Pasuram 5.1.5

Tamil text and transliteration:

கண்ணபிரானை விண்ணோர் கருமாணிக்கத்தை அமுதை,
நண்ணியும் நண்ணகில்லேன் நடுவே ஓர் உடம்பில் இட்டு,
திண்ணம் அழுந்தக் கட்டிப் பல செய்வினை வன் கயிற்றால்,
புண்ணை மறையவரிந்து என்னைப் போர வைத்தாய் புறமே.

kaṇṇapirāṉai viṇṇōr karumāṇikkattai amutai,
naṇṇiyum naṇṇakillēṉ naṭuvē ōr uṭampil iṭṭu,
tiṇṇam aḻuntak kaṭṭip pala ceyviṉai vaṉ kayiṟṟāl,
puṇṇai maṟaiyavarintu eṉṉaip pōra vaittāy puṟamē.

English translation of verse 5.1.5:

Oh, Kaṇṇā, I am near yet far from my nectar sweet,
The blue gem by Celestials adored, being put by you aside,
In a body by violent desires bound, neat outside
But full of dirt within and in blinding ignorance rendered weak.

Note

In this song, the Āḻvār expatiates on the heinous material contacts, referred to in the previous song. In the first two lines, he draws a picture of God-head, with melting tenderness, while, in the next two lines, he speaks of his own inglorious material shackles, with great abhorrence. Neatly cloaked outside, this body is but a bundle of guts and glands, blood and bones, nerves and muscles, dirt and delivery. But for the skin outside, it would become an easy prey to the greedy crows and man’s whole occupation would then be to keep off the crows from pecking at the human flesh. This body stands as a big barrier between the Āḻvār and the Lord and therefore it is that the Āḻvār lustily pleads for its removal.