Pasuram 5.1.4

Tamil text and transliteration:

என் கொள்வன் உன்னை விட்டு என்னும் வாசகங்கள் சொல்லியும்,
வன் கள்வனேன் மனத்தை வலித்து கண்ண நீர் கரந்து,
நின்கண் நெருங்கவைத்தே எனது ஆவியை நீக்ககில்லேன்,
என்கண் மலினம் அறுத்து என்னைக்கூவி அருளாய்கண்ணனே!

eṉ koḷvaṉ uṉṉai viṭṭu eṉṉum vācakaṅkaḷ colliyum,
vaṉ kaḷvaṉēṉ maṉattai valittu kaṇṇa nīr karantu,
niṉkaṇ neruṅkavaittē eṉatu āviyai nīkkakillēṉ,
eṉkaṇ maliṉam aṟuttu eṉṉaikkūvi aruḷāykaṇṇaṉē!

English translation of verse 5.1.4:

Oh Kaṇṇā, I, a terrible thief, uttered words insincere
That I would think of none but you and now, may I implore
That you do forcibly reclaim my wayward mind with its woeful tears
And fix it on you besides ridding me of nescience dark
And lifting me up to you, away from the mesh intricate
(Of worldly life), whence my soul I am unable to extricate.

Note

There are two ways of appreciating the genesis of this song. The first is: “My Lord, You have no doubt redeemed my mind but I am still apprehensive of slipping back to my old ways, because of the impact of this material body and the mundane surroundings. I, therefore, pray that you be pleased to steer me clear of the material contacts and lift me up to your feet in Heaven”. The other elucidation is: In the preceding song, the Alvar declared that he had attained the Lord from whom he could not be separated any more. But that was only a mental appreciation while the Āḻvār longed for physical contact as well and actually held out his hand to clasp the Lord. The Lord could not be got hold of physically and the Āḻvār was quick to realise that it was not possible because of his material shackles. Hence, he prays unto the Lord to cut these out and make him stay at His feet for ever.

Terrible thief: The Āḻvār played the thief in two ways: While he was actually steeped in sensual pleasures, he addressed the Lord, professing great piety, that he thought of none but Him and things of that sort. Again, by holding himself as the Master of his soul which actually vested in the Lord, he had committed theft, a serious one, at that. The magnitude of a theft is determined by the value of the thing stolen and the rank and eminence of its owner. Seeing that the Jiva (Individual Soul) is the coveted possession of the Supreme Lord, the theft committed by the Āḻvār is terrible indeed.

It is indeed a very difficult task to wean the mind away from its escapades and ungodly pursuits and the Āḻvār has given it up, as one much beyond his capacity. Only the Almighty Lord could do it and hence His intervention has been sought.