Second Centum, in retrospect (Decad-wise Summary)

(2-1): The traumatic experience of the Saint, longing for the external (physical) perception of the Lord and stung by the poignancy of separation from that priceless blue-gem, the darling of the celestials, described by him in I-10-11, is set out in vivid colours in the first decad; thrown into a state of deep dejection, the Āḻvār stands transformed once again as a forlorn female lover;

(2-2): The erstwhile gloom of the God-lover, sunk deep in dejection, is found to have vanished, in to to, in the second decad, consequent upon his exhilarating union with the Lord, the pendulum having swung to the other end; in such an exultant mood, the Saint highlights the Lord’s supremacy vis-a-vis Brahmā and Rudra, the possible contenders for this position of eminence, in the light of the wondrous deeds performed by the Lord during His incarnations;

(2-3): In the third decad, the Saint gives vent to the joy of his reunion with the enchanting Lord, an inexhaustible fountain of bliss;

(2-4): In the fourth decad, we sec the Āḻvār, thrown into deep dejection back again, inasmuch as his longing for entry into the gatherings of the devotees and singing profusely the glory of the Lord in their steadfast company, did not materialise; assuming once again the overtones of a frustrated lover. The Nāyaki’s grief is too deep for words and the gnostic mother comes on the scene and seeks clarification from the Lord as to what He proposes to do with the poor little victim, her daughter;

(2-5): Beholding, once again, the joyous Lord in all His splendour and paraphernalia, the Saint feels immensely delighted and narrates his ecstatic experience, in the fifth decad; the Lord meets the aspiration of the Āḻvār by conferring on him the heavenly bliss longed for by him, right here;

(2-6): In the sixth decad, the Āḻvār hastens to assure the Lord that he shall not part from Him any more, finding Him at the height of His joy of union with him but nevertheless apprehensive of the possibility of his slipping away, overwhelmed by His transcendent glory;

(2-7): In the seventh decad, the Āḻvār expatiates on the extraordinary benevolence of (he Lord, in extending His grace to all those associated with him, seven generations back and forth;

(2-8): In the eighth decad, the Āḻvār, swayed by boundless compassion for the suffering humanity, turns round and advises them to get into the Divine fold, taking due note of the fact that the Lord is the one and only granter of Mokṣa, the bind bliss, ridding them of their terrific involvement in the dreadful cycle of birth and death; (This is the second time the Āḻvār addresses the world, the first was in I-2.)

(2-9): In the ninth decad the Āḻvār pinpoints the concept of ‘Puruṣārta’, the ultimate value or final goal of every individual, the emphasis resting on the Lord’s voluntary dispensation, out of His free will and spontaneous grace, individual gratification of one’s own desire receding to the background altogether; what a lofty train of thought, totally bereft of egoistic impulses and putting the entire weight on the Lord!

(2-10): In the concluding decad of this Centum, the Āḻvār exhorts people to propitiate the hilarious Mount Tirumāliruñcōlai (near Mathurai, in Tamil Nāḍu) his predilections extending, even to the other hills, in and around and the very route leading thereto; the Āḻvār advises people to go to this pilgrim centre, while still young and before the sensual pleasures get hold of the rising youth and distract it.