Interpreters of Sekkizhar have always heaped encomiums on his handling the nuances of Tamizh language to convey the true spirit of devotion that binds the devout with God. This is most explicit in the poet’s description of the scene in Kailasa that is the prelude to the descent of Aalala Sundarar from there to live in this world as Sundaramurthy for a brief period, pointed out Nallur Sa Saravanan in a discourse.
We have to be careful in understanding the episode that happened in Kailasa. Aalala Sundarar was picking flowers for the Lord with no particular intention in his mind except that he should select the best and most suitable flowers. When thus engaged, he happens to notice two female attendants of Parvati who had also come to collect flowers. At the moment, God comes to the Nandanavana and commands Sundarar that he has to be born on the earth because he had looked at the girls with desire. Sekkizhar is very clear that Sundarar merely looked at the girls and there was no desire in him. He shows that God chooses this incident to send Sundarar to achieve some mission on earth.
It should be remembered that Aalala Sundarar is already a realised soul, who has crossed the bonds of samsara and is privileged to serve the Lord in Kailasa. He immediately understands that it is God’s Sankalpa and merely accepts His command without any argument or protest at that moment. But while he is blessed to be aware of God’s thoughts is also fully aware that once on earth it will be difficult to overcome the pulls of Maya. So, he pleads with the Lord that lest he is caught in the world, the Lord should take him back into His fold at the earliest. Sundarar does argue later with the Lord when He appears at the wedding scene to claim that he is His servant.
