A famine struck Nattiyattankuti. Kotpuli's family consumed the rice to save themselves. Kotpuli won the war and returned with many gifts from the Chola king. He learnt of the actions of his relatives and decided to punish them. He invited all his kin to his house for a celebration of his victory. Kotpuli ordered the doors of his mansions be closed so his relatives can not escape and made a servant stand guard. Kotpuli killed his parents, brothers and wives for their transgression. The servant requested the master to spare the life of an infant, who had not eaten the rice and was the last heir of Kotpuli's family. Kotpuli killed the infant too, reasoning he had drunk the breast milk of a woman, who had consumed the rice. The true reason for their murders was that in their past lives his relatives had conspired and killed the head of their family in order to inherit the latter's vast wealth, and thus their karma dictated they be killed in a similar way. Although, upon witnessing this, Mother Goddess Parvati ascended to Earth and brought each of them back to life by healing their wounds as they had been fervent Shaiva devotees of hers and Lord Shiva. Pleased by his intense devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before Kotpuli and blessed him. He informed Kotpuli that he along with his formerly-massacred relatives would be allowed to attain Shivatvam (having soul merged with and being one with Lord Shiva), and in turn moksha (liberation), and took Kotpuli to his abode Kailash. The message of the tale is that the devotion to God should supersede everything else.