Mandalam Musings Day 26- Dharma Sastha is now Manikanthan, the Prince of Panthalam-

 

Mandalam Musings Day 26-

Dharma Sastha is now Manikanthan, the Prince of Panthalam-

Lord Vishnu took His original form and Lord Siva was left with the baby Sastha. He wanted the baby to fulfill its mission by taking an abode on earth as a human. The king of Panthala was a pious and benevolent king, but he was grief-stricken as he did not have children to carry on the royal lineage after his lifetime. Lord Siva thought that this king and queen would be ideal parents for the young Sastha. Siva put a thread around the baby’s neck (kantha) with a glittering precious gemstone (Mani) strung to it. He left the baby at the bank of the river Pampa and waited until the destined meeting took place with the king. Within a few moments, the king and his retinue came there. They were on the way, sport hunting wild animals, passed by the shoreline of the river to enter the forest. The sound of the baby’s crying got the king’s attention, and he noticed a beautiful baby boy lying there with a glittering gemstone tied to his neck. He looked around to see if the baby’s parents are around; but even after a while, no one showed up.

The king was a religious man, who worshipped Lord Siva ardently. He performed austerities and yagnas regularly with a wish to beget a child and he deemed the baby as a blessed gift from his favorite deity, Siva. The king took the baby to the palace and the queen was also delighted. The baby was called Mani-Kanthan (the one who is wearing a gemstone on his neck) and decided that he will be the future king and he could not wait for the baby to grow up. He was named Sree Ayyappan – meaning he would be the protector and refuge for the subjects of his country, just as a father would be to his children. Everyone in the palace celebrated the arrival of the baby and people were pleased that there is a God-given heir to their kingdom and the baby had every making of a royal king.

The boy was smart and kind, well-liked by his parents, teachers, and the people of the country. He tried to live a normal life, but His divine nature was revealed on its own as such divine abilities (siddhis) cannot be suppressed for long periods. During his teenage, an incident disclosed his identity to his teacher. The teacher’s son was dumb and blind and that was a great source of sorrow for the Guru. Seeing the plight of the Guru’s family, Ayyappan performed a miracle and the boy was cured of both his problems. The teacher found out that his student is none other than Dharma Sastha himself, born as Ayyappan here, acting a role as his student.  The Guru prostrated before the student, but Sastha insisted that he would just be an obedient student.

Sree Ayyappan requested the teacher not to divulge the secret of his background to anyone including the king and continued with his normal childhood as a smart student. He was excellent in his studies and he mastered the Vedas and scriptures easily, He was also outstanding in all royal sports, kalarippayattu, and archery.