Pasuram 8.3.6

Tamil text and transliteration:

பணியாஅமரர் பணிவும் பண்பும் தாமேஆம்
அணியார் ஆழியும் சங்கமும் ஏந்தும் அவர் காண்மின்
தணியா வெம்நோய் உலகில் தவிர்ப்பான் திருநீல
மணியார்மேனியோடு என்மனம் சூழவருவாரே.

paṇiyāamarar paṇivum paṇpum tāmēām
aṇiyār āḻiyum caṅkamum ēntum avar kāṇmiṉ
taṇiyā vemnōy ulakil tavirppāṉ tirunīla
maṇiyārmēṉiyōṭu eṉmaṉam cūḻavaruvārē.

English translation of verse 8.3.6:

The Supreme Lord, served and adored by the Celestials in Heaven.
Who know no Master other than He. has into this world come down,
Wielding the conch and discus, like unto lovely jewels,
Displaying His Form exquisite of saphire hue, the panacea for all ills;
Bewildered is my mind whether any evil shall on Him befall.

Notes:

(i) The Lord’s exquisite charm is such as to excite the fear, (needless, of course, in that holy Land of the Celestials in Heaven) in regard to His safety. As elucidated, time and again, such an attitude stems from the inordinate love borne by them for the Lord whose rare charm and effulgence, just like all good things loved and longed for, excite, rightly or wrongly, fears regarding their durability. Such being the case, it is no wonder, the Āḻvār grew apprehensive of the safety of the Lord, who has come down, in all His splendour, to this dark land of dirt and devilry.

(ii) The Celestials, referred to, in the first line of this song, are the ‘Nitya Sūrīs’, the ever-free angles in heaven, as distinguished from the ‘Muktas’, the souls that reached heaven, after emancipation from the bondage of birth and rebirth, that dreadful cyclic operation. Unlike the latter, the former have the unique distinction of never having prostituted and defiled their head and tongue by bowing before the unworthy and singing their praise.