Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation
by S. Satyamurthi Ayyangar | 388,514 words
This is the English translation of the Tiruvaymoli (or, Thiruvaimozhi): An ancient Tamil text consisting of 1102 verses which were sung by the poet-saint Nammalvar as an expression of his devotion to Vishnu. Hence, it is an important devotional book in Vaishnavism. Nammalvar is one of the twelve traditional saints of Tamil Nadu (Southern India), kn...
Pasuram 6.9.10
Tamil text and transliteration:
குறுகா நீளா இறுதிகூடா எனை ஊழி,
சிறுகா பெருகா அளவு இல் இன்பம் சேர்ந்தாலும்,
மறு கால் இன்றி மாயோன் உனக்கே ஆளாகும்,
சிறு காலத்தை உறுமோ அந்தோ தெரியிலே?
kuṟukā nīḷā iṟutikūṭā eṉai ūḻi,
ciṟukā perukā aḷavu il iṉpam cērntālum,
maṟu kāl iṉṟi māyōṉ uṉakkē āḷākum,
ciṟu kālattai uṟumō antō teriyilē?
English translation of verse 6.9.10:
Oh, wondrous Lord, the so-called bliss, in disembodied state
On final emancipation, is no doubt eternal and changeless at any time.
But, alas! can it ever match the bliss of service at Your feet
Even if it be but once and that, only for a short time?
Note
Reference to the petty pleasures, prompted by the five senses, was made by the Āḻvār in the last song. This would appear to have raised a doubt in the Lord’s mind whether or not the Āḻvār eschewed the ‘Kaivalya Mokṣa’, which was everlasting, undergoing no modification, at any time. The Āḻvār, therefore, hastens to clarify his stand in this regard, as well. The so-called bliss of enjoying one’s own self endlessly, in the disembodied state, is hardly worth a day’s purchase. It cannot stand any comparison with the bliss of rendering service at the Lord’s feet, even if it be for a short while.