Nammazhvar, after listing Lord Narayana’s qualities, which make Him Supreme, orders his heart to worship Him. It is important to practice something before preaching. So Nammazhvar first instructs his heart to worship the Lord. He then gives us many verses, through which he shows us the One we should be devoted to for liberation. Nammazhvar’s opening verse in Thiruvaimozhi extols His feet. Nampillai writing about this verse gives Ramanujacharya’s explanation for this verse. Nammazhvar’s choice of words shows that He thinks of our sorrow as His own, elaborated Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse.
We see this concern for His devotees in the Rama avatara. Sugriva wants his brother Vali to be killed by Rama and Rama agrees, for He and Sugriva have become friends. Besides, Vali by taking away Sugriva’s wife and making her his own has committed a grave sin. So Rama kills Vali. Vali’s wife Tara and his son Angada are grief stricken. Even Sugriva becomes emotional. But everything comes to an end, even grieving for a loved one. And so, everyone stops crying after some time. But one sobbing voice continues to be heard. That is the voice of Rama! Rama cries because he is unable to bear Sugriva’s sorrow. If His devotees are unhappy, so is He. He sees their sorrow as His own.
Dasaratha fixes a date for Rama’s coronation and his subjects cannot wait for the happy event. Dasaratha asks them why they want to see Rama on the throne soon. He wants to know if he (Dasaratha) has done anything wrong, and that is why they want Rama to be king soon. Here Valmiki talks of a quality of Rama’s. He says if anyone in Ayodhya is sorrowful, Rama treats it as His own sorrow, and wants to help them. Such compassion also characterises a true Vaishnava.
