Pasuram 1.9.6

Tamil text and transliteration:

மாயன் என் நெஞ்சின் உள்ளான் மற்றும் எவர்க்கும் அதுவே,
காயமும் சீவனும் தானே காலும் எரியும் அவனே,
சேயன் அணியன் எவர்க்கும் சிந்தைக்கும் கோசரம் அல்லன்,
தூயன் துயக்கன் மயக்கன் என்னுடைத் தோளிணையானே.

māyaṉ eṉ neñciṉ uḷḷāṉ maṟṟum evarkkum atuvē,
kāyamum cīvaṉum tāṉē kālum eriyum avaṉē,
cēyaṉ aṇiyaṉ evarkkum cintaikkum kōcaram allaṉ,
tūyaṉ tuyakkaṉ mayakkaṉ eṉṉuṭait tōḷiṇaiyāṉē.

English translation of verse 1.9.6:

Ha! right in my heart is Māyaṉ (the wonderful Lord),
As in the case of none else; body and soul, wind and fire,
He at once is; near (unto some) and yet far (unto others).
Beyond mental reach of one and all is my impeccable Lord,
(Unto the unfortunate sceptics), elusive and confounding,
He is now on my shoulders firmly mounted.

Notes

(i) The Supreme Lord controls the bodies of the different species of beings and the Souls inside them, the elements and all. Easily accessible to the devout who depend solely on His voluntary grace, He is beyond the comprehension of those who seek to know Him through their own efforts. Of easy grasp by the recipients of His grace, He is elusive unto others, who, by dint of their Kārmik influence, either doubt His very existence or comprehend Him the wrong way, as one on a par with other minor deities, as one without form and attributes, so on and so forth.

(ii) Speaking about clarity and copfusion, precision and prevarication, in the above context, it is worth mentioning the following incident by way of illustrating that devotion and conviction go hand in hand and where devotion is wanting, there doubt, ignorance and bewilderment prevail.

(iii) Among the many listeners of Śrī Parāśara Bhaṭṭar’s scintillating discourses, there was a learned Pandit whom Bhaṭṭar, however, treated with no more than the barest ordinary courtesy. On the other hand, there was an aged Śrī Vaiṣṇava without any academic learning, whom Bhaṭṭar received with great respect and attention. A third party who felt puzzled over this marked disparity in treatment, and that too, in the reverse order, reverently approached Bhaṭṭar and prayed for clarification. Bhaṭṭar coolly replied, “You may come tomorrow as usual and watch. The parties in question will also come and I will tell you what it is”. The morning came, the Pandit first came and paid obeisance to Bhaṭṭar who, however, received him as usual with ordinary politeness; the third party was also with them by now, when Bhaṭṭar asked the learned Pandit: “Whom have you settled in your mind as the ‘Paratattva’ (ultimate Truth)?” The Pandit went about it, in a ponderous manner, full of doubts and uncertainty, quoting certain texts in favour of the Supremacy of Brahmā (who is but the demi-urge, the appointed agent for creation), some in favour of the overlordship of the All-pervading Viṣṇu and some others, establishing the Sovereign sway of Rudra (the appointed agent for destruction). Ultimately, he wound up by betraying his helplessness that, in the face of these conflicting texts, it would not be possible to arrive at any conclusion. At this stage, the aforesaid elderly person also arrived. Receiving him with great reverence, Bhaṭṭar asked: “Pray, who to you is the Ultimate Truth?” Pat came the reply, with pin-point precision: “I know of none other than Lord Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, whom you discourse about, all these days; I also know of no other truth than what you preach to us daily, namely, Śrī Rāmānuja is my sole Saviour, the Means as well as the End of my salvation”. Turning to the questioner of the previous day (third party) Bhaṭṭar said “I do hope You are now convinced that my attention to the elderly person is not misplaced. Now say, to whom I should bend”. Need it be added that the questioner was fully satisfied?