Below is the translation to Veda Paati's story, narrated in tamil, available in below platforms:
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Did I took shelter from rain in a very small room like the first three Aazhvars (poygai
azhvar, bhoothathu aazhvar and Peyaazhvar) In Thirukovalur
Dear Child, in the previous tale, you spoke about the great devotee who conquered a Brahma Rakshasa and even got him Moksha through his pure devotion and faith. Which devotee are we going to hear about now, my child?”, asked the enthusiastic EmperumAnAr!
Not just one, Swami - but 3 great AzhvArs who were all immersed in their love of PerumAL. Let me tell you the tale of the Mudhal AzhvArs”, said the child longingly.
The Mudhal AzhvArs were the first 3 AzhvArs among the 12 celebrated AzhvArs. They are, namely, Poigai AzhvAr, Bhoodath AzhvAr and Pei AzhvAr. All of these 3 AzhvArs were born during the month of Aippasi! None of them were born from the womb.
Poigai AzhvAr was the incarnation of PerumAL’s conch, Panchajanyam. He was born in Kancheepuram in the star of Tiruvonam. He appeared in a temple pond called Poigai! Bhoodath AzhvAr, the incarnation of PerumAL’s mace, was born in Thirukadalmallai in the star of Avittam. He appeared on a kurukkatthi (hiptage)flower. He had unwavering faith in the Lord and hence got his divine name! Pei AzhvAr was born in Thirumayilai (Mylapore) in the star of Sadhayam. He was the incarnation of PerumAL’s sword and appeared on a Lily Flower in the temple pond. He was madly in love with PerumAL and hence got his name! All 3 of them were born at the same time but had not met each other.
One day Poigai AzhvAr set afoot to visit the Ulagalantha Perumal temple in Thirukovilur, featuring PerumAL in the Trivikrama AvatAr. However, due to heavy rains and thunder, Poigai AzhvAr reached the town late and the temple had closed by then. He decided to stay back that night and visit the temple the next morning. Hence, he approached Sage Mrikandu’s Ashram for shelter. The Sage allowed him a small space in his Ashram where one person could comfortably lie down safe from the rains.
After some time, it so happened that Bhoodath AzhvAr had also arrived at the same location looking for a place to stay for the night. Pogai AzhvAr spotted him and invited him to join him. There was just enough space for both of them to sit. As good fate would have it, Pei AzhvAr too had arrived to visit the temple and was looking for shelter. He soon found the first two AzhvArs and all 3 of them had just enough space to stand.
All 3 of them started to introduce themselves to one another and started discussing their love for PerumAL. All of a sudden, they felt like they were being squeezed by a few other people who had joined them and were feeling breathless. As it was very dark that night, Pei AzhvAr suggested to the other AzhvArs that it would be best to light a lamp so that they could see who had joined them.
With his Yogic powers, Poigai AzhvAr made a very special lamp. He used the earth itself as the lamp, the oceans as ghee, and sooriyan as the source of light. Meanwhile, Bhoodhath AzhvAr used his yogic power to light an earthen lamp (Agal). He used his endless love for Perumal as the earthen lamp, his excitement as ghee and his heart as the wick and lit this beautiful lamp. When they could finally see, they were shocked.
Beside them standing was the very Lord of the universe and their hearts with His consort. They were being squeezed by the divine forms of PerumAL and ThAyAr themselves.
The Lord and His consort desired the association of these great BhAgavathAs (devotees)!. The 3 AzhvArs were overwhelmed with emotion and love and each of them started singing songs in praise of the Lord. Each of them sang 100 songs and these eventually formed the first songs of the 4000 Divya Prabandham (the collection of 4000 hymns sung by the 12 AzhvArs)!
The Lord and His consort desired the association of these great BhAgavathAs (devotees)!. The 3 AzhvArs were overwhelmed with emotion and love and each of them started singing songs in praise of the Lord. Each of them sang 100 songs and these eventually formed the first songs of the 4000 Divya Prabandham (the collection of 4000 hymns sung by the 12 AzhvArs)!
What do we learn from this? When devotees of PerumAL and ThAyAr are with a pure heart and do Kainkaryam (service) with compassion, the Lord would want to be associated with them. He would want to squeeze them and be part of them. He too would want this beautiful and pure association with such devotees. In the case of the 3 AzhvArs, they received the divine Darshan of the Divya Dampatis, and we received the incredible blessing of the Divya Prabandam in the process!
As the Tirukolur Pen Pillai concluded her story thus, she cried in despair, “Did PerumAL want to associate with me like He did with the Mudhal AzhvArs? Is my Bhakti that great? Why, then, should I remain in Thirukolur?”.