Thiruneelakantar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, is falsely accused of theft by an old man. Due to an oath taken in his youth to never touch his wife, Thiruneelakantar is unable to hold his wife's hands to take an oath clearing himself of the accusations. Upon revealing his oath, everyone is amazed by his devotion and self-control. The old man accusing him then mysteriously disappears. When the couple emerges from bathing in the temple tank, they appear young again. Lord Shiva blesses them for their devotion, and they continue serving Him for the rest of their lives.
Thiruneelakantar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, is falsely accused of theft by an old man. Due to an oath taken in his youth to never touch his wife, Thiruneelakantar is unable to hold his wife's hands to take an oath clearing himself of the accusations. Upon revealing his oath, everyone is amazed by his devotion and self-control. The old man accusing him then mysteriously disappears. When the couple emerges from bathing in the temple tank, they appear young again. Lord Shiva blesses them for their devotion, and they continue serving Him for the rest of their lives.
Thiruneelakantar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, is falsely accused of theft by an old man. Due to an oath taken in his youth to never touch his wife, Thiruneelakantar is unable to hold his wife's hands to take an oath clearing himself of the accusations. Upon revealing his oath, everyone is amazed by his devotion and self-control. The old man accusing him then mysteriously disappears. When the couple emerges from bathing in the temple tank, they appear young again. Lord Shiva blesses them for their devotion, and they continue serving Him for the rest of their lives.
Thiruneelakantar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, is falsely accused of theft by an old man. Due to an oath taken in his youth to never touch his wife, Thiruneelakantar is unable to hold his wife's hands to take an oath clearing himself of the accusations. Upon revealing his oath, everyone is amazed by his devotion and self-control. The old man accusing him then mysteriously disappears. When the couple emerges from bathing in the temple tank, they appear young again. Lord Shiva blesses them for their devotion, and they continue serving Him for the rest of their lives.
old man, saying that Thiruneelakantar should indeed hold his
wifes hands and take the holy oath, else he will be punished for theft. Finally, seeing no other means, Thiruneelakantar tells everyone present of his oath taken several years back, in his youth of not touching his wife. On hearing this, the judges are amazed by his self-control. They accepted his reason and ask him to take the oath using a stick and take a dip in the holy waters of the temple tank. When this is being done, the old man, who had accused Thiruneelakant ar, disappears mysteriously. As the old couple came out of the tank waters, everyone was shocked to see that they have become young and their frail bodies have become youthful! Lord Shiva then materialized and blessed the couple. Thus the devout ness of Thiruneelakantarbecame known to all. He and his wife, continued to serve the Lord, till the end of their lives. Lord Shiva has thus showcased to everyone the faithfulness of his devotee. 2. IYARPAGAI NAYANAR In the populous town of Poombuhar, there lived a wealthy businessman named Iyarpagaiyar. Though he was rich in all worldly possessions, he was a humble devotee of Lord Shiva. His wife was an epitome of wifely behavior, and emulated virtuous conduct. This couple was greatly respected and well known for the fact that they never said no to any Shiva devotees requests for alms. They were renowned for their generosity and selflessness. To test his devoutness, Lord Shiva took the form of a Shiva devotee and entered the abode of Iyarpagaiyar. The latter was