Umapathy Sivachariar, a devotee of Lord Siva, was a scholar in Tamil and Sanskrit. Everyday, he visited the Chidambaram shrine in a palanquin, gifted to him by a king. He was also given the honour of being accompanied by a person who would beat a drum, and by a man who carried a torch. One day, a great saint, who felt that such a showy procession to and from the temple was not becoming of a devotee, observed that there was a man who moved on dead wood and who needed a light even during the day. Umapathy Sivachariar knew that the saint was referring to him, said Malayaman, in a discourse.
From then onwards he relinquished his palanquin and other ostentatious displays. The saint wanted Umapathy Sivachariar to realise that one’s visit to a temple must not be to show off one’s social standing or scholarship. There was a deeper meaning to the saint’s words too. Life itself can be compared to dead wood, for it is impermanent. And the reference to a person who used lights during the day was to indicate that despite their learning, some people did not realise the impermanence of life. Umapathy Sivachariar understood what the saint meant. From that day onwards, he became a disciple of the saint. However, the saint wanted to test the commitment of Umapathy Sivachariar. So he went to a street where weavers were applying the starch of cooked rice to newly woven cloth. The starch solution was dripping off the cloth, and the saint cupped his hands and drank the starch solution. He waited to see if his disciple would be simple enough to follow suit, and Umapathy Sivachariar too showed no hesitation in consuming the rice starch solution, thus proving to be an ideal disciple.
