Pasuram 3.8.7

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஆவியே! ஆர் அமுதே! என்னை ஆளுடைத்,
தூவி அம் புள் உடையாய்! சுடர் நேமியாய்,
பாவியேன் நெஞ்சம் புலம்பப் பலகாலும்,
கூவியும் காணப்பெறேன் உன கோலமே.

āviyē! ār amutē! eṉṉai āḷuṭait,
tūvi am puḷ uṭaiyāy! cuṭar nēmiyāy,
pāviyēṉ neñcam pulampap palakālum,
kūviyum kāṇappeṟēṉ uṉa kōlamē.

English translation of verse 3.8.7:

You are my very Soul, the nectar dear,
(Garuḍa), the bird with lovely plumes, my redeemer,
Is your glorious mount, You are the wielder
Of the discus resplendent, Your form exquisite,
This sinner couldn’t behold, as yet,
Tho’ many a time, my anguished mind called you out.

Notes

(i) From this stanza onwards, the Āḻvār narrates his own woes and wants. Hitherto, those of his senses were described. This is like the king narrating the miseries of his subjects first and then talking about his own.

(ii) It is difficult to live apart from one’s life. The Lord is not only dear to the Āḻvār like his own life but is also extremely delicious, the rare Nectar.

(iii) Once the mind is bent towards God and steeped in enjoying Him, there is no question of the woes still sticking on. Perhaps such benefits accruing to other minds are denied to the Āḻvār’s mind because of his heavy sins, according to him. While it would suffice if He is called but once, in this case, by calling Him out repeatedly, the Āḻvār has contravened his essential nature (Svarūpa) and yet, the Lord has not materialised, a double loss indeed!