Bhuthath Azhwar believes that devotion to the Lord is a sure means to mukti. In his hymns that comprise the second Tiruvandadi, he highlights the boundless compassion of the Lord whose unfathomable greatness is hailed even by the scriptures. But He is held to assume many forms such as Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Archa and Antaryami to enable us to know, approach and worship Him.
The first two find a place in his references to Paramapada and Tiruparkadal. When he sings on the archa form of the Lord at Tiruvengadam, many a time he shifts the focus to the Vibhava forms such as Rama and Krishna avatars as well, pointed out Sri A. K. Sundarrajan in a discourse. He recalls Rama avatar when beholding the Lord Srinivasa. Is He not the same Rama who assumed a human form in Treta Yuga to put an end to Ravana's atrocities? Of course, the Lord could have killed Ravana from His abode if only He wished. But He underwent many difficulties, crossed the ocean and went to Lanka to kill the demon. Even then, Rama hesitated to kill Ravana initially out of compassion. Valmiki, when extolling Rama's exceptional qualities, uses the epithet Jita-kroda, meaning one who has conquered anger. Rama had to summon His anger and then vanquish the demon. Likewise it is with the Lord's help that the jivatma can overcome the evil tendencies and vasanas.
Azhwar compares devotion to a lamp where the desire to savour His auspicious qualities is the ghee; the thoughts about the bliss of God experience in the mind is the wick. Any sincere devotee with such total awareness of the Lord in thought, word and deed, can light the flame of devotion and keep it alive. He alone can grant Moksha, and one can seek His grace to be freed from further birth.
