English Translation by Kausalya Hart புராண திருமலைநாதர் இயற்றிய மதுரை சொக்கநாதர் உலா கௌசல்யா ஹார்ட் அவர்களின் ஆங்கில மொழிபெயர்ப்பு Acknowledgements: Our Sincere thanks go to Dr. Kausalya Hart and Prof. George Hart of the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA for providing an e-version of this translation and permission to publish the translation as part of Project Madurai etext collections. © Project Madurai, 1998-2012. Project Madurai is an open, voluntary, worldwide initiative devoted to preparation of electronic texts of tamil literary works and to distribute them free on the Internet. Details of Project Madurai are available at the website http://www.projectmadurai.org/ You are welcome to freely distribute this file, provided this header page is kept intact. புராண திருமலைநாதர் இயற்றிய மதுரை சொக்கநாதர் உலா கௌசல்யா ஹார்ட் அவர்களின் ஆங்கில மொழிபெயர்ப்பு maturai cokkanAtar ulA of purANatirumalainAtar English Translation by Kausalya Hart Dr. Kausalya Hart Department of SSEAS University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA April, 2012 Introduction The Thiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam and the Thiruchokkanaathar Ulaa The Thiruvilaiyaadal puraanam of the fourteenth century tells the sixty-three miracle stories of Shiva in Madurai. Through the stories the author tells us the genealogy of many Pandyan kings, the history of Madurai city and how it was constructed, many wars between the Chola and Pandyan kings, the three times when the deluge came, the establishment of the Sangam with forty nine poets in Madurai city and many other details. The author of the Thiruvilaiyaadal puraanam is Paranjothi Munivar. He was born in the city of Thirumaraikkaadu in the Chola country. His father Meenakshisundara Desikar belonged to Vellala caste. The author learned both Sanskrit and Tamil and became a scholar in both languages. When he grew up he went to Madurai to worship the god Sundareswarar and goddess Meenakshi. Meenakshi appeared in his dream and asked him to write stories about the miracles of Lord Shiva and so he composed the Thriuvilaiyaadal Puraanam and read it in the assembly of Pandyan king. Scholars say that he lived in the 16th century CE. Some scholars believe that the stories of Thiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam follow the Sanskrit “Haalaasyamaahaatmyam,” while others believe that Paranjothi Munivar’s work came first. The stories of Shiva in this book also occur elsewhere in Tamil literature in such works as Cilappathikaaram, Kallaadam, Thevaaram, Thiruvaasagam and others. Other works that describe the Thiruvilaiyaadals of Shiva are Perumpatrap Puliyur Nambi’s Thiruvaalavaay Udaiyaar Tiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam, the Kadambavana PuraaNam, the Sundara Pandiyam and others. Thiruchokkanaadar Ulaa: This Ulaa describes the greatness of Shiva and his escorts in procession in the first part. In the later part of this Ulaa the seven types of women who see Shiva in his procession tell us the same sixty-four stories that are told in Thiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam. The author describes the beauty of each of these women and their love of Shiva in this prabandam. The purpose of this translation is to make available to the western world one of the finest prabhandams in Tamil. I will be happy if this translation is useful to those scholars who are working on later Tamil genres and religion. I should convey my sincere thanks to George Hart for going over the English. I would also like to thank my student Gita Pai who awakened my interest in the various Prabandams about Madurai city. I would also like to thank all my students who give me encouragement in all my efforts. MADURAI CHOKKANAATHAR ULAA Praise of Shiva, the ancient Lord 1, 2. Vishnu, the beloved of Lakshmi who stays on the beautiful lotus, and Brahma the creator of the world who lives on a lotus dripping with honey could not understand the way, the deeds and the form of Shiva the ancient Lord 3. Shiva is the incomparable one. He is the first one. He has no beginning or end. No one can see his head or feet. Such is his form. His body is of limitless lustre. 4. Uma, the Goddess Gauri, is the princess of the Himalayas. The Vedas always search for her. She is the creator of religions. and the queen of everything. 5. She is as bright as a diamond creeper. Her color is as green as an emerald creeper. She loves music and protects it. She loves Tamil and is a scholar. 6. Lord Vishnu has beautiful eyes like lotuses. He praises his sister the fish-eyed goddess. That Goddess of Madurai embraces the chest of her beloved Shiva. 7. The sage Agastya, the great Tamil scholar who composed poems like a pouring cloud, showered down a cool and fertile flood of Tamil poems as he stayed on Potiya mountain. 8. Agastya praised god Shiva with his divine songs, and as lord of the Vaigai river, ? Shiva accepted those poems and gave his grace to the sage. 9. Shiva is the great king of the Pandya country where the honey from groves that touch the sky flows to the fields and sugarcane. 10. Shiva is the king of the city of Madurai where the sound of the Vedas being recited and the singing of Tamil Sangam poems fill the place. 11. Shiva’s chest is decorated with shining golden ornaments that spread light everywhere. His garlands of blossoms spread fragrance everywhere. 12. Shiva rides on a strong bull that runs swiftly. There is no comparison for his army that is filled with horses, elephants, flags and soldiers. 13. Shiva is our king. He gave the Vedas to the world. His scepter protects all lives with compassion . He is the joy of Saivism. 14. Shiva is the chief praised by the divine songs of the Vedas. He is faultless. He is unshakable He is the one with dark neck. 15. Shiva protected Brahma who sits on a lotus when he created the world. He gave power to Vishnu to protect the world. 16. Shiva, the Thaanu took the form of a snake so that the man-lion form of Vishnu stopped trembling and became calm. 17. Shiva burned the three forts with a slight smile without anger because all emperors who protected the lands requested him to burn them. Indra comes to the earth and consecrates a Shiva Lingam 18. When Indra, the incomparable one, king of the country of Aintaru was cursed, he made a flying chariot, came to earth and consecrated a Shiva lingam and worshipped it. 19. Indra called that Shiva lingam with the beautiful name “Azhakiya Chokkar.” Lord Shiva accepted that name with abundant love. 20. Shiva took away the bad karma of the elephant Airavata and the curse of Indra. After that a rich merchant who saw the gods worshipping the Shiva lingam that was consecrated by Indra, came to the Pandya king and told him about Azakiya Chokkar who was worshipped by Indra. The Pandya king builds a temple for Azhakiya Chokkar 21, 22. The Pandya king went to the place where Azakiya Chokkar was and built rich mandapams, patios and raised mounds studded with cool pearls and diamonds and windows. 23. The Pandya king also built a lovely temple for the fish-eyed goddess, with great walls, towers decorated with lustrous jewels and a place to collect flowers. 24. Many long streets were made. Incomparable patios and halls on the top of the palaces touching the stars were raised. 25. Golden patios, hanging decorations, mounds studded with diamonds, and places to keep chariots were built. Flower ponds were dug and trees were planted for groves surrounding the temple. 26 , 27. Everything that could beautify the temple was built around the city. The king built a temple on the south side for the Goddess Suli who rides a deer, on the north side a temple for the Goddess Kali and on the west side a temple for lord Vishnu who carries in his hand a pure, shining discus. 28. The pure water of the river Ganges that removes all the sins of the world and that flows on the Jata of the Lord was sprinkled all over the city. 29. The Lord had ordered the shining moon to sprinkle its drops of nectar all over the city. 30. That new lovely city received the name ‘Maduraapuri’ and the gods in the sky and the people of the great earth praised its name. 31. The king ordered servants of many castes to serve the Lord. Those who knew the divine Vedas and those who recite the praise of the Lord arrived at the temple as required by the king. 32. Pujas were done according to the religious rules of Saivism for the Lord of Madurapuri. 33, 34. The king of Madurapuri, the heroic king of southern land, the best of the Veeramaaran lineage, the most courageous man in the world, found an auspicious day according to the stars and decided to do puja for the Lord. 35. Faultless true pujas were done by orthodox priests. After the beautiful festivals were finished, the Lord went to see the palace of his wife, the goddess. Shiva and his escorts go to the Goddess’s temple. 36. On both sides, his escorts went praising Shiva with the lovely songs of Tiruvasagam, Thiruvicaippaa, the sweet poems of Sangattamil, and many Thirumandiram songs. 37. The devotees sang the melodious Tiruviruttapaa poems from the Periyapuraanam, that tells the stories of the sixty-three Nayanmaars who were blessed by the Lord. 38. Enchanting women were dancing. Many bright lights were carried to remove the darkness of the night. 39. The Lord graciously reached the auspicious temple where the fish-eyed Goddess stays who takes away our troubles and births. 40. The Lord gave permission to all his devotees to leave; but the beautiful loving women who had the privilege not to leave the Lord, stayed there to serve him. 41. Fragrant garlands of blossoms and pure pearl garlands decorated the lovely thiruppalli room of the Lord. The goddess and the Lord entered their bedroom. 42. A sweet breeze from the hills blew softly through the windows and the smell of its fragrance filled the room. 43. The Lord and the young Shakthi, the goddess who creates all living things in the world, joined together and blessed all lives to flourish. 44. Their forms and feelings joined together as one. By their sweet grace all the creatures of the world thrive. 45. The sound of the Vedas that gives excellent knowledge, the sound of the conches, the sound of the Veena and the lovely sound of the yaaz all joined together. 46. Shiva left the divine bed of Shakthi fragrant with buds and blossoms, and joined his beloved devotees. 47. With the sprinkling of flowers, and the recitation of various manthras Shiva was worshipped. He accepted happily and gave his grace to all lives to thrive. 48. Among the many incomparable mandapams, Shiva went to the one called, ‘Aayan’ and sat graciously on the seat studded with diamonds. Sages decorate the Lord for the procession 49. Many priests reciting the Vedas began to decorate the Lord who rides a bull worshipping him and adoring him. 50. His lotus-like feet worshipped by all the nine constellations shone with heroic anklets studded with nine types of beautiful jewels. 51. They decorated him with bright clothes, the excellence of which could not be described. The brightness of his garments removed the darkness of all ages. 52. The radiance of the diamond sword tied at his waist was so bright it made the sun in the wide sky look like the moon. 53. His red lotus-like hands surrounded by singing bees were decorated with shining sapphire bracelets. 54. He wore bright diamond ornaments on his handsome, strong arms, that once closed the mouth of Vaasuki the snake as it wound around the mandara mountain when the gods and the Asuras churned the ocean of milk. 55. The pearl necklace on his chest that spreads light shone like the Ganges river on our Lord’s Jata flowing and spreading its waves as if they were hands. 56. The bright chain on his strong, handsome chest, looked like the sun rising from behind Meru mountain. 57. The priceless incomparable golden chains studded with many colored stones on his chest appeared like a rainbow falling from the middle of a coral mountain. 58. His chest was made beautiful with golden ornaments from the Karpaga tree and garlands of fresh Kondrai flowers. 59. The fresh sandal paste on his chest that had soaked in cool fragrant water spread its fragrance all over the sky and the earth. 60. The emerald chain that decorated his dark neck shone like the soft fingers of the beautiful Shakthi who is thin as a creeper. 61. When they saw the earrings that shone on his two ears, the hearts of those who never melt melted. 62. The white ashes on his forehead that has the power of removing the numerous sins of those who worship him shone like the white moon. 63, 64. The golden lustrous light of new Thiruvachi that circles his diamond crown, shone sweetly like the rainbow in the sky that circles the red rising sun on the hills. 65. After Shiva was decorated as if someone were decorating beauty itself, the incomparable Lord, the treasury of grace, asked all the gods to come and receive his grace. 66. Nandi, the servant of Shiva went to the gods quickly and told them that it was time for them to come to worship the Lord. The gods, saints and devotees praise the Lord 67. All the gods in the sky, the four-headed god Brahma, Indra and great Vishnu came and worshipped him praising him and saying, “He is our father”. 68 to 72. Devotees surround the Lord and praise him, their hearts melting. “You are the Lord of five actions. You are the arts. You are our minds. You are knowledge. You are words. You are power. You are the sky. You do not give us pain but bring us only strength. You are our help. You are Haran. You are highest of all. You are our body, life and feeling. You love to dance and you are the divine light. You are the nectar that comes from the ocean of Saivism. You are the joy of Sakthi whose fragrant hair swarms with bees. You are the God who stays in Thiruvaalavaay in Madurai. Give us your grace.” Shiva sets out to go on a chariot for his procession 73. Narada, carrying a tumpuru played faultless music and women thin as creepers danced. 74. The Lord who is our friend stayed sweetly with Sakthi, beautiful as a golden creeper, the princess of the divine Himalayas. 75. Brahma the god, who lives on a fragrant lotus, politely asked Shiva to go on the incomparable procession bowing to him. 76. The Lord rose and went to the lovely and auspicious entrance of the palace with beautiful golden tower. 77. All the devotees worshipped, praising the Lord and singing, “May you live for ever and ever!” The gods, great sages and all those who recite the Vedas perfectly praised the Lord. 78, 79. A golden radiant chariot tall as a diamond-studded hill was brought. It appeared like twelve crores of sun rising together. It was a sight that no one had ever seen before. The Lord ascended the chariot giving his grace to his devotees. 80. The brightness of the divine white ash that his devotees wore as they followed the paths of good shone like an ocean of milk flooding everywhere. 81. The fans made of pure gold as they moved to and fro on the chariot appeared like the waves of the ocean breaking on a golden mountain. 82. The lovely canopy of the chariot threw its light everywhere, decorated with pearls and supported on a long rod studded with sapphires. 83. The white canopy shone like the beautiful moon that rests on the Jata of the three-eyed Lord, its old sins forgiven as it showers its divine light on the earth. Saints, Kings and devotees escort Shiva 84. All the Vedas followed the chariot of the lovely maiden Shakthi who shows compassion to the whole world. 85. The devotees forgetting their own work went to serve the Lord and they raised their hands above their heads, worshipping the Lord with tears. 86. The poems of Sambandar, floated above the water of the Vaigai river when the Jain threw them there. 87. Sambandar converted the Southern Pandya king from Jainism to Saivism. Sambandar was the cause for the proud Jains to die on the stake and the cause for the Buddhist monks to suffer. The saint Sambandar, also called Kavuniyan, escorted Shiva in the procession. 88. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the saint Thirunaavukarasar who escaped from the ocean when he was tied to a large stone and thrown in the water by the Jains. 89. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the great saint Sundarar who saved a child from the mouth of a crocodile in a pond blooming with flowers and swarming with birds. 90. A Buddhist monk who meditates under a Bodhi tree was defeated by Manickavasagar in a debate in the temple of Thillai. Manickavaasagar escorted Shiva in the procession. 91. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the devotee Sandesar who knew his previous karma by his insight and who was a scholar of Vedas. 92. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the Chola king Thiruneetrucholan, the blessed king who covered with gold the tower of the great Thillai temple where our father the Lord dances joyfully. 93. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the Chera king who went on his strong horse following Sundarar who rode on a white elephant as the gods in the sky praised him. 94. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the good Pandya king Nedumaaran who became a devotee of Shiva, receiving the grace of the Lord when his humped back was straightened by Sambandar. 95. Shiva was escorted in the procession by the king Kulachirai who fought fiercely, conquered the Jains, and destroyed their cruel deeds. 96. All these saints and numerous true devotees who followed the righteous path in their life came on their vehicles. 97. With his elephant face flowing with ichor, the true and powerful Ganesa who conquered the Asura army and is like a Karpaga tree as he fulfills the wishes of his devotees came on a mouse in the procession. 98. Lord Murugan holding a spear in his strong hand, came on a peacock in the procession. He destroyed the cruel Surapadma and released the gods from the Asura’s prison when they asked him. 99. Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, the divine Vishnu, and Brahma, the giver of four Vedas who stays on the navel of Vishnu, came on their vehicles in the procession. 100. Many Suns, twelve Eswaras, eleven Rudras, eight Vasus, and the two great medicine men came on their vehicles in the procession. 101. Indra, other gods and eighteen Ganas came in their own vehicles and entered. The musical instruments sound in the procession 102. Dundubi drums resounded. The gods praised loudly. Flowers were showered like rain. Rain drops fell. 103. Conches blew. Pipe instrument were blown. Flutes were played. 104, 105. Numerous drums were beaten, Various drums, the Muzavu, Tudi, Paracu and Patalai were sounded joining together with the blowing of the Valamburi and Sanjalam conches. 106. Musical instruments that give prosperity were played. The four Vedas were recited in the front and the back of the procession. 107. People of the earth, Kinnaras, Sky dwellers, Vinjaiyas, Asuras were all gathered and fascinated to see the procession. 108. Everything in all directions, earth, sky and anything that was above looked on in fascination. 109. The flags that were raised hid the sky. The glow of the rays of the sun could not be seen because of those raised flags 110. The three-eyed Lord Shiva came on the streets of Madurapuri with his wife who is ancient and eternally young. A group of women come to see the procession 111. The young Kinnara girls, the Apsara women whose voices are sweet as parrots’ and young Gandharva girls gathered in the sky to see the procession. 112. The women of the earth who had reached heaven crowded in the sky to see the Lord. The women on earth all came to see the procession. 113. Numerous women beautiful as lustrous valli creepers stood and shone on the prosperous small golden peaks of a high hill. 114. Some women stood on patios where the bright moon shone in the night looking like the dancing girls of Indra’s world who came out of the ocean of milk. 115. Some women arrived on magnificent chariots as if they were strong valorous women coming on a vehicle in the sky. 16. They crowded the patios on top of the palaces looking like beautiful paintings that came alive to see with love the procession of the highest Lord. 117. The women who gathered on the wide streets praised and worshipped lovingly the feet of the Lord. They said, 118. “The Lord grew angry with his wife when she was born on the earth with three breasts and fought with her. Isn’t it a joke if our breasts love to embrace his arms? 119. “When his beloved wife attracted him and loved him, he also loved her. Won’t that kind Lord show pity on us? 120. “The saint Patanjali requested the Lord to dance at his wedding and the Lord did. Does the Lord come on this divine procession only to see the love war of Kama? 121. “The Lord appeased the thirst and hunger of Gundodharan at his wedding. Isn’t it his duty to give us his grace who fell in love with him? 122. “The Lord created a pile of food to appease Gundodharan’s hunger and made the Vaigai river flow to quench his thirst. Won’t that kind Lord take away this suffering of love?” 123. They praised the ancient Lord’s divine smile. Their hearts weakened seeing the lustre of his lovely smile. 124. They worshipped his strong, handsome chest. They did not feel shy seeing the marks of the breasts of Shakthi on his chest. They said, 125. “Does our clever Lord need our clothes and beautiful bangles to grow loose from the pain of love to give his fragrant garland to us? 126, 127. “Indra worshipped the Lord of Thiruvaalavaay with fragrant flowers, nectar and the water of Ganges river. Won’t our tears be the water for his bath? Won’t the bangles of our hands become garlands for his bed? Won’t our hearts be nectar for him?” 128. They went near him without fear. They laughed impulsively. They stood mesmerized. They said, “The Lord who, like Kama, kills us with love is coming.” 129. They stood as if they were going to say something but they could not. They learned from their friends what they should say to the omnipresent Lord but they forgot it. They were confused and worried. 130. They said, “Do our ornaments grow loose, offerings for the husband of wonderful Shakthi, who shines like a diamond creeper.” 131. They felt shy and their clothes grew loose on their bodies. They felt ashamed when the flower arrows sent from the sugarcane bow of Kama covered their bodies. 132. Different types of women stood there to see the procession. The pethai, a young girl who wished to help Kama, was among them. The Pethai 133. The pethai was young as a Puvai bird that had not learned Kama’s scripture. She was a creeper not yet grown and spreading. She was a garland not yet dripping with honey. 134. She was a fragrant mango that had not yet bloomed. She was a diamond that had not been worn. She was a lovely baby cuckoo that had not yet uttered its cry. 135. She was a vanji creeper that had not yet branched. She was a lovely breeze blown from the hills. She was a fresh fragrant grove. 136. She was a babbling parrot that did not know what was right to say and what was right to do. 137. She was not yet grown like the crescent moon. She was a young swan that does not yet know how to separate milk from water. 138, 139. Her breasts shone like lustre of many suns that will rise at the end of the earth. Those small breasts did not know their power of destroying the sky and the earth. 140. 141. The pethai’s hair was disheveled, its strands loose and scattered like the wandering senses of those who lead false lives and are unable to reach the lotus feet of the all-knowing God who carries a bright axe and rides on a strong bull. 142. Her eyes did not yet know how to make trouble. They were like the minds of those who are released from the illusions of the world surrounded with oceans. 143. Lord Shiva is God of gods. He burned his enemies’ three forts as they flew in the sky. He is the king of Madurai that is praised by scholars. 144. The victorious Southern Pandya king who wore fragrant garlands gave abundant pearls to people on the entrance of his palace. The pethai went to that lovely entrance with her friends. 145. Bringing abundant, matchless pearls she went to the pandal decorated with coral pillars on the street. 146. She built a small dollhouse with many types of pearls. She cooked rice with pearls without knowing how to cook at all. 147. She fed her parrot, mothers, friends and the baby doll in her hands. Such was her sweet nature. 148. She taught words to her Puvai bird, the most marvelous among birds, pretending that she instead was learning words from them. 149. One day when her mothers went to the pandal of Madhavi flowers she also went with them. Eight miracle stories of Shiva 150 - 153. The pethai listened carefully and lovingly to the stories of Lord Shiva’s miracles. The story of Shiva bringing the ocean to please his beloved Shakthi. The story of Shiva giving moksha to Shakthi’s father to please her who is decorated with elegant bangles. The story of Shiva giving birth to their son Ukkira Pandyan, who was born to please the earth. The story of Shiva who carries an axe giving his son Ukkiran a spear, a discus and a sendu weapon. The story of Shiva destroying the strong forts on the dark ocean with his spear. The story of Shiva breaking the crown of the god Indra with a powerful discus. The story of Shiva imprinting the fish symbol on strong, golden Meru mountain in the north. The story of Shiva teaching the truth of the Vedas to the divine Rishis. 154, 155. She with her puvai bird and the parrots of the fields listened with love the stories and the thiruppatikams of the three saints that give moksha to those who hear. At that time musical instruments were played to announce the procession of the Lord. 156, 157. Musical instuments praise the Lord “He is a marvelous dancer He is the truth. He is faultless. He is eternal pleasure . He never forgets his promises. He is the Lord of northern Meru mountain He gives boons to his devotees. His paths are righteous. He is pure. He is compassionate. He stays on the banks of the Vaigai river. He is Abhisheka Chokkar.” All the musical instruments sounded praising Shiva when he came in procession on the rich streets. 158. She walked towards the procession with her mothers and her soft lotus feet grew red from walking. 159. She was happy and fascinated to see the Lord. She worshipped him folding her two hands and said to her mothers, 160. “Oh, swan, Oh Puvai bird, Oh peacock of the forest, Oh, beautiful parrot, Oh doll, look at him here. 161. “Has the Lord who loves the deer he holds in his one hand and the parrot he holds in the other come here wishing to join and play with us? 162. “Does the Lord come near my little play-house because he wants to eat our food or learn how to play the game of kalangu that I have learned” 163. “Please tell me what the Lord who cannot be described by anyone intends.” This is what she asked her mothers. and they embraced her and said, 164. “Is it right if you say the highest Lord who did sixty-four tiruvilaiyadals will come to play with you? 165. “He does not take the sacrificial food given to him by the Rishis, who are excellent scholars of the great Vedas. Will he come for the simple food that you have cooked? 166. “Is it fair to say the eternal one who dances in the silver hall will leave his important duties and come here to learn to play kazangu? Wouldn’t that be a miracle?” 167. When the mothers said this she who was lovely as a deer asked, “Then why did he come here?” 168. They answered, “Oh girl, lovely as a creeper! The Lord who performs five surpassing actions comes in the procession to give joy and moksha to all lives.” 169. The pethai asked, “Please put me on the radiant chariot of the eternal lord on whose red jata the Ganges flows.” 170. Her dark eyes shed tears and her heart weakened, like those who fall in deep love. 171, 172. The mothers said “Are there any other women like her?” The pethai removed her bangles and some of her golden ornaments. She shed tears washing away some of the kohl in her eyes. 173. Lustrous as lightning, she seemed a woman of forty years. Seeing her all were surprised. 174. She stood rooted in place. Her mothers embraced her and took her inside their splendid palace. Pethumbai 175. The pethumbai was a woman who had reached the next age after the pethai. 176. She was beautiful as a creeper not yet fully grown. Her breasts were like two lotus buds. 177. The power of her breasts was like the flood with its underwater fire come to destroy the world. Seeing her, the sages who did great tapas folded their hands to worship her. 178. Looking at her the cruel Yama opened his eyes like blossoms. Watching her, passionate men’s bodies felt abundant joy. Her soft breasts grew larger like buds opening into blossoms 179. Her waist became thinner day by day like the bad karma of those who do tapas and so gain good karma 180. Her eyes were like the limitless poison that came out of the ocean of milk. They stole everyone’s heart. 181, 182. Her hair was tied up together. Bees swarmed around the garlands on her hair. It looked like the fearsome darkness that covers the whole world and helps kama to finish all that he wants to do. 183. Neither the beauty of mullai buds that grow tall nor the feathers of peacocks could compete with her young proud smile. 184. She had grown up beautifully as if lightning had taken a form and glowed ever more and more. She was sweet like honey. 185. She got up when the sun rose and came leaving her bed sprinkled with blossoms. One of her beautiful maids came, bowed to her, folding her flower-like hands, and told her. 186. “The beauty of your eyes could kill. Come to see the divine pond that has the water of the seven oceans.” 187. Crores of her friends who had beautiful eyes and dark hair came together to the pond. 188. Decorated with bright ornaments she came to the pond in the fragrant flourishing grove. 189. One of her friends said to her. “You are bright like lightning. You are sweet as nectar. You are like a flourishing crop. You are a like a splendid red lotus. You are lustrous as gold. Come to this pond. 190. “Look at the beautiful season that makes women fall in love with the highest Lord as he comes in procession. 191. “See how the king swan climbs joyfully on pure conches in the pond and calls. 192. “See how the young female swan welcomes with affection the male swan that comes to join her. 193, 194. “See how the red lotus buds open up as they feel the shining rays of the sun like the hearts of the devotees who love, understand and melt in devotion for the Lord who has thick Jata and comes in procession 195, 196. “See how the soft coral creepers grow thick and embrace the beautiful naakaa trees that look like the kings who wish to embrace the chest of the Lord of Madhurapuri creator of the Vedas who rides on a sky chariot. 197. “Come to this pond where the water of all the great oceans has come together, and bathe joyfully.” 198. After hearing her friend, the pethumbai entered the water shyly as her mothers smiled, came, and bathed her with love. 199. Women surrounded her and praised her saying that she was born in the water of seven oceans like Lakshmi, born in the ocean of milk. 200. After bathing, she went to the fertile grove of Surapunnai trees on the shore and sat on a lovely fragrant seat. 201. She wore fine ornaments and sacred ash that protected her. Her mothers with pleasant faces blessed her. 202. A storyteller praised the pond and then told the stories of Shiva to the pethumbai decorated with bright golden ornaments. Eight miracle stories of Shiva 203. The story of Shiva selling diamonds for the world to flourish. The story of Shiva giving his grace to the large clouds so that they could drink the water of the ocean. 204. The story of Shiva changing the name of the capital city with its gorgeous palaces from Madurai to Kudal. The story of Shiva coming as an all-powerful siddha 205. The story of Shiva making the stone elephant of the Pandya king eat a sugarcane stalk. The story of Shiva killing the rutting elephant that approached him, sent by the terrible Jains. 206. The story of Shiva changing himself into many forms that cannot be described— an old man, a young man and a child. The story of Shiva wearing the Athi garland, dancing in Madurai and raising his left foot. 207. Hearing the stories of Shiva and giving presents to the storyteller, her mind and thoughts were immersed in the love for the pure Lord Shiva. 208, 209. The pethumbai, the best among women, beautiful as Lakshmi who sits on a lotus flower, heard the miracle stories of Shiva. Wishing to see the procession of the faultless God, she walked to the garden and sat. 210, 211 “Lord Shiva wears sacred ashes. He carries a bull flag. He is beloved of goddess Uma. He, Chokkanaadar of Kadamba forest, comes in procession on a rutting elephant.” Thus praising Shiva, the procession of Lord Shiva was announced with the beating of drums. 212. Her friends, precious as her heart, went in front of the procession, and she ran behind them. Her heart was filled with abundant joy when she saw the Lord. 213. Shiva’s arms became soft when he embraced the breasts of his beloved wife, the princess of the Himalayas who never stops giving her grace to her devotees. That marvelous Shiva came in procession. 214. Shiva’s chest was beautified with marks made by the breasts of the goddess Uma, whom the ancient Vedas praise and whose beauty cannot be described. That handsome Shiva came in procession. 215. All worshipped the divine feet of Lord Shiva who does not differentiate between his devotees. The grace of the Lord of Thiruvaalavaay takes away the bad karma of his devotees. That faultless Shiva came in procession 216. The pethumbai saw the Lord and worshipped him. She tried to calm her excited mind that was fixed to him. She was shy. 217. She sweated. She had never seen such a procession before. Seeing the Lord was a feast for her eyes and thoughts. 218. She felt passion she had never felt. The love that she had for the Lord made her beautiful like buds opening into blossoms. 219. Her lovely eyes like Kendai fish saw the procession unlike anything they had never seen and her heart felt joy that it had never experienced. 220. Her mothers said, “She could not think of anything except our Lord. Has she lost her chastity? What can we say? 221, 222. “Her face, shoulders, breasts and shining curly hair seem to ask Kama to come to fight, and her heart gives her strength. The king of love, Kama does not stop sending his fragrant arrows. 223. “The waist ornament that we tied on her with love is growing loose. The bracelets that we put on her beautiful arms fall from her wrists. 224, 225. “As if she suddenly has grown more mature her body has changed and is more attractive than ever before. Her beauty has increased beyond what is suitable for her age. Who knows why this happened ?” 226, 227. Before Kama sent his flower arrows from his bow and before her passion increased, the mothers embraced her whose curly hair decorated with garlands, swarmed with bees. 228. They went to their guarded palace, put her on her lovely flower-strewn bed and consoled her so that her passion would be calmed. Mangai 229. There was a girl of the age of a mangai. Her black eyes grew red with passion. 230. She was beautiful as a peacock. Her mind always thought only of the strong hill-like shoulders of the Lord who carries the lustrous moon in his Jata. 231. The compassion of the highest God, the Lord of Thiruvaalavaay is like a flooding pond, and she was like a lovely swan searching for that compassion of the Lord. 232. She was like a parrot whose heart melted away with love for the groves of the Kadamba Forest where the breeze is always blowing. 233 - 236. Her hair had grown thicker and thicker than the attractive groves of the love world that Kama created. 234. The power of Kama was growing and growing as her long hair grew more and more beautiful. 235, 236. Seeing her lovely hair, the hearts of those who did tapas grew weak and soft. She gave a victory that no one had achieved before to Kama so that he could destroy the strength of the sages. 237. Her shining eyes had the power to end life, as long ago when the spear of Murugan sailed to drink the ocean’s crashing waves. 238. She wore shining golden bracelets on her arms. 239 -242. Her breasts were like two angry elephants that stir up water then stand on the shore crushing fragrant lotus buds, and then climb on mountain forts. 243. Shiva shines like a pure golden hill. He is the tender shoot of Saivism. He gives half of his body to Shakthi, the fish-eyed goddess. 244. He is the Lord Chokkan, who mesmerizes us. Even the Vedas that are with him always could not find that highest one. 245. The divine, compassionate Lord gives prosperity to those who worship and serve him. He is the remedy for everything. He is a companion for all souls. 246. Even though she saw Lord Shiva in the procession only that one day, her heart felt great joy as if it were a day of celebration. 247. She was divine as Lakshmi. She went to worship the Lord with crores of her friends surrounding her on both sides. 248. She went to the mandapam that was in the middle of a flower garden where divine fresh blossoms were blooming near a pond. 249. She went to that pond near the Vaigai River where the poems written on palm leaves by Sambandar floated above the water when they were thrown there by the Jains. 250. She went and sat there on a divine golden seat studded with coral and pearls like a swan that sits on a lotus blossom. 251, 252. One of her friends told the mangai that if she played on the swing she would be happy. She got up, went to the shining swing studded with diamonds and sat on it. Seeing her on the swing, kama the king of love was intoxicated. 253. The sweat on her face looked like the drops of sweet nectar that bubble and drip from the moon. 254. The dark pupils of her long spear-like eyes as they went back and forth distressed the hearts of the sages wherever they did tapas 255. The bees that swarmed on her thick hair sang as if they were crying out in happiness after conquering thick darkness and the pouring rain. 256. Her beautiful hands, as lovely as tender mango shoots or red kandal flowers, were decorated with lovely bracelets that jingled sweetly. 257. Her lovely kaanji ornament jingled and sounded like the famous song that the warriors sang when they conquered lightning. 258. Her lotus-colored legs were proud as if they had conquered swans and beautiful lotuses. The anklets on her lovely legs sounded victoriously when they jingled. The sixteen miracle stories of Shiva A storyteller told the sixteen stories of Shiva to Mangai and her friends. 259. The story of Shiva defeating Antakaasuran and killing him with his trident. 260. The story of Shiva kicking the chest of Yama for Markandeya when Yama came to take his life. The story of Shiva when he cut off one of Brahma’s heads because his wife Uma embraced him thinking that he was Shiva. 261. The famous story of Shiva burning the three flying forts of his enemies. The story of Shiva when he crushed Ravana’s head when Ravana carried Kailasa mountain. 262. The story of Shiva flaying the skin of an elephant. The story of Shiva burning Kama with the fire from his third eye when Kama shot his flower arrows to disturb Shiva’s meditation. 263. The story of Shiva the matchless, omnipresent god in all three worlds, making the Pandya king understand his mistake sending his terrible messengers. 264. The story of shiva giving grace and forgiving a terrible sinner who loved his mother and killed his father but became a devotee later realizing his sins. 265. The story of Shiva when he cut the part of ? body? The story of Shiva destroying the snake that the scheming Jains sent to kill him. The story of Shiva when he made a cow obey and worship him 266. The story of Shiva showing his handsome body.? The story of Shiva helping Dharmi by writing a poem for the Pandya king so that Dharmi would receive a bundle of gold from the king. 267. The story of Shiva selling bangles to women beautiful as Lakshmi, overwhelmed with love when they saw him. The story teller told the sixteen stories of Shiva to the mangai and her friends and left. 268. One of her friends came to her and made a request: “Come and bathe.” The mangai descended from her beautiful swing to go to bathe. 269. The mangai bathed happily in the fragrant water of the Vaikai river mingled with kaavi flowers where the waves forever dash on the banks. 270. After joyfully bathing, she wore sandal paste, flower garlands and shining diamond ornaments. 271. Enchanting women whose teeth shone like coral gathered in crowds. The mangai’s beauty fascinated those who saw her and Kama was delighted to see her too. 272. She stood there thinking only of embracing the chest of the Lord. Shiva in the procession came in front of her riding on a divine galloping horse, the Vedas. Escorting Shiva, the gods, Indra, Vishnu and Brahma praised the Lord loudly. 273. One of her friends, loving the Lord, her heart melting, saw the procession and said, “He is formless and he has a form. He has great compassion for his devotees. He is splendor. 274. “He rides on a bull. He dances in Thillai. He came to protect the earth, crowned as king Chokkanaathar. He is faultless.” 275. Hearing the praise of the Lord The mangai’s heart melted. She was delighted and walked towards the procession slowly like a female elephant. 276 . The Lord is a treasury of compassion. He is puranan. He is joy. He wears the moon on his Jata. He came disguised as a soldier to conquer an elephant. 277. She approached the procession. She worshipped the Lord. She praised him and was amazed to see him. Her heart grew weak. 278. Shiva, the husband of the divine Shakthi went on the street riding his horse, which was the Vedas. 279. The mangai was lovely as a peacock. She was a queen among women. Her friends and those who saw her suffering in love, pitied her. Her maidens embraced her and entered the palace beautiful as lotuses. 280. They put her on a flower-covered bed where the bees swarmed. The Sun god who spreads his red rays in the day set in the west. 281. Coming before thick darkness magical evenings confuse lovers. Such an evening came and bewitched her. 282. As she looked at the beautiful garland that decorated her breast, her heart was disturbed, longing for the love of the Lord. 283. She said, “The terrible one, the rising white moon, shoots red fire at me. How can my weak woman’s mind bear it?” 284. Her eyes shed tears. Her mind was longing for the Lord’s love. She was tired. She called her cuckoo bird. Her body was burning. 285. She asked the king of bees to come and then immediately told him to leave. She called her lovely parrot to give her a kiss. She asked her friends and mothers to bring the Lord’s garland and give it to her. 286, 287. Her mothers seeing her trouble consoled her. They said, “You who are adorned with beautiful ornaments, we will go in the morning and tell your love to the Lord, for whom there is no comparison so that you can embrace his handsome chest and arms decorated with garlands. Calm your passion that rises like a swelling ocean.” The mothers said these sweet words and consoled her. Madanthai 289. The madanthai gave a victorious valampuri conch to Kama so he would be victorious as he kindled love. 290. She was the sugarcane bow of Kama, praised by the whole world. She was the sweet nectar of Kama. She was the strength of Kama. 291. She was a treasury of wealth saved by Kama. She was the sceptre of Kama. She was the victorious coral garland of Kama. She was Kama’s crown that was studded with pearls. 292. Her mouth was so red that even a hundred crores of red kumudam flowers dripping with honey could not compete with the color of her mouth. 293. Her golden earrings were bright. They swung like golden swings as they enticed the minds of all the people on earth, making them fall in love with her. 294, 295. Her eyes were like cruel spears more terrible than the cruel sceptres of the unjust kings who did evil deeds. Those spear-like eyes disturbed the minds of the learned scholars of Vedas and the wise. 296-298. When he grew angry with the sages. Indra carried mountains. He raised his vajra weapon against them. He performed sacrifices on the day of the star of magam. He was cursed by the sage Gauthama and received a thousand eyes. He rides on a strong elephant. He wears a beautiful garland made of buds and leaves. The madanthai’s breasts that were as strong as Indra wished to destroy the tapas of the sages like Indra when he got angry with the rishis. 299. Her lovely, perfect waist became more and more thin like the hearts of those who suffer and wander in the land of tyrant kings. 300. Her lovely teeth infatuated men and looked like a chain of precious cool pearls blooming on a red lotus. 301, 302. She told her sweet parrot adoringly, “One half of his body is his wife, lovely as a peacock. He is our king. He rules all the seven worlds. He is the Lord of Thiruvaalavaay. I long to embrace his divine arms. Please go to him as my messenger.” 303. As she lay on her bed and evening arrived she was worried in her heart. She was like a streak of lightning that had been painted in a picture. 304. She worshipped the Lord, unable to bear her sorrow, and in her passion, she told her friends, “I am alone, who is there to console me?” 305. One lady wearing lovely ornaments, excellent in playing sweet music on the yaaz, took the instrument and began to play singing beautiful Tamil songs. 306. She told in her songs many stories of Lord Shiva. The story of Shiva giving the knowledge of perfect music to a woman. The story of Shiva opening the great golden door for the Chola king. 307. The story of Shiva giving water to thirsty soldiers on the battlefield. The story of Shiva debating with the Buddhist sages so that the troubles of his devotees would be removed. 308. The story of Shiva coming as a servant to the Chola king to make him understand the mistake he had made. The story of Shiva giving abundant paddy to Sundarar when there was a famine. 309. The story of Shiva coming to the court disguised as a merchant’s in-law to help him. The story of Shiva removing the sin of Brahmin-killing from the Pandya King. The storyteller told all these stories of Lord Shiva’s miracles to the madanthai and her friends. 310. The sun who brings day into the world rose and shone removing the sorrow in people’s minds and their ignorance. 311. The madanthai, beautiful as a creeper, walked to the pond like a swan. After bathing she wore ornaments and fragrance. 312. The Lord came riding on a bull with beautiful eyes and decorated with shining bells. Sages showered flowers on the Lord. The great Vedas praised the god. 313. Many musical instruments sounded echoing like a mass of clouds. Many conches were blown. Numerous gods sweetly praised the Lord. 314 - 318. The parrot messenger, that the madanthai had sent flew to see the Lord, returned and told her, “He is the Lord of Arunachalam hills. He is unshakable He is flawless. He is unique. He is formless and yet has a form. He is a beloved of two wives and they both love him. He is the ancient one. He is the Lord of Madurai. He is the chief of all the worlds. He is the enemy of Kama in the war of love. He is the happy lover of the daughter of Himalayas. He is the measureless one who is divided and yet is one. He is the greatest. His feet have the power of taking away the births of his devotees. He is the highest Lord. He is the highest joy. That Lord is coming on the beautiful street.” 319. Bees were swarming around her lovely garland. Fragrance was spreading from her garland when the breeze blew. 320. Her soft fingers were charming like the tender shoots of trees. The pale color of her body shone like the blossoms of a mango tree? sudam 321. Jaadi flowers and Cherundi flowers dripping with honey decorated her hair, making it beautiful like a blossoming grove. 322. She was wearing a lovely pearl chain on her neck that was as soft as a branch of the Kamuka tree. 323. Her growing breasts shone like gold. They were as sweet as nectar. They were round and large like two fine, soft coconuts. 324, 325. The madanthai’s heart was filled with joy. Her sweet words were musical like the song of a cuckoo. Seeing her all the people were delighted. She came to worship the Lord who burned Kama when he disturbed his meditation. She came gently like Spring. 326. She saw the wonderful procession. She loved the graceful form of the Lord. Her heart melted and grew weak. 327. One of the madanthai’s friends, seeing her suffering in love and wishing to console her, went to the Lord who is an ocean of joy and spoke to him. 328. “Which is larger, the high hill where you live or her breasts? Come here today to find out. 329. “Which makes people happier, the crescent moon that you keep on your jata or the forehead of the madanthai, who is lovely as a creeper? Come here today to find out. 330. “Which is darker? The terrible poison that you drank to help the gods or the dark hair of this woman who is as beautiful as a peacock. Come here today to find out. 331. “Which is more lovely, the eyes of the deer that you carry on your hand or the charming eyes of this woman? Come here today to find out. 332. “Which is thinner, the narrow middle of the small drum that you carry in your hand or the small waist of this woman whose words are as sweet as honey? Come here today to find out. 333. “Which is more golden, the shining kondrai garland that you wear on your jata or the light color of the body of this madanthai who is as bright as a golden creeper? Come here today to find out. 334, 335. “You are the siddha that no one can describe. You are the eternal one. You are the highest knowledge. You are immortal. You are faultless. You are Chokkar of Thiruvaalavaay. Please do as I ask.” When her beautiful friend said this, the madanthai came near her and prayed to the Lord. 336. The Lord graciously granted her the boon of seeing his divine form. She was pleased in her heart and returned. The Arivai 337. The arivai crowned Kama with a shining crown as the sages on earth praised her. 338. The ocean of milk gave nectar when the gods and the Asuras churned it. Yet it is not only the ocean that yields nectar for the world but the arivai also. 339. She was a priceless pearl on the earth. She was a faultless diamond. She was a cool lotus. She was precious wealth. 340. She was as divine as a goddess. Her hips were so wide that all the lands in the directions of the earth could not be as wide as they were. 341, 342. Her forehead was like the bow that Kama carries and her hair was decorated with a lovely, fresh garland that was like Kama’s flower arrows and so her dark hair, buzzing with bees, was like the form of that god of love. 343. If she wore shining golden ornaments on her breasts they would look like two golden Meru mountains. 344. If she wore chains studded with diamonds and pearls on her breasts they would look like two silver hills 345. If she wore bright diamonds on her breasts that attract hearts of everyone, they would look like two burning suns rising on two hills. 346. Looking at her breasts the hearts of sages throbbed, Kama danced and even Yama was entranced. 347. Her breasts swelled with pride melting the hearts of everyone and straining her thin waist even more than before. 348. Her eyes were like arrows sent by strong warriors to tear the chests of their enemies in battle. 349. Without any weapons, her long, big dark eyes wandered all over the world like the messengers sent by angry Yama. 350. Her eyes brought trouble. poisonous and inimical. They had the power to take away the life of anyone they saw. They were wide and gave pleasure to all who saw her. 351. Her eyes were like the tandam weapon of cruel Yama that takes away the lives of those who live in this world. 352. She wanted the divine garland of the God of Thiruvalavaay. The love that she had for that garland made her pain even harder to bear. 353. One day she came to a garden blooming with lovely flowers. She was surrounded by Kama who carries flower arrows and many crores of her friends 354. She saw the Themaa tree and felt happy. She asked her friends, “Why do I feel happy when I stay in the shadow of this Themaa tree?” 355. Her adoring friend who was as tender as a flower, told her, “Lovely one! You are as precious as our life. You are like sweet nectar.” 356. “A long time ago, the Lord embraced his wife the goddess Uma, lovely as a deer, and the mother of all seven worlds, under this Temaa tree 357, 358. “and her breasts and her bracelets marked the faultless chest of the Lord. Don’t you know, that is the reason that you are drawn to this tree whose flowers drip honey.” Listening to this the arivai became shy and was filled with shame. 359. She asked her friend, “Do you know any other trees where the generous Lord likes to stay?” Her friend said, 360, 361, 362. “My friend, you who have have dark fragrant hair, the Lord likes to stay in many trees— the banian tree, the Makiza tree, the lovely Thillai tree, the Aatti tree, the Kuraa tree, the Marutu tree, the Paalai tree, the Palaa tree, the white naaval tree, the Paadalam tree, and the beautiful MarukkonRai tree. The Lord Chokkanadar stays beneath the sacred Kadamba tree in the city of Thiruvaalavaay, praised by all.” 363. When her friend told the arivai all the trees beneath which Lord Shiva stays, the arivai’s heart and her long wide lotus-like eyes were pleased. 364. She went near the Kadamba tree and asked for refuge under it. She worshipped the tree and said with love, 365. “The Lord is escorted and worshipped by the gods Vishnu and Brahma. The great Vedas praise him. The scholarly sages rejoice to see him. 366. “Your blossoms decorate his Jata. You have the fortune that he stays beneath you. You are equal to Shiva’s abode. 367. “Kama, the incomparable one is shooting his flower arrows at me. My love is growing and I am exhausted. Let me tell you the sacred acts of Lord Shiva.” 368. The story of Shiva selling firewood without any fault ? to appease the anger of ? The story of Shiva granting his divine presence to the Chera king. 369. The story of Shiva giving to the singer Paanapathran.? The story of Shiva hearing the wonderful music of Virali the wife of Paanapittiran and appreciating it. 370. The story of Shiva, feeling compassion for the piglets and giving them milk from his breast. The story of Shiva making the piglets ministers to the Pandya king. 371. The story of Shiva teaching the small bird to be brave and fly without fear. The story of Shiva giving Moksha to the crane. 372. “Compassion means showing pity without expecting anything back. Will the God give us his grace? Or will he leave without having pity on us?” 373. While she was speaking, the drum were beaten to announce that the Lord was coming in the procession. 374. Her two eyebrows were like two victorious bows. Her precious ornaments shone like lightning. 375. Her dark hair decorated with blossoms was like a clusters of clouds as abundant honey dripped from the blossoms like rain. 376. Her neck, eyes, hands and nose were soft and lovely like karuvilai flowers and kandal blossoms. 377. Her breasts decorated with shining pearls and strings of chains, looked like hills as waterfalls drop from them. 378. She came on the street like the rainy season arriving, blooming with fragrant flowers nourishing the crop of love. 379 - 382. Shiva is our father. He is all the arts. He has no lineage. He has the beautiful moon on his jata. He is the lover of Uma and he is praised by Indra. He destroys the enemies of the gods. He wears a garland of skulls. He burned the three forts. He is the highest of all. He is the ancient Lord. He is worshipped by the hunter Thinnan. His eyes shed grace. His body is the color of red coral. He is skilled and clever. He is the king of Madurai city. He is the master of all the sixty-four arts. He is our God. He is the highest Lord. He wears a garland of bones. The Lord who stays in the silver mountain came on his strong bull in the procession. 383. She adored Shiva and worshipped him. She who was timid, grew bold enough to express her love and began in a few words to describe what she felt. 384, 385. “People bring you a garland of kuvaLai flowers, and say its fragrance is for you. They bring sweet-smelling water and say it is for your bath. Oh, Lord, why won’t you tell me how I can be bold enough to serve you? 386. “Yesterday the strong breeze came and made my desire for you even greater. If it comes again as it did yesterday how could I bear it? 387. “The rays sent by the moon are hot fire to burn me. The sandal trees on the hills burn me with fragrance they send. Even the cool pearls on my body burn me. 388. “Is this suffering only for me, or do all others feel the same way? You wear golden kondrai flowers and are proud that you possess gold. 389. “Look at me. Do not laugh. If you do not give me your grace, Kama will come and fight with me. Do you think I am strong enough to fight with him? 390. “You have made my bangles loose. You have stolen my beauty and my heart. I am exhausted and people gossip about me. If only this fatigue could go away. 390. “If only this love for you would go away!” She spoke in the presence of the Lord as he went in procession and stood there. Therivai 391. The therivai was lustrous like lightning. She was sweet as nectar. She fascinated everyone. 392. She gave sovereignty over all the fourteen worlds to Kama who carries a sugarcane bow, so they were all ruled under on umbrella. 393. Her eyes were sharp like spears that pierce people’s hearts. and hurt like strong poison that has no remedy. 394. She taught Yama who was not easy to approach the art of killing. She was an accomplished scholar of the book of love written by Kama. 395. Her eyes wandered all over like the tempestuous oceans that rise at the end of the age to destroy the world. 396, 397. The therivai’s long, thick, dark hair was like the cruel bond Yama uses to bind people, threaten them, and take their lives. 398 - 399. Vishnu sleeps on the snake bed. He married the beautiful Lakshmi. As Vamana he measured the world. He showed Yasodha the world in his mouth when he came to the earth as the child Krishna. He gave sweetness to the world as Krishna with his mischievous play. 400. The therivai’s breast were decorated with lovely ornaments like Vishnu. As sweet as nectar they gave joy to others. They were round and majestic as hills. 401. Her ample breasts were fragrant, smeared with a mixture of sandal paste and perfumed water. 402. Not even a faultless and skilled painter could paint her waist, because it is so small. 403. The sun, praised by all set in the west and the beautiful moon rose in the east. 404. She went to the divine and magnificent mandapam where a pleasant breeze blew gently. Many of her friends surrounded her and adored her. 405, 406. She sat there attracting, and mesmerizing the minds of the others. Because she was afraid that Kama would start his war of love, she did not tell her feelings to her friends whose mouths are red as kovai fruits. She talked to her Puvai bird as if she was instructing it. 407. She told of the glory of Shiva, the God of gods, the ancient one, the king of beautiful Thiruvaalavaay. 408. The story of Shiva when Madurai received the name Thiruvaalavaay. The story of Shiva destroying with his strong arrows, the army of the Chola king who carried a shining sword. 409. The story of Shiva giving the Sangappalahai to the poets so they would receive fame. The story of Shiva composing a poem ‘konguter” for Dharmi a poor man so he could receive gold from the Pandya king. 410. The story of Shiva arguing with the great poet Nakkirar because Nakkirar found fault with his poem, ‘konguter.’ The story of Shiva listening to Tamil poems from the sage Nakkirar. 411. The story of Shiva making Rudrasanmar, who was dumb speak in Tamil and become a poet in the language. The story of Shiva going to North Madhura to help Idaikkaadar. 412. Listening to the stories of Shiva, she was happy. The sun, lover of lotuses, rose from its mountain, praised by all. 413. The darkness that entirely covered the world dispersed. Her face showed happiness. She was as lovely as a painting, as she arose from sleep in the morning. 414. She approached the pond of the temple blooming with golden lotuses in the Kadampa forest that is praised by scholars who have learned all three branches of Tamil, prose, music and drama. 415. She saw that wide pond and wondered how large it was. She was captivated by the pond and said lovingly to her friends, 416. “This pond is beautiful, filled with diamond-like blue water. that looks like the dark hair of girls, and is cool like the happy minds of women who fall in love with the highest one. 417. “The blooming lotuses in the pond remind us of the happy faces of the women who love the Lord. The pond is filled with pearls, like the women, ornamented with pearl necklaces, who fell in love with the eternal one . It is filled with conches like the hands of women, decorated with conch bracelets, who love the magnificent Lord. 418. “This pond is like the women who received the garland of Shiva that buzzed with bees, satisfying their desire and making them happy. 419. “This pond is like the women who are in love with the Lord in all these ways.” This is what the therivai said to her friends as she fell in love with Shiva. 420. She said, “Oh, Lord, you have satisfied my desire just as you took away the bad Karma of the god Indra who has a thousand eyes.” 421. She bathed and decorated herself with precious clothes and ornaments. She went to the bank of the pond. The Paanan who played lovely music on his yaaz came, bowed to her and said, 422. “You shine like lightning. You are lovely like the victorious goddess of the Lord, the king of dance. Today the Lord will come in procession.” That is how the Paanan announced the procession of the Lord. 423. She gave silk clothes and precious ornaments to the Paanan who said kind words to her. She went to the beautiful palace and sat on her seat. 424. One of her friends wearing lovely bracelets came near, bowed to her. and said, 425. “If you wear golden ornaments you will look like the goddess Lakshmi who sits on a lotus near Vishnu her husband as he escorts the faultless God of Kudal city in the procession. 426. “If you wear exquisite diamond ornaments, you will look like the goddess Saraswathi who gives learning to all.” 427. She was wearing new emerald ornaments that shone like the faultless rays of the sun that rises in the morning. 428. Her friends decorated the therivai, whose face was as bright as the moon. They gave in her flower-like hand a bunch of alli and kuvalai flowers. 429. Her gentle, beloved friends were wearing golden chains studded with diamonds and strings of pearls. 430. She asked them to stand around her. Looking at the Paanan, she said, “Please find a simile for how I look.” 431, 432. “You look like the goddess Parvathi, the mother of the worlds, the daughter of Himalayas sitting majestically surrounded by the goddesses -- Lakshmi sitting on her lovely red lotus, Saraswathi resting on her white lotus, Mandahini, the Ganga and all the Apsaras.” 433. The Paanan played sweet music on the yaaz, melting everyone’s hearts. He stood in front of the therivai and described how beautiful she was, as she sat before him. 434. The Lord Shiva dances raising his left foot for the Pandya king of the south. He is the origin of all things. He is the creator of the Vedas. He is the Lord of Kudal city filled with abundant palaces. 435. The therivai was sitting majestically like a lovely women in a painting, and she was falling in love with the Lord, plunged into the thought of him. Her soul was an ornament for him. 436. The Lord crushed Ravana’s chest who carried the Kailasa mountain and fought with him. There is no one equal to the Lord. He is the king of dance. 437. The feet of the Lord kicked Yama and conquered him when he came to take away the life of Markandeya 438. He is the god Brahma who has four heads. He is the god Vishnu himself. He is the god of destruction. He is the king of Madurai. He is the beloved of Goddess Uma. 439. He came in procession on his vehicle, a lovely golden Karpaga tree, that shed abundant flowers as the Vedas praised him. 440. Seeing the the highest one on the street she fell in love with him. As she hurried and ran to the street, both of her eyes were filled with happiness. 441. The Lord who is adorned with a kondrai flower garland fragrant with marukkozuntu swarming with bees directed his charming smile to her. She was proud and shivered. 442. Her forehead was as beautiful as the sugarcane bow of Kama. Her face was as lovely as a fragrant red lotus. 443. Her white moon-like teeth shone like jasmine blossoms. Her soft body was lovely like the tender leaves of Ashoka tree. 444. The light color of her golden body was like yellow Mango blossoms. Her dark, happy eyes lovely as kuvalai flowers reached to her ears. 445, 446. Her diamond earrings swayed like the shark flag of Kama. The therivai, precious and ornamented stood in victory over Kama, the king of beauty, because of the grace of Shiva who conquered Kama when he disturbed his meditation. 447. The Lord Shiva has Shakthi, the goddess, as half of his body. He dances in the beautiful silver hall in Madurai. His procession moved from that place. Perilam Pen 448. The perilampen was a fortune that Kama, the king of desire who always wins the war of love received because of the great austerities he had performed 449. For Kama she was like a commentary on the book of love that gives happiness to all. She was a flood of love. 450. She was as beautiful as Lakshmi born in the ocean of milk. Her smile was lovely. Her face was as tender as a kumudam blossom. She was thin and fragrant as a creeper. 451. The perilampen was like newly played music. She was like a goddess who gave beauty to the world. 452. She was the drone sound for the music that Kama plays. She spread her knowledge everywhere. 453. She came to see the procession and even the goddess Lakshmi born in the milky ocean praised her lovely form. 454. Her sharp eyes destroyed the strength of the great ones. They moved like a spear a king raises to fight his enemies. 455. They took away people’s lives like the trident of the Lord that kills his enemies. 456. Kama who has a sugarcane bow and a beautiful chariot and Yama who carries a spear in his strong hands became her servants because of the power of her long sharp eyes. 457. Her breasts were decorated with garlands. They were smeared with fragrant sandal paste. Beautiful ornaments studded with diamonds covered them. 458. Even though her breasts were round and heavy they did not pain her waist so thin you could not even see it— her breasts took care that her waist not be hurt. 459. She despised the ornaments on her arms and her bracelets because her arms and hands wished to embrace the Lord continually and lovingly and she feared they would hurt his body. 460. She despised the jewels on her body because she thought that they were hiding her lovely light color. 461. She went to the marble mandapam of the palace surrounded with high walls that touched the dark clouds of the sky. 462. She went happily to the front part of the mandapam where the cool moon spread its bright light like a flood of water. 463. Her numerous friends resplendent with their lovely golden faces and long hair surrounded her like many bees swarming around a lotus blossom. 464. Her golden earrings studded with diamonds, and her long beautiful eyes moving like fish touched her lovely ears soft as Vallai creepers. 465. The two breasts held by her tender waist that one could not see were like two growing buds on the stalk of a lotus flower. 466. Her neck was like beautiful conch and her smile was like precious pearls. Her clothes shimmered like waves. 467. The porch looked like a pond with waves because of the bright white moonlight that fell there. 468. She sat on a beautiful coral seat like a swan resting on a red lotus in a pond blooming with flowers. 469. She praised the Lord to her friends “The Lord is our friend. He is incomparable. He rules us. 470. “If his devotees think of the Lord when they are troubled, our great Lord grants them the fragrant lotus seat of Brahma, the milky ocean of the gods and the land of Indra with karpaga tree. 471. “Why did our great Lord makes the hot sun take away the darkness of the night instead of the moon? Can you tell me the reason?” 472. After the perilampen said this to her friends, a virali holding the yaaz folded her lovely hands together, bowed to her said, 474, 475. “The Lord is compassionate. He is the king of the kadamba forest. His beautiful mouth is like a red lotus. His shining teeth are like jasmine flowers. His beautiful eyes are like sahoraa birds. His arms are bright like the sun and moon. You have the right to embrace his arms. This what I must tell you” 476. Hearing what the Virali said, the perilampen replied, “You are decorated with precious ornaments. I would like to listen to the music of your yaaz sweet as nectar. Please play.” 477. Taking the faultless tandiri yaaz the virali played. All the worlds hearing the music melted. Listening to her music Gandarva women in the sky were delighted. The virali told the perilampen miracle stories of Shiva. 478. The story of Shiva coming as a fisherman, falling in love with a woman who was born in a fisherman’s family and marrying her. The story of Shiva granting enlightenment to Manickavaasagar. 479. The story of Shiva, selling foxes to the Pandya king, telling him that they were horses, and then asking him to release Manickavaasagar who was imprisoned by him. The story of Shiva bringing a flood to the Vaikai river one day. 480. The story of Shiva coming as a laborer and working for Vanthi, an old lady, to receive pittu, a sweet, as his wage. The story of Shiva curing the terrible disease of the southern Pandya king. 481. The story of Shiva making the Jains to die on sharp impaling stakes. The story of Shiva bringing a Vanni tree and a well to prove the chastity of a merchant woman who was a devotee of Shiva. 482. The virali sang wonderful songs about the miraculous deeds of Lord Shiva in Tamil. Her music was like a boat that floated over the ocean of darkness and brought travelers to the bank where there is light. 483, 484. As Lord Shiva came in procession the darkness of the night dispersed. All the roosters crowed in the morning and the bees on the flowers buzzed. Honey dripped from the blossoms. The Rakshasas were destroyed. Crops flourished. The works of men flourished. 485. The sun rising in the east came on yoked horses spreading his light. 486. Many strong elephants trumpeted and beautiful conches were blown. 487. The melodious music of the yaaz and the eternal heavenly recitation of Vedas sounded. 488. All the suffering and the poverty of the creatures of the world were removed in an instant. 489. The lotus-like faces of the good people and their flower-like hearts that never know hatred found joy. 490. The lowly religions that teach wrong doctrines could no longer contend with truth. Bounteous rays of knowledge shone forth and imparted goodness. 491. He is the Lord who grants the rays of knowledge to all the world so that ignorance will disappear. 492. He came on the streets of Maduraapuri and reached the perilampen and her friends. 493. Her friends were beautiful as dolls, and they had the power to attract everyone. 494. Surrounding her, her friends praised her. She walked near the king of Maduraapuri and worshipped him. 495. The fascination she felt seeing the Lord was indescribable. 496. One of the perilampen’s friends ran near the Lord, who is the king of the scholars of elegant Tamil and said, 497. “We cannot understand why the heat of the bright moon makes our moon-like faces and hearts suffer. 498. “We cannot understand why our wide ocean-like eyes suffer without sleep because the ocean roars so loudly. 499. “We cannot understand why the sandal paste on our breasts decorated with pearl garlands cannot dry. 500. “How can I explain the way my arms shiver listening to the sound of the flute as cruel as Yama. 501. “If your procession crosses this street, she will suffer terribly.” Her friends said these things to the Lord and bowed to him. 502. The perilampen felt relieved and her suffering was calmed. She said to the Lord, “You destroyed the pride of the gods who do not respect you. You destroy the sacrifice of tyrannical Dakshan. 503. ‘You burned Kama’s body. You destroyed the garland of Indra, crushing his arms. 504. “You made the strength of moonlight grow weak at night. You have put out the cruel fire of my passion. 505. “You gave pain to those friends who did not respect you. You cut off the head of Brahma who decides the fate of everyone. 506. “Yoga, they say, takes away the suffering of love. Will you not calm my suffering by giving me the power of yoga? 507. “You gave your grace to Sundarar who fell in love with Paravaiyaar in Thiruvaarur. You grant boons to gods and others. 508. “You gave them all gold so that they could survive. But you only gave me pallor that has the color of gold. How am I to live? 509. “The goddess embraces your chest lovingly. If you embrace us also, the mark of her body on yours may disappear. 510, 511, 512. “You wear a flower garland on your Jata that belongs to Ganga and a flower garland on your left side that belongs to Uma, and because of them those two goddesses quarrel with you. Give them both to me, 513. “and I will put them on my breasts,” The perilampen said. Her heart was tired, her body weak. 514. All the seven women who saw the Lord in the procession fell in love with him. The Lord protects and rules all the three worlds Nothing can be compared with him. 515. He is the king of Madurai city. The Pandya king Sundara Maaran and the gods of heaven praised and worshipped him. 516. Our father, the king who gives us grace and keeps his compassionate wife Meenakshi as the left side of his body came in procession. Subham. The stories of Sages, kings and gods that are described when Lord Shiva came on the Ulaa in Thiruchokkanaathar Ulaa. All of the following devotees escorted Shiva in his procession. 1. The story of Thirunyaana Sambandar. The Jains threw the poems of Thirunyaana Sambanda Nayanaar in the Vaikai river and the poems floated above the water by the grace of Shiva. The Pandyan king killed the Jains. 2. The story of Thirunaavukkarasar. When the Jains threw Thirunaavukkarasa Nayanaar in the sea tied to a stone, the stone floated on the water and he survived by the grace of Shiva. 3. The story of Sundaramurthi Naayanar. When a young boy was caught by a crocodile, Sundaramurthi Nayanaar released him from the crocodile’s mouth and saved him by the grace of Shiva. 4. The story of Manivaasagar. Manivaasagar debated with a Buddhist in the golden temple of Chidambaram and conquered him by the grace of Shiva. 5. The story of a sage who cut off his father’s legs. 6. The story of Thirunetrucholan. The Chola king Thirunetrucholan who covered the Chidambaram temple with gold and later went to heaven by the grace of Lord Shiva. 7. The story of a Chera king. A Chera king followed Sundaramurthy Nayanaar when he ascended to heaven on a white elephant. 8. The story of Pandyan Nedumaaran. The Pandyan king Nedumaaran whose crooked back was cured by the grace of Thirunyaanasambanda Murthi Naayananaar. 9. The story of Kulachirai Naayanaar. The king Kulachirai Naayanaar killed the Jains who did cruel deeds to the Saivaites. Summary of the stories told in Thiruvilaiyaadal Puranam and Thiruchokka Naathar Ulaa Note: The first number on each of the stories indicates Thiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam. At the end of each story the number indicates the Ulaa. 1. The story of Indra’s curse: Indra the king of gods fought with Vrudhraasuran and killed him. Because of that he was cursed. He went on many pilgrimages and finally came to kadamba forest. He consecrated a Shiva lingam and he called it ‘Azhakiya Chokkanaathar’ He worshipped Lord Shiva for a long time and he was released from his curse and went to his world. (1) 2. The story of the curse of Airavadam, the elephant of Indra: Indra was going on his white elephant Airavadam one day. The sage Durvasa saw Indra and gave him a lotus flower. Indra was very proud and put that flower on the back of the elephant. The white elephant threw the flower on the ground and crushed it. The sage Durvasa grew angry and cursed him. He said, “A Pandyan king will kill you because you commit a sin against Shiva. Your proud elephant will become a forest elephant and wander in the forest..”Indra requested the sage to forgive him. The sage forgave him and Indra was released from the curse. His elephant went to the Kadamba forest and worshipped Shiva. The elephant was released from his curse and returned to Indra to serve him. (2) 3. The story of Maduraapuri. In the city of Manavur there was a merchant named Dananjeyan. Once in the Kadamba forest the merchant saw gods praying at night to a Shivalingam. He went and told what he had seen to the king. The king wanted to build a temple for the Shiva lingam in the Kadamba forest and constructed a beautiful temple. He also built temples for the goddess Kali and the Goddess Parvathi. Many buildings, ponds and other things that beautified the temple were built around the city. Shiva asked the moon on his Jata to sprinkle nectar with the water of the Ganges on the city. The city was called, ‘Maduraapuri.’ (3) 4 and 5. The story of the birth and marriage of Thadaathagai. The Pandyan king and his wife Kanchanamaalai had a baby girl and named her Thadaathagai. The girl was born with three breasts. She grew up and became the queen of Maduraapuri and ruled that country. Thadaathagai conquered many kings on the earth and went to Kailaasa to fight with the gods. There she met Shiva and fell in love with him. Shiva and Thadaathagai were married. (4. 5) 6. The story of Shiva dancing and lifting his left foot: All the gods, kings and sages went to the wedding of Shiva and Parvathi. The sage Pathanjali and the sage Vyagrabaatha asked Lord Shiva to dance lifting his left foot, imitating how he danced in the golden temple of Thillai lifting his right foot. The Lord danced lifting his left foot and all the gods and sages saw the dance of the Lord and were pleased. (6) 7. The story of Gundodharan: All the guests ate the wedding feast but there was abundant food left over. When Thadaathagai went to her husband and asked him to take care of food, Shiva called Gundodharan his servant and asked him to eat the food. Gundodharan ate it all. (7) 8. The story of river Vaigai. After he ate all the food, Gundodharan was thirsty. He drank all the water in the ponds, wells and the springs in the city of Maduraapuri, but his thirst was not satisfied. Shiva asked the Ganges that was on his Jata to come down to earth and flow. Gundodharan drank all the water he wanted and was satisfied. The river that came down is called Vaikai and that is the river that runs in Madurai city now. (8). The eight miracles of Shiva in the section of the pedai 1. The story of Kanchanamaalai bathing in the ocean: Kanchanamaalai, the mother of Meenakshi wanted to bath in the river Ganges. The sage Gauthama told her that if she went to an ocean where all the rivers join that should be the best place to bathe. She went to her daughter Thadaadagai and told her that she wanted to bath in the ocean. Thadaadagai told her mother’s wish to her husband Lord Shiva and Shiva brought all the seven oceans to Madurai. All the seven oceans in seven colors came to a pond that was in the east of Madurai and joined with the water of a temple pond.(9) 2. The story of Kanchanamaalai going to heaven: When Kaanchanamaalai went to bathe in the pond, the brahmins who were there told her that she should join her hands with her husband, only son, or the tail of a cow and bathe in the pond. At once Shiva brought Malaiyathuvajan, the husband of Kanchanamaalai who was in Indra’s world, to the pond and the couple bathed in the pond holding each others’ hands. They both went to Kailasa, the heaven of Lord Shiva in a divine flying chariot. (10) 3. The story of the birth of Ukkira Pandyan: Thadaathagai wanted a son and told that to her husband Somasundara Pandyan (a form taken by Shiva). Shiva granted her wish, saying that Murugan would be born to her. Subsequently, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son on a Monday under the Thiruvaadirai star. They named him ‘Ukkira Pandyan’. (11) 4. The story of Shiva giving a wheel, chendu weapon and spear to Ukkira Pandyan. Sundarapandyan wanted his son to marry Ganthimati the daughter of Somasekharar in Manavur. Shiva appeared in the dream of Somasekharar and told him to give his daughter in marriage to Ukkira Pandyan. Somaskeharar happily accepted. Ukkira Pandyan and Ganthimathi married and lived happily. Sundarapandyan gave a wheel, a spear and a chendu weapon to Ukkira Pandyan and told him, “Indra, Varuna and Meru mountain are your enemies. Throw the wheel and Indra’s crown will fall. Release the spear on the ocean and it will dry up. Hit the Meru mountain with the chendu weapon and it will obey you..”He also crowned Ukkira Pandyan at that time as the king. (12) 5. The story of Ukkira Pandyan conquering Varuna: Ukkira Pandyan ruled the Pandya country and did ninety six Ashvameda sacrifices. Indra was jealous of the king and told the god Varuna to destroy the Pandya country with a titanic flood of water coming from the seven oceans. A huge flood started at midnight. Shiva came at once in the form of a Siddha to Ukkira Pandyan and told him to throw the spear, stop the flood and protect the country. Ukkira Pandyan went quickly and threw his spear and stop the flood. Shiva and the goddess Uma graciously appeared on Nandi, the bull that is Shiva’s vehicle, and blessed the Pandyan king and his country. (13) 6. The story of Ukkira Pandyan conquering Indra: Once, there was no rain in Tamil Nadu and the people suffered. At that time sages did tapas for the rain to come on Mondays and then went to Indra. Indra only granted rain to the Chola and Chera countries and not to the Pandya country. Ukkira Pandyan became angry and imprisoned the four clouds that belong to Indra. At that, Indra started a war with the king. In the fighting, Ukkira Pandyan sent his wheel and destroyed Indra’s crown. Indra sued the Pandyan king for peace and said that he would give rain to Pandya country if the Pandyan king released Indra’s clouds. Ukkira Pandyan released the clouds and Indra granted him the rain, making the people of the Pandya country happy. (14) 7. The story of Ukkira Pandyan fighting with Meru mountain: Ukkira Pandyan and his wife Ganthimathi had a son and named him Veera Pandyan. At that time, once again there was no rain and the king prayed to Shiva to give rain. The god Somasundarar (a form of Shiva) came to him in a dream and told him, “In a cave in Meru mountain there is a great treasure. Go and fight with Meru mountain and bring it..”The Pandyan king went to Meru mountain and struck the mountain with his Chendu weapon. He engraved the Pandyan emblem of a fish on the hill. A bhutham with eight hands and four heads carrying a white umbrella came and said, “Oh, king, every day I pray to Somasundarar and Meenakshi in this form. Today I was late for my worship because I was fascinated with a woman. You came and released me from that sin..”He gave much gold to the Pandyan king. When the Pandyan king was returning the kings of Mathiyam, Viraadam, Maalavam and Thelungam welcomed him and showed their hospitality. The king gave all the gold to his citizens and they were happy and there was no famine in Pandya country. After a while, the stars changed, rain poured in the Pandya country and the land became fertile. Ukkira Pandiyan went to Kailasa after crowning his son Veera Pandyan. (15) 8. The story of Shiva Teaching the meaning of the Vedas to the sages: The Vedas were created by Shiva. The sage Kanvar and others could not understand the meaning of the Vedas. They went to Madurai with the sage Arapathar and prayed to the god Dakshinamurthy (a form of Shiva). Disguised as a sixteen-year-old brahmin boy, the god taught them the meaning of the Vedas. He took them to the Shiva Lingam in the temple of Madurai and told them, “This Shiva lingam itself is the Veda and the meaning of Vedas. The Veda and the meaning of Vedas are the same thing..”He taught them much holy lore such as the beginning of the Pranava manthram, Jnaanam, Karumam, Vaideekam and Vaideekasaivam.”. (16) The eight miracles of Shiva in the section of the pedumbai 1. The story of Shiva selling Diamonds: The Pandya King Veera Pandyan had many mistresses and many sons from them. He also had one son Abhisheka Pandyan from his queen. Once when Veera Pandyan went hunting, he died in the forest. His mistresses and their sons took all his wealth and his queen’s son did not have anything. Veera Pandyan’s minister wanted to help Abhisekha Pandyan and took him to the temple and prayed. Shiva came as a diamond merchant and gave the Pandyan king many diamonds and pearls. He told the ministers to crown Abhisekha Pandyan and he ruled the country. (17) 2. The story of the clouds that came and drank water from the flooded Vaikai river: In the month of Chitrai on the day of the star Chitra, Abhisheka Pandiyan did special pujas to the god Somasundarar (a form of Shiva). Indra also did puja on the same day for Shivam but was unable to perform his puja at the correct time because the Pandyan king was doing his puja at the same time. Indra decided to return to his world. On the way Varuna saw him and asked him, “Why do you worry about doing pujas for Shiva. Do you think Shiva has the power to take away my stomachache?.”Indra said, “Lord Shiva has the power to take away the cycle of births. Don’t you think he could cure your stomachache?.”Varuna decided to test the power of Shiva. To cure Varuna’s stomachache, Shiva ordered the ocean to destroy Madurai city. People saw the flood, were terrified and went to Abhisheka Pandyan. The Pandya king prayed to Shiva, who sent the four clouds that were on his Jata to help the Pandya country. The clouds drank all the water in the flood and the country was saved. The gods and people praised Shiva with devotion and songs. (18) 3. The story of Kudal city: Varuna became angry and ordered seven clouds to destroy the world. The clouds roared, grew full of water and became very dark. Adishesh, the snake of Vishnu, and the elephants of the eight directions trembled. It was dark everywhere. Abhisheka Pandyan went to Shiva and asked him to help the Pandya country. Shiva ordered his four clouds to become four huge roofs and cover the whole city of Madurai. Feeling defeated and ashamed, when Varuna went to the temple pond his stomachache was cured. He bathed in the pond and worshipped. Shiva was happy that Varuna was praying to him and asked, “What would you like me to do?.”Varuna replied, “My stomachache was cured even before I arrived at the temple pond. You show your grace even to people like me who do evil acts. I do not want any wealth, manthram or any medicine. Please forgive my faults..”Shiva gave all the boons he wanted and Varuna went to his world. Because the four clouds that came from the Jata of Shiva protected Madurai, the city was called ‘naan maadakudal’ (19) 4. The story of Shiva coming in the disguise of a siddha: Shiva came to Madurai in the disguise of a siddha. He went everywhere and performed many miracles. He made the older people young and the young people ones old, he turned men into women and women into men, he made barren women give birth, he made the dumb speak, he gave sight to the blind, he made bitter Etti trees ripen with sweet fruits. The people of Madurai were surprised when they saw the siddha’s miraculous deeds. The king Abhisheka Pandyan heard about the siddha and asked him to come to see him but the siddha refused. (20) 5. The story of a stone elephant eating sugarcane: Abhisheka Pandyan went himself to see the siddha, whom people were treating as a beggar. The king politely asked him where he came from and what he wanted. The siddha proudly answered him that he came to see all the temples of Shiva and he did not want anything from the king. The king was angered by the siddha’s arrogance and asked him, “There is a stone elephant here. Can you feed it a stalk of sugarcane?.”When the siddha offered a stalk of sugarcane, the elephant ate it and then took the king’s garland from his chest. When the people there were angered by this and went to strike the siddha, he turned them all into stone statues. The king requested the siddha to forgive them and the siddha brought them back to life and disappeared. The elephant became a stone elephant again. Abhisekha Pandyan had a son and named him Vikrama Pandyan. Then he prayed to Shiva and went to Shiva’s world. (21) 6. The story of an angry elephant sent by the Jains: Vikrama Pandyan helped Saivism flourish in the country and he did gave little attention to Jainism. A Chola king in Kanchipuram who wished to conquer Vikrama Pandyan approached some Jain sages and told them that if they killed Pandyan king, he would give half of his country to them. The Jain sages burned many parts of the Pandya country and destroyed the ponds that hold water. They performed a sacrifice and an angry elephant came out of it. It destroyed many parts of the city and then came to the Pandyan king’s palace. When the Pandyan king went to the temple and prayed to Shiva for help, Shiva asked him to build a mandapam. When it was built, Shiva stayed in it waiting for the elephant. When the Jain’s angry elephant came, Shiva killed it with an arrow. The king and the people were happy. (22) 7. The story of Shiva changing his form into an old man, a young man and a baby: A brahmin named Virupaakshan had a daughter named Gauri who spent most of her time praying to the goddess Parvathi. One day a Vaishnava bachelor came to Gauri’s house and her father gave her in marriage to him. Her in-law’s family followed Vaishnavism and did not treat her well because she was praying to Parvathi. One day Lord Shiva came to her home in the form of an old man and asked for food. Gauri cooked food and served him. After eating he became an young man. At that time her relatives came home. Seeing the relatives Shiva changed himself into a baby. When the relatives asked her who the baby was she said it was her friend’s baby. They said angrily, “You should not have a Saivaite baby in this house.”and sent her out of the house with the baby. She prayed to the goddess and the baby changed into Shiva. Gauri also became a goddess and Uma and Shiva took her to Kailasa. (23) 8. The story of Shiva dancing and lifting his left foot: Vikrama Pandyan crowned his son Rajasekhara Pandyan and went to heaven. Rajasekhara Pandyan learned classical dance because he wished to compete with a Chola king who danced well. As he was learning dance, he realized how difficult it was to learn that art. When he went to the temple he saw that lord Nataraja dancing, lifting his right leg always, he thought it must be painful for Shiva and prayed to Shiva to lift his left foot instead when he danced. Lord Nataraja did as he asked. Rajasekhara Pandyan worshipped Shiva and asked the god to dance always lifting his left foot in Madurai in the silver hall. Shiva accepted and and did as Rajasekhara Pandyan asked. (24). The sixteen miracles of Shiva in the section of the mangai 1. The story of Anthahaasuran: Shiva fought with Anthahaasuran and killed him with his trident. 2. The story of Markandeya: Shiva gave a boon to Markandeya that he would be always sixteen years old and no one could kill him. When Yama the god of death came to take Markandeya’s life, Shiva came, kicked Yama and saved Markandeya. 3. The story of Brahma and Shiva: Once Brahma went to see Shiva and waited for him in Shiva’s garden. At that time both Shiva and Brahma had five heads. Parvathi came to the garden and embraced Brahma from behind thinking he was Shiva because both he ans Hiva had five heads. Shiva became angry and cut off one of the heads of Brahma. At that, Brahma angrily cursed Shiva, saying that he should beg and and that the head he had cut off Brahma would not fall from Shiva’s hand until it became full. From then on Brahma only had four heads and Shiva wandered about begging, with Brahma’s head stuck to his hand. Finally, when Vishnu cut his finger and filled the head of Brahma with his blood, it fell. 4. The story of the three flying forts: Shiva burned the three forts of his enemies with the fire that came from his forehead eye. 5. The story of Ravana carrying the Kailasa mountain: Once Ravana, the king of Lanka, took Kailasa mountain on his shoulders and everyone on the mountain trembled. Shiva put his feet on Ravana’s shoulders and pressed him to earth. Ravana put down the Kailasa mountain and worshipped Shiva. 6. The story of Shiva’s elephant skin: Shiva killed an elephant and used its skin as his garment. 7. The story of Shiva teaching a small bird: When Rajaraja Pandyan his son Suguna Pandiyan ruled the country, a man who had done evil deeds in his previous birth was born as a karikkuruvi, a small bird. The bird was afraid of other stronger birds, flew to the forest and hid. One day it saw a sage who told the bird that if it worshipped Shiva, he would help it. The bird prayed asking the God to give him strength so that other birds could not hurt it. Shiva made him a very strong bird called, ‘Valiyaan,’ The small bird became strong and helped all the other small birds so that they would not be hurt by other strong animals and birds. (47) 8. The story of Shiva burning Kama: Once when Shiva was meditating for a long time, the gods concerned that the maintenance of the world would stop, asked Kama to disturb Shiva’s meditation. Kama decided to help the gods, went to where Shiva was meditating and sent his flower arrows. Shiva angrily opened his forehead eye and burned up Kama. Later he restored Kama to life when Rathi, Kama’s wife, came and asked him to forgive Kama. 9. The story of the messengers of Yama: After crowning his son Kulothunga Pandyan, Rajasekhara Pandyan died and went to Lord Shiva’s world. One day a brahmin and his wife were going through a forest. The brahmin went to get some water and his wife was killed by an arrow that fell from the tree. The brahmin saw a hunter near the tree and thought he had killed his wife. The brahmin went to the king and complained about the hunter and the king imprisoned the hunter. The hunter told the king that he did not kill the brahmin’s wife and he did not know who could have done so. The king believed the hunter but did not know what to do. He prayed to Shiva to show him a way. Shiva came to the king in a dream and told him that if he went to a wedding he would understand the truth. The king and the brahmin went to the wedding. When they were in the house where the wedding was conducted they heard two messengers of Yama talking. One of the messenger asked the other, “We have to take the bridegroom today to Yama’s world. How can we do that?.”The other messenger said, “Did you remember the other time, we made the arrow fall from the tree and kill the brahmin’s wife. In a similar way we will make a cow go mad and kill the bridegroom.” The brahmin understood that it was not the hunter who killed his wife. The king gave money to both the brahmin and the hunter so that they would live happily. Then he went to the temple and worshipped Shiva. (25) 10. The story of the great sinner: There was a brahmin in a city called Avanthi who lived with his wife and his son. His son was a bad man and was sleeping with his mother. One day when the brahmin saw the mother and son together and became angry. The son killed the father, took his mother and ran away to a forest. In the forest some thieves took the son’s money and his mother. The son felt lonely and wandered all over. Then he went to Madurai and prayed to Shiva. Shiva and Parvathi came to him disguised as a hunter and his wife. Shiva told him, “You should beg and eat only one time. Every day you should feed the cows. You should serve Shiva’s devotees. You should bathe in the water of the temple and go around the temple for 108 times every day. If you do this your sins will go away and you will be my devotee..”He did as Shiva told him and attained Moksha. (26) 11. The story of Shiva killing a student: There was old man who taught sword fighting to students. One of his students learned from him and started his own school. He attracted the students of the teacher and they all became his students. Because the teacher did not have any students he became poor. The student who had started a new school also tried to seduce his teacher’s wife. The wife prayed to Shiva to help her. The god, disguised as the teacher, went to the student and challenged him to a sword fight. The student thought Shiva was the old man and agreed to fight. Shiva fought and killed him. After that the teacher and his family praised Shiva and lived happily. (27) 12. The story of Shiva helping the Pandyan king to kill a bhutham: After the rule of Kulothunga Pandyan the king Ananthaguna Pandyan became king. He was devoted to Lord Shiva. The Jain did not like the Pandyan king and performed a sacrifice. A bhutham came out of that sacrifice and the Jains asked it to kill the king and destroy the Pandya country. The bhutham took a form of a snake and came to the city. The king prayed to Lord Shiva to help him. By the grace of god the king was able to fight and kill the bhutam. (28) 13. The story of the Jains sending another bhutham: The Jains were angry that the Pandyan king killed the bhutham. They performed another sacrifice and sent another bhutham to the king in Madurai in the form of a cow. Shiva, wishing to help the Pandyan king and his people, ordered his vehicle, the bull Nandi, to go and kill the cow. Unable to do anything to Nandi the bhutham changed into a mountain. Nandi’s body also became a mountain and his soul went to Kailasa to serve Shiva. (29) 14. The story of Shiva helping the Pandyan king: Kulabhushana Pandyan became the king after Ananthaguna Pandyan. The king had an army general named Sundarasaamanthan. One time a hunter chieftain came to fight with the king. Since the king’s general was a devotee of Shiva he had spent all the funds he had in the services of Shiva and did not have enough soldiers to fight with the hunter chieftain. When the king found out that there was no army to oppose the chieftain, he ordered the general to bring soldiers immediately. The general prayed to God to help him. Shiva came disguised as a warrior and brought an army, making the Pandyan king happy. At that time one of the king’s spies came and told the king that the hunter chieftain had been killed by a tiger in the forest. The king’s general also collected an army and came there. Shiva disappeared from there with his army. Realizing that it had been Shiva who came as a warrior, the king, the general, and the subjects praised the Lord. (30) 15. The story of Shiva giving a pot of gold : In the reign of Kulabhushana Pandyan, the people suffered because there was a drought and famine in the Pandya country. The king went to Shiva and prayed for his help. Shiva told him, “You did not respect brahmins and the Vedas. If you show them the proper respect, the rains will come and the famine will disappear..” Shiva also gave him a pot of gold and told him that that pot would be full always. The king gave gold to the brahmins for their religious expenses and he covered the chariots of Lord Somasundarar and the goddess Meenakshi with gold. The famine went away and the Pandya country flourished. (31) 16. The story of Shiva selling bracelets: Shiva came to Dharuka forest where sages and their wives lived. He came in the form of a handsome beggar. Seeing the handsome Shiva, all the sages’s wives fell in love with him. They grew thin with lovesickness and their clothes grew loose and their bracelets fell from their hands. The sages who saw their wives in this condition became angry and cursed them to be born in the families of merchants on the earth. The wives asked the sages to forgive them. The sages said, “If the god Shiva comes and touches your hands, you will be released from your curse..”They all were born in merchants’ families on the earth. In an other story Shiva came as a bangle seller and put bangles on the hands of the sages’ wives. Since he touched the hands of the wives, they were released from their curse. (32) The eight miracles of Shiva in the section of the madanthai 1. The story of Shiva teaching eight siddhis to sages: One day Shiva was teaching dharma to sages and his attendants. At that time the Karthigai women who had raised Murugan came and asked Lord Shiva to teach them also the eight siddhis . Saying, “If you serve the goddess Parvathi, I will teach you the eight siddhis,.”he taught them, but forgot the manthras he had told them. Shiva angrily cursed them to become stone statues for thousand years. When, after thousand years they were released from Shiva’s curse and received their own forms, Shiva once again taught them the eight siddhis. They went to the goddess Uma and served her. (33) 2. The story of a Chola king who came to worship Lord Shiva: A Chola king who wished to go to the Madurai temple and see Shiva prayed to the god. Shiva came in a dream and told him to come to the Vaikai river. The Chola king went to the Vaigai river he saw there was a flood. By Shiva’s grace, the Vaigai river dried up and Chola king went into the temple through the northern entrance and worshipped the god. Shiva worried that if the Pandyan king knew the Chola king was in Madurai, he might think the Chola king had come to fight with him. Therefore Shiva locked the northern door and put his bull emblem on it. The Pandyan king saw the next day the bull emblem and understood that it was the play of Lord Shiva and worshipped him. The Chola king also saw Lord Shiva and prayed to him. (34) 3. The story of Shiva giving water to warriors: Once Rajendra Pandyan went to fight with a Chola king. Since the battlefield was very hot the warriors became thirsty. The Pandyan king prayed to Shiva to come and help him. The god came, established a water pandal and gave water to the warriors of both the Pandya and Chola sides. Even though the Pandyan king defeated the Chola king, he gave him back his kingdom and sent him back to his country. (35) 4. The story of Ponnanaiyaal making a golden statue of Shiva : A woman named Ponnanaiyaal wished to make a golden statue of Shiva. Because she did not have enough money she made it from another metal. One day Shiva came to her home in the form of a siddha and asked her to give him all the pots and pans that she had. The siddha told her, “Put all these in fire tonight and they will all change to gold.” She did so and made a Shiva statue with the gold and worshipped it. (36) 5. The story of Sundaresa Paadasekhara Pandyan conquering a Chola king: Sundaresa Paadasekhara Pandyan’s army was small. He spent all his money in the services of Shiva and the temple. When a Chola king, Aayiram Parikkor Sevakan came to fight with Sundaresa, the Pandyan king prayed to Shiva and asked for help. As Somasundara, the god joined the small Pandya army and made it look like a large one in the eyes of the Chola king. The god fought with his spear and the Chola army retreated and the Chola king died in battle. The Pandyan king was happy and always served the God of Madurai with devotion. (37) 6. The story of Shiva giving a kottai that was an eternal source of wealth: In Madurai, there was a devotee named Adiyaarkku Nallan. He and his wife Dharamasheelai would always give food to people. God wished to test him. He made the devotee very poor. The devotee sold what he had and spent the money he received serving the people and Shiva. God made him even poorer but he borrowed money and continued to do his devotional duties. Finally, when he could not even get a loan, he and his wife decided to die. Lord Shiva appreciated their devotion and gave them a ‘kottai’ in which wealth always would grow. The husband and wife did much service to the Lord and finally went to Kailasa.(38) 7. The story of Shiva coming disguised as an uncle: In Madurai a merchant named Dhanapathi lifed with his wife Susheelaa. They did not have a child and adopted his sister’s boy and raised him. The sister continually scolded Susheela for being childless. The merchant was distressed at this, gave all his wealth to his adopted son and went to the forest with his wife to do tapas. The relatives of Dhanapathi took all the wealth and the merchant’s sister became poor. She went and prayed to Lord Shiva and Shiva came in a dream and said, “Tomorrow bring all your relatives to the village assembly and I will come there and you will receive your wealth back.” The next day she asked all her relatives to come to the assembly. Lord Shiva came in the form of Dhanapathi there, argued for the merchant’s nephew, got all the wealth from his relatives and gave it to the nephew. (39) 8. The story of Varaguna Pandyan . Sundaresa Paadasekhara Pandyan crowned his son Varaguna Pandyan. One day when Varaguna Pandyan was riding on a horse, a brahmin was caught in the horse’s legs, fell and died, thereby making Varaguna Pandya guilty of a sin. Shiva ordered him to fight with a Chola king and he did. Because he did what God Shiva wanted, he was released from his sin. When he wished to see the world of Shiva, Nandi came and took him to places on earth where there were many devotees praising and worshipping Shiva. Shiva made Madurai city also like the world of Shiva and the king returned to his city and ruled the country.(40) The eight miracles of Shiva in the section of the arivai 1. The story of Shiva selling firewood: In the rule of Varaguna Pandya there was a singer named Emanathan who played the yaaz. He came to Madurai from Northern part of Pandya country and lived there. The Pandyan king appreciated his music and gave him many gifts. The singer proudly proclaimed that there was no one as good as him in the whole country. The king asked Paanapathran, a singer in his assembly, to compete with Emanathan, but when that singer heard how well Emanaathan’s disciples sang on the street, he worried that Emanaathan would defeat him. He prayed to Shiva and went home. Lord Shiva decided help him by chasing Emanaathan away. The god came disguised as a seller of firewood seller. He sat on Emanathan’s patio and began to sing. Hearing Shiva’s divine music, Emanathan came out and asked him who he was. Lord Shiva told him that he was a humble disciple of Paanapathran. Emanaathan thought that if the disciple of Emanathan was a such good singer, he would not be able to compete with Emanathan himself. That very night, he ran away from Pandya country. When the king and Paanapathran realized Lord Shiva himself had come and sung, they were pleased, went to the temple and praised the god. (41) 2. The story of Shiva giving wealth to Paanapathran. Paanapathran spent all his time singing the praise of Shiva and did not do anything to make money. Shiva took wealth from the treasury of Pandyan king and gave it to Paanapathran. After some time, Shiva stopped and Paanapathran became so poor he did not even have enough money to feed his family. Shiva came in a dream and asked him to go to the Chera king Ceramaan Perumaan Naayanaar. Paanapathran went there and the king received him joyfully because he was a devotee of Shiva. Paanapathran lived happily in the Chera country and praised God with his songs. 3. The story of Shiva giving a wooden platform for Paanapathran to stand on in the night: Paanapathran went to the temple and sang night and day praising Shiva. One night when he was singing a great rain came and he could not go home. He was shivering but continued singing for Shiva. Shiva was pleased and gave a wooden platform to stand on. After standing on it and singing, the rain stopped and he went home. The king heard about Paanapathran’s devotion and granted him much wealth.(43) 4. The story of Paanapathran’s wife competing with another singer: The king Rajaraja Pandyan had a mistress. She was a good singer and did not like the singing of Paanapathran’s wife. She brought a singer from Lanka who played the yaaz and asked Paanapathran’s wife to compete with her. Those who heard them realized that Paanapathran’s wife was the better singer but when the king praised only the singer from Lanka everone agreed that the singer from Lanka was the better singer. Lord Shiva wished to help Paanapathran’s wife and came to the competition disguised as a singer. The king realized that God himself had come as a singer and worshipped him. The king declared that Paanapathran’s wife was the winner. Everyone was happy and the king gave presents to both of the singers. (44) 5. The story of Shiva giving milk to the piglets: Twelve bad sons were born to a good parent. When they grew up they gave caused a lot of trouble and suffering. One day they mistreated their Guru and he cursed them to become piglets. They wandered in the forest without any milk and suffered. Shiva saw them and felt pity for them. He disguised himself as a mother pig, came to the forest and fed the piglets. (45) 6. The story of Shiva making the piglets ministers: Shiva came in a dream of Rajaraja Pandyan and told him, “I have fed twelve piglets and they will become men with pig faces. They are good warriors and you should make them your ministers.” The king did as the god asked him. The ministers helped the Pandyan king and lived happily in the Pandya country. (46) 7. The story of Shiva helping a small bird. A strong man who had caused a lot of suffering was born as a small puny bird in his next birth. The bird was afraid of all the stronger words, worried that they would hurt it. It went to a forest and stayed on a tree all the time without going anywhere. At that time a sage came there and advised the bird, “If you go to Madurai, bathe in the lotus pond and pray to Sundaresar, he will help you.” The bird went to Madurai and worshipped Shiva, who came to him and changed him into a strong bird called, ‘Valiyaan’. The bird helped all other birds and served God. (47) 8. The story of Shiva giving Moksha to a heron. A heron lived in a pond. Once when there was no rain and the pond had dried up, the heron went to another pond in a forest where many sages lived, bathing in the pond and worshipping God everyday. Seeing them, the bird thought, “I should not eat fish from this pure water.” The bird gave up eating fish, went hungry for many days, and then went to the pond in the temple of Shiva. The god saw the bird and asked it wanted. The bird said, “I want to go to Kailasa, your world, live there and serve you. Also there should not be any fish in the temple pond..” Shiva granted the boon and took the bird to his world. (48) The eight miracles of Shiva in the section of the therivai 1. The story of Thiruvaalavaay city. After Suguna Pandyan, twenty-two kings ruled the Pandya country. At the time of the king Keerthibhushana Pandyan the seven oceans deluged the land with water. In Madurai, only the temple of Somasundarar and Meenakshi, Rishabja mountain, Yaanai mountain, Naaga mountain and Pasu mountain were not destroyed. After the flood stopped, Lord Shiva created the world again and the three Tamil kings—the Pandya, Chola and Chera dynasties—were created by Shiva from the gods Moon, Sun and Agni. After Keerthibhushana Pandyan, Vangiyasekara Pandyan ruled the country. He wished to build a large city but did not know what the boundaries of the city were before the deluge. He prayed to Shiva to show him the proper boundaries of the city. Shiva asked his snake to show by encircling the city and the snake did as the god wished. After that, the snake requested Shiva to name the city after him, and so it was called, ‘Thiru Vaalavaay city’. (49) 2. The story of Shiva helping the Pandyan king in the battle: At the time of Vangiyasekhara Pandyan a Chola king came to fight with him. As the Pandyan king’s army was small he was losing the war. He prayed to Shiva for help. The god came in the form of a hunter, joined the Pandyan army fought and killed hundreds of Chola warriors. The Chola king saw an arrow with the name of the god written on it and realized that Shiva was fighting for the Pandyan’s army. He left the battlefield and went back to his country. The Pandyan king gained victory and ruled his country happily. (50) 3. The story of Shiva giving the Sangappalahai: Once, the god Brahma went to bathe in the Ganges with his three wives, Saraswathi, Savitri and Gayathri. On the way Saraswathi stopped to listen to the sweet music of a Gandharva girl and Brahma bathed in the Ganges with his two other wives. Saraswathi was jealous that Brahma had not waiting to bathe with her. The god said angrily, “It is your fault that you did not come with me. You will be born as a human being on earth.” Saraswathi asked her husband to forgive her and he said, “Your body is made of fifty-one letters. Of those fifty-one, forty-eight will be born as poets in Kudal city and compose poetry. The chief poet will be the god Somasundarar himself. You will live in the hearts of those poets and give them power to compose poetry.” This happened as Brahma had ordered, with Somasundarar being the forty-ninth poet. The king built a Mandapam for the Sangam and asked Shiva to give a Sangappalahai for the poets. All the forty-nine poets, including Paranar and Kapilar, sat on that palahai. After that Vangiyasekara Padiyan crowned his son Sudaamani Pandyan and went to Kailasa. (51) 4. The story of Shiva helping Dharmi receive a bundle of gold: Vangiya Sudaamani Pandyan had a flower garden from which he took flowers to worship Shiva. One day his wife came to the garden and smelled a new fragrance there. The king wondered whether the fragrance was from the flowers or was a natural fragrance of the hair of women. He announced to the poets, “If any of you bring me a poem that will remove my doubt I will give him a thousand gold coins.” Many poets tried but none could help the king. There was a poor poet named Dharmi in Madurai and he went to the temple and prayed to Shiva to help him. Lord Somasundarar wrote a poem and gave it to the poor poet. Dharmi went to the king and read the poem. The king was happy and decided to give him the gold, but Nakkirar, a famous poet in the assembly objected that the meaning of the poem was not correct because women’s hair does not have any natural fragrance, only the fragrance of oil and flowers that women wear in their hair. Dharmi went to the Shiva and the god came to the court of the Pandyan king and argued with Nakkirar. When Nakkirar realized that God himself wrote the poem he asked for forgiveness. Shiva was angry and opened his forehead-eye. Nakkirar was burned, went to the temple pond and stayed there (52) 5. The story of Shiva blessing Nakkirar: The poet Nakkirar sang many songs and praised Shiva. Shiva and Parvathi came to him him and blessed him. Nakkirar joined the Sangappalahai and composed many poems. (53) 6. The story of Shiva asking Agastya to teach grammar to Nakkirar: Nakkirar joined the Sangappalahai and composed many poems. Shiva thought he did not know Tamil grammar well and asked the sage Agastya to come from Pothiya mountain and teach grammer to Nakkirar. Agastya came down from Pothiya mountain and taught gr Nakkirar. After learning Tamil grammar Nakkirar taught other poets. (54) 7. The story of Shiva making peace among the Sangam poets: The forty-nine poets in the Sangam were proud of their own poems and boasted. They prayed to Shiva to reveal to them who the best poets were. Lord Shiva came to the Sangam disguised as a poet and told them, “There is a boy named Rudarasanman who is the son of Dhanapati and Gunasaalini. He is dumb and cannot speak. If you read your poems to him, he will tremble and shed tears when he hears a good poem. Then you will know who are the good poets.” The poets did as Shiva had asked, reading their poems and finding out whether they were good by Rudrasanman’s reaction. This took away their pride, and afterwards they worked hard to compose good poems. (55) 8. The story of Idaikkaadar: After Shanpaga Pandayan’s rule, fifteen kings ruled the Pandya country. At that time of Kulesa Pandyan, Idaikkaadar, a friend of Kapilar, composed a poem, came to the king and read it, but the king did not show respect to the poet. Idaikkaadar went to the temple, worshipped and told Shiva what had happened. The god left the temple with his wife and stayed under a banian tree on the north side of the Vaigai river. When the king did not see the gods in the temple, he worried and ran to the tree and the god told him that he should respect Idaikkaadar. The king asked the god and Idaikkaadar to forgive him. Lord Shiva and Parvathi returned to the temple and after that the king treated all the poets with respect. (56) The eight miracles of Shiva in the section of the perilampen 1. Shiva catching a whale: One time when Shiva was reading the Vedas, Uma did not listen. Shiva became angry and cursed her to be born in a fisherman’s family. When Uma asked the god to forgive her, Shiva said, “I will come and marry you when you reach marriageable age.” Uma was born as a daughter to a fisherman. When she had grown up, her father was searching for a bridegroom for her. At that time, Nandi deva came to the earth as a whale and caused problems for the fishermen. The father of Uma announced that he would give his daughter in marriage to any man who could catch the whale. Shiva came in the form of an young fisherman and caught the whale. The whale became Nandi and went to Kailasa. Uma’s father gave Uma in marriage to the young fisherman. The bridegroom and the bride changed their forms to Shiva and Parvathi and blessed all the fishermen. (57) 2. Shiva giving his grace to Manivaasagar: When Arimarthana Pandyan ruled the Pandya country, he had a minister named Thiruvaadavurar. Once the king gave some gold to Vaadavurar and sent him to buy horses. On the way in Thirupperundurai, Vaadavurar saw Shiva in the form of a teacher with his disciples. He stopped at the school and sang praising lord Shiva. Shiva was pleased and gave him the name Manivaasagar. Manivaasagar spent all the money that the king had given for horses on service to Shiva’s devotees. When the king did not get his horses he sent a letter asking Manivaasagar why his horses had not come. Manivaasagar asked Shiva for help, and, advised by the god, he sent a letter to the king assuring him that he would receive his horses soon. (58) 3. Shiva changing some foxes to horses: Angry that he had not received the horses he sent Manivaasagar to buy, he imprisoned Manivaasagar. Shiva changed some foxes to horses and took them to the king’s palace disguised as a horse seller. Shiva told the king, “You take all the horses. Once I give you these horses they are yours. Release Manivaasagar from the prison now.” The king did as Shiva asked. (59) 4. Shiva changing the horses to foxes: In the night all the horses that Shiva brought changed into foxes and ran all over the city. People suffered and worried. The king angrily asked his servants to throw stones at Manivaasagar. Shiva decided to save Manivaasagar and the Vaikai river flood all over Madurai. The king could not control the flood and asked the people of the city to carry sand and put it in the river to stop the flood. At that time Shiva came to the river disguised as a worker. (60) 5. Shiva carrying sand for Vanthi, the old lady: There was an old lady named Vanthi who made pittu and sold it for a living. When she could not carry sand to put it in the river, the king’s servants threatened her. Vanthi prayed to Shiva to help her. The god disguised himself as a worker, came and told her, “If you give me some pittu I will do the work for you.” Vanthi happily complied. Shiva ate the pittu and went to sleep. When the king came there, saw Shiva sleeping and hit him with a stick, all the people of the Pandya country felt the stick strike them. The god appeared to the king and said, “You imprisoned my devotee Manivaasagar. You should realize that he spent all the money you gave in my service and release him.” The king released Manivaasagar and asked him and Shiva to forgive him. After that Manivaasagar went on many pilgrimages and praised Shiva with his beautiful songs. (61) 6. Shiva curing the disease of a Pandyan king: A Pandyan king named Kun Pandiyan who had conquered the Chola and Cera kings married the daughter of a Chola king named Mangaiyarkkarasi. The Chola king sent his minister Kulachiraiyar to stay with Pandyan king with his daughter. When the Pandyan king adopted Jainism and caused trouble for devotees of Shiva, the god gave a disease to the king. The queen and the minister were devotees of Shiva and asked Thirunyaanasambandar to come and cure the king. Sambadar accepted and when Jain sages prevented him from coming to the Pandya country intervened so that he could come to Madurai and see the king. Sambandar praised Shiva and asked him to cure the king’s disease. The god did so and the Pandyan king became a devotee of Shiva and did great service for Lord Shiva (62) 7. Shiva helping Sambandar in the debates that he had with the Jain sages: The queen and the minister asked Sambandar to stay in the Pandya country and spread Saivism. Jain sages asked Sambandar to compete with them by seeing whose poems would remain unharmed. The Jains wrote some spells on palm leaves and put them in a fire, but they burned. Sambandar put his poems in the fire and they did not burn. Then the Jains put their spells written into the water of the Vaikai river and they all sank into the water. When Sambandar put his poems in the water they all floated. Since the Jains were defeated, they died. After that Sambandar went on many pilgrimages and praised Shiva with his songs. (63) 8. Shiva helping a woman to protect her chastity: A merchant decided to marry his uncle’s daughter in his village and was taking her back to his village. On the way they slept under a Vanni tree where there was a Shivalingam under a tree. There was a well nearby. The merchant was bitten by a snake and died. Sambandar came there and saw the merchant and his wife. He prayed to God, restored the merchant to life and told them to get married in front of the Shiva lingam. They did so and went to the merchant’s village. The merchant had married another woman before he married his uncle’s daughter. That first wife tormented the younger wife saying, “Who knows who you are? How do we know you are married to my husband?” The younger wife went to the temple and prayed to Shiva, “Oh, Lord, the Shiva lingam, the vanni tree and the well where we were married were witnesses of our marriage. Please make them appear here to prove that we are married.”All the three came to the east side of the temple. The people saw them and praised the chastity of the younger wife. She lived with her husband happily after that.(64) Appendix. Pandyan kings who are mentioned in Thiruvilaiyaadal puraanam. Kulasekhara Pandyan - The king who consecrated ‘Azhahiya Chokkar.’ in Kadamba forest. Malayathuvaja Pandyan - Son of Kulasekara Pandyan, Father of Thadaathagai Piraatti.. Sundara Pandyan - He married, Thadaathagai piraatti. (i.e. Shiva) Ukkira Pandyan. - The son of Sundara Pandyan and Thadaathagai Piraatti. Veera Pandyan - The son of Ukkira Pandyan. Abhisheka Pandyan - The son of Veera Pandyan. At the time of this king, the name of Madurai city became Kudal and the city suffered a deluge. Vikkirama Pandyan - Abhisheka Pandyan’s son who fought with Jains and conquered them. Rajasekhara Pandyan - The Son of Vikkirama Pandyan. Shiva dances with his left leg in Madurai temple. Kulothunga Pandyan - The Son of Rajsekhara Pandyan. Ananthaguna Pandyan - The Son of Kulothunga Pandyan. When Jains gave troubles to this Pandyan king, Shiva helped him. Kulavibhishana Pandyan - The Son of Ananthaguna Pandyan. Rajendra Pandyan - The Son of Kulavibhishana Pandyan. Rajakesa Pandyan - The Son of Rajendra Pandyan Rajakambhira Pandyan - The Son of Rajakesa Pandyan. Vamsa deepa Pandyan - The Son of Rajakambhira Pandyan. Purantharasiddhu Pandyan - The Son of Vamsa Deepa Pandyan Pandya vamsa pathaaha Pandyan. - The Son of Purantharasiddhu Pandyan. Sundaresa paada sekhara Pandyan - The Son of Pandya Vamsa Pathaaha Pandyan Varaguna Pandyan - The Son of Sundaresa Paada Sekhara Pandyan. Rajaraja Pandyan - The Son of Varaguna Pandyan. Suguna Pandyan - Rajaraja Pandyan After Sugna Pandyan his son Chitra Pandyan ruled. After Chitra Pandyan twenty-two Pandyan kings ruled the country. Ankiya Sudaamani Pandyan Arimarthana Pandyan Chitra Vratha Pandyan Chitra Bhushana Pandyan Chitra Dvasa Pandyan Chitravarma Pandyan Chitrasena Pandyan Chitravikrama Pandyan Rajamarthana Pandyan Rajasudaamani Pandyan Raja Chaarthula Pandyan Dhvi Saraasa Kulothama Pandyan Ayothana Praveena Pandyan Rajakunjara Pandyan Paraviraja Bhayankara Pandyan Ukkirasena Pandyan Chathrunjaya Vimarathana Pandyan Veera Paraakrama Pandyan Pirathaaba Maarthaanda Pandyan Vikkkirama Kaanchana Pandyan Samara Kolaahala Pandyan Athula Keerthi Pandyan (22 Pandyan kings) Keerthibushana Pandyan - The son of Athulakeerthi Pandyan. In the time of Keerthibhushana Pandyan, a terrible deluge arose from all the seven oceans and destroyed the world. Only the god Somasundarar’s vimaanam and the Meenakshi temple were not destroyed. Also Rishabha mountain, Yaanai mountain, Naaha mountain, Pasu mountain and Pandri mountain were not destroyed. Shiva created the world again. Shiva also created the three Tamil kings, Pandyas, Cholas and Cheras from the Sun, Moon and Agni dynasties. The new city of Madurai created by Shiva was called Thiruvaalavaay city. Vankiya Sekhara Pandyan - At the time of this king Shiva established the third Sangam. There were forty-eight poets in it and Shiva was the forty ninth one as its chief poet. Shiva also created the bench for the poets of the Sangam. After Sanbhaga Pandyan fifteen Pandyan kings ruled and the last one among them was Kulesa Pandyan. Prathaapa Suriya Pandyan Vankeesa Dhuvasa Pandyan Ripumarthana Pandyan Seeravanki Saanthaka Pandyan Paandivanki Kesa Pandyan Vankichironmani Pandyan Pandichura Pandyan Kulathuvasa Pandyan. Vankeesa Vibhushana Pandyan Somasudamani Pandyan Kulasudaamani Pandyan Raaja Sudaamani Pandyan Bhupa Sudaamani Pandyan Kulesa Pandyan Arimarthana Pandyan - the story of Manivaasagar. Kun Pandyan - the story of Thirunyaana Sambandar. The Gods, sages and others who are mentioned in Thiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam Indra - the king of gods. Viyaazan - Guru of gods. Dvashtar - Guru of the Asuras. Sage Thatheesi - He gave his back bone to Indra for a weapon. Sage Durvaasa - Son of Ashti Rishi. Kaanchanamaalai - Malayathuvaja Pandyan’s wife. Kaanthimati. Ukkira Pandyan’s wife. Virupaakshan - a Brahmin. Subhavrathai - Virupaakshan’s wife. Gauri - Virupaakshan’s daughter. Thattan. - a Saivaite brahmin. Sundara saamandan - an army general. Sethiraayan - a hunter. Kaadu vettiya cholan. - A Chola king. Panayaal - a dasi (courtesan) who lied in Thiruppuvanam. Aayiram Parisukkor Sevakan - a Chola king. Adiyaarkku Nallaan - a Vellala from Madurai. Dharmaseelai - Adiyaarkku Nallaan’s wife. Dhanapathi - a merchant in Madurai. Susheelai - Dhanapathi’s wife. Emanaathan - a yaaz player from northern part of Tamil Nadu. Paanapathran - a yaaz player from the Pandya country. Cheramaan Peruman - Chera king who gave wealth to Panapathram. Sukalan - A Vellala from Kuruvinthathurai. Sukalai - Sukalan’s wife. Dharmi - a poor Saivaite brahmin poet. Nakkirar - The chief poet of Sangam. Rudrasanmar - The dumb son of Dhanapathi and Gunasaalini. Idaikkaadar - A friend of Kapilar and a poet in Sangam. Thiruvaadavurar - Arimarthana Pandyan’s minister. Mangaiyarkkarasi - Wife of Kun Pandyan. Vanthi - An old lady in Madurai, who sold pittu, a sweet. Kulachirai - The minister of Kun Pandyan. Ulobhamuthirai - wife of Agastya. Vasishta - A sage who heard the Thiruvilaiyaadals of Shiva. Courtesy : Project Mudurai.