On the day before the events narrated in the previous chapters, we left behind Prince Arulmozhi Varman as the honored guest of the people of Nagapattinam. After the grand feast had concluded, the prince mounted a richly adorned elephant and set forth. Countless people followed him, proclaiming, “We shall come to Thanjai!” That night, the prince and the throng that accompanied him reached Thiru Aaroor.

The people of Thiru Aaroor, having learned in advance of the prince’s arrival, gave him a royal welcome, offering all honors befitting his station. From the ancient gateway of Thiru Aaroor’s Gunavasal to Kudavasal, the people gathered in great numbers. The four royal streets were so crowded that not even a sesame seed could have fallen to the ground. The facades of every house were decorated with festoons. The Chozha palace at Thiru Aaroor too was adorned by the officials. Arrangements had been made to provide a feast not only for the prince but also for the multitude that accompanied him.

The previous night, a fierce storm had swept through Thiru Aaroor. Yet, the tempest of joy and celebration that arose with the prince’s arrival made everyone forget the previous day’s storm entirely. The streets resounded with the music of drums and pipes, with singing and dancing, with the wild steps of the Kuravai dance, with puppet shows, and with displays of valor—knife games and wrestling matches accompanied by shouts of triumph.

The Chozha dynasty of Thanjavur, after the temple of the dancing Lord Nataraja at Thillai, held the temple of Lord Thyagaraja at Thiru Aaroor in special devotion, granting it many endowments. Yet, until then, Prince Arulmozhi Varman himself had never visited Thiru Aaroor. Therefore, the temple priests insisted that the prince must visit the shrine. The prince agreed and went to the temple. For many reasons, his heart was in turmoil, and he could not wholly immerse himself in the divine visions of the deity. When the worship and offerings were complete and the sacred prasadam had been received, the prince turned to the temple priests and asked, “Why is the Lord of this temple called Thyagaraja?”

The priests recounted the sacrifices made by Mahadeva, the foremost among the gods, Lord Shiva, for the redemption of all living beings in the three worlds. They spoke of the hardships undertaken by the Lord, who is capable of creating and destroying all three worlds, for the sake of granting grace to his devotees. They narrated how, for the salvation of souls, he took on the ascetic form and performed penance in the cremation ground… They spoke of this. They recounted how, forsaking even his austerities, he married Uma for the welfare of the gods. They narrated the tale of how the Lord appeared in the form of Bhikshatana, the mendicant, and begged for alms in all the worlds. They spoke of his dance in the hall at Thillai. They told how he carried earth for a bird and was struck with a cane by the