Chapter 1
Thiruvenkatam 4 - (வானவர்-தங்கள் சிந்தை)
திருவேங்கடம்-4
"O heart! Instead of suffering by following wrong paths, you have attained the great fortune of reaching and serving Thiruvengadamudaiyan. Who else is as fortunate as you?" praises the āzhvār to his own heart.
நெஞ்சே! நீ தீய வழிகளில் சென்று அவதிப்படாமல் திருவேங்கடமுடையானை அடைந்து தொண்டு செய்யும் பேறு பெற்றாயே உன்னைப் போன்ற பாக்கியசாலிகள் எவருளர்? என்று ஆழ்வார் தம் நெஞ்சைப் புகழ்கிறார்.
Verses: 1048 to 1057
Grammar: Āsiriyaththuṟai / ஆசிரியத்துறை
Pan: சீகாமரம்
Recital benefits: Will reach the world in the sky
- Verse 1:
1048. The Lord, who dwells in the hearts of those who have performed great penance with deep devotion, resides in Thiruvēṅkaṭam, where hunters burn akil wood, and fragrant smoke rises and spreads through the hills. He came as the radiant, youthful brāhmaṇa, Vāmana, and now lives in the hearts of the eternal Nityasūrīs. Realizing this, O my heart, you have lovingly taken up the joy of serving Him. - Verse 2:
1049. He has no worldly ties or relatives, no bond that limits Him. He stands alone, unmatched. Yet, for those He lovingly accepts, He ends their cycle of birth upon this very earth. He, the Lord of dharma, resides at Thiruvēṅkaṭam, where hunters sing kuṟinji tunes with women of the hills, as buzzing bees circle fragrant blooms. Seeing His nature, today, my heart, you have embraced the joy of serving Him. - Verse 3:
1050. He accepts garlands and praises from His devotees, and graciously takes them, with all their kin, to the supreme sky of SriVaikuntam. Seeing such mercy, to the Lord who reigns over both this world and beyond, who has made the northern Vēṅkaṭa hills, buzzing with joyful bees, His temple, you, my heart, have now chosen to serve Him and embraced the path of eternal kainkaryam. - Verse 4:
1051. Once, He came down to this earth, gathered those who served Him with love, and lifted them up to dwell in SriVaikuntam. He is the Lord of the cowherd girls, the One who rules the towering Vēṅkaṭa hills, where clouds gather and glide across the peaks. He is the very life of the nityasūris above. And now, without faltering, you, my heart, have chosen to serve Him. - Verse 5:
1052. Even when the land was full of bodhi and aśoka trees, and Buddhists and Jains worshipped only their own gods, and devas and asuras filled every place, the Lord with beautiful eyes stood firmly at Vēṅkaṭam, granting His grace. O my heart, today, you have chosen to serve that Lord. - Verse 6:
1053. Though the Jain followers, wearing saffron robes and shaved heads, gather together, eat well, and grow fat along with their families, The Lord who has made the sacred Tirumalai, where herds of kavari deer roam, as His temple, reigns in the vast Paramapadam as the leader of the nityasuris. Today, you, O mind, have chosen to serve Him with loving kainkaryam! - Verse 7:
1054. The Jain monks argue endlessly with empty debates about their faith and then stuff balls of rice mixed with cold curd into their throats. Seeing all this, O mind, you stayed away from their path! Instead, you have chosen to serve the Lord who made Tirumalai, where beetles hum sweet tunes, His temple. The same Lord who also resides gloriously in the solar realm and beyond the skies in SriVaikuntam, as the Antaratma for all! - Verse 8:
1055. When told to workship Him as Paramapadanāthan, people said He eas too far to reach. As Archā, too close; As Krishna, too simple, and As Antharyami, too unreachable. Even after hearing such talk, O my heart, without speaking a word against it, you chose to serve the Lord of Tirumalai, where bright pearls fall from tall bamboo groves, the dear leader of the cowherds! - Verse 9:
1056. You mingled with the worldly crowd, spoke whatever they spoke, and lived as they lived, O my heart! Now, listen bravely to what I say. Though many sing, dance, bow, and praise, they still fail to truly see Him —the glorious Lord praised by Brahmā, Śiva, and Indra. Yet you, O my heart, have now chosen to serve the Lord of Tirumalai, the one who danced the divine kudakkūthu with the gopikās! - Verse 10:
1057. In the cool Tirumalai, where bright lightning flashes and heavy clouds gather, dwells the Lord who once took the form of a swan, the great master of the Nityasūrīs. Kaliyan, who shattered the strongholds of sin, sang of Him in sweet Tamil from the fortified town of Thirumangai. Those who can recite these enduring verses will surely find their place in the eternal SriVaikuntam!