On the crescent-moon crowned Lord's ancient abode of Mount Kailash, showing the righteous path even to Vishnu, Brahma, Indra and others is the great Nandi. One of his disciples, a sage learned in the Vedas, who had attained the eight siddhi-s beginning with anima, wanted to visit and stay with sage Agastya at the Podigai Hills in the Tamil land. Worshiping the Lord at Kedar, the sage praised Pashupati at Nepal. He reached the banks of the holy river Ganga which is but a small stream that falls from Mahadeva’s vast matted Hair glistening like lightning. Bathing in the river, he saluted the Lord's Avimukta shrine and proceeded towards the South. Saluting Shankara at Srisailam, he reached Tirukalahasti. Praising the enchanting Everlasting Lord at Tirukalahasti, he entered Alavanam and bowed down to His raised foot. He came to Kanchi and worshipped Lord Ekambaranathar. Engaging in discussions with the Yoga experts of that city, he continued his journey and bowed down to Nilakantha at Tiruvadikai. He arrived at Cosmic Dancer's abode - Tillai. With his heart brimming with love, he saw the dance that creates and sustains the entire existence. Staying and saluting the Lord there for some time, he came to the banks of the river Kaviri.

Bathing in the cool refreshing water of river Kaviri, he went into the Lord's temple at Avaduturai. The yogi praised with everlasting love the Lord of pashu-s there. He continued his journey towards the Podigai Hills. But at a short distance he saw a herd of cows crying on the banks of Kaviri. Mulan, a herdsman, who used to take care of the cows of the village Satanur, died when he brought the cows for grazing on the banks of the river. The cows out of their affection for their herdsman went around his body smelling him, licking him and crying. The yogi, who had preached to the world that Love is Shiva, wanted to remove the suffering of the cows. He realised that only if Mulan came alive, the cows would be consoled. An expert siddha, he secured his own body and made his soul enter the body of the herdsman. He arose now as Tirumular. The cows, relieved of their despair, licked him in joy and went around happily grazing on the riverbanks. The merciful Nayanar protected them while they grazed and drank water from the river. As the sun set, the cows, thinking of their calves, started walking back towards the village. The sage, now Mulan, calmly followed them to Satanur.

He waited till all the cows entered their respective houses. The wife of the herdsman Mulan saw him hesitant to enter the house. Anxiously she went to touch him, but he refused saying there was no relation between them and went into the village monastery. The lady who had no offspring or relatives could not sleep throughout the night. She cried and complained to the elderly people of the town about her husband’s new behaviour. After gauging the facts, they told the girl that her husband was neither mad nor did he have any other association. He was beyond the asymmetries of the mind, was established in Shiva Yoga, had reached the height of spiritual advancement possible for any human and would not fit into any relationship, they advised her. The sage Tirumula Nayanar in such a wonderful state got up and went back the way he had come, following the cowherd. The sage could not find his own body he had secured. Through his divine vision, he understood that it was Divine Grace that God had chosen to convey the essence of the Agamas in Tamil through him for this world to follow and get enlightened. He severed all ties with his relatives. After that, meditating on the holy feet of the Lord, Nayanar went with great enthusiasm to salute the Supreme at Tiruvavuduturai. Sitting under the shade of an arachu (pipal) tree in complete Shiva Yoga, he composed the holy Tirumandiram, a potent medicine for the illness of rebirth. Starting with “onravan tane" he completed the garland of three thousand verses for the Lord, who is adorned with the horn of a boar, in Tamil. Staying on this earth for three thousand years, he attained union with the holy feet of the Almighty. Let the coveted wisdom of Shiva Yoga of Tirumala Nayanar stay in the mind.

Guru Pooja: Aipassi / Ashvini or Tula / Ashvini

Har Har Mahadev

• A place where sundaranAthar became a thirumUla nAyanAr
• The puranam of Tirumooladeva Nayanar in English Poetry
• திருமூல நாயனார் புராணம் - செய்யுள்
• திருமூலதேவ நாயனார் புராணம் உரைநடை
• तिरुमूल नायनार दिव्य चरित्र 

See Also: 
1. Thirumanthiram - Brief of the tantras
2. திருமந்திரம்

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