Translated by Sri Vanamamalai Padmanabhan

I. The Self

SwAmi PiLLai LokAchAryar explains the Self with six features attributable to the self.

i. Different from the physical body;
ii. Permanent;
iii. Not subject to transformation;
iv. Atomic;
v. Seat of knowledge and happiness;
vi. Owned by EmperumAn and is paranthanthran to Him.

i. Different from that of the body: AtmA is different from that of the body.

(adiyEn uLLAn udAl uLLan — thiruvAymozhi 8-8-2 : The Lord is in the AtmAn and also the body which means that the Atman and body are different.)

ii. Permanent: Not subject to either creation nor death. Then what is birth and death? Birth is the Atman being settling in the body and death is release from the body. (AtmA cannot be burnt by fire not doused by water or tortured by weapons – Srimadh Bhagavad GitA)

iii. Not subject to Transformation: The soul neither grows nor depletes or deteriorates.

iv. Atomic: The AtmA is atomic.

v. The Atman is seat of knowledge and happiness.

vi. The Atman is EmperumAn’s : As mentioned by Thirumangai AzhwAr in Periya Thriumozhi

"..madai Ar nIlam vayal sUzh thriukkaNNapuram udaiyAnukku, adiyEn oruvaRku vuriyEanO?” Periya Thriumozhi 8-9-3

vii. Parathanthran: The AtmA acts to the liking and desire of the Lord and for the Lord. Therefore, AthmA does not do acts as per its wish.

The word ‘adiyEn’ in the pAsuram ‘adiyEn uLLAn’ refers to the soul as adiyEn (ThriuvAymozhi 8-8-2 and GuruparampArA prabhAvam – ThriukkOshtiyUr Nambi's explanation and Idu aptly explain this). The AtmA is subservient to the Lord, though knowledge and anandham are its basic nature.