(i) The Nāyakī describes the place to which the herons have to go and the hard hearted Lord to whom they have to report her unique love, emanating from a tender heart. The description of the destination should indeed tempt the birds, for there too, they can have plenty of food. Hard-hearted though He might be, the Nāyakī cannot lift her mind from His fascinating lips and + Read more

(i) The Nāyakī is commissioning a stork to go and reverently report her condition at the feet of the Lord who stands pledged to redeem His ardent votaries, but now remains wholly absorbed in the vedic chantings and rituals put through with great eclat in Tiruvaṇvaṇṭūr by its pious brahmins. It is said of Śrī Rāma that He would be present wherever vedic chantings and ritualistic + Read more

It is the natural habit of the birds to flock together and go hither and thither, in search of food but the God-infatuated Parāṅkuśa Nāyakī thinks that they are also moving about in search of God, out of consideration for her. c.f. 11-1. She tells the birds that the Lord whom they are after, resides in Tiruvaṇvaṇṭūr and advises them to go and meet Him there and, after + Read more

Addressing the swans who always move in strength and have never, therefore, known the pangs of separation from each other, the Nāyakī asks them to go to Tiruvaṇvaṇṭūr and tell her Lord that here, at this end, is a woman languishing miserably, due to separation from Him.

The swans, immersed in joy and flocking together, denote those in incessant communion with the Lord,

(i) Estrangement on some slight pretext, followed by reconciliation, culminating in union between the lover and the beloved, are factors which commonly characterise connubial relationship. The swans, moving always together, do not, however, have to pass through these vicissitudes.

(ii) The Nāyakī’s request to the swans to worship the Lord on her behalf as well and + Read more

Up the laurel trees: The laurel (Puṉṉai in Tamil) tree on the west bank of the sacred tank within the precincts of the Temple of Lord Raṅganātha has come in for special mention in Śloka 49 of the first centum of ‘Śrī Raṅgarāja Stavaṃ’ of Śrī Parāśara Bhaṭṭar. It is said to have imbibed the fragrance of Tiruvāymoḻi. This goes to show that generations of devotees have sat + Read more

The parrot signifies the Preceptors, true and steadfast, who faithfully pass on the learning gathered by them from their masters, without deviation or distortion. The parrot is known to repeat just what it hears. The parrot in question is advised by the Nāyakī to somehow reach the intended destination turning a blind eye to the enchanting scenery en route, lest it should + Read more

Unless the emissary is a keen observer, he can’t be an effective messenger. The Nāyakī wants the little lovely bird to have a close look at the Lord in Tiruvaṇvaṇṭūr in all details and narrate to her what the little one saw. This is one way of the God-lover sustaining herself.

In Secret:

When the Lord is alone with His consort, all the attendants having dispersed after discharging their respective duties.

At the feet.

Getting hold of the Lord’s feet is the surest way of evoking

The Nāyakī has all along been commissioning different birds to convey her message to the Lord, but now she reverently approaches the bees, even as Śrī Rāma chose Hanumān for the special assignment of handing over His ring to Sītā. The Nāyakī requests the bees to tell Śrī Rāma that He should not rest on His oars with an air of complacence that He has already done everything + Read more

The chanters of this decad will be coveted by the Lord and His devotees, the Apsarās in spiritual world.