The minister Kulachiraiyar of the Pandya kingdom informed Queen Mangaiyarkarasiyar, who akin to a rose amidst the thorns of hostile religions spread the fragrance of Pashupati, about the arrival of Tirugnana Sambandhar. She ordered that he go prostrate and welcome the physician Tirugnana Sambandhar who had come to cure the cancer of false religions in that part of the Tamil land. With that royal order, the brilliant minister went outside the city limits of Madurai to salute and receive the prodigy with the sole aim of doing good to the king and the kingdom. Under the pretext of going for her regular worship of the Lord of Tiruvalavay (Madurai), the queen went to the temple to meet the saint. The light of Shaivam shining with Holy Ash, Sambandhar, arrived, flocked by devotees. Hearing the sound of the instruments proclaiming the arrival of the young Sambandhar, the minister of staunch faith, fell to the ground in that direction hailing their good fate. He went ahead with great love and prostrated in front of the saint's palanquin. Coming to know that the minister of the kingdom had bowed down, the young saint stepped out of his palanquin to embrace the devotee, who had toiled hard for keeping the lamp of Shaivam burning. Seeing the well-fortified city of Madurai, the saint asked him where the abode of the beautiful Lord with the crescent ornament was. The minister pointed to the spiring tower of the temple of the Lord of Kudal. Prostrating there, the child poet sang a devaram praising the sincere devotion of the queen and the minister. They entered the temple of the Wonder that is Shiva. At the shrine of the Presiding Poet of the first Tamil Sangam (an assembly of Tamil scholars and poets), the Shaivite poet saluted the Lord and sang the devaram “nilama midatru”. While coming out, he saw the peerless devotee Mangaiyarkarasiyar. She fell at the feet of the prodigy and with stammering words expressed wonder at the good fate she and the kingdom had for him to be there. The beacon of Shaivam reciprocated the warmth by saying that he had come to see that wonderful lady who had diligently followed the path of service to God in the midst of the tyranny of other religions. After she left, Kulachiraiyar hosted Sambandhar along with the other devotees in a mansion. 

That night the intolerant Jain preachers met the king, Nedumaran, who was a follower of their religion. They informed him of the arrival of the devotee of the Lord with matted locks, Sambandhar, for quelling the Jain religion. They provoked and misled the illusioned king to let them assassinate the child by setting fire to his mansion by mantras. This disturbed the king who went to bed worried. On being asked the reason for his worry by the queen, the king told her about the arrival of Sambandhar for a philosophical debate. She advised him to accept the right philosophy that would be established in the debate and walked away quietly, happy about the arrival of the prodigy. In the meanwhile, the minister, Kulachiraiyar met the queen to share his concern about the fanatic and cunning ways of the Jains that would harm the child saint. The two noble devotees decided to give up their lives if something untoward were to happen to the saint. 

With the aim of killing the opponent rather than finding the truth through meaningful discussions, the Jains who claimed to be most merciful, used their mantras to set the residence of the child of God on fire. Is there any mantra that can burn a mansion where the holiest of all mantras - the Holy Five Letters, is being chanted? Their mantras failed. Scared at the prospect of the king losing faith in the Jain religion if came to know about the failure of their mantras, those evil people cunningly set fire, in the darkness, to the residence of the saint. The devotees at the mansion quenched the fire and hurried with the news to Sambandhar. The devotee, afraid of the danger the fire posed to the other devotees residing in the mansion, was irked by the ways of the king who failed to protect the people. Keeping the holy feet of Lord Rudra in his mind, he sang “cheyyane” requesting the Lord to pass the fire slowly onto the Pandya king. He mentioned slowly only because the king was the husband of Mangaiyarkarasiyar, revered by Kulachiraiyar and was at the threshold of accepting the truth of Shaivam himself. The fire of the misdeed transformed into a heat disease  that tormented the body of the king. The next morning, the queen and Kulachiraiyar were appalled to hear about the abomination of the Jains, but were relieved when they found that Sambandhar and the other devotees were safe. While they were upset about the base deed of the Jains, they were informed about the mysterious heat disease that had taken over the king. The loving queen and the loyal minister anxiously rushed to the king. The best medicines from renowned doctors failed to reduce the pain of the king. The Jains were shocked when even their feather broom was burnt as they tried to brush his body with that. They said their mantras and sprinkled the water from their bowls on him. It felt more like oil poured into a raging fire, only increasing the king’s agony. The king got angry and commanded them to leave.

The worried queen and minister realised that the king’s affliction was the consequence of the crime committed against saint Tirugnana Sambandhar. They went humbly near the king and told him that the saint of Sirkazhi could cure not only that illness but also the sufferings of this very birth. The king, desperate to get cured, accepted this offer of his well-wishers and declared that he would believe and accept the philosophy which cures his horrible disease.  The two of them went with fervour and hope, with the minister walking ahead followed by the queen in a palanquin, to the saint’s residence. The two gracious devotees fell at his feet, begging his pardon for the sinful act done against him. Full of compassion, Sambandhar asked if all was well with them. They informed him about the repercussion of the sin that manifested as a painful heat disease for the king. They entreated him to come and rescue the king and the land from the Jains. Seeking the blessing of the Almighty first, he worshipped and sang “kattumavathu” and “vedavelvi” asking Him to fill the worlds with His fame. He cried out to the Lord for the enlightenment of all the creatures. Determined, disciplined, devoted, brilliant and selfless that young child will live forever high in the thoughts of devotees. 

With the minister leading the way and the queen following him, Sambandhar travelled in the pearl palanquin to the palace of the king. Reaching the palace, Kulachiraiyar went ahead to announce the arrival of the prodigy to the king. The king, filled with respect, asked for a seat for the saint near his head and asked the minister to bring him in. The Jains, worried about the survival of their philosophy, tried to persuade the king to declare that the Jains were able to cure him even if Sambandhar succeeded, if he wanted to save the religion. The king refused to go against justice. As they stood worried by his answer, the saint who came to rescue the land arrived. The king, on seeing the child saint, slowly came out of his illusion, folded his hands and requested him to take the seat at his head-side. The king enquired about the town he hailed from. The prodigy sang a pathigam stating the twelve names of his town Sirkazhi. Unable to tolerate Sambandhar sitting on a decorated seat, the Jains hiding their fears showed their anger by surrounding and hollering at him. The unperturbed Sambandhar asked them to expound the truth as they perceived it. They, fearful of defeat, rambled all at once. The queen, unable to bear this, anxiously asked the king to intervene stating that Sambandhar was only a child and outnumbered by the Jains. The king then declared that instead of arguing with each other, they should prove their faiths by curing his pain. The prodigy told the caring queen that though he was a small child, he was well equipped to take on the Jains as the Lord of Tiruvalavaya stands with him. The Jains then bragged that they would cure the left part of the king’s body in no time and challenged Sambandhar to do the same on the right side. The Jains directed their mantras with the feather broom on the left side of the king’s body. Instead of mitigating his pain, their actions only amplified the king’s suffering. The king looked desperately at Tirugnana Sambandhar. Understanding this as the king’s request, the saint praised God who is the medicine for all diseases and smeared His Holy Ash, the most sacred substance, on the right side of the body. Instantly, a coolness spread over the right side of the king’s body while the left side was scorching. The king felt the joy of liberation and the suffering of hell, both at once with the nectar flowing through the right side and the poison through the left side of his body. He declared that the Jains had been defeated fairly and ordered them to get away from his sight. Humbled, the king, who came nearer to the path of being blessed, requested the modest servitor of the Marvelous Lord Shiva to show him mercy by curing the left half as well. Praising the God of Lords again, the gem of Shaivam smeared the Holy Ash on the left side as well. That brought the king completely out of the deep trench of pain. The queen and the minister fell down at the feet of the prodigy. With hands folded over his head, the king saluted and praised Sambandhar for rescuing him from not only from the agony of the body but also from the undesirable illusion of the mind cast by the Jains. The Glory of the Immeasurable Lord shone bright again in that ancient Tamil land paving the way for a glorious future for Shaivam.