avathārikai (Introduction)
In a prior encounter, the divine Nāyaka (the hero, Sriman Nārāyaṇa) had parted from the Nāyikā (the heroine, representing the Āzhvār or the individual soul), intimating that He would return after a time to seek her union. When that promised moment arrived, He made His way to the millet fields (punam) to reunite with His beloved. However,