This refers to the state of affairs in the yonder spiritual world. The Lord is said to regale one and all over there, by granting them suitable opportunities for rendering Him the appropriate service.

Although specific mention has been made here of the Lord’s incarnation as Kṛṣṇa, there is also a broad reference to all His Avatāras as well, wherein He mixes with the worldlings with remarkable transparence, even as He does with the denizens in SriVaikuntam.

Like unto the mother of twins lying in between her two kids, the Lord stays in Tiruvēṅkaṭam (in Andhra Pradesh), the meeting ground of the Earthlings and the Celestials. The Āzhvār even goes to the extent of calling this glorious hilly retreat as the home of the Celestials, on the ground that the Celestials visiting it far exceed the number of the earthly visitors. Actually, + Read more

(i) Periyāḻvār extols the effortless holding by Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Govardhana Mountain, days on end, without the slightest strain on His fingers and nails (Periyāḻvār Tirumoḻi III-5-10).

(ii) Śrī Kūrattāḻvāṉ also exclaims, in sloka 45 of Varadarāja Stavaṃ that the Lord held Mount Govardhana continually for seven days and yet, His fingers were as fresh as ever.

(iii) + Read more

On the one hand, the Āzhvār goes into raptures in contemplation of the Lord’s auspicious attributes and, on the other, the Lord covets the Āzhvār’s body with the same avidity with which He swallowed butter in Gokula.

As dwarfish Vāmaṉa of bewitching personality, He enticed away Emperor Bali and made all his possessions, His own; likewise, mixing now with the Āzhvār, the Lord has taken possession of his soul and made him His sole servitor, in keeping with his essential nature.

(i) To win the hand of the bewitching young damsel, Nap-piṇṇai, a niece of Yaśodhā, the unruly bulls were the impediments; the Lord, as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, overcame them and secured the coveted bride. Likewise, the Āzhvār’s sins, the impediments for the Lord getting at him, were rooted out by Him and the Āzhvār taken possession of.

(ii) During the period of deluge, the Lord + Read more

The Āzhvār feels that the innumerable Avatāras of the Lord were all for his delectation, mainly directed towards getting hold of him and uniting with him.

The Lord who thus incarnates, for my sake, through different gates of birth, always bears the inseparable Conch and Discus, like unto the potion carried by some to entice people. These may, however, be visible only to some Godly souls and not all. The Lord’s descent could be likened to the Earthly Kings moving round their cities during nights, disguised in black clothes, + Read more

The Āzhvār, who was all along maintaining that the Supreme Lord’s numerous incarnations were all for his sake, now says: “Who am I to voice forth the loving tenderness of the Lord, His uprightness which induced Him to incarnate so many times and iṇ so many ways? None is more competent to talk about Him Who, as Tṛivikrama, set His feet on one and all without distinction of high and low, than the Vedas, vociferous like the oceanic waters, in singing His glorious traits”.

The terminal stanza in each of the preceding decads set forth the good results flowing from the study or recital of the stanzas in that decad. This end-song is, however, silent in this regard; instead, it says that, in this decad, the Āzhvār has expressed his considered view, the one that is crystal-clear to him from the entire hymnal, namely, the Lord is transparent, progressive and pliable like water whose complexion He bears.