Pasuram 5.7.10

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஆறு எனக்கு நின் பாதமே சரண் ஆகத் தந்தொழிந்தாய் உனக்கு ஓர்கைம்
மாறு நான் ஒன்று இலேன் எனது ஆவியும் உனதே
சேறு கொள் கரும்பும் பெரும் செந்நெலும் மலி தண் சிரீவரமங்கை
நாறு பூந் தண் துழாய் முடியாய்! தெய்வ நாயகனே!.

āṟu eṉakku niṉ pātamē caraṇ ākat tantoḻintāy uṉakku ōrkaim
māṟu nāṉ oṉṟu ilēṉ eṉatu āviyum uṉatē
cēṟu koḷ karumpum perum cennelum mali taṇ cirīvaramaṅkai
nāṟu pūn taṇ tuḻāy muṭiyāy! teyva nāyakaṉē!.

English translation of verse 5.7.10:

Oh, Teyvanāyakā, You wear on Your crown tuḷaci garland of fragrance sweet
And grace cool cirīvaramaṅkai, with paddy and sugarcane in plenty;
As my sole refuge. You have unto me vouchsafed Your lovely feet;
How indeed can 1 repay You for this gracious bounty?
Even my soul is Yours and there’s nothing I can unto you offer

Notes

(i) ‘Teivanāyakaṉ is the name of the Deity, enshrined in Vāṉamāmalai, meaning the overlord of all godlings, the Supreme Lord.

(ii) This decad began by emphasising the resourcelessness of the Āḻvār, that is, absence of any means other than the Lord Himself, (ākiñcanya). And now, in this concluding song, the Āḻvār compliments himself on the strength of his conviction that the Lord is at once the Means and the End and that the Lord’s lovely feet, the ultimate destination, constitute the Means as well, his sole refuge. Giving up the means which have śāstraic backing and desisting from the pursuit of the prescribed paths of discipline, should not, however, be construed as being tantamount to atheism or loss of faith in the sanctity of the Scriptures. The point driven home here is the Āḻvār’s robust faith and love in the Supreme Lord as the Means and the End, rolled into one, and sticking to Him exclusively. This is like Service unto the Lord taking precedence over the daily rituals enjoined by the Śāstras. No harm will accrue to the Subject by skipping over the rituals, in this particular context, even as the snake-charmer, armed with the requisite herbal antidote, inserts his hand into the viper’s mouth with impunity. Any other person, not so equipped, will meet certain death, if he ventures to take liberties with the poisonous snake; likewise, it will be grievously wrong to give up the religious pursuits enjoined by the Śāstras, when not actually engaged in Divine Service.

(iii) Aphorism 19 of “Ācārya hṛdayam” succinctly brings out the difference between those who pin their faith to the eight-syllabled ‘Tirumantra’, inculcating a sense of total surrender to His grace and complete subservience to the Lord as His eternal vassal and those guided by other texts. The latter category (Śāstrajñas, well-versed in Śāstras) can be likened to those trying to swim across deep waters, clinging to an inflated tube or raft with one hand and oaring with the other-a combination of the light obtained from the Śāstras with their own individual effort. The former category is like unto those seated on the cross planks of a boat (the Lord’s grace) launched into the waters, eagerly looking forward to reaching the shore, thus depending entirely on the Lord’s grace, with no effort of their own.

(iv) Called upon by the Lord to offer unto Him whatever the Āḻvār deems proper by way of expressing his gratitude to Him for sustaining in him such a strong conviction, the Āḻvār submits that there is nothing of his own to offer and even his soul actually belongs to Him. The Āḻvār says: “How can this insignificant self pay you back, the overlord of the exalted Devas? You are the incessant Benefactor and You are so full, above wants of any kind, that you need hardly anything from me. While there are those who care not for your favours and engage themselves in mad pursuit of food and raiment, there are also the silly brats who fancy that they have requited you for favours received at your hands”.