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		"I am a servitor of the servitors of
		Appoothi the unique."

						- The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Toka.

1. 	He was a devotee of the Lord-Dance; fitting glory was his;
	Lofty was he, by reason of his boundless tapas;
	He took refuge in the feet of Vakeesar glorious;
	Even ere Arasu had known of him, impelled by a love
	To behold him, he melted in loving devotion for him.		(1783)

2. 	He had quelled larceny, falsity, lust, wrath
	And such other flaws; he was a prosperous householder;
	Weights and measures and scales too, children,
	Kine and buffaloes and all possessions in his house
	He named after Vakeesar and such was his way of life.		(1784)

3. 	Thought he had not beheld Vakeesar’s person,
	Hearkening to his ever-during servitorship glorious
	And the grace of the Lord bestowed on him, he set up
	Holy matams, water-booths and other ever-during
	Charitable endowments in his name and throve thus 
	Poised in piety.						(1785)

4. 	Tirunavukkarasar adored Lord Siva-verily a tusker -,
	Enshrined at Tiruppazhanam with His consort, the daughter
	Of Himavant-a lovely she-elephant-, and there
	Rendered service; impelled by a unitive devotion to hail
	The Lord in his various other shrines he moved on, and was
	On the way that lay near unto Tingaloor.			(1786)

5. 	He reached an umbrageous water-booth of foison --
	Cool like a well filled pool that could do away with
	All aestival distress, very like the merciful heart serene
	Of the gracious One --, situate on the marge of the road
	Frequented by innumerable people.				(1787)



6. 	Vakeesar graciously eyed the booth of coolth where wafted
	Gently the southerly, and also the ambrosial water;
	His chinta was filled with marvel; he beheld everywhere
	The name ‘Tirunavukkarasu’ beautifully inscribed.		(1788)

7. 	To him that queried: “Who is it that hath this pandal
	Here set up, giving it this name?” they that knew of it
	Answered thus: “In the name of Tirunavukkarasar,
	The servitor ruled by the Lord, saintly Appoothi
	Of ineffable glory has wrought this; similar flawless
	Endowments, pools and parks are also everywhere.”		(1789)

8. 	Vakeesar who heard them, thought: “What may this mean?”
	He then addressed them standing there, thus: “Where is he?”
	Him they replied thus: “He of the sacred thread, hails from
	This hoary town; he has just left for his house;
	That isn’t far away; it is only nearby.”			(1790)

9. 	The muni left the place and reached the door-steps
	Of the house of saintly Appoothi; the chief of the Brahmins
	Of Tingaloor who was in the house, hearing of the arrival
	Of one dear to the Lord, to the hallowed threshold came out.	(1791)

10. 	Swift he came and adored the feet of Vakeesar who was always
	The first to hail before anyone would salute him;
	The great Brahmin addressed him thus: “Have I 
	Indeed wrought askesis endless? To what else do I owe
	Your advent, oh incarnation of overflowing mercy?”		(1792)

11. 	“We came here after worshipping the Lord whose bow
	Is the peerless mountain, at Tiruppazhanam; on the way
	We beheld your cool and umbrageous water-booth of foison;
	We also heard of your charitable endowments;
	So are we here.” Thus he spake.					(1793)

12. 	The flawless sovereign of speech then added:
	“Unto the servitors of the Lord whose matted hair
	Sports the river you have set up a great and ever-during
	Water-booth; without inscribing your name thereon
	Wherefore have you inscribed a different name?”			(1794)

13. 	When the Brahmin that stood there heard this, he was
	Jostled out of his sense; in wrath he burst out thus:
	“You haven’t spoken becomingly; is the hallowed name
	Of him who by the sole puissance of his servitorship divine
	Vanquished the intriguery of the king who colluded with
	The shameless Samanas base, an alien name?			(1795)

14. 	“By service divine rendered unto the sacred feet of our Lord,
	Deliverance can be attained even in this life; this is made
	Clear to men even like me by Tirunavukkarasar; I have
	Inscribed his holy name; woe is me! I have heard you
	Utter blasphemous words!” Thus he.				(1796)

15. 	He added: “Who is there in this world of the merciful Lord
	With soul so dead that does not know the glory of him
	Who reached ashore in a stone for his float
	On the swelling main? With all your auspicious and holy
	Habit, you have spoken thus, even thus; whence are you?
	Who indeed are you? Answer me.”					(1797)

16. 	When thus spake the one versed in the sacred Vedas,
	Vakeesar answered him, well-aware of his greatness:
	“I am the little one uninformed by clarity
	That was redeemed by the Lord from the alien fold
	Through His gracious affliction of a dire ache of stomach.”	(1798)

17. 	When thus Vakeesar announced himself explicitly
	Saintly Appoothi folded his flower-hands over his head;
	Tears cascaded from his eyes; his speech became
	Incoherent; the hair on his thrilled body stood erect;
	Down he fell on the ground and wore on his crown
	His lotus-feet, the long awaited sanctuary.			(1799)

18. 	Him Vakeesar adored with equal fervour and him
	He lifted up; the Brahmin rare swam in delight
	Like an indigent one blessed with rare wealth;
	He danced before him for joy; in love and longing
	He ran round him and sang.					(1800)

19. 	By reason of the great joy that swelled in him
	He knew not what it was he should do first;
	He hastened into the house and announced the joyous news
	Of the arrival of the kingly servitor ruled by God,
	And emerged out with his great kith and kin,
	Borne by great fervour.						(1801)

20. 	He adored him; so too his wife, children
	And other kin; in unabated love he received
	The saintly leader into his house, washed his feet
	With water soaked with flowers; he sprinkled
	The holy water on himself and others
	And they drank it also.						(1802)

21. 	He had him duly seated and in love performed
	Unto him the pooja and all the attendant rites;
	He held before him the fragrant vessel of the holy ash
	And his mind reveled in joy.
	Then, impelled by a longing to feast him –
	The redeemer of the world --, he beseeched him
	And he too signified his assent.				(1803)

22. 	When the holy tapaswi gave his assent,
	Addressing his righteous wife he said:
	“Behold the beatitude with which we are blessed!’
	Knowing this to be a gift of the Lord
	Whose throat sports the venom,
	He felt happy and made
	The preparations for the holy feast.				(1804)

23. 	He had pure and unsullied dishes prepared 
	Rich in sextuple flavour;
	To secure a lea whereon to serve the meal
	For the holy one,
	He bade his eldest son ‘Moottha Tirunavukkarasu’ thus:
	“Secure a goodly plantain-leaf, tender and golden!”
	He made him get it in all celerity.				(1805)

24. 	“Behold my boon! I have been plied in this
	Holy task by my goodly and righteous parents!”
	Thus he thought and ran to the garden.
	As he cut a broad and tender plantain-leaf
	A dazzling snake bit him on his palm
	Causing him to fall down in pain and giddiness.			(1806)

25. 	He shook himself free of the snake of venomous sacs
	Which having stung him, coiled round his hand
	And stared with eyes whence issued sparks of fire.
	Sorely agitated he thought: “Before I fall down
	For ever by reason of the spreading poison,
	I will run in all speed and hand over this tender leaf.”
	Thus resolved he came running.					(1807)

26. 	He ran faster than the speed with which the poison
	Invaded his body and as he thus sped
	In pain and haste, to reach the house, he thought:
	“I will not disclose to others the adder-bite, as it will 
	Delay the feasting of the rare tapaswi,”
	Thus resolved, he entered the house of foison.			(1808)

27. 	The destructive venom spiralled and up in him
	And finishing its seventh circuit reached his head;
	His teeth, eyes and body stood singed;
	His speech became incoherent and life was
	About to quit his body; somehow he still bore it;
	The son that had grown giddy, placed before his mother
	The tender leaf and fell down on earth.				(1809)

28. 	The parents beheld the son that dropped down;
	Sorely agitated they discerned his plight;
	They observed his bleeding, his exhausted body
	And other symptoms and concluded: “He is killed by poison.”
	Yet they languished not but pursued the means
	For feeding the servitor.					(1810)

29. 	They covered their rare son by rolling him into a mat
	And kept him hid in the courtyard of the house.
	“We will feed him screening this from his knowledge.”
	Thus resolved, they desired to hasten to the presence
	Of the servitor of great prowess.				(1811)

30. 	They hastened to their duty (well aware of the delay
	Caused in feasting him;)
	They arranged the dishes in due order;
	Then they came to the presence of the peerless servitor,
	Fell prostrate before him, rose up and said:
	“Be pleased to partake of the meal
	And redeem our whole clan.”
	When they addressed him thus.					(1812)

31. 	The rare tapaswi rose up, washed his feet
	And sat on a different seat; before the leaf
	And the place whereon it was to be laid were duly cleansed
	He applied to himself the holy ash and as he
	Began to distribute the ash to the parents and children.	(1813)

32. 	Addressing truthful Appothi versed in the hoary fourfold Vedas
	He said: “I must apply the holy ash to him who is
	Elder than these children; get him here in all love.”
	Appoothi who would not disclose the happenings, then said:
	“He is not to be of any service now, here!”			(1814)

33. 	When he heard this, by the grace of the Lord
	The divine and noble mind of the loving servitor
	Felt agitated; addressing Appoothi re said:
	“My heart is unable to bear these words;
	What is it he has done? Unto this there is “One’;
	Tell me the whole truth.”
	Thus bidden Appoothi shook in fear.				(1815)

34. 	Though he did not so far divulge the happenings
	Afraid of losing the boon of feasting the great one,
	Questioned thus by the great tapaswi
	And impelled by a glorious sense of duty
	To disclose everything when thus bidden,
	With a broken heart, bowing before him
	He narrated all that happened to his son.			(1816)

35. 	When Navukkarasar heard this, he exclaimed:
	“Great indeed is that you have wrought!
	Whoever had done like unto you?”
	Then he rose up and walked to the moribund.
	He hymned a musical decad which in its wake
	Caused the flow of the grace of Lord;
	Thus he chased the venom away.					(1817)

36. 	The son of the holy Brahmin who was freed of venom
	Rose up like one who gets up quick from his slumber.
	On him that fell adoringly at the flower-feet
	Of Tirunavukkarasu --,
	The servitor of the Lord whose flag sports the Bull --,
	He applied the holy ash.					(1818)

37. 	They that beheld the resurrected boy
	Hailed the glory of the way of divine service.
	His parents that stood there were distressed
	As he had slightly hindered the feeding
	Of the 1oving servitor whose glory is beyond reckoning.		(1819)

38. 	Divining their distress the lord of language
	Went with them all into their house
	And sat on his seat ready to have his meal.
	The wearer of the sacred thread was filled with joy
	And busied himself in the acts of service.			(1820)

39. 	The floor was cleansed bright
	With glorious cow-dung mixed in water;
	White Kolam was drawn thereon;
	Beauteous lamps were lit;
	The historic plantain-leaf was unfolded (unfurled)
	And was washed in love with water;
	The sliced end of the leaf faced the right side
	In keeping with the tradition.					(1821)

40. 	The great tapaswi who was washing his hand
	With the fragrant water offered to him, cast his look
	On the Brahmin and his children, and said:
	“May you and your children rare also eat with me.”
	Thus told, they obeyed him in love.				(1822)

41. 	Appoothi and his sons were seated beside him;
	The food was joyously served by the lady of the house;
	With the devotee of the Lord who wears konrai blooms
	On his matted hair, the servitor –
	Verily the lion of beauteous Tamil --,
	Partook of the food graciously.					(1823)

42. 	In the rich and divine house of the great tapaswi-Brahmin,
	He took his food and conferred on him loving friendship;
	Thus in endearing love did he spend many a day.
	Then the glorious lord of language came
	To the ancient town of Tiruppazhanam
	And at the hallowed feet of the Lord enshrined there,
	Hymned goodly decades of Tamil.					(1824)

43. 	He sang he glory of Appoothi’s servitorship
	In the decad beginning with the words: “Son Maalai”
	Which attested his love for the Lord
	Who wears the holy ash on His person.
	Thus blessed, the goodly one always hailed 
	Tirunavukkarasar and flourished
	With the conviction that the feet
	Of Tirunavukkarasar are Truth incarnate.			(1825)

44. 	Thus for ever he hailed the name
	Of Tirunavukkarasar; he was convinced
	That his golden feet alone were to be attained
	To gain deliverance; he was resolved to attain them.
	That indeed was the righteous path
	He pursued steadfast and in the end
	Gained the feet of the Lord-Dancer of Tillai
	Whose frame is shared by Her
	Whose eyes are like that of an antelope’s.			(1826)

45. 	Hailing the feet of the lofty Brahmin Appoothi
	Who through Tirunavukkarasar gained the golden feet
	Of the Lord whose hand sports the young one of a deer,
	Let me proceed to historicise the servitorship
	Of Tiruneelanakka versed in the four Vedas
	And who hailed from Satthamangkai girt with
	Fields and ponds where burgeon a forest
	Of lotus flowers.						(1827)

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Stanza 	Line

  17	 6	is but an elaboration of the one significant term in the 
		original viz., saranakamalam.

  20		cf.  The ritual in Virasaivam.

  32		The word ingku in the context means ‘to me’.

  39		The sliced end of the leaf is broader and it must face 
		the right hand of the eater.

Sincere thanks to Sri. T N Ramachandran of thanjavur, for permitting his English rendering of the holy text periyapurANam be published here.