The Praise of God
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piṟavip peruṅgaḍal nīndhuvar nīndhār / iṟaivaṉ aḍisērā thār
Those who reach the Lord’s feet cross the vast sea of rebirth; those who do not reach them cannot cross.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“They swim the sea of births, the 'Monarch's' foot who gain; none others reach the shore of being's mighty main.”
“They alone cross the ocean of births and deaths who take refuge in the feet of the Lord: the others traverse it not.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இறைவன் அடி சேர்ந்தார் பிறவிப் பெருங்கடல் நீந்துவர் = இறைவன் அடி என்னும் புணையைச் சேர்ந்தார் பிறவியாகிய பெரிய கடலை நீந்துவர்; சேராதார் நீந்தார் = அதனைச் சேராதார் நீந்தமாட்டாராய் அதனுள் அழுந்துவர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those who reach the Lord’s feet, understood as a raft, cross the great sea of rebirth. Those who do not reach that raft cannot cross and sink within it. Rebirth is called a great sea because it continues without shore through an unbroken chain of cause and effect.