Carried by a Sage

When Loka Sāranga Muni entered the sanctum, he was shaken to see blood flowing from the forehead of Sri Ranganātha Himself. The wound the sage had given the Āzhwār had appeared upon the Lord, for the Lord regards a blow to His devotee as a blow to Himself.

That night the Lord appeared to Loka Sāranga Muni and commanded him: he was to go to Tiruppāṇ Āzhwār, ask his forgiveness, and bring him into the temple, carrying him upon his own shoulders.

The next morning the sage went to the riverbank and fell at the Āzhwār's feet. He told him of the Lord's command and asked him to come. The Āzhwār refused, saying that he could not set foot on the sacred island. The sage replied that he need not; it was the Lord's wish that he be carried. Overcome by the grace of Sri Ranganātha, the Āzhwār at last consented, and Loka Sāranga Muni carried him on his shoulders across the river and into the temple. For this reason the Āzhwār is also known as Munivāhanar, "the one whose vehicle was a sage."