Pasuram 2.9.2

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஈதே யான் உன்னைக் கொள்வது எஞ்ஞான்றும், என்
மை தோய் சோதி மணிவண்ண எந்தாய்,
எய்தா நின் கழல் யான் எய்த, ஞானக்
கைதா காலக் கழிவு செய்யேலே.

ītē yāṉ uṉṉaik koḷvatu eññāṉṟum, eṉ
mai tōy cōti maṇivaṇṇa entāy,
eytā niṉ kaḻal yāṉ eyta, ñāṉak
kaitā kālak kaḻivu ceyyēlē.

English translation of verse 2.9.2:

My lovely Lord, lustrous like the dark blue gem,
All that I pray unto you now and at all times.
Is that you do lend me the hand of wisdom,
To reach your feet, difficult to attain, with no loss of time.

Notes

(i) In the preceding song, the Āḻvār had categorically stated that he wanted nothing more than the Lord’s lovely pair of lotus feet being set firmly on his head. And yet, the Lord tempts the Āḻvār and asks him whether he would want anything more. The Āḻvār, however, stands his ground, all right and reaffirms that he wants nothing else.

Lord: Well, how long will you persevere in this attitude?” Āḻvār: “As long as you and I exist”.

Lord: “What made you so steadfast?”

Āḻvār: “Your exquisite charm”.

Lord: “And what should I do now?”

Āḻvār: “Pray, deign to make this vassal, your sole dependent, get at your lovely pair of feet, difficult to attain”.

(ii) About the lending of the hand of wisdom, here is an anecdote, very instructive.

Mutaliyāṇṭāṉ and Empār were colleagues and co-disciples of Śrī Rāmānuja. During a fairly long spell of absence of the former from Śrīraṅgam, a disciple of his stayed with Empār. One of those days, quite a few disciples of Empār were administered by him the five-fold sacraments enjoined for Śrī Vaiṣṇavas. The aforesaid disciple of Mutaliyāṇṭāṉ also got the sacraments from Empār along with the others. To an enquiry by Empār, whether the disciple in question had spiritual relationship with any other Preceptor, the answer was assuring enough and indicated that there was no other spiritual mentor. But then, when Mutaliyāṇṭāṉ returned to Śrīraṅgam, this particular disciple went back to him, and served him as before. When Empār got to know of this, he hurried to Mutaliyāṇṭāṉ and expressed regret for the administration of the Sacraments to the disciple in question during Āṇṭāṉ’s absence from the station. But Āṇṭāṉ’s magnanimity put Empār at ease, in no time. The former observed: “If two persons stretch out their hands to one fallen into a well, it is so much the easier both for the riser and the raisers”. The helping hand, in this case, refers to the spiritual knowledge imparted by both the preceptors.