Milk, taste and eloquence

[nas_ng at lms420.jsc.nasa.gov]

              Milk and Hindu Saint
             ************************

The most famous milk legend is that of the Tevaram saint,
Tirugnanasambandhar (7th century A.D.) born at Seerkazhi
in Tanjore district. He is one of the foremost leaders of 
Tamil Bhakti movement.

It is said that Goddess Parvathi fed the Baby Saint
at age three at the steps of the village temple tank while his parents
were having a dip. After the bath, the father sees few drops of milk
on the child's face and shouts "Who fed you?". Pointing finger
at the Siva and Parvathi (rishaba ArOhaNa murti) statue in the Gopura,
Gnanasambandhar started singing the praise of Siva rightaway. 
His known name seems to commemorate this event- 
the one who is connected/bestowed with "jn~Ana".

There are several nice translations of his works and his legend is 
detailed in 12th century Chola age Saiva hagiography, Periyapuranam.

1) V. Dehejia
Slaves of the Lord: The path of the Tamil Saints.
Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1988 206 p. 48 p. of plates

2) G. Vanmikanathan
Periya Puranam, a Tamil classic on the great Saiva Saints of
South India.
Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1985, 578 p.

3) Indira Peterson, Poems of Siva, Princeton university press, 1989