When the saint Sambandar was only a tiny child, his father once left him by a temple tank while he bathed. The little boy grew hungry and frightened and began to cry for his mother.
The goddess of the temple, moved by his cries, is said to have given the child a golden cup of milk to drink, soothing him.
When his father returned and saw milk on the boy's lips, he asked who had fed him — and the little child pointed to the temple and sang his very first sweet song of praise.