Introduction to Section 1.3

In the first decad of this centum, the Āḻvār spoke of the Super-eminent glory of the Lord and, in the very next decad, he exhorted the worldlings to turn their minds God-ward and get absorbed in Him, with whole-hearted devotion. But then, they felt that they were no better than the man, lame of both hands, being required to mount an elephant. Now, in this decad, the Āḻvār puts them at ease by depicting the disarming simplicity of the Lord, like unto an elephant making itself so pliable as to enable even such a lame man to mount it easily. Speaking about the Supreme Lord’s easy accessibility (saulabhya), the Aḻvār at once conjures up the vision of His being tied down to a mere pounder, when He, as Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy, got caught in the act of stealing butter—the very antithesis of His transcendent glory as the consort of Śrī Mahā Lakṣmī, residing on His winsome chest. Oh, what a contrast and what an amazing simplicity, which literally struck the poet dumb, nay, sent him into a deep trance, lasting six months! Here is an episode of episodes, melting down the hearts of the true devotees into running rivulets. As Śrī Vedānta Dēśika says, in his rapturous composition ‘Yādavābhyudaya mere contemplation of this episode leads to our release from bondage.