Introduction to Section 9.6

The Āḻvār’s yearning, in the last decad, was indeed too deep for words. At the same time, it has to be stressed that, if the Jñāni loves God dearly, He loves the Jñāni even more. And so, the Lord’s love for the Āḻvār also defies description. Stung by a deep sense of remorse over His laxity in not responding to the Āḻvār’s invitation, the Lord pondered over the step to be taken by Him to placate the Āḻvār. But then, if He straightaway presented Himself before the Āḻvār, in his present state of mind, he would just collapse, due to excessive joy. It was, therefore, expedient that the Āḻvār’s enjoyment of the Lord should be induced by stages, so as to be stable, without anything untoward happening. This was precisely the reason why Śrī Rāma despatched Hanumān first to meet Bharata and convey to him the news of His return from exile soon. It was only a day later, after availing of Sage Bharadvāja’s hospitality en route, that Rama met Bharata who was meanwhile getting ready to receive the elder, back home from His long exile. Lord Kṛṣṇa likewise adopted the ‘go-slow’ tactics by making a night-halt outside Hastināpur and going to the citadel, only the next day. Meanwhile, news had reached the ardent devotees like Vidhura, of the impending visit of the Lord on His famous errand to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s court. But for this phased programme, excessive joy due to the sudden arrival of Lord Kṛṣṇa would have upset those devotees and thrown them into a state of mental imbalance. In this particular case, the Lord who wished the Āḻvār to come and mingle with Him freely, stationed Himself at the pilgrim centre, known as Tirukkaṭittāṉam (in Kerala State). The Āḻvār, who got scent of it, felt greatly elated over the Lord’s overwhelming love for him. He gives vent to his resultant joy, in this decad.