Pasuram 9.2.1

Tamil text and transliteration:

பண்டைநாளாலே நின்திருஅருளும் பங்கயத்தாள் திருஅருளும்
கொண்டு நின்கோயில் சீய்த்து பல்படிகால் குடிகுடிவழிவந்து ஆட்செய்யும்
தொண்டரோர்க்குஅருளி சோதிவாய்திறந்து உன்தாமரைக்கண்களால் நோக்காய்
தெண்திரைப் பொருநல் தண்பணைசூழ்ந்த திருப்புளிங்குடிக் கிடந்தானே! (2)

paṇṭaināḷālē niṉtiruaruḷum paṅkayattāḷ tiruaruḷum
koṇṭu niṉkōyil cīyttu palpaṭikāl kuṭikuṭivaḻivantu āṭceyyum
toṇṭarōrkkuaruḷi cōtivāytiṟantu uṉtāmaraikkaṇkaḷāl nōkkāy
teṇtiraip porunal taṇpaṇaicūḻnta tiruppuḷiṅkuṭik kiṭantāṉē! (2)

English translation of verse 9.2.1:

Oh, Lord, reclining in Tiruppuḷiṅkuṭi whose fields fertile are fed
By the limpid waters of ‘Porunaḻ’, may You Your grace shed
On us, by you and (Lakṣmi) the lotus-born, duly blest
To serve, generation after generation, in Your vicinity sweet,
And utter from Your radiant lips words nice,
Casting glances sweet from Your lotus eyes.

Notes:

(i) The Āḻvār, who seeks refuge in none but the Lord, beseeches Him to quench his God-thirst by addressing nice words unto him and cast His sweet glances on him. While making this prayer, the Saint gratefully acknowledges the influx of the combined grace of the Divine Couple on him, through successive generations, unremittingly engaged in Divine Service. Actually, in strict chronological sequence, it was the benevolent grace of the Divine Mother that was first shed on the Āḻvār, which, in turn, led to the bestowal on him of the Lord’s grace, as well. It is by dint of such grace that the votaries render the appropriate kinds of service in the temples at holy pilgrim centres. Of the various kinds of service one can render, sweeping and cleansing the temple premises, ensuring their tidiness, secure the pride of place. Even Tirukkaṇṇamaṅkai Āṇṭāṉ, about whom there is a striking anecdote, in the esoteric treatise known as ‘Śrīvacana Bhūṣaṇaṃ’, who had given up all bodily activities, persisted in rendering such service. He had, no doubt, entrusted himself to the Lord’s sole keeping and yet, he deemed cleaning the temple premises as an end in itself, for the simple reason that one can easily perceive the difference between an area already cleaned and one yet to be cleaned, purely from an aesthetic point of view.

(ii) Glances from the Lord's lotus eyes: When Piḷḷai Tevapperumāl Arayar, the temple bard, sang this song in the august assembly in front of Lord Raṅganātha, he went on repeating the phrase, “Turn on me the glances sweet from your lotus eyes”. Pat came the admonition from his father, Āḻvār Tiruvaraṅka Perumāḻ Arayar, as follows: “Why do you, my son, plague the Lord with such plaintive appeals? Has He not blessed you with a sweet voice to chant the sweet canticles of the Āḻvārs? Has He not also bestowed on you enough, by way of riches and children? What more do you want from the Lord so as to pester Him with such meltingly plaintive appeals? Go ahead witty your recital”.