94 REV. G. U. POPE, D.D., ON 



apostle of the East might he have become ! This is his 

 conversion as South India beHeves it ; and in almost every 

 poem he alludes to it, pouring forth his gratitude in ecstacies 

 of thanksgiving, and again and again repeating the words 

 " I am Thine, save me" ! His poetry lives in all Tamil hearts, 

 and in the main and true essence of it deserves so to live ! 



The next step was, — and here it is difficult to see how the 

 conduct of the new devotee can be justified, — to make over 

 to the Guru and his attendants the whole of the treasure 

 entrusted to him by his king for the purchase of horses. By 

 initiation he has become the Guru's very own. All that he 

 is and has belong to his noAv Master. So, together with his 

 own garments, jewels and personal property, the whole of 

 his master's prodigious treasure is at once handed over to be 

 distributed to the devotees of the god and to the poor. 



§ 3. Events in Madura. 

 Meanwhile the nobles who composed his escort beheld 

 with astonishment the sudden transformation of the youthful 

 minister, and still more were astounded at this misappro- 

 priation — as it certainly seemed to them — of the king their 

 master's property. So they ventured to draw near to the 

 sacred assembly, and to expostulate respectfully ; but 

 Manikka-Va^agar sternly bade them depart, for " why," 

 said he, " would you bring me back to earth's false employ- 

 ments"? Finding all tlieir expostulations useless they at 

 length returned to Madura, and announced to the king that 

 his favourite minister had become a (^aivite Sanniyasi (" one 

 Avho has renounced the world"), and had made away witli 

 all the money entrusted to him. As in the case of Daniel, 

 there was jealousy at work no doubt, but certainly Miinikka- 

 Va^agar was evidently not blameless, as seen at least from a 

 mundane point of view. The king was exceedingly enraged 

 as was natural, and sent a peremptory order for his Minister's 

 instant return. When the royal order arrived and was pre- 

 sented to the new ascetic, his reply was, " I know no king 

 but r!ivan, and even were Yaman's (the god of death) 

 messengers to come to bear me away, my Master has con- 

 quered Yaman."* He then took the king's missive and 



* See Nala(li-Lex &n.^ : Civan with liis left foot kicked Yaman, and 

 " death was dead." This is referred to in Ku.rral, 269 : 

 " Ev'n over death the victory they may gain, 

 If power by penance won their souls obtain." 

 Niti Nerri Vilakkam 51, and Stokes' note. 



