The Nectar of Thiruppugazh

Lord Adishesha once heard about Shiva's Ananda Thandava from a rapturous Vishnu who recalled the ecstasy He felt while witnessing the dance at Darukavanam. Adi Shesha begged his Lord Vishnu's permission to go and see the Cosmic dance for himself. After performing strenuous tapas, Shiva promised that he would be able to witness His dance at Chidambaram and blessed him with the boon of being born a son to the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya. Anasuya was frightened to see the baby with a half snake form, and she dropped him from her hands out of shock. From there came his name Pata-anjali, Patanjali, Fallen from Folded Hands. At this time, Rishi Madhyandina (one of the fifteen disciples of Sage Yajnavalkya) who lived on the banks of the Ganga, directed his son to go to Thillai forest and pray to Lord Shiva. The son started praying to the Swayambhu linga under a banyan tree near a tank in the same forest. He used to collect flowers for puja and he prayed for the boon of getting t...

Long ago, the sages in Daruka forest had become arrogant, having acquired immense powers by performing severe penances. The rishis followed the school of purva-mimasa of the Vedas. They denied that there was any principle except Karma and believed in the assured efficacy of rituals. They rejected the existence of a Supreme Being and deluded themselves into believing that they were the architects of their own destiny. Their wives were conceited about their ostensible chastity and loyalty to their husbands. Vainly thinking that God can be controlled by rituals and 'mantras', they began creating havoc on earth. Lord Shiva, with the help of Lord Vishnu, made a plan to put an end to this misery. They went to Daruka Vana, Shiva appearing as a naked mendicant ( bhikshatana ) and Vishnu, as His enchanting wife.

A poet in South India by name Poyyamozhi Pulavar or Siva Kavi had intense devotion for Lord Siva, and refused to sing the glory of Lord Shanmukha, stating he would sing on cock (Siva), not on chicken (Murugan). ' சேவலை பாடும் வாயால் கோழிக்குஞ்சை நான் பாடுவேனோ ' The Lord wanted to protect him and so took the form of a hunter and chased the poet. When the latter pleaded for relief, the hunter asked him to sing on him. The poet asked for his name. The hunter said it was 'egg' ( muttai ).

The story of how Saint Sundarar brought back to life an eight-year-old boy who had died a few years ago is one of the stories that appears in the Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam. When Sundarar was going to the temple at ThiruPukkoliyur (now known as Avinaasi), near present-day coimbatore, he heard two discordant notes coming from opposite houses – one echoing joy and the other sorrow. When Sundarar enquired, he found out that each of the houses had a son. The two sons had been friends and had gone to the river together. But while one boy was swallowed by a crocodile, the other boy had survived. And after three years, the parents of the surviving boy were happily conducting Upanayanam (Thread ceremony) for their son, while the parents of the dead were wailing over their departed son. Hearing this story, Sundarar went to the place where the boy was swallowed by the crocodile. He sang a pathigam (poem in praise of a deity consisting generally of ten stanzas ), worshiping Lord Shiva to resurrect...