Pasuram 6.9.9

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஆவி திகைக்க ஐவர் குமைக்கும் சிற்றின்பம்,
பாவியேனைப் பல நீ காட்டிப் படுப்பாயோ,
தாவி வையம் கொண்ட தடம் தாமரை கட்கே,
கூவிக் கொள்ளும் காலம் இன்னம் குறுகாதோ?

āvi tikaikka aivar kumaikkum ciṟṟiṉpam,
pāviyēṉaip pala nī kāṭṭip paṭuppāyō,
tāvi vaiyam koṇṭa taṭam tāmarai kaṭkē,
kūvik koḷḷum kālam iṉṉam kuṟukātō?

English translation of verse 6.9.9:

My Lord, won’t you cut out the interval and in Heaven bind
Me unto Your lotus feet large which spanned the wprlds
Or do You intend to finish this sinner off and confound my mind,
Keeping me unto petty pleasures of the senses five exposed?

Notes

(i) The Āḻvār prays unto the Lord that He need no longer persevere in the dangerous experiment of keeping him in this land of nescience, where the senses have free play. Nampiḷḷai, in his unique diction, would put it, as a preamble to this song, the Āḻvār telling the Lord, “You ask me what mischief You have pḷayed unto me; let me tell You that Your exposing me to the vagaries of the senses is the farthest limit up to which Your mischief can go. I very well knew, the day You put me in this harrowing world, You actually buried me alive and put spadefuls of earth on top”.

(ii) When Nañciyar was at the bed side of ailing Tirukkuru-kaippirāṉ Piḷḷāṉ (one of the commentators of Tiruvāy-moḻi), the latter was heard repeating the last line of this song (as in the original text), “Will not the final call from Heaven come quick?”. Nañcīyar started sobbing, on hearing this, pained by the thought of the master passing away from their midst. The illustrious Piḷḷāṉ, however, called the Cīyar to order, asking him, “What indeed moves you thus, to tears? Do you really think that the Heavenly bliss is inferior to our sojourn here?”