Translated by Sri Vanamamalai Padmanabhan

III. The Relatives

They are not our natural relatives in the sense that their relationshiop terminates once this body falls. Further, since their assocition only aggravates the samsAric immersion, this is not a desired connection.

This is what Sri Nam-AzhwAr mentions in

koNda peNdir makkaL uRRAr suRRathavar piRarum,
kaNdadhOdu pattadhallAl, kAdhal maRRu yAdhum illai
9-1-1 of ThiruvAyMohzi and

"..iruL koL thunbathu inmai kANil ennEa enbArum illai", 9-1-3 of ThriuvAyMozhi.

These relatives spurn us when one is in distress.

The question then comes up, "Who is the real relative?"

The relative with whom the relationshiop is natural and never terminates. Sri AndAL clearly underlines this fact in ThriuppAvai 28 "..unnOdu uRavEl ingu ozhikka ozhiyAdhu".

That a mother has failed is seen in the instance of kaikEyi; that brother is not a rakshaka is observed in case of vAli; that sons have also disappointed is seen in the case of rudhran and kamsan; that the husband has deserted is clear from dhraupadhi-s episode and naLan-s.

Therefore, all these relationships are Him which is made clear by Sri ParAnkusan

"sElEy kaNNiyarum, perum selvamum, nan-makkaLum, mElAy thAy thandhaiyum avarE ini AvARE”
5-1-8 of ThiruvAymozhi.