We proceed further. When the king lost his sight, one version is that at once Arunagiri gave Bhasma or the holy ash and brought back the eyesight. The other is that Arunagiri fetched the Paarijata-flowers from heaven and restored the king's vision. It is thus:

Having been defeated in the contest, Sambanthandan disappeared from the assembly in utter shame and left the kingdom. But his enmity to Arunagiri did not

xlvii subside. He somehow wanted to do away with Arunagiri and so, after sometime, he approached the king again. (Note: As per the terms of the contest he is not supposed to step into the country again.) Knowing that the king who had lost his eyesight would be eager to get it back somehow, Sambanthandan said to the king: "O mighty king! There is only one way of getting back your eyesight. If the heavenly Paarijata-flowers are brought and placed over your eyes, they will regain vision. Please, therefore, request Arunagiri to fetch the flowers and in case he declines to do so, I shall at once bring them for you." The king, not knowing Sambanthandan's evil intentions but desirous of regaining his vision, requested Arunagiri accordingly, and the saint readily agreed. Arunagiri climbed the Temple-Gopuram (Tower), left his physical body there, entered the body of a parrot that was just dead then, and flew to the heavenly region. Sambanthandan took this opportunity and informed the king that Arunagiri is dead, that his body lies in the Arunachala-Gopuram and that it should be burnt soon. The king, too, without due investigation or thought ordered it to be cremated, which the evil-minded got done without the least delay, lest Arunagiri should come back to life.

When the Arunagiri-parrot returned from heaven with the Paarijata-flowers, he found his body missing from the Gopuram. Taking it to be the Will of God, the parrot went to the king, offered the flowers to him and, to his great joy, restored his eye-sight. The king felt extremely sorry for his hasty and ill-considered action in getting Arunagiri's body burnt, wept bitterly and begged his pardon.

Here comes the interesting and intriguing matter. Was there a real necessity for Arunagiri to go to heaven to fetch the Parijata flower to restore the king's eye- sight? Or was it a mere story created with some ulterior motive? Certainly there was no necessity, because:

1. We have seen that the king did not lose his sight during the 'Event'. So there was no question of restoring his sight and all the rest of the story.

2. Even supposing that he had lost sight, it was not that it can be restored only by the heavenly Parijata flower. Arunagiri had all the Siddhis or supernatural powers bestowed upon him by the Lord on Day One. He had the power to restore sight by a mere touch, or by applying Vibhuti (the holy ash) uttering the Lord's Name, which according to some, he did.

3. Even supposing that the sight can be restored only by the Parijata flower, it was not necessary that he should go personally, because he could bring them by his Siddhis, or by a prayer to the Lord who would have poured the flowers. To one who could manifest the Lord Himself in an open assembly by a mere prayer, to materialise a few Paarijata-flowers by his supernatural powers or by another prayer to the Lord should have been no difficult job.

4. Even supposing Arunagiri himself had to go to bring the flowers, there was no need for him to go as a parrot. For this, some say that he went as a parrot,

xlviii because he cannot go to heaven with this Panchabhuta-Sarira or his human body composed of the five elements. But, this does not hold good as the parrot's body too is made of the same five elements as the human body, though in different proportions! We have the instance of Arjuna who went to Devaloka, learnt many Astras (divine weapons) from Indra and returned with those Astras which helped him in the Mahabharata war with the Kauravas. So, if necessary, Arunagiri could have gone with the human body; he had all the powers.

Also, we find the story of king Muchukundan in the Tamil Kanda Puranam. He was ruling in South India, with the town Karoor as his capital. He went to Indraloka with his army, at the invitation of Indra to help him fight against the demon Valan who was harassing him. He helped Indra kill the demon, got the Lord Somaskanda Murti from Indra and installed the Murti at Tiruvaaroor.

5. Again, simply to say, 'Arunagiri went as a parrot and brought the flowers' is easy, but is it practicable? Is it possible for a small bird to fly to heaven? Does the king who asked Arunagiri or the parrot or anyone know the distance to and direction of heaven from Tiruvannamalai? But to this objection they say that Arunagiri had supernatural powers or Siddhis and so it was possible. It is true, he had all the Siddhis; but then with them he could have restored the king's eye sight by other means as well. It is also true that one can go to Devaloka only through Yogic-power or Siddhi or supernatural power, because Bhuloka and Devaloka or other Lokas are in different realms, just as Rishi Narada who moves from one realm to another; but then it is instantaneous, it takes no time. And so, even if we presume that Arunagiri went to heaven as a parrot by his Yogic power, he could go and bring the flowers instantaneously, which will leave no time for Sambanthandan to do the concocted drama of reporting to the king that he is dead, getting his orders and get his body cremated. Of course, if Arunagiri is presumed to have gone in his body, then there is no question even for this drama.

6. Moreover, Arunagiri was asked to bring the Paarijata flowers. He was not asked to go as a parrot. Why should he enter the dead parrot's body? In support of this, some cite the example of Sankaracharya and Tirumoolar, which is totally irrelevant. Because, Sankaracharya could not go to the queen as Sankaracharya to learn about Kaama-sashtra; and the bereaved, lamenting cows could not be consoled by Tirumoolar as Tirumoolar but only as the cowherd, their master. So they had of necessity to enter other bodies. But there was no so such necessity for Arunagiri; he could go to heaven in his body itself.

7. Above all and most interestingly, the Parijata plant and flowers were/are available all over India and in Tiruvannamalai itself! The divine plant Parijata was brought to Bhuloka (this earth) by the Supreme Being, Bhagavan Sri Krishna Himself, to fulfil the specific wish of His wife Satyabhama, and planted in the garden of her palace in Dwaraka, more than 5000 years ago. (Chapter 59 of the 10th Skanda of the Srimad-Bhagavatam recounts this story in great detail*9). Arunagiri was aware of this and also refers to this in his Tiruppugazh-889: 'Kanda _____________________________________________________________________________________________ *9 See Appendix 'A', at the end of this article.

xlix Vaarkuzhal' (sung at Thanjavur); in T-15: 'Varaith thadang kongkai' sung at Tirupparankundram; and in T-1279: 'Velai vaalaik kodiya' (common songs). Since then the plant is available throughout India and it was available in Tiruvannamalai itself in the Nandavana (flower-garden) of the temple and the king's palace. So, even supposing that the flowers were required, there was no need for Arunagiri to go to heaven to fetch them.

Perhaps in his intuitive vision Arunagiri knew that misleading stories would be woven around him, each with one's ulterior motive; and so he seems to have given the reference to the story of the Parijata in the above Tiruppugazh (T-889).

Of course, when his Tiruppugazh songs were not available in print in the early days (till the beginning of the twentieth century), we can understand the spreading of stories by hearsay. But, thanks to the yeoman services of Sri Pillai and his revered father they are now available. They reveal many facts which nullify the hearsay or 'karna-paramparai' stories. To hold on to those hearsay stories or to give a new twist to them even now when the internal evidences from the available Tiruppugazhs clearly disclose the true story, is indeed pathetic. Even Sri Pillai who is fully aware of these Tiruppugazhs and the availability of the Parijaata in Bhuloka believes that Arunagiri-parrot went to heaven to bring the flowers! How strange!!

Thus it becomes very, very clear that the whole story of the parrot is a myth; it was created or concocted and is perpetuated by devotees with vested interests and there was absolutely no need for Arunagiri to become a parrot. There are no authentic internal evidences for the king losing eyesight on having the Darshana of the Lord, or for the rest of the parrot-story, nor are they logical, practicable and intelligible.

Only Sri Pillai is clear that the king did not lose his sight by the darshana of the Lord, during the 'Event'. But, strangely enough, he still believes that Arunagiri went as a parrot and brought the Parijaata flowers, though not for restoring king's eye sight, but for what purpose he alone knows! In his research work he says something like this: "After completing his long pilgrimage throughout India and return to Tiruvannamalai, Arunagiri was engaged in deep meditation. The evil mind of Sanbanthandan, who was defeated and put to shame earlier, conceived a plot against Arunagiri (the poor man should have nurtured his grudge for about 10 or even more years!). He persuaded Pravuda Deva Raya to ask Arunagiri to bring him the rare Parijaata flower from Devaloka. (Strangely enough Sri Pillai is silent on why the flower was required, as the king did not lose his eye-sight!) (Was the king so foolish as to ask the saint, for whom he had such great respect, to fetch the flowers for no purpose, as though he was the king's servant!) Anyhow, Arunagiri too without asking as to why the flowers are required,leaving his physical body in the Gopuram of the temple, entered the body of a dead parrot lying there and went as a parrot to Devaloka. Sambanthandan took this opportunity and informing the king that Arunagiri is dead got his body cremated. All this sounds more like grand-mother's story to little children for their entertainment, illogical and

l unreasonable! When Arunagiri-parrot returned with the flower the king realised and regretted his mistake (there is no mention as to what was done with the flower!) Taking it as the will of God, the parrot flew away to Tirutthani to rest on the arm of the Lord there." Why? Arunagiri could have very well discarded the parrot's body and merged in the all-pervading Absolute or Lord Murugan, as his mission had already been fulfilled. We don't know in what way the Arunagiri-parrot perching on the Lord's arm enhances the glory of the Lord or Saint Arunagiri. Also, what happened to the parrot afterwards, God only knows! Some authors believe that Arunagiri-parrot is sitting on the Lord's arm even today!!

In support of Arunagiri becoming a parrot on the Lord's arm, Sri Pillai quotes the Tiruppugazh T-425: 'Sariyaiyaalarkkum' sung in Kathirkaamam, and T-1151: 'Kadaici vandha'. A free translation of T-425 would be: "O Lord enshrined in Kathirkaamam (in Sri Lanka)! Will I attain That State which is beyond the reach of people who practise the sariyai or the kiriyai or any of the great Yoga methods; which is even above the Para-sakti (Supreme Power) that is capable of bestowing real Wisdom which cannot even be approached by diverse religious pursuits; which is beyond even the Turiya or transcendental stage wherein Yogis remain in a state of Self-absorption (i.e., the Turiyaatiita state); --- Which is the incomparable Abode, wherein the unique, all-pervading effulgence of Supreme Jnana or Wisdom shines; the eternal and supremely Perfect State of Saayujya (the non-dual state of Oneness with the Lord), which is the endless state of fame and supreme Bliss-Embodiment (Sukha-Svarupa)." This is the description, given in unmistakable terms, of the Indescribable State of Sat-Chit-Ananda Para Brahman. Only a Saint of the stature of Arunagiri can give such a marvellous description. In fact this is a description of the State in which he was, as a Jivan-mukta {(liberated while still in the body; his Karmas (both good and bad) having been destroyed when the Lord wrote the Mantra on his tongue with His Vel on Day One (T-725: Mukilaa menum)} and aspiring for the State beyond that, which is Videha-mukti (liberation, freed from embodiment of any kind -- human or bird, etc.). The prayer of this Tiruppugazh is, therefore, for attaining that highest State of Videha-mukti when he sheds his body, which is Sat-Chit-Ananda Para Brahman. Though the word 'Sukha-Svarupa' can be interpreted to mean the 'parrot-form', it would not be correct to do so in the context of this song, as one cannot equate the 'parrot-form' with the state of Sayujya (Videha-mukti or Para Brahman) which is beyond all names, forms and conditions, as aptly described in the song by Arunagiri. In my opinion, it would not be wisdom on anyone's part to presume that Arunagiri is praying for the parrot's form or that the Lord would understand/interpret his prayer as such and grant him a parrot's form. After all, the parrot is a physical object, perishable and belonging to this relative world; neither can it be equated nor go together with that sublime State of Turiyaatiita or Saayujya, Sukha-Svarupa or Bliss-Embodiment, as Sri Pillai tries to suggest.

Saayujya is the state of Absolute Oneness with the Lord. It is the fourth and final state of liberation (Mukti), wherein the devotee totally merges into the Lord

li --- the first three being Saalokya*10, Saamipya and Saarupya, --- and the parrot's form cannot be equated with Saayujya. Even if the parrot perches on the arm of the Lord forever, it cannot be called the state of Saayujya. It can at best be Saamepya, not even Saaroopya; what to say of Saayujya?

As regards the other Tiruppugazh T-1151 'Kadaici vandha', a free translation would be: "The delusion and the climax of sex-pleasure having subsided; thereafter, will I be able to experience You, attaining that (Sukha-Padam) State of Supreme Bliss, freely roaming/enjoying in that (Mavuna Panjaram) domain of stupendous Silence, remaining immersed in the ecstasy of Your grace? Shall I be fortunate to attain that happiness one of these days, O Lord!" This song also refers to the same state as that of the song mentioned above (T-425), though in different words. The state of Silence is the state of Turiyaatiita which is also the 'Sukha-Svarupa' and 'Sukha-Padam' -- all which mean the Absolute or Para Brahman.

In Tiruppugazh T-1110 'Karavuser magalir' Arunagiri prays for granting a similar state, thus: "O Lord! In order that I may get freed from all these enjoyments (with the prostitutes), kindly grant me that Bliss which ensues when the mind gets absorbed in the (Mavuna panjaram) abode of Absolute Silence (which is Para Brahman)." 'Mavuna Panjaram' is used in both the songs T-1151 and T-1110.

The word 'Panjaram' has many meanings: place/abode/domain, body, vulture, cage, etc. A word's meaning is to be used according to the context, not any meaning anywhere. That would not be wisdom though it can be done. Thus when referring to God or the state of Liberation, which is the state of Unlimited Freedom of every kind, to use the meaning of 'cage' in the context of the above Tiruppugazhs would be unwise. 'Cage' implies limitation, confinement; 'place/abode/domain' imply unlimited, unconditioned and vastness, which is God. God is Freedom from all limitations. In 'Kandar Anubhuti' verse 15, the Lord is addressed as 'En-guna Panjaran', i.e., the Abode (not cage) of the eight Virtues.

Again, in Kandar Alankaram verse 19, Arunagiri describes his state, as: "O Lord! Established in (Mouna) supreme Silence, experiencing You deeply, attaining a state of quiescence wherein the three Gunas are transcended, I remained forgetful of my individuality (the notion of 'I') and lo! the body remained as a log of wood!"

We can quote many more songs and verses of Arunagiri of a similar nature. All these clearly reveal the state in which Arunagiri was already established. And so it would be unwise on anyone's part to think that he would ask or pray for the state of a parrot. To think so would be like a king praying for the position _____________________________________________________________________________________________ *10 In Saalokya Mukti, the devotee lives in the realm of the Lord (Vaikuntha, Kailasa, etc.). In Saameepya Mukti, the devotee lives close to the Lord. In Saaroopya Mukti, the devotee has/attains the very form of the Lord.

lii of a beggar. We have also seen that neither was there a need for him to become a parrot nor did he ever become a parrot.

Incidentally, it may be pointed out that these songs also reveal Arunagiri's state of Advaitic Realisation and his concept of God; the Murugan that is addressed in all his Tiruppugazh songs is not the cult-God, though addressed as 'Murugan', etc., but the Absolute that is beyond all cults. That is why most of the Tiruppugazhs end with 'Perumale' (பெருமாளே,) which means 'The Great One' or 'The Supreme Being'. "Perumal' may be regarded as the Tamil equivalent of the Sanskrit word 'Brahman', the Absolute.

Surely, the Omniscient Lord knows the intention of the saint in that prayer of T-425 that it is for the highest state of* Saayujya and would interpret Sukha-Svarupa as the state of 'Bliss-embodiment' which is Saayujya *and not as the parrot-form. To say that the Lord granted Arunagiri 'Sukha-Svarupa' or the form of a parrot which would fulfil both the meanings, i.e., 'form of a parrot' and 'Eternal Bliss', would be a totally meaningless misinterpretation and imagination, just to suit one's purpose. The two cannot go together as already explained.

Above all, this prayer of the Tiruppugazh is only for the final attainment, not for going to heaven to fetch Paarijata; nor did the Lord grant Arunagiri the body of a parrot in fulfilment of this prayer, it was the outcome of Sambanthandan's evil design. Even the king did not ask Arunagiri to go as a parrot but only wanted him to get the flowers, which he could have done without going to heaven. It is only authors who believe in the traditional/hearsay stories as well as Sri Pillai who say that Arunagiri entered the dead body of a parrot and went to Devaloka. There is no internal evidence for any of these. They are only stories foisted upon Arunagiri for achieving their own ends, but made to appear as though the Lord granted it. Even though there are no internal evidences, yet Sri Pillai, who bases his research work on internal evidences, accepts only such ideas from the Traditional or 'karna-paramparai' account that suit his purpose. Strange indeed! One, therefore, wonders why does he want to accept these stories? Perhaps, only to support his interpretation of 'Sukha-Svarupa' as the 'parrot-form'. But, why he and other authors are so keen on the parrot-form of Arunagiri? Maybe because they think: "There is a parrot on Devi Meenakshi's arm; why not we have one on 'our' Lord's arm also."

Sri Pillai further says that on return from heaven, not having found his body, the Arunagiri-parrot, after restoring eye-sight to the king, remained on the arm of Unnamulai Devi at Tiruvannamalai and sang the 'Devendra Sanga Vaguppu', then flew and settled on the arm of Lord Murugan at Tirutthani and sang the 'Seer-Paada Vaguppu', 'Vel Vaguppu', etc. The 'Tiru Vaguppus' are 25. There is no reference to sex in any of them, and also no reference to fear of death (except in a few). Hence, Sri Pillai feels that the 'Tiru Vaguppus' might have been given after Arunagiri became a parrot! But, everyone knows that birds and animals also have all the instinctive needs and urges which the human beings have, viz., hunger, thirst, sleep, answering calls of nature, sex and fear of death. Moreover in the 100 verses of the Kandar Anthaathi also, there is no reference to sex in any of them,

liii and no reference to fear of death except in a few verses. Can we, therefore, say that the Kandar Anthaathi was also given after Arunagiri became a parrot! Kandar Anthaathi is the outcome of a literary contest with Villiputturaar, while the Tiru Vaguppus are an outcome of Arunagiri's Tapas or penance at Tirutthani, (which we will see later, page lxii) -- both have nothing to do with parrot.

According to some, after restoring sight to the king the Arunagiri-parrot was leaving for Skanda-Loka, when Lord Murugan in the Tiruvannamalai temple called and asked him to stay on His arms and the parrot is there since then.

According to the Traditional account of Sri Thandapani Swamigal, from Tiruvannamalai the Arunagiri-parrot flew away to Kanda-maadana Parvata (the Abode of Lord Skanda, close to Kailasa Parvata, the Abode of Lord Siva) and Lord Skanda received it and made him rest on His right shoulder.

All the other authors who believe in the parrot story (except Sri Pillai) say that the 'Kandar Anubhuti' was given by Arunagiri as a parrot. According to some, after restoring eye sight to the king, the parrot perched on a peepul tree near Thiruvannamalai, wrote each verse of the 'Kandar Anubhuti' on one leaf with its beak and dropped it. The collection of these scattered leaves is the 'Kandar Anubhuti'. Hence there is no logical sequence in the verses of the work and it even needs re-arrangement! (If the parrot could write the verse, the numbers of the verses were also written by it!!) Others, who are totally devoted to Lord Murugan of Tirutthani, hold that the parrot flew away from Thiruvannamalai to Tirutthani and perched on the arm of that Lord there and gave the 'Kandar Anubhuti'. Again, those who are devotees of the Murugan at Tiruchchengodu feel the parrot is perching on the arm of that Lord there. In how many places can one parrot be? There seems to be no end to the variations of the parrot-myth. But the fact is that Arunagiri never became a parrot, and when he shed his body, the Lord had granted him Sayujya Mukti as prayed for by him, and he had attained Oneness with the Lord more than 500 years ago, -- long, long before these stories (the Traditional and other hearsay ones) were invented by devotees who came later and make him languish as a parrot at different places! What a pity!!

Glory to Lord Skanda! Glory to Saint Arunagirinathar!! Glory to His Devotees!!!

Indeed the whole story, with all its variations, is a conjured up one, as there is a Samadhi-Shrine/Altar dedicated to Arunagirinathar (with an image of his carved in stone) in the western part of the Arunachaleshwarar's temple in Tiruvannamalai, where his body was interred when he shed it and attained Liberation.

It is most surprising and totally un-understandable that the authors who have written on the life of the Saint never make a reference to this Samadhi. They conveniently avoid this vital matter. Why? Perhaps it is uncomfortable to them, as it goes against their parrot-story. This is a fairly big structure near the

liv west gate connecting the third and fourth prakarams (enclosures). It cannot be missed by any one; it strikes one's eyes as it is the only shrine there in the open space. Only Sri Pillai refers to it in his Vol.-III of 'Murugavel Panniru Thirumurai' published in 1952-53, in page 160, where he writes about Tiruvannamalai: "கோயிலில் மேலைப் பிராகாரத்தில் இவர் (அருணகிரி) அடக்கமான இடத்தில் இவருடைய உருவம் ஒன்று சிறிதாகச் செய்துவைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கின்றது." But, in his research work on the life of the Saint, he too avoids mentioning about it, because he also believes in the parrot story! What a contradiction!!

அருணகிரிநாதர் அடக்கமான இடம் Picture (1): The Holy Samadhi-Altar of Saint Arunagirinathar, where his body is interred, with a little shrine for him in the front {see picture (2)} Now, let us imagine for a moment that the parrot episode is true. What would be its consequence? It would mean that finally Sambanthandan succeeded in eliminating Arunagiri by his evil design, which will not be so much of a defeat for Arunagiri but of the Lord Himself. The Lord, who saved Arunagiri from Sambanthandan's earlier evil intention by appearing in that huge assembly, could not now save His devotee but allowed him to be defeated and cremated. Would it not mean that the untruthful Sanbanthandan has succeeded and the Lord or Truth has failed! But the Vedas declare 'Satyameva Jayate, naanritam' -- 'Truth alone triumphs, not untruth.' And in the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna says, 'Na me bhaktah pranashyati' -- 'My devotee perishes not.' Let the true devotees of Lord Murugan touch their hearts and feel whether the parrot episode could be true! Of course, we have seen that the episode is untenable for various reasons!!

Now, when different devotees have said different things about the parrot-story, let me also say something of my own! If it were really true that Arunagiri went to Devaloka as a parrot, brought the Parijata flowers and restored eye-sight to the king, he would/could as well have also cured thousands of blind people. Because, is he not 'Karunaikku Arunagiri', -- 'Arunagiri, an embodiment of compassion'? Why should he do it only for the king? He is a saint, interested in the welfare of all. He has opened the spiritual or wisdom eyes of the masses with his Tiruppugazh and other works. So it would be most appropriate that he opened an 'Arunagiri Netralayam', help blind people gain eye sight so that they could study his works and realise God.

Also, the saints/Yogis of the last over 500 years (since Arunagiri's time) could have brought the flower and help remove the blindness of millions who are suffering! It would be real service to God. "Maanava seva Maadhava seva" -- "Service of mankind is service of God." And, if they are interested, they can mint money even by charging a very small amount! But, all this with an 'IF', and the 'IF' is a very, very big IF; impossible and impracticable, except for the imaginations of those authors!

In order to obviate the problem of the king alone losing eye-sight in that large assembly and the impossibility of fetching the Paarijata from heaven, some of the recent authors have found a new legend. According to it the king was suffering from a chronic eye problem (not blindness). Sambanthandan told the king that if the juice of the Paarijaata flowers, which is available in the upper reaches of the Himalayas unapproachable to humans, were to be applied, the eye disease would be cured. (The regions in the Himalayas unapproachable to the humans are only the eternal snow peaks where no plants can grow!) The rest of the story is more or less the same. In a way this story makes it easy for opening 'Arunagiri Netralayam' for eye problems, as it is easier to get the flower from the Himalayas than from heaven, if only the plant grows in the snow peaks!

(My sincere suggestion: Pharmaceutical Companies would do well to undertake research and experiments on the Paarijaata plant, -- its root, bark,

lvi twigs, leaves, flowers and seeds, if not already done. It is quite possible they may find some rare remedy for some diseases, as it is a divine plant and brought to this earth by Lord Sri Krishna Himself.)

STHALA-YATRA (Pilgrimage to places of Lord Murugan)

Now let us proceed further. Arunagiri who was saved by the Lord and commanded to sing His glories, undertook a pilgrimage to pay his homage to Lord Murugan enshrined in almost every town, village and even out-of-the-way places, and wherever he went he paid his tribute to the Lord of that place by dedicating one or more Tiruppugazh songs in honour of that Lord by referring to the name of the place in that particular song. Thus we gather from the available songs that he visited more than 200 places of Lord Skanda, big and small, scattered all over India, including Ceylon and upto Mount Kailasa. Some of these places are:

Chidambaram, Vaitheswaran Koil, Mayuram, Sikkal, Ettikudi, Vedaranyam, Tiruvavaduthurai, Tiruppanandal, Kumbakonam, Swami Malai, Tanjavur, Salem, Tiruchchengodu, Tiruchirappalli, Vayaloor, Virali Malai, Palani, Madurai, Tirupparankundram, Pazhamudirsolai, Tirunelveli, Tiruchchendur, Valliyoor, Tirukkonam, Kadirkamam (in Sri Lanka), Papa Nasam, Sivakasi, Rameswaram (all these places are south of Tiruvannamalai); Tirupporur, Kanchipuram, Chennai, Valli Malai, Tiruttani, Tiruppati, Kalahasti, Varanasi, Hardwar (Mayapuri), Mount Kailasa (in the Himalayas), Jagannath (Puri), Vishakapatnam, and back to Tiruvannamalai (these places are north of Tiruvannamalai).

All the available 1300 and odd Tiruppugazh songs were given in these and other places, wherein Arunagiri pours out his experiences -- what he had with the prostitute women before and how he was saved, and the special favours which the Lord conferred on him at different places during his pilgrimage. He has dedicated the maximum number of songs to Pazhani (96 songs), next to it to Tiruchchendur (83 songs), and 78 songs to Tiruvannamalai, the town in which he was saved by the Lord from the net of the courtesans and was commanded to sing His glories (Tiruppugazh). We will confine ourselves here to a brief account of the exceptional spiritual experiences Arunagiri had at some of the places. Though there is no way of knowing which route he actually took, it is believed that from Tiruvannamalai Arunagiri first went southwards, as most of the temples dedicated to Lord Murugan are in the South. At the town Thiruvennei Nallur Arunagiri had Darshan (Vision) of the Lord dancing, mounted on the wonderful peacock, happily! The next important place he visited was Chidambaram, the town famous for the Cosmic Dancer Lord Nataraja. Here he was blessed by Lord Nataraja and Lord Murugan appearing as one and the same God. At Tiruvetkalam the Lord gave Arunagiri vision of His majestic Feet and Grace-filled eye-glance-initiation which ensured his salvation. From there he went to Seekaazhi, the birthplace of the great Saint Tiru-Jnaana-Sambandar and glorified him in many Tiruppugazh songs. Then, while at the place called Tiru-Mannip-padikkarai, it is said that the Lord Murugan enshrined at Melai Vayaloor (also called Seippathi) appeared in

lvii Arunagiri's dream and commanded him to come there where He would grant him the blessing of daily singing His Tiruppugazh songs. Since then Arunagiri was longing to reach 'Melai Vayaloor' as soon as possible. On his way, at the place called Etti-kudi he expressed his wish to the Lord to etch His emblems (of the Vel and Peacock) on him, even as saint Tiru-Naavuk-karasu had prayed to Lord Siva to etch His emblem of the 'Trisoola' (Trident) and the 'Rishabha' (holy Bull) on him. (See page-lx for its fulfilment). From there he visited Swami Malai where he had 'Paada–darisanam' (Vision of the Lord's Feet) and sang the 'Tiru-ezhu-Koorrttrirukkai' (a special type of poem called 'Chittra-kavi' which can be portrayed in a drawing). Then he reached 'Thanjavoor'. Glorifying the Lord there, Arunagiri mentions about Lord Krishna bringing the divine plant 'Paarijaata' from Devaloka or heaven to this earth, (T-889: 'Kanda vaarkuzhal') after defeating Indra and the host of gods who fought and tried to prevent Him. From there he reached Tiruch-chengodu. He was so much enchanted by the beauty of the place and the Lord enshrined therein that he glorified Him in many songs not only in Tiruppugazh but also in Kandar Alankaram and Kandar Anubhuti. It is said that he also got a boon from that Lord that wherever he be, if he calls 'Kanda' the Lord would appear and help him, even as the Lord appeared earlier at Tiruvannamalai in the midst of a huge assembly of devotees (in that 'Event'). Though unwilling to depart from there, desirous of visiting Melai Vayaloor soon, he reached Tiruchiraapalli where also he praised the Lord, remembering how He appeared on His peacock-vehicle and gave His Vision to that vast assembly of devotees at Tiruvannmalai. While staying at Tiruchiraapalli, the saint seems to have visited Melai Vayaloor which is close by, before he actually went there later to stay for many days.

At Vayaloor, Arunagiri had many divine experiences. With the permission of Lord Murugan there, Arunagiri sought the blessings of Lord Ganesa there (called Poyyaa-Ganapathy) to sing more Tiruppugazh songs on Lord Murugan, His Peacock and Vel, etc. And that Lord Ganesa appeared in his dream and blessed him accordingly. Similarly, Lord Siva of that temple (called Agniiswarar) to whom also he offered prayers appeared in Arunagiri's dream and granted him the needed energy to sing Tiruppugazhs. Accordingly, Arunagiri sang many Tiruppugazhs (about 18) extolling Lord Murugan of that place. Pleased with his songs, one day, the Lord appeared in his dream and said: "I have granted you the power to sing my glories in the Madhura Kavi and Chitra Kavi type of verses. Sing them daily. I reside at Viraali Malai. Come to that place. Destroying your ignorance, I have filled you with the Nectar of Wisdom." So saying, the Lord disappeared. On waking up from that dream, Arunagiri expressed his gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings. And taking leave of Him, the saint left for Viraali Malai. Here too he stayed for some days and sang the glory of the Lord enshrined there in diverse ways in 15 Songs. Then he proceeded to Jnaana Malai and prayed to the Lord there to once again grant him those Feet which He had granted on Day One at Tiruvannamalai when he jumped from the temple tower, deciding to cast off his body and soul. From there while he was on his way to Peroor he lost his way in the midst of a thick jungle. Bewildered, he prayed to the Lord at Tiruchchengodu, Who had given him an assurance that He would appear to help Arunagiri wherever and

lviii whenever he 'calls' "Kanda". And the Lord at once appeared there as a guide and took the saint out of the forest safely. Arunagiri then reached Pazhani, the famous abode of Murugan. The very sight of the hill-top temple from a distance threw Arunagiri into a trance and made him feel sorry for not having visited this marvellously charming place earlier. As already mentioned, the saint has devoted the maximum number of songs to this place (96 songs). In these songs he deals with various subjects some of which are: his wish to devote his life to the research on literature pertaining to Murugan; saint Tiru-Jnaana Sambandhar's Thevaaram songs are superior to the famous work of Tiruvalluvar called Tirukkural; prayed for the grant of the Lord's Feet once again; that he had attained many Siddhis in Yoga, etc., etc. While staying at Pazhani, Arunagiri happened to meet a very great devotee of Lord Murugan of that place, known as 'Kalisai Sevagan' whose devotion to the Lord was so intense that Arunagiri praises him saying that Lord Murugan is proud and pleased to reside in his heart. After staying there for many days, Arunagiri reached Tanicchayam. It is here that the Lord ordered him to sing His praises in Chandam metre which conferred on him easy proficiency and he became the preceptor to others to sing in the Chandam metre. He then wended his way to the famous temple-town of Madurai. At Madurai he prayed to Lord Murugan enshrined in the famous temple of Mother Meenakshi to grant him his wish to sing the glory and power of His Feet. While staying at Madurai, he also visited the two nearby important temples of Lord Murugan known as Tirupparankundram and Pazha-Mudir-Cholai and sang many songs in praise of the deities there. Visiting some temples on the way, he reached the famous and beautiful sea-shore temple town of Tiruchchendur. Captivated by the enchanting charm of the town, the temple and the importance of that holy place he dedicated 83 songs (second largest number) glorifying the Lord there in diverse ways, to his heart's content. Highly pleased with Arunagiri's songs, the Lord gave him Darshana (Vision) as a little child, lovingly dancing with different ornaments on both ankles, bringing delight to the saint's heart.

It is said that while Arunagiri was at Tiruchchendur he met a great poet and scholar, Sri Villiputturar.