(i) The mate says that the Nāyakī cannot fix her mind on anything else, having been enthralled by the exquisite beauty of the Lord enshrined in Tiruppuliyūr in Kuṭṭanāṭu (present Kerala State) and she keeps on uttering His names alone. This pilgrim centre is one of the thirteen centres, sung by the Āzhvārs, in Kerala State. There is another pilgrim centre bearing the same + Read more

The mate goes on repeating, “what can I do for this lady’s condition?” just to impress upon the elders that she was not a party to this involvement of the Nāyakī and that it was a sudden development, of which neither she nor they had any inkling. Besides uttering the Lord’s holy names, the Nāyakī is said to be all praises for Tiruppuliyūr which abounds in fertile fields + Read more

Here is another grand poetic imagery, the Lord of bluish tint entering the battlefield, wielding the dazzling discus and other weapons of rare excellence, being likened to the blue sea set ablaze, moving about with flames all around. Even as Sītā locked herself up in the sweet embrace of the great warrior, Śrī Rāma, the Vīra Rāghava Who stood victorious in front of her, + Read more

Lost in admiration of the enchanting environments of Tiruppuliyūr, the Nāyakī goes on describing its fauna and flora, the rich fields with extensive cultivation and all that with great delight. And then, she goes into raptures over the role of the Deity there, as the great Protector of the entire universe and talks about it, days on end, in a manner very much out of the + Read more

The mate is gradually getting into the thick of the subject, by way of adducing incontrovertible evidence of the Nāyakī’s involvement with the Deity at Tiruppuliyūr, in order to convince the Nāyakḻ’s mother, still bent upon binding her daughter to the earthly home and heart'. The mate’s initial suspicion about the Nāyakī’s intimacy with the Deity at Tiruppuliyūr gets confirmed + Read more

The arecanut trees in Tiruppuliyūr do not thrive on water but are fed by His grace. If the Nāyakī’s lips are also red like the arecanut fruits of that place, it only shows that she is also the recipient of His sweet grace. According to her mate, there are very many indications of her revelling in His grace, since long. Her reddened lips, with a special glow, not so pronounced before, the aftermath of her union with the Lord, put the whole matter beyond all doubt.

“Even the inanimate things of Tiruppuliyūr live in close amity, moving hand in gloves; in such a glorious setting, the Nāyakī would appear to have mingled with the presiding Deity of the place and got on very well with Him,” says the mate unto the elders.

(i) “The Nāyakī would appear to have been attracted by the vedic rites and rituals, in full swing, in Tiruppuliyūr and gone in union with the presiding Deity of the place.” says the mate. The mate is not in a position to say anything more about the Nāyakī. Could it be said that the Nāyakī was subservient to her mate or that the mate was also a party to the excesses committed + Read more

The Nāyakī speaks of nothing but Tiruppuliyūr, the exquisite form of the Lord enshrined there, the vedic chantings of the devotees over there and the lush fields and luscious fruits in plentiful supply. The mate avers that this clearly points to the Nāyakī’s involvement with the Deity over there.

The mate now adduces yet another evidence which conclusively establishes the fact of the Nāyakī’s contact with the Lord at Tiruppuliyūr. The fragrance of tulaci, the Nāyakī’s person exudes, is the tell-tale, betraying her contact with the Lord, who wears the aromatic tuḻaci garland on His crown, chest and shoulders. “Could there at all be any other reason for this special aroma on the Nāyakī’s person?”, the Mate emphatically asks.

(i) The chanters of this decad are assured of the attainment of the final goal, namely, eternal service unto the Lord. The Āzhvār describes himself as the vassal unto him that stands last in the long chain of the Lord’s devotees, steepep [steeped?] in His loving service. Evidently, this sets the pace for the decad, that immediately follows, highlighting service unto the + Read more