Gnanasambandar’s advent is occasioned by the sacred will of God at a time when Saivism was being suppressed owing to the dominance of other faiths. Sekkizhar describes how one Sivapadahridayar, who like many Siva devotees during that period, felt that God should help to reestablish Saivism and make people adopt the Vedic way of life. He prayed to the Lord to be blessed with a child who would be able to achieve these goals. Gnanasambandar is born and is also endowed with exceptional jnana through the direct intervention of Siva and Parvati.
In a discourse, Purasai Sri Natarajan drew attention to the recurring references to special instances in his hymns when the saint wishes to inculcate important values in life. The eighth stanza in every pathigam alludes to the incident pertaining to Ravana’s attempt to uproot Mount Kailasa along with Siva and Parvati and have them in Lanka under his personal care and devotion. It shows Ravana’s arrogance as well as his devotion. Siva presses down Mount Kailasa with His big toe, and this crushes Ravana’s twenty arms till he cries in agony and seeks the Lord’s pardon. The greatness of Saivism is the compassion of Siva towards those who feel for their wrong acts and seek pardon with heartfelt remorse.
There is also mention of the incident when Vishnu and Brahma vie with each other to see who is greater among them. Neither of them is successful in their effort to unravel the limits of the Lord who appears as an endless column of brightness. The lesson to be learnt is that the Lord always remains beyond reach to those filled with ego and pride while He readily reaches out to the humble and the devout. The 10th stanza affirms that Siva’s grace alone can remove ignorance and put an end to false spiritual values.