Even exalted persons, in the upper regions, including SriVaikuntam are not above the mischief of the senses. That being so, the Āzhvār’s fears are indeed well-founded, the more so, when he stays in this physical body and in this land of dark nescience. To cite but a few instances of the havoc played by the senses on noted personages, let us take first, Indra, the Chief
In the sixth pāśuram of this chapter, our revered Āzhvār voices a profound and desperate plea to Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. He questions the Lord, "If You, the ultimate refuge, were to abandon me, who is utterly feeble and without strength, would not these formidable senses—which can subjugate even the most knowledgeable and powerful souls—lead me to complete and irredeemable