If Māvali (Mahābali) was a peerless donor, the Lord too went to him as a peerless Seeker of alms! It was Bali’s infliction of unbearable miseries on the Devas, big and small, which made the otherwise discordant team (cutting at each other’s throat, one chopping the head of another, like unto the land-lords envious of the greatness of one another) combine together and appeal at the feet of Lord Mahāviṣṇu.
In this pāsuram, Āzhvār’s meditation turns to a quality of Emperumān that surpasses even His most celebrated acts of mercy, such as the merciful digging of the earth in His Varāha incarnation. Āzhvār mercifully speaks of the Lord's arthitva sāmarthyam—His unparalleled and profound ability to seek alms. Here, Bhagavān gives up His inherent supremacy, a nature far beyond