The Āzhvār longs for the physical presence of the Lord whose resplendent crown proclaims His overlordship of the entire universe. Knowing full well that He can’t be seen unless He deigns to come and present Himself, the Āzhvār’s mind is, all the same, very much agitated, meditating on the various features and aspects of the Lord. The dovetailing of thoughts, as presented + Read more

(i) The Āzhvār’s tongue prays unto the Lord.

“Sire, even as you have condescended to get into the Āzhvār’s mind, pray, get into me, as well, so that I keep on uttering your names. I do hope the Āzhvār’s mind has no monopolistic hold on you”.

(ii) My sole Refuge: The Āzhvār’s tongue is well aware of the fact that it is the Āzhvār’s mind that has sought refuge in + Read more

(i) The hands longing to experience the bliss, hitherto enjoyed solely by the tongue, addressed the Lord:

“Oh, Lord of the Celestials! the Āzhvār’s tongue praises you as well as the Celestials do. Why has this special favour been extended by you to the tongue alone and what is it that precludes you from making us also taste that bliss?”

(ii) Kṛṣṇa, the dark lad, + Read more

(i) The Āzhvār’s eyes pine for the experience of the hands besides their own. They long to enjoy the bliss of worshipping the Lord, thus performing the function of the hands. They also wish to truly (physically) behold His sweet Form, as distinguished from mere mental perception so that He can be touched and embraced.

(ii) That portion of this stanza (original) which + Read more

(i) The Āzhvār’s ears long both to see and hear and, therefore, drew up a picture, as above. The Lord moving on His merry mount, Garuḍa, must be seen by the ears which should also listen to the sweet strains emanating from the wings of that angelic bird, in flight, like unto the tuneful Sāma Veda (Bṛhat and Rantra Sāma).

(ii) As Vāmana or Tṛvikrama [Tṛvikrama], the + Read more

(i) The Āzhvār’s spirit either wants to grow ears or be transformed into ears to feast sumptuously on the songs singing the great glory of the Lord, the delicious fruits rendered sweeter, soaked and saturated with honey. If the songs are like unto fruits the tunes in which they are sung, sweeten them like honey.

(ii) Hearing such melodies as Sāma Veda and beholding + Read more

(i) From this stanza onwards, the Āzhvār narrates his own woes and wants. Hitherto, those of his senses were described. This is like the king narrating the miseries of his subjects first and then talking about his own.

(ii) It is difficult to live apart from one’s life. The Lord is not only dear to the Āzhvār like his own life but is also extremely delicious, the rare + Read more

(i) To the complaint made by the Āzhvār in the preceding song regarding the non-appearance of the Lord despite repeated calls, the Lord would appear to have observed that the Āzhvār should wait till the appropriate time for the bestowal of His grace. But the Āzhvār is quick to point out that ‘Time’ is also at the Lord’s beck and call and He is the sole Controller of ‘Time’, + Read more

(i) Indra, Chief of the Devas was dispossessed of his Kingdom by Māvali (Mahā Bali), the Asura Chief. The former prayed to Lord Viṣṇu for the restoration of the lost Kingdom. But then, Mahā Bali was a generous donor, although he belonged to the Asura clan. So, the Lord had to adopt the peculiar method of seeking alms from Bali for getting back the lost domain. Not being + Read more

Sage Nārada saw Nalakūpar and Maṇigrīva [Maṇigṛva], sons of Kubera, the Deity of Wealth, bathing in the river naked, and cursed them to become mere trees. Tied to a mortar by Queen Yaśodhā [Yasodha], as a punishment for His many pranks, Kṛṣṇa crawled on and hit the trees in question. The trees fell down and broke, releasing the regenerated Gandharvas from within. Sage + Read more

As the Āzhvār aspired for spiritual worldly bliss in this decad those that recite these ten stanzas are also assured of their ascent to spiritual world.