During the Kasi pilgrimage, a Shiva Lingam falls into Govindar's hands — and he becomes a devoted Saiva, eventually heading the temple at Kalahasti.
There, while bathing in the river Ganges, a Shiva Lingam came into Govindar's hands. Seeing this, Yadava celebrated Govindar saying, "As a fruit of your Ganges bath, Gangadhara (Shiva) himself has entered your hands!" He happily gave him the title "Ullangai Konarndha Nayanar" (The Nayanar who brought the Lord in his palm).
As a result of this incident, Govindar developed a deep attachment to Saivism. After the pilgrimage ended and he returned, he forgot his birth and his parents, built a temple in Madhuramangalam itself for the Shiva Lingam he had found, and immersed himself in Shiva puja. At that time, Kalahastinathan (Shiva), who is enshrined at Kalahasti near Tirupati, appeared in his dream and commanded him to come to him and take over the administration of that temple.
The Lord also commanded his devotees to bring him to his Kalahasti. They took him to Kalahasti and made him their head. Govindar, too, developed devotion towards Kalahathinathan and became deeply engaged in the service of that deity. The Ishwara temple established by Govindar as a Shiva devotee can still be seen in Madhuramangalam today.
Meanwhile, when Ilayazhwar was wandering in the Vindhya mountain forests without knowing the way, during the middle of the night, Kachi Deva Perumal (Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram) and Piratti (His consort) appeared before him in the guise of a hunter and a huntress. They escorted him to Kanchipuram in that very same night and then disappeared.
When Yadavaprakasa returned from his pilgrimage and reached Kanchipuram, he learned that Ilayazhwar had already returned safely. Although he boiled with frustration inwardly, he did not show it; instead, he feigned outward happiness and invited Ilayazhwar to return to his school and continue his Vedanta studies. Ilayazhwar obliged and resumed his studies in his school.
However, this arrangement did not last long. Due to deep differences of opinion, Ilayazhwar distanced himself from Yadava. He engaged in the kainkaryam (service) of Deva Perumal for some time, and later embraced asceticism (sannyasa), becoming the tridanda-bearing (three-staffed) ascetic known as "Ramanujar"—received the name "Ramanujar" and was escorted to Srirangam to become the chief Acharya for the Vaishnavas.
At that time, keeping his younger brother Govindan in mind, he thought, "He is perishing by being devoted to other deities (devatantara)! If he is corrected and made to serve the consort of Sri (Vishnu), he will be saved; and he will become a companion for us as well." He concluded, "Thirumalai Nambi is the appropriate person to reform him," and sent a Sri Vaishnava to Nambi with the following message: "Your nephew, Vattamani Govinda Bhattar, was a good companion to me and saved my very life when we were studying Vedanta together. By the force of karma, he is now deeply immersed in the worship of another deity. For my sake, you must show mercy upon him and bring him under your fold, making him dedicated to your divine feet."