring loss, and the way back is humility and prapatti, complete
surrender. The story of Agni shows that Bhagavan removes even the heaviest
dosha for one who takes refuge in him.
A Note on the Temple
The name Andalakkum Aiyan means "the Lord who measures", and the deity is associated with the marakkal, which is a unique feature of this temple. Bhagavan is seen in the reclining posture, in the Divya Desam tradition of Sayana Kolam. Devotees visit this temple with prayers for relief from financial difficulty, for fair dealing in work and business, and for removal of dosha. Offering sincere prayer here, with honest living, is considered the real worship.
Thiru Adhanur reminds us that a devotee who surrenders with
sincerity is never forgotten by Bhagavan. He settles the accounts of life with
perfect justice and compassion.