While the old man and his grandson conversed on the banks of the Kedila River, at that very moment, in the village of Thirukanaattumulloor on the northern bank of the Kollidam, two old friends—Azhwarkkadiyan and Vandiyathevan—were engaged in a most peculiar affair. In those days, the northern Kaveri, known as the Kollidam, was considered as sacred a river as the southern Kaveri. During the month of Thula, it was customary for Lord Shiva, enshrined in the temple at Kanaattumulloor, to ascend his bull mount and proceed to the Kollidam’s bank, bestowing his presence and blessings upon the devotees who had come to bathe in the holy waters. Every day at noon, the festival would reach its peak. Worshippers from the surrounding villages would gather in great numbers. Though the Vishnu temple in that village was small, even from there, the Lord would ascend his Garuda vehicle and proceed to the Kollidam’s bank.

Thus, amidst the throng that had assembled on the northern Kaveri for the sacred Thula bath, Azhwarkkadiyan planted a staff of the naaval tree into the earth and began to shout, “Naaval, O Naaval! Naaval, O Naaval! I have come to this Naaval island to wage a debate and prove that the Vaishnava faith is the supreme faith. Let the Saivites, the Saktas, the Advaitins, the Kapalikas, the Kalamukhas, the Buddhists, the Jains—let anyone who wishes come forth to debate! If they win, I shall hoist them upon my shoulders and parade them around the village. But if they lose, they must leave behind everything but their loincloths and depart from here! Naaval, O Naaval!” he cried.

Before him, rudraksha garlands, makara-shaped beads, water pots, earrings, silk garments, and gold coins were heaped in piles. It was clear from these trophies that he had debated many and emerged victorious. Beside him, leaning against a kadamba tree, stood Vandiyathevan, a knife he had fashioned in his hand. Now, all that remained on him was a single cloth around his waist and the knife in his hand. From his appearance, it seemed he had used that knife to frighten away those who had tried to use force against Azhwarkkadiyan. This was further confirmed by the words he spoke, watching a group of Saivites approaching in a noisy crowd.

“Beware! Let those who wish to debate do so fairly. But if anyone dares to lay a hand on this Vaishnavan, they will answer to this sword!” he declared, twirling the blade twice for emphasis. The Saivites, who had approached in anger, now calmed themselves. One among them said, “O Vaishnavite! Do not be proud, thinking you have won the debate today! Go to Thirunaraiyur! There, Nambiyandar Nambi resides, who will defeat you in debate and send you running away in disgrace!”

Alwarkadiyan replied, “Tell your Thirunaraiyur Nambi to come and debate with Anantha Battar of Thirunarayanapuram! If I happen to be there, I shall be present as well!”

Though he repeatedly called out, “Is there anyone else for debate? Is there anyone else?” no one came forward to challenge him anew. So, Alwarkadiyan took up the branch of the neem tree, and planted the victory flag emblazoned with the conch and discus. Some of the Vaishnavites who had been standing nearby, watching everything, immediately came forward, lifted him onto their shoulders, and began to sing and dance:

“Narayana is our God! We shall all sing His praise!”

Afterwards, they entreated him, “Valiant Vaishnavite! You must come to our house and bless us by partaking of our meal!”

“So be it!” Alwarkadiyan declared grandly, and taking Vandiyathevan along with him, he went to their home. The two of them feasted heartily on tamarind rice, Thirukannamudu, and curd rice, until their stomachs were full. Of the prizes Alwarkadiyan had won in the debate, he gave Vandiyathevan a single yellow silk cloth suitable to be worn as an upper garment, and handed over the rest to the Sri Vaishnavites, receiving in return gold coins equal to their value. He explained that, since he had to travel north as far as Haridwar to establish the greatness of the Vaishnava faith, he was in need of gold coins. The Sri Vaishnavites, delighted, gave him even more gold coins than the value of the items. Having thus obtained the money, Alwarkadiyan and Vandiyathevan set out towards Kadambur in the afternoon.

At that time, the river Kollidam was in spate, so they could not bring along the horses they had ridden. The boat they took to cross the river was overcrowded with people, and as it reached the bank, it capsized. Like the others, Vandiyathevan too fell into the floodwaters and had to swim to the shore.

At that moment, the waistcloth Vandiyathevan had managed to keep safe through so many perilous adventures, along with the signet rings and the palm-leaf letter given by the Princess, were all swept away in the river’s flood. The gold coins he had were lost as well. It was to gather money for buying new horses that they had employed the aforementioned strategy. The plan succeeded, and they managed to obtain a little money.

But it was also known that in those remote village regions, horses could not be bought for any price. Perhaps, at the weekly market in Kadambur village, horses might be brought for sale; otherwise, one would have to go to Thiruppathiripuliyur to purchase them.

A debate arose among the friends about whether or not to go to Kadambur. They discussed the pros and cons of the matter. There was a chance they might hear some news about Aditya Karikalan’s arrival at Kadambur. Would it not be good if they could find out whether he had already set out from Kanchi, and by which route he was coming? But at the same time, they must not be seen by anyone they knew in Kadambur. If they happened to meet Kandhamaaran, it could become dangerous. And if the retainers of the Pazhuvettaraiyars had already arrived, that too would be troublesome!