(i) The Āzhvār does not straightaway say what he intends to preach, in this decad. He begins by stating his own case, namely, that his tongue shall sing exclusively the glory of the Lord at Tiruvēṅkaṭam. the holy Mount and its fauna and flora. The individual Soul is as good as non-existent, when it does not turn its thoughts on God and sustain itself by singing His glory.
In this inaugural pāśuram of the chapter, our glorious Nammāzhvār, desiring to bestow his grace upon worldly souls, sets out to advise them against the spiritually ruinous practice of praising petty, undeserving mortals. However, as the venerable ācāryas explain, before delivering his counsel, Āzhvār first mercifully reveals his own unshakeable conviction and personal