Avvaiyar questioned by Lord Muruga

What is rare?
Rare is human birth
Rarer is birth without physical (and mental) defects
Rarer is getting knowledge and wisdom after having born like this
Rarer is after getting wisdom and knowledge is doing penance (Tapas) and charity (Daanam)
If one does penance and charity, the doors of the higher regions of the gods will open for them!

What is evil (or dangerous)?
Poverty is evil
Poverty during one's childhood is worse
Disease is worse than this
Worse evil than this are uncompassionate and cruel women
Worst is to eat from the hands of such women

What is "big"?
The earth is big
Bigger is Brahma who created it
Bigger is the Lord Vishnu who has Brahma in His Navel Lotus
Bigger is the Milky Ocean in which Lord Vishnu Rests
Bigger is the sage who drank up the ocean in his palm (Sage Agastya)
Bigger is the Pot (Kalasha) - from which the sage was born
... and so on
Biggest is the Devotee in whose heart the "Lord", God resides

What is Sweet?
Sweetness lies in loneliness, aloneness
Sweeter is worshipping the Sun (Aadi) at dawn
Better is company of the wise
Better is contemplating and seeing the wise (probably like Socrates) night (dreams) and day (during waking)

What is New?
Music with meaning is always new
Music about You (Lord Muruga) is always new
What the Blessed poets drunk in the ambrosia of Tamil sing about You that is new
The beauty that emerges from the Divine Name of Muruga is New
The Smile the plays on the Youthful Form of the Lord (Muruga) is New
The Divine Mothers (six mothers) who gave birth to Thee, to them your pranks (Leela) is New
For God, your Father (Eswara) your spear (Vel) and emblem (Peacock) are New
For Sunday and Monday your Divine Body is New
To the ones who join in His Service (Lord Muruga), His Grace is always New
.... and so on
That begins in the end and ends in the beginning...For the ones who know this
The knowers of this three phases of Time (Past, Present and Future) your Divine Form of Six Faces is New!

Check out the classic You Tube video in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zgx1UuvN0