Saluting the Supreme at many shrines on the way, Tirugnana Sambandhar made his way from Srikalahasti to Tiruverkadu, situated on the northern bank of river Pali. Prostrating at His peerless feet he sang about the Lord at Validayam. Singing the glory of the Lord of sacrifices in glowing hymns, he arrived to a huge welcome at Tiruvotriyur. Tirugnana Sambandhar was immersed in the Ocean of Grace at Tiruvotriyur. All this while there was a faithful devotee of his, waiting to get a glimpse of him, living in Tirumayilapuri (Mayilappur). Being a merchant by profession, that devoted man by name Shivaneshar, earned a lot of wealth in honest, virtuous ways. For him all the wealth was meant to serve the Lord, who is waited upon by all the five elements (pancha - bhutas) and the Devas. That rich man kept the company of people who had accrued the endless wealth of virtue by worshipping the Lord, who lorded over the king of wealth himself. He came to know about the marvels of the young servitor of God Tirugnana Sambandhar. Awed by the grace he received as the milk of knowledge, by the way he won over ignorant philosophies and by his beautiful hymns, Shivaneshar became more and more zealous to hear about that saint. Though blessed with abundant wealth, he had a problem too. He did not have a child for a long time. But his austere worship and immeasurable service to the Lord and His devotees, blessed him with a girl to gladden his heart. Performing all the prescribed Vedic rituals related to birth, for the first ten days in a grand way, he named the flower-like child as Pumpavai.

Pumpavai, the gem of a girl, grew up playfully delighting the minds of the people of Mayilai. She grew up to be seven. The merchant, pleased by her blossoming, declared that he would give all his wealth to her bridegroom. During that time, he came to know about the love and marvels of the child of God who had crossed the hurdles set by rival faiths, to give the Pandya king life and holy Ash. His heart was enchanted by love for this young servitor of the Lord. Shivaneshar saluted in the direction in which Sambandhar was coming and in his mind submitted his loving Pumpvai, boundless wealth and himself to that peerless prodigy. On one of the days when they lived in joy waiting for the saint to come to their town, the young girl went with her friends to pluck flowers from the garden. There came a fierce poisonous snake that perhaps did not want the girl to marry the saint, and etched its fangs in her hand killing her instantly. The friends carried her back to her father. Petrified, helpless, he cried out to all the doctors who could do nothing. Stricken with grief, the merchant announced unlimited wealth for anyone who cured his daughter. The lure of wealth attracted many but none could do anything. "As I have already given this girl to the servitor of the Lord, nothing tragic can happen" – saying thus he collected the ashes and bones of his daughter in a pot and kept the pot in her place on the soft bed decorated with her clothes and garlands. He treated the pot as his daughter herself and everyday bathed it, decorated it and lived in her memory much to the wonder of people around. One blessed day in his life, he heard that the beacon of Shaivam had come to worship at the famous Tiruvotriyur shrine. Rewarding with gold the people, who conveyed the message, he raised a decorated shelter from his town all the way to Tiruvotriyur and went to invite the saint to Mayilai. Sambandhar, coming to worship the Lord of Parvati, who had taken the form of a peacock, saluted the prostrating devotee and reached Mayilappur. With his hands folded above his head and intense feeling of love, the torch that had driven away the bleak philosophies by the bright light of devotion, saluted Lord Shiva at the Mayilappur temple. Coming out with his heart filled with divine Grace, the servitor of God asked the devotee to bring the pot to the outskirts of the temple. The entire town including the non-believers assembled in front of the temple. Putting his trust in the glory of the Grace of God, the great devotee sang on “mattitta” addressing the girl by her name, asking her how she could leave without seeing the splendid festivals of the Lord where the devotees are served with love. When he reached the verse describing the non-belief of Jains and Buddhists, the pot broke and the girl stood up like Goddess Lakshmi arising from a blooming lotus. With each verse of the pathigam, she had grown and appeared as a twelve-year-old when she came out at the tenth verse. The great devotee of the Eternal completed the song with a Triukadaikkppu. The huge crowd thundered with a resounding “Hara Hara”. Even non-believers melted. The thrilled father fell at his feet. 

The charming beautiful girl who could make many fall in love with her beauty, along with her delighted father prostrated at the feet of the sixteen year old prodigy. The merchant requested the saint to marry his daughter as he had wished. But Sambandhar refused as he had given her life by the grace of the Almighty, so as a father, such an idea would be wrong. Consoling them he sent them off and went on to worship the Lord of Medicine at the shrine. The merchant, unwilling to get his daughter married to anybody else, let her remain a virgin. The girl too spent the rest of her life meditating on the Absolute. Taking leave of an unwilling Shivanesar, saluting the Skull Bearer of Mayilai, Tirugnana Sambandhar travelled to many temples, praising the Lord at Tiruvanmiyur, Tiru-idaichuram, Tirukkazhukkunram, Tiruvachirupakkam, Tiruarachili, Tiruppuravar Panankattur and numerous other places and reached the Dancing Hall at Tillai. 

Entering the precincts of the Great Hall of the Cosmic Dancer at Tillai, with his heart dancing to the rhythm of His blissful dance, the extraordinary devotee rushed to see His form with the raised leg, like the child that runs forward to see the face of the mother. Coming to know that the famed saint had reached the dancing hall of Lord who creates, protects and reduces the world in a blissful act, Shivapadahridayar and other devotees arrived there with enthusiasm. Welcoming them, Sambandhar meditated at the Lord's Golden Dancing Hall - Tiruchitrambalam. With His perpetual dance continuing in his heart, Sambandhar along with his father and other devotees left for Sirkazhi, to salute the Lord, who helps to cross the turbulent ocean of worldly life, sitting on a boat.

சேக்கிழார் எடுத்துத் தந்த திருஞானசம்பந்தர் திருப்பதிகங்கள்