FIRST PADHIKAM OF THIRU NYAANA SAMBANDER
This is the first padhikam(song) of Thiru Nyaana Sambandhar. This is in the paN of Nattappaadai (Carnatic Raga Naattai). In this song Sambandhar has indicated the five actions of the God in a very nice way.The Holy Bull signifies the Dharma or Justice. The God comes on the Holy Bull. This indicates creation. The Moon once ,when he was cursed to lose his "kala"s by Dhaksha, surrendered himself finally to Lord Shiva and pleaded for rescue. The Graceful Lord wore him on His matted hair so that he grows. Sambandhar refers to this incidence of protection.He smears the ash that is spread in the cremation ground. This deed indicates He alone is immortal. This is the act of destruction. The next one is creating illusions. It is the thief who covers up the fact. God is also a thief. Because he steals our hearts ! The Veedhaas also praise Him as, stheenaanaam pathi (head of thieves), thaskaraanaam pathi (head of robbers).The fifth one is the act of love in which He blesses the persons who involve themselves in His Holy feet. Sambandhar indicates the puraaNa of Siirkaazi where Brahma offered prayers to Lord Shiva, and thus got His blessings. (Hence the town is also called Brahmapuram).One nice thing to note in this song is it starts with the first letter as the PraNava. (th+oo). Yes He explains the act of that PraNava ruupa in this song ! Salutations to the God of Brahmapuram
Translation:thOdudaiya cheviyan - He wears a ring in His ear, vidaiyERi - Comes on the Holy Bull, yOr thUveN madhichUdi - wears a Moon (in Head), kAdudaiya chudalaip podipUchi - smears the ash in the cremation ground, yen uLLam kavarkaLvan - He is the thief who steals my heart, Edudaiya malarAn - One with a flower or the one on the flower having the book(Veedhaas) - Brahma, munain^At paNin^dhEththa aruLcheydha - when prayed earlier blessed him, pIdudaiya piramA pura - Brahmapuram which having a lot of pride, mEviya pemmAn ivananRE - This person is the God who resides there.

Greatness of devotees

Oh, the Lord with vEl (kumAra), if you ask what is big, world is big. But the world was created by brahmA. BrahmA was born in the navel of vishNu. VishNu sleeps in the ocean. The ocean was drunk by agasthya. Agasthya was born from a pot. Pot is a small grain (in size) in this earth. But this earth is hold by the serpent in just one head. But that serpent is a small ring in umA's finger. UmA is there in one part of God, God is in the heart of the devotee. So the greatness of the devotee is great to explain.
A careful look into the thirumuRais will reveal a noteworthy point. In two places God Himself gives a statement and asks to continue the song. One occasion is in thiruvArUr when sun^dha mUrthi nAyanAr wanted to sing thiruth thoNdathth thokai, the greatness of devotees in the "dhEvAsiriya mantapam". Lord gives the first line as "thillai vAz an^dhaNar tham adiyArkkum adiyEn"(slave to the slave of the devotees who live in chithambaram). The other is when ' thoNdar chIr paravuvAr' sEkkizAr wanted to sing elaborately the life of 63 saints in the thiruth thoNdath thokai. Then also Lord says the first word, "ulakelAm". sEkkizAr starts and ends his thiruth thoNdar purANam with the word ulakelAm. Both were sung to praise the devotees. How great are these devotees, to get the songs of their praise to be blessed with the Lord Shiva's own words.In purANas also it can be seen that Lord Shiva comes for the destruction of evil forces not when they denounce the Lord, but when those evil forces start disturbing the true devotees. For example gajamukAsura, an^dhakAsura and kAla were subjected to the fury of Lord when they tortured the devotees. The Lord takes care of His devotees and offers a reliable shelter in His feet. It is the duty of the devotee to keep praying the Lord unaffected by the external disturbances.