Tiruppulingudi

The legend tells the story of a brahmin named Yajña Sarma. It is said that one evening, when Yajña Sarma and his wife were in a jovial state, Shakthi Maharshi(son of Vasishta Maharshi) is said to have visited their hermitage. Yajña Sarma and his wife failed to recognize that the sage had come to their doorstep and did not perform any kind of athithi-sathkaaram(service to the guest). Shakthi Maharshi, in a fit of rage, cursed Yajña Sarma that he would become a demon.

Yajña Sarma begged for the sage's forgiveness and asked him if there was any way out of this curse. The sage then tells Yajña Sarma that Indra would perform a yajña at Tiruppulingudi, and he is to go and try to disrupt this yajña. When this would happen, Indra would hurl his vajra-aayudam, releasing him from the effects of the curse. As the sage predicted, Yajña Sarma went in his demonic form to disrupt the yajña, and Indra hurled his vajra-aayudam at the demon, killing Yajña Sarma.

Indra was performing a prayashchita-yajña as he had unknowingly killed a sage who was performing tapas in the form of a deer. When the yajña reached its completion, the Lord is said to have appeared, granting atonement to Indra and moksham to Yajña Sarma.

Another story tells that there was a feud between Bhūdevi and Shrīdevī. Bhūdevi claimed that the Lord spends too much time with Shrīdevī and does not spend enough time with Her. The Lord is said to have solved the problem by placing Bhūdevi on one side of His tiruvadigal(His lotus feet) and Shrīdevī on the other, and constantly looking at both of them, showing that in His eyes, both of them are equal. Thus, when one stands outside the garbha-griha, they cannot see the Lord's tiruvadigal.

To see the Lord's tiruvadigal, there is a small window on the outside of the garbha-griha through which we can see His tiruvadigal while performing pradakshinam.

Nam Āzhwār: 12 Pāsurams