Pasuram 8.5.8

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஒக்கும் அம்மான் உருவம்என்று உள்ளம் குழைந்து நாள்நாளும்
தொக்க மேகப் பல்குழாங்கள் காணும்தோறும் தொலைவன்நான்
தக்க ஐவர் தமக்காய்அன்று ஈர்ஐம்பதின்மர் தாள்சாயப்
புக்கநல்தேர்த் தனிப்பாகா! வாராய் இதுவோ பொருத்தமே?

okkum ammāṉ uruvameṉṟu uḷḷam kuḻaintu nāḷnāḷum
tokka mēkap palkuḻāṅkaḷ kāṇumtōṟum tolaivaṉnāṉ
takka aivar tamakkāyaṉṟu īraimpatiṉmar tāḷcāyap
pukkanaltērt taṉippākā! vārāy ituvō poruttamē?

English translation of verse 8.5.8:

Every time I see the gathering clouds, I am by Your memory stung,
My Lord, Your fame as the devotee’s henchman is far flung,
As [Arujuna’s] charioteer unique, You led to victory the worthy five,
Their hundred cousins crumbling down yet down you don’t dive
And regale me [in that very Form],
Is this how You do unto Your fame conform?

Notes:

Here is the Āḻvār who sees in the rain-clouds, gathered up above, the Lord’s likeness and is haunted by His memory, unlike the worldlings who would think of such clouds only in terms of the rainfall and the bumper crop. Even the Pāṇḍavas, on whose behalf the Lord underwent immense hardships and did even the menial service of driving Arjuna’s chariot, were not of the grand calibre of the Āḻvār. And yet, the Lord known for His readiness to serve His devotees, does not deign to appear before the Āḻvār and satisfy his craving to behold Him and feast his eyes on His insatiable beauty. The Āḻvār’s poser, as in this song, would seem to raise grave doubts about the veracity of the great epic of Mahā Bhārata, the wondrous deeds performed by the Lord and His breath-taking activities on behalf of His devotees, establishing His fame as a partisan of His devotees. Could it be mere propaganda, carried on, through His hirelings, the sages?