Nathamunigal was born at Veeranarayanapuram, today's Kattumannarkoil, where the Lord is worshipped as Mannanar. He was learned in the Vedas, in music and in yoga, and he spent his days in the service of the Lord of his town.
One day some Sri Vaishnavas came to the temple and sang ten pasurams of Thiruvaymozhi in praise of Aravamudhan of Thirukkudanthai. Nathamunigal was moved to tears and asked for the rest. The last of the ten spoke of a thousand, but nobody knew them. So he set out for Thirukkurugur, Swami Nammalwar's town, to find them.
There, according to tradition, he met Parankusa Dasar, who belonged to Madhurakavi Alwar's line. He taught Nathamunigal Kanninun Siruthambu, Madhurakavi's eleven pasurams on Nammalwar, and told him to recite them with single-minded devotion. Nathamunigal sat before the tamarind tree where Nammalwar had lived and recited them twelve thousand times. Swami Nammalwar appeared before him and gave him all four thousand pasurams of the Alwars, with their meanings.
Nathamunigal arranged the pasurams as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. With his nephews Keezhaiyagathu Azhwan and Melaiyagathu Azhwan he set them to music and began the custom of singing them before the Lord in the temples. Every Sri Vaishnava who recites the Prabandham today receives it through him. He taught Uyyakkondar and Kurugai Kavalappan, and asked that this treasure be kept safe for his grandson yet to be born — the boy who would become Alavandar.