The great, 15th-century कौमार-भक्तकवि:, श्री अरुणगिरिनाथर् (அருணகிரிநாதர்) had a particular devotion to the emperor of शैव saints, the 6th-century divine child, श्री-ज्ञानसम्बनध. श्री अरुणगिरिनाथर् considered ज्ञानसम्बनध-स्वामि as स्कन्द himself. Let us see some of those verses.

1. http://www.kaumaram.com/thiru/nnt0636_u.html In this hymn, तिरुमकळ् उलावुम्, sung at the sacred shrine of कतिर्कामम् (திருமகள் உலாவும், கதிர்காமம்) in Lanka, he sings the following line: +

ஜெகதலமும் வானு மிகுதிபெறு பாடல்
தெரிதரு குமாரப் பெருமாள்காண்

जॆकतलमुम् वाऩु मिकुतिपॆऱु पाटल्
तॆरितरुकु मारप् पॆरुमाळ्काण्

अरुणगिरिनाथर् refers to the widespread songs of ज्ञानसम्बनधर् on शिव: composed in tamizh, which are renowned in both heaven and earth.

2. http://www.kaumaram.com/thiru/nnt0134_u.html This hymn, करुविऩ् उरुवाकि, was sang at the most revered कौमार shrine of पऴनि (கருவின் உருவாகி, பழநி). The poet briefly alludes to his turbulent life before being saved by the compassionate स्कन्द with whom he identifies ज्ञानसम्बनधर् directly.++

உபயகுல தீப துங்க விருதுகவி ராஜ சிங்க
உறை புகலியூரில் அன்று வருவோனே

उपयकुल तीप तुङ्क विरुतुकवि राज चिङ्क
उऱै पुकलियूरिल् अऩ्ऱु वरुवोऩे ++

Here, he addresses the god of पऴनि/பழநி as the great poet who illumined his lineage on both sides & descended in the past in पुकलियूर्, the birthplace of ज्ञानसम्बनधर्

To be continued

I bow to the divine child, the emperor of the hearts of shaivas, shrI jñānasambandha, the skanda who saved aruNagirinAtha from the most unimaginable abyss of sin & exalted him; again and again.

Image Courtesy of Kapaliadiyar: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kapaliadiyar/13218262573

For अरुणगिरिनाथर्, this identification of स्कन्द & ज्ञानसम्बन्ध was a deeply profound realization coming from the very depths of his being. Here, he calls स्कन्द-सम्बन्ध the प्रभु of this world & seeks his grace to compose immortal poetry just like him. http://www.kaumaram.com/thiru/nnt0521_u.html

It is sad that अरुणगिरिनाथर्’s special devotion to श्री-ज्ञानसम्बन्ध, as well as his proper commitment to सिद्धान्त-शैवम्, have been pushed into oblivion. In this thread, we focus on the former (सम्बन्धर्) while the latter properly deserves an article of its own.