A wealthy person called Appan lived in a village near Srirangam. In order to surrender at Kooratthazhvan's divine feet, he left his village and came to Srirangam. But, by the time he reached there, Kooratthazhvan had attained paramapadam.

Dejected, he asked Bhattar "I did not have the opportunity to seek shelter with Azhvan. Please tell me something that will be beneficial to me".

Bhattar replied "The moment you took a step toward Srirangam in order to seek Azhvan, after leaving your village and your comfortable life there, you have done everything you need to do for yourself. What is the need for me to tell you anything more?"

That is, as soon as the thought occurs that one has to surrender to a sadAcharya, one has done everything that is needed to be done. Everything else after that is only for spending the remaining time in this world.