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		"I am a servitor of the servitors of 
		Ninra Ceer Netu MaaraNaayanaar."
		
						- The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai

1. 	He was caught in the gin of Samanas who held fast
	To the wobbling way as though it were their tapas
	And who mortified their flesh; his karmic way was
	Changed by the lord of Tamil; thus he reached 
	The redeeming feet of Tirugnaanasambandhar;
	He is Ninra Ceer Netu Maaranaar whose glory is 
	Hailed by the seven worlds.					(4069)

2. 	During his time, by the grace of the godly child,
	Saivism grew apace in the Paandya country;
	The king wielding a righteous sceptre, fostered
	The Saivite way of the celebrated Panchaakshara;
	He wore (the heirloom of) the garland of gold
	Received from Indra, and glowed in splendour.			(4070)

3. 	When he ruled thus, his enemies came from the north
	Waging a war; with his sea-like army, his flood
	Of swift steeds, and his rows and rows of wrathful
	And destructive elephants, he gave them battle
	At Tirunelveli and victoriously forged ahead.			(4071)

4. 	In the field of battle, from the limbs of tuskers
	And horses slaughtered by warriors on both sides
	And also the severed black heads of soldiers
	Piled up as a hill, blood gushed forth and formed
	A ruddy sea; once Ugra Kumaara Paandya wielded
	An ever-fiery spear to dry up the soaring main;
	It looked as though that Netu Maarar too
	Had to do a similar feat to dry up the ruddy sea.		(4072)



5. 	The joyous neighing of the victorious steeds,
	The noise of the clanging weapons, the trumpeting
	Of the hill-like elephants and the blaring
	Of the many martial instruments were like unto the rumbling
	Of the clouds that would gather at the end
	Of the Yuga; it looked as though that the King too,
	Like Ugra Kumaara, should then unleash
	The great heroic shackle.					(4073)

6. 	In the field of battle where fire-spitting weapons
	Opposed each other, ghouls bathed in the pools
	Of blood where lay immersed slaughtered bodies,
	Ate the flesh and danced in glee; it looked as though
	In the battle-field, like the Bhootas
	Of yore, the ghouls too served and were fed.			(4074)

7. 	In the field where the fierce battle was fought,
	The armies of the pre-eminent northern kings routed
	By the Paandya’s army endowed with musty elephants
	Whose long tusks were tall like
	The palmyra trees, scattered away; the king
	Thereupon wore the victorious garland of fragrant
	Vaakai along with the Paandya’s own, of neem.			(4075)

8. 	The Paandya king whose broad chest was caressed by the beauteous
	And sandal-pasted breasts of Mangkayarkkarasiyaar--,
	The Chola’s divine daughter--, performed endlessly glorious
	And fitting acts of service to the Lord who wears
	The young serpent and the argent crescent; thus he ruled
	His realm with the ever-crescent grace of Siva.			(4076)

9. 	Lofty Netu Maaranaar caused the way of the Holy Ash
	To glow in glorious splendour in this world girt
	With the billowy sea; he ruled for many years and by the grace
	Of the Lord, reached the great Siva-Loka
	Hailed by all, thither to abide in aeviternal bliss.		(4077)

10. 	Adoring the red lotus-feet of Netu Maarar
	Of Southern Madurai who became pure and holy,
	By reason of his taking refuge under the flower-feet
	Of the Prince of Pukali which is girt with great walls
	Adorned with gold, we now proceed to hail
	And indite the servitorship of Vaayilaar of hoary
	Mayilai which is situate on the long beach where
	The waves of the main shore up many a gem.			(4078)

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NOTES

Verse No.

   1.	This Saiva monarch became a Samana.  He gave up his apostasy and came 
	back to his parent fold thanks to the grace of St. Sambandhar.  He reigned 
	nearly for half a decade.  He was a renowned king.

   2.	He wore . . .  splendour: This refers to an episode of Ugra Kumaara Paandya. 
	Vide the Tiruvilayaatal Puranam.

   3.	He defeated the Northern hordes at the battle of Tirunelveli.

   9.	When he came back to his parent faith, he saw to it that Saivism flourished 
	in manifold splendour.


		Here ends the Puranam of Ninra Ceer Netu Maara Naayanaar

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