Pasuram 3.6.8

Tamil text and transliteration:

துயரமே தரு துன்ப இன்ப வினைகள் ஆய் அவை அல்லன் ஆய்,
உயர நின்றது ஓர் சோதி ஆய் உலகு ஏழும் உண்டு உமிழ்ந்தான் தன்னை,
அயர வாங்கும் நமன் தமர்க்கு அரு நஞ்சினை அச்சுதன் தன்னை,
தயரதற்கு மகன் தன்னை அன்றி மற்று இலேன் தஞ்சமாகவே.

tuyaramē taru tuṉpa iṉpa viṉaikaḷ āy avai allaṉ āy,
uyara niṉṟatu ōr cōti āy ulaku ēḻum uṇṭu umiḻntāṉ taṉṉai,
ayara vāṅkum namaṉ tamarkku aru nañciṉai accutaṉ taṉṉai,
tayarataṟku makaṉ taṉṉai aṉṟi maṟṟu ilēṉ tañcamākavē.

English translation of verse 3.6.8:

I seek refuge in none but Tayarataṉ’s Son,
Accutaṉ (the Protector steadfast), the deadly poison
Unto Namaṉ’s cruel hordes, Who the worlds seven
Did once sustain and later spat them out
The heavenly light of splendour unique, dealing out,
Rewards and punishments for acts, good and bad
And yet by them, by no means affected.

Notes

(i) The Āḻvār declares his firm faith in Śrī Rāma (who incarnated as King Daśaratha’s son) as his sole Refuge, in order to infuse in others a similar interest in the Lord.

(ii) As the upaniṣads put it, the so-called rewards for good acts also operate as impediments for entry into Heaven and are thus no better then punishments undergone for bad acts. The best thing, therefore, is to look upon the Lord as the sole Refuge, the ‘Means’ and the ‘End’ rolled into one, instead of aspiring for the fruits of one’s actions.

(iii) Daśaratha’s son: The Lord was born as Rāma, Son of King Daśaratha, totally subservient to the father, subject to any kind of treatment at the latter’s will. The king would now say that he is gifting away the kingdom to Rāma and a little hence ask him to go into exile!

(iv) Speaking about taking refuge at the feet of the Lord, there are some passages in the Īṭu commentary, which are very interesting and instructive. The Image of Kṛṣṇa, the child, fond of eating butter, was worshipped by Śrī Rāmānuja, as the household God. One day, a disciple handed over to the Preceptor an Image of Śrī Rāma. Thereupon the Ācārya exclaimed; “Oh, He who did not impose the condition of seeking Him as sole Refuge, has come”. What was conveyed here by the great Preceptor was that Śrī Rāma was satisfied if one sought asylum in Him but once, saying that he belonged to Him. On the other hand, Śrī Kṛṣṇa laid down, “Resort to me as your sole Refuge”, as a spiritual rule, so to say. The statement that no more than affectionate yielding or non-opposition when the Lord’s grace is offered is needed as the price for salvation, only signifies the infinite mercy and readiness to reclaim, on the part of the Lord, as the great Redeemer of the straying Subjects. If, however, one started enumerating the positive qualifications on the part of the Individual to deserve the Lord’s grace, one has to begin with ‘implicit trust in, and abandonment to God’ (mahāviśvāsa), which again is very difficult of attainment indeed. If a traveller on a long seavoyage could trust himself to a mere floating wood (ship) and supplement it with a storage of food and water for six months, all inanimate things, should we not have some such confidence at least in God as our Means of salvation, that is, crossing the much bigger ocean of Saṃsāra?