Avatārikai (Introduction)
In this pāśuram, the Āzhvār, assuming the persona of a male lover (nāyaka), addresses the female companions of his beloved (nāyikā), who is Parāṅkuśa Nāyakī. He beseeches them, saying, “O, you maidens, as graceful and tender as blossoming creepers (valli), you who are blessed to reside upon the sacred northern slopes of holy Tiruvenkaḍam,