It is the tradition to call devotional hymns ‘paa maalai,’ a garland of verses that can never fade, as is the case with the Tiruppavai hymns that Andal offers to the Lord along with the garland of flowers. It is also a fact that if such devout hymns are always evergreen and strike a chord with like-minded bhaktas, it is owing to the inherent power or atma shakti in them that never diminishes even with the passage of time, pointed out Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse. It is possible to revisit the intense emotion and thought expressed in the devotional hymns of Azhwars every time they are recited, recalled or meditated upon.
Kulasekhara Azhwar’s bhakti bhava overflows as the Mukunda Mala Stotra and it is truly a ‘paa maalai’ that sings praises on the Lord’s endless auspicious qualities. The first and foremost bhava is paying obeisance and this is signified in the phrase Vande Mukundam Aravinda Dalaya Daksham. It is clear that by paying obeisance to the Lord the jivatma stands to benefit, as it gives him much Sreyas when God comes forward to save him from samsara. The epithet Aravinda Dalaya Daksham refers to the lotus eyed Lord. The Upanishads such as the Chandogya describe His eyes that resemble the lotus as His unique characteristic.
The Bhagavata purana states that when as Varaha He snorts and grunts, His eyes shine with brilliance to reveal His identity to Brahma and the rishis. In Narasimha avatar, His form is terrible but His eyes are full of compassion. In Rama avatar, He is always addressed as kamala patraksha; Sabhari realises Rama as the ultimate goal and resort. She says she has been purified by His kind glances. Markandeya tells Pandavas that Krishna is none other than the primordial Lord He had seen during the great deluge long back.
