Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation

by S. Satyamurthi Ayyangar | 388,514 words

This is the English translation of the Tiruvaymoli (or, Thiruvaimozhi): An ancient Tamil text consisting of 1102 verses which were sung by the poet-saint Nammalvar as an expression of his devotion to Vishnu. Hence, it is an important devotional book in Vaishnavism. Nammalvar is one of the twelve traditional saints of Tamil Nadu (Southern India), kn...

Introduction to Section 3.8

While trying to sustain himself by recounting the glory of the Bhāgavatas (Lord’s devotees), as in the last decad, the Lord’s glorious traits and wondrous deeds were also dwelt upon, side by side, in each stanza of that decad, in view of the irresistible appeal of the latter. It may also be recalled that, in III-6-10 we could notice the Āḻvār’s deep anxiety to behold the Lord’s pair of legs dangling down the chariot on the battlefield at Kurukṣetra. And now, the other sense-organs of the Āḻvār compete with the eyes in the enjoyment of God. Each one of the Āḻvār’s senses, limbs and faculties, would appear to have acquired intelligence, the stature of sentient beings, on a par with the Āḻvār’s soul, with the result that there is the competitive exuberance on the part of the Āḻvār and his anatomical parts, come to life and capacitated for independent action, to get at the Lord individually and in the quickest possible manner and time. And, what is even more exciting is, each faculty aspires to transcend its functional limitations, resulting in an overlapping of functions as well. The hands would want to praise the Lord, the ears would long to drink deep of His nectarcan charm, the eyes would like to offer Him fruits and flowers, so on and so forth. Each sense yearning for the delight experienced by the other senses, is a very extraordinary state of affairs indeed! Does not the snake which does not have ears, as such, see and hear through the eyes only, the eyes performing the dual function of seeing and hearing, though not simultaneously? Again, the up-grading of the senses and limbs to the stature of sentient beings can only be compared to the Āḻvār being described, now and then, as melting down or getting dried up or cut into pieces, although the soul is beyond the mischief of the elements, cannot be burnt out by fire or drenched by water, or dried up by air or cleaved by weapons—vide Bhagavad Gītā 11-23 and 24.

The Āḻvār’s plight, in this decad, is like that of the members of a family in a famine-stricken area, who try to snatch the little food that is available from each other’s mouth, each one of them, driven to extreme hunger, being mindful of his or her own appeasement. And here, the Āḻvār’s senses, limbs and other faculties are vying with him, like unto the members of the famished family in question, for the appeasement of their own God-hunger and Godthirst. The Saint’s yearning for the Lord’s beatific vision is of such great depth that every moment of separation from the Beloved seems an age. His cry of anguish in this decad, melting even stony hearts has to be appreciated against this background.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: