Pasuram 5.8.1

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஆரா அமுதே! அடியேன் உடலம் நின்பால் அன்பாயே
நீராய் அலைந்து கரைய உருக்குகின்ற நெடுமாலே
சீர் ஆர் செந்நெல் கவரி வீசும் செழு நீர்த் திருக்குடந்தை
ஏர் ஆர் கோலம் திகழக் கிடந்தாய்! கண்டேன் எம்மானே! (2)

ārā amutē! aṭiyēṉ uṭalam niṉpāl aṉpāyē
nīrāy alaintu karaiya urukkukiṉṟa neṭumālē
cīr ār cennel kavari vīcum ceḻu nīrt tirukkuṭantai
ēr ār kōlam tikaḻak kiṭantāy! kaṇṭēṉ emmāṉē! (2)

English translation of verse 5.8.1:

Oh, non-satiate Nectar, Your form enchanting does enthral
And thaw my body down; in Tirukkuṭantai, the land fertile.
With bracing climate, paddy fields rich and plenty of water.
I’ve seen you reclining, my Lord, sweet indeed are you beyond measure.

Notes

(i) This decad which opens by addressing the Lord as ‘non-satiate Nectar’, has always had a special fascination for the great Ācāryas of yore. The Supreme Lord is an inexhaustible fountain of bliss and it was but meet that Nammāḻvār addressed the Lord at Tirukkuṭantai as above. All the same, this appellation sounded unique unto one Lōkaśāraṅga mahāmuni who lived in North India. When he enquired of a sojourner from South India as to whether there was any special news from the South, the latter said that, in that part of the country, people were chanting Saint Nammāḻvār’s Tiruvāymoḻi. When called upon by the Mahāmuni to cite a verse from the said work, the traveller said that he knew but one phrase, namely, “Ārā Amutē!” (non-satiate Nectar!). On hearing this sweet epithet, the Mahāmuni exlcaimed: “What! do they have an epithet like this also, when there are several others such as Nārāyaṇa etc.?” So saying, there and then, the Mahāmuni left for the holy land where this grand epithet of the Lord was current.

(ii) It is noteworthy that the Lord’s enthralling Form at Tirukkuṭantai makes even the Āḻvār’s body which is non-sentient, melt down in ecstasy, competing, as it were, with the Soul inside. Even as He is reclining on the Serpent-bed with eyes closed, it is very enchanting and one would want to enjoy it all the time. This is in dire contrast to us, humans, who present a trim appearance when we are up and moving, while, during sleep, we look very awkward indeed.