(i) The material world taints people to an alarming extent. They plan ahead for a long stay here but death suddenly overtakes them like the thunderbolt. They set much store by their so called possessions, and sink into grief, when they get dispossessed due to loss by fire, theft etc. They are so miserably addicted to lucre as to look upon their dear money as even more
In the preceding pāśuram, Śrī Nammāzhvār lamented the "eṇṇārāth thuyar" (boundless sufferings) that pervade the material realm. Now, in this second verse, his divine compassion overflows as he focuses upon specific instances of this suffering. Overwhelmed with sorrow for the plight of other sentient beings (cetanās), the Āzhvār addresses Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, declaring,