Bana and the Lord of Madurai, Sundareshwara

 

Bana and the Lord of Madurai, Sundareshwara

Banabhadra was a singer in the temple town of Madurai. He used to play a string instrument called the yazh in Tamil. Every day Bana used to come to the temple in the night and sing songs in praise of the Lord while playing his instrument. Rain or shine, work or illness, the Lord and the townsfolk always used to see him standing behind Lord Nandeeshwara in front of the main deity.

Bana was particularly fond of singing when the priests and devotees carried the Lord towards the silver roofed hall (Velliyambalam) towards his sleeping quarters near the sanctum of Devi Parvati. (This daily ritual in Madurai is famous and is followed even to this day where the dancing Lord reaches his sleeping quarters after his day’s activities of blessing the millions who throng the temple). While people liked his music and saw him everyday, he did not expect any praise from the public or money for his service.

The Lord and the mother were pleased with this devotee who just had this simple love for them and did his seva with no expectation of anything in return. Gods also test their most ardent devotees not to give them trouble, but to make others understand the intensity of this devotion.

Lord Sundareshwara decided to test his ardent devotee Bana one day. He told Varuna and Vayu to descend on Madurai with all their strength. As we all know, Varuna is the God of rains and Vayu is the God of winds. When these two celestials decided to do the bidding of Lord Shiva, there was torrential rain in Madurai. Heavy winds made daily life difficult. The sun did not come out and the sky was pitch dark with rain laden clouds. The stormy weather continued without any break. People of Madurai had never seen such severe weather conditions in their city for a long time.

The time for the evening prayers was near. Bana waited and waited for the rain to stop. There was no sign of it. The Gods were watching with interest. Lord Sundareshwara, who knew his devotee well, was watching with a smile.

Bana decided he could not wait any longer. He decided to go to the temple. His wife was very concerned. She said “In this stormy weather and heavy rain, how will you reach the temple? Why don’t you sing today in front of the puja in our home instead?” Bana was adamant. He told his wife “I am doing a small service to the Lord. How can I let some bad weather stop that. If the Lord made the rain and winds come down on Madurai, the same Lord will ensure that I am safe.” Saying so, he left for the temple with his yazh.

On the way, he was buffeted by heavy winds and had to wade in knee deep water in many places. He was drenched. He managed to keep his musical instrument safe from the rain with a lot of difficulty. After what seemed like a long time, he finally reached the temple.

The temple complex itself was having water stagnated in many places. The usual place where Bana used to sing near the statue of Lord Nandeeshwara near the main sanctum was also having water logging. Nothing bothered Bana who was only focused on the Lord.

He took out his instrument and with some difficulty managed to tune it. He started singing his song in praise of the Lord. The falling rain and the water under his feet made him shiver in the cold. Bana’s hands were frozen in the weather and with great effort he managed to play the instruments.

Bana sang three songs in the rain. One of them was about the Lord visiting a lady devotee who was mesmerized by the Lord’s beauty but realised who it was when she touched the left side of the Lord that belonged to Mata Parvati.

He was singing the song and shivering while at the same time trying to keep his posture erect. The Lord could not see his devotee suffer anymore. A divine voice said that the Lord was pleased with such selfless devotion and was giving him a plank on which to stand while singing in praise of the Lord. A gem studded plank appeared under Bana’s feet. The plank kept his feet from getting wet.

At the same time, as if a switch was turned off, the rain and the winds stopped and things started returning to normal. Bana completed his songs and returned to home to his worried wife.

The next morning the king heard about this miracle where the Lord blessed an ardent devotee with a plank. The king invited Bana to his court and honoured him. Bana lived the rest of his life near his beloved Lord Sundareshwara and attained moksha when his time came.