Introduction to Section 2.7

In the seventh stanza of the last decad, the Āḻvār had mentioned that the Lord’s benevolent grace did not stop with him alone but overflowed its continents and extended to all those connected with him in the preceding and succeeding generations as well. Overwhelmed by this extraordinary benevolence of the Lord the Āḻvār expatiates on it in this decad.

Of the numerous auspicious traits of the Lord extension of His love and care not only to His devotees but all those associated with them, is indeed exemplary.

After Rāvaṇa was slain by Śrī Rāma, Vibhīṣaṇa was called upon to perform the funeral rites of his brother. But then Vibhīṣaṇa demurred, saying that he would not do any such thing for such a great sinner as Rāvaṇa. Śrī Rāma (the very personification of Grace) had, however, no bitterness towards Rāvaṇa and all the bitterness was only on the part of Rāvaṇa, an one-sided affair! Now that Rāvaṇa was dead he would no longer repel Śrī Rāma’s good offices, that is, if Vibhīṣaṇa performed the funeral rites at Śrī Rāma‘s bidding. If Vibhīṣaṇa still demurred and declined to act, Śrī Rāma would do it himself; if Vibhīṣaṇa was a brother unto Rāma, so was Rāvaṇa, as Vibhīṣaṇa’s brother. There are several other instances where the Lord extended the area of His benevolence, bringing within its purview all those associated with His devotees. This is being illustrated in this Tiruvāymoḻi.

The Lord’s twelve principal names, Keśava, Nārāyaṇa etc., are dealt with in these stanzas, in the same order in which these names are recited by the devotees in the course of their diurnal prayers. There are, therefore, 13 stanzas in this decad (12+1 end-song), as against the usual 11 stanzas (10+1 end-stanza).