(i) The quintessence of the Lord’s message in Bhagavad Gītā is in the ‘Carama Śloka’ (XVIII-66), that which treats of the final or the ultimate ‘Means’, the loving path of surrender unto God, taking Him as the Sole Refuge, the ‘Means’ and the ‘End’ combined. This song is virtually a commentary of that Ślokā, vide also the closing aphorism (289) of ‘Mumukṣuppaṭi’ (Lokācārya’s
In this tenth pāsuraṃ, Āzhvār elevates his contemplation from the many favours Emperumān bestows upon chētanas while they remain entangled within this material realm of saṃsāra, to the most supreme and unparalleled favour of all. Herein, Āzhvār mercifully explains the Lord’s ultimate act of grace: His accepting the surrendered souls at His divine feet, thereby ensuring