Pasuram 9.1.4

Tamil text and transliteration:

அரணம்ஆவர் அற்றகாலைக்கு என்றென்று அமைக்கப்பட்டார்
இரணம்கொண்ட தெப்பர்ஆவர் இன்றியிட்டாலும் அஃதே
வருணித்துஎன்னே? வடமதுரைப்பிறந்தவன் வண்புகழே
சரண்என்றுஉய்யப் போகல்அல்லால் இல்லைகண்டீர் சதிரே.

araṇamāvar aṟṟakālaikku eṉṟeṉṟu amaikkappaṭṭār
iraṇamkoṇṭa tepparāvar iṉṟiyiṭṭālum aḵtē
varuṇittueṉṉē? vaṭamaturaippiṟantavaṉ vaṇpukaḻē
caraṇeṉṟuuyyap pōkalallāl illaikaṇṭīr catirē.

English translation of verse 9.1.4:

The men we court and pamper, after reflection deep,
As our certain saviours, in times of dire need,
Are helpless themselves and will thus betray us indeed;
’Tis no use talking about these ungratefuls, we will do well instead,
To turn our thougpts on the glory great of the One,
In North Maturai born, for our salvation lies therein alone.

Notes:

(i) Even those, who are currently well off, apprehend the possibility of lean days overtaking them and, therefore, lean, right from now, on some one in whom they have great confidence. But that very person, looked upon as their prospective saviour and pampered heavily, miserably lets them down, at the crucial moment. In Taittirīya Saṃhitā, First Kāṇḍa, fifth praśna, it is said that, in an encounter with the Asuras, the Devas once attained victory. Apprehending, however, the probability of their suffering defeat, in their next encounter with the Asuras, the Devas deposited with ‘Agni’ (Fire-God) their choicest wealth, as a stand-by, to fall back upon, during those dark days of defeat. The Fire-God, however, appropriated all that wealth unto himself and deserted them. Actually, those persons who are chosen as our prospective guardians and unto whom we entrust all our precious hoardings, knock them off, as if it was but a repayment of the debt we owed them earlier. Even assuming that the person, in whom we pin such a robust faith, is one of great integrity and, therefore, highly dependable, it is just possible that he suddenly passes away and leaves us in the lurch, at the crucial moment, dreaded by us so much.

(ii) Did not Śrī Rāma chide Lakṣmaṇa that the latter would do well to recount Bharatā’s greatness, any length of time, much to his (Rāma’s) delectation but desist from indulging in a tirade against Kaikeyi? Even so, the Āḻvār says that we will do well to meditate on the great qualities of the Lord, instead of wasting our breath in denouncing the ungrateful men of the world. There is no greater good than such sweet contemplation of the Lord, who bestows on us, the eternal reward of Heaven for the mere submission of ours to Him, “I belong to You, I am Yours”. On the other hand, the result achieved by hanging on to others will hardly be commensurate with the effort put in by the supplicant.