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In the kingdom where the river kAvEri flows through beautifully was the town Emap pERUr. The town where the houses wear the mango leaves indicating good deeds, the fumes of vEdic rites that forms the clouds, the red lotuses in the pond that look like the flame in the rite with surrounding ghee offering, was heard echoing the knowledge of the vEdas. In the tradition of vEdic chanters who live in the unique shaivite discipline, came the ardent devotee of snake ornated Lord by name n^amin^an^dhi adikaL. He was like the fire that is grown with truth of the vEdas, firmly believed in the sacredness of Holy Ash, stood blissfully in holding up the feet of the Black-throated Lord who sings music.

He with a great eagerness to salute the Lord of thiruvArUr went there. He worshiped the only hold for the devotees the Lord who has the feathers decorated matted hair who has taken abode at the ant-hill. Very many days he spent saluting the the Supreme who smashed the three cities into heaps of ash. Then he went to serve the Lord at the araneRi abode. With his heartful of love, mind full of mahEsha he prostrated many times the Lord and stood up in the interest of lighting the lamps thus serving the Kindling flame. By then the time was already evening, and he went to a nearby house to ask for some ghee for the lamps. The house he entered happened to be a house of a Jain. The people in the house mocked at him saying while the God Himself had the fire in His hand why unnecessarily he needed to put the light. No ghee was available if he wanted he could pour the water form the pond to light the lamps, they laughed in the ignorance of half shuttered realization. n^AyanAr felt bad, left to the temple and cried to the Lord.

There rose a voice ordering him to shed the sorrow and pour the pond water in the lamps and lit them. Praising the Lord who has the Sun, Moon and fire as the Three eyes, he brought the water from the pond and put it on the cotton plaited thread. With the world wondering, vengents whispering down, the White-Ash smeared Lord blessing, he lit the lamp that glowed till the dawn. He lit the complete sets of lamps the same way to illuminate the abode fantastically. While the absolute Source of energy is with, what other source could be hurdle ?! As he had the principle of worshiping the Lord shiva at his house everyday, he left the same night to his town and did the worship. The next morning he returned to the temple at thiruvArUr, did all the required services inside and outside the temple with the joy of working for the Greatest Master. In the evening he decorated in his way the abode of the Light with luminant lamps. This continued for many days. By then because of the great love and deed of dhandiyadigaL(1) Jains lost their faith and left the area. The shaivite discipline prospered. The king donated and organized many endowments for the service of the Lord.

The festival town of thiruvArUr geared up for celebrating the auspicious paN^guni uththiram(2). The Street Dancing Lord with the inseparable shakti on the victorious Bull came blessing all the way to thirumaNalai as part of the festivities. There the crowd that mingled with the chanting of the traditionless Lord's fame was without any caste and creed barriers. What barrier, caste, creed, age, sex, race, language or any form of life, could be there while the pashupati is there to salvage every creature. Along with them our n^AyanAr praised the God of nature. He returned home and was sleeping in the darkness of night on the outside corridor of the house. His wife came out and enquired why he did not do the Lord's worship by growing fire that night and skipped the food. When he was in the festival crowd everybody was present so the impurity followed him, he replied. He further asked his wife to bring water to bathe and then start the pUja. As she left, by the wish of God or by tiredness who knows, he slept immediately. The Lord came as if He comes to the pUja, and enlightened him that those who were born in the thiruvArUr belong to His squad. The devotee woke up shivering and with realization. He felt bad for not doing the night worship of the Ultimate Source. Did the worship, told the wife the happenings and rushed to thiruvArUr in the wake of dawn. As he entered thiruvArUr he saw everybody living there to have the form of the Stain-throated Gold like bodied God. He, fearful, fell down on the ground saluted them and rejoiced.

He saw the scene changed again with people back in their normal form. He begged for excuse from the Lord who showers the grace, who shines in everything. He lived doing a great splendid service to the God. He served the devotees of the Ash smeared Lord with many needful things with a rising fame and got praised in the thEvAram of thirun^Avukkarachu n^AyanAr(3). His service to the Lord, to His truthful slaves continued as he was praised by the sage of service. With the world praising his service he entered the luminance of the shade of the Lord of thiruvArUR. Let the thirst to serve the hara in spite of the non-conducive circumstances stay in the mind.

gurupUjai : vaikAci pUcam

See Also:
1. dhaNdiyadigaL
2. paN^guni uththiram
3. thirun^Avukkarachu n^AyanAr
4. Mention of naminandhi aDikaL in various thEvaram thirumuRais