Saiva Siddhanta lays great emphasis on the experience of devotion. The sacred bond between each individual and God is sustained by the faith, devotion and trust which is clear to the omniscient Lord. But the greatest wonder is that when this faith morphs into voluntary servitude to the Lord, it is no match to the unbelievable extent of the Lord’s readiness to be subservient to such devotion, pointed out Nallur Sa Saravanan in a discourse.
This is explicit in the lives of the Nayanmars in general and in the case of Sundaramurthy Nayanar in particular. From Sekkizhar’s account in the Periyapuranam, it is clear that Siva prepares the ground for Sundaramurthy Nayanar’s brief but eventful earthly sojourn in Kailasa itself. It is Siva’s wish that his close attendant in Kailasa, Aalala Sundarar, should sing the sacred Tiruthondar Thogai on which Periyapuranam rests. The Lord had to create some reason for Sundarar’s life on earth and brought about a situation in Kailasa when Aalala Sundarar’s gaze strays upon two of Parvati’s female assistants. Sundarar is taken aback when Siva pronounces the order of banishment from Kailasa. But he soon understands the Lord’s wish and accedes, but not before extracting a promise from Him that He would personally intervene in his earthly life and take him back into His fold. He knows that none but the Lord can release earthly inhabitants from the power of Maya that binds them to samsara. The Lord unfolds a course of events to remove this veil of Maya and reveal the purpose of his birth. He prevents Sundarar from marrying the girl selected by his parents. Sundarar is beholden to the Lord’s compassion and his hymns ring with the force of viveka and jnana necessary to uplift one from the depths of samsara.
