based on the vyakhyanam of Sri Periyavaccan Pillai
by Sri M.N. Ramanuja

aham bhItO (a)smi dEvEsha samsArE (a)smin bhayAvahE
pAhi mAm punDarIkAkSha na jAnE sharaNam param

Meaning:
dEvEsha-- Oh head of nithyasUris
bhayAvahE-- in this frightening
asmin samsArE-- in this samsAra
aham-- adiyEn
bhItO(a)smi-- am terrified
punDarIkAkSha-- red-lotus-eyed lord!
mAm-- me
pAhi-- please protect
param sharaNam-- other means
na jAnE-- I do not know

Introduction:
(aham bhItOsmi..) In the previous shlokam, the chetana, reiterated the enjoyability in the paramapadam. And because of that reiteration, the fear of his incompatibility with this samsAra arose in his mind. This shlokam implores the lord to eliminate that fear. After all, one who can remove the fear of samsAra, is verily eligible as a refuge. Even for a person who has comprehended the samsara inside out, this samsAra is a source of terror. And even for one who has understood one's svarUpa (characteristic) inside out, this samsAra is a source of fear. Besides, even on reiterating the enjoyability of paramapadam, this samsAra is a source of fear.

Vyakhyanam:
(bhayAvahe asmin samsAre aham) what is samsAra? why is it terrifying? The answer is samsAra is but a conglomerate of ignorance (avidya), actions (karma) trace memory (vasana), taste (for indulgence) (ruchi), and bondage to nature (prakriti sambandham). Ignorance is misunderstanding. i.e., the feeling of "I"ness in the body that I have entered into, and the feeling of "mine"ness in the objects encountered by the body as in "anAtmani AtmabuddhiryA asvE svamiti yA mati:" quoted by sage Parashara.

Nammalvar said to himself "yAne ennai ariyagilAdE yAnE entanadE enrirundEn" and advised others "nIr numadenrum ivai" . Since ahankAram (egoism) smothers servitude (shEshatvam), it is a source of fear. mamatA (possessiveness) smothers a sense of enjoyability in matters of the God and hence is also a source of fear.

Karma has two forms of punya and pApa (merits and sins). Sins lead to suffering in hells and hence are terrifying. But how is merit terrifying? Merits result in enjoyments in heavens etc. Since they nurture ahankAra and mamakAra (egoism and possessiveness) which destroy the characteristic of the soul (svarUpa), they are frightening. Since they encourage one to indulge in sense objects like (music) sound sight etc they are frightening. The bondage with the body, is terrifying owing to the mental and physical afflictions, insults and victimisations by others and uncomfortable weathers.

In the same vein, even traces and tastes are frightening. Why? The first Bharata (jada bharata), owing to great interest in the fawn at the stage of samAdhi (last stage of yoga), was reborn as a deer. Not that he had love for a wrong object that gave him rebirth as a deer; it was the strong trace (vAsana) of memory as the protector of the fawn, that resulted in the rebirth. Hence, even traces and interests are dangerous. Just like 'drishti viSham' (seeing itself is poisonous), ruchi or interest is poisonous and dangerous. That is, for the samsAris, seeing itself is dangerous, just as for a moth which by its ego, seeing a flame and taking it as light, voluntarily falls into it and burns itself. "bhUmau nipAtyamAno(a)drE: antarAstE svapanniva" just like a man on a long fall from a mountain onto the ground, falls asleep on the way oblivious or unaware of the impending crash. Similarly the people of samsAra please themselves with pleasures not bothering about the impending calamity. Just as in "nalam antamilladOr nAdu", an entire vibhUti, vaikuntham, is a total happiness, this samsAra is fully submitted to fearsome nature.

(aham bhItO(a)smi ) having realised the samsAra as a reservoir of endless adversities, I am consumed by fear. The use of present tense (asmi) implies that I do not see a way out to eliminate the fear. Is there an opportunity for the removal of fear? yes, one who has transferred his onus of self-defence to God, would be fearless. But even that transfer of onus will not make me fearless. Because of excessive adoration for the goal (prApya), if impatience and haste to reach Him are born, one cannot contain himself and remain unagitated just with the thought of having transferred the onus of protection to Him. In spite of having full faith in Him, as declared in "kaLaikaN maRRilEn" and "nAgaNai mishai nam pirAn sharaNE sharaN namakku", Alvar, realising the enjoyability of that promised special land as stated in "anthamil pErinbatthu adiyarOdu irundamai", goes ahead later to yell and scream as in "muniyE nAnmuganE" for immediate release.

(dEvEsha) As in "ayarvaRum amararhaL" when You and the nityasUris are enjoying in isolation in paramapadam, how can You be indifferent to me who is suffering here but nevertheless equally deserving as the nityasUris to enjoy Your company? Even mother goddess (pirAtti), staying as She did in the terrifying Lanka, groaned "hA rAma! hA lakshmaNa!" as did Alvar in "imaiyOr talaivA" and "viNNuLAr perumAnEyo"!

(mAm pAhi) Save me, who having realised the enjoyability in paramapadam as in "yOgAnAm paramAm siddhim" is hastening for liberation. As in "Ehi pashya sharIrANi" (sages to Rama in Aranyakandam) he displays the marks of suffering on his body.

(pAhi) having severed my connection with the body You would take me in the path of archirAdi to that land free from fear.

(pundarIkAkSha) please, look at me with your attractive eyes and cool me down. There will be great difficulty when I put a lot of effort to remove my own fears. If You wish to remove my fears, it will be a very easy job, alas. Do You need those qualities of vAtsalya etc (making You a good refuge) and jnAna shakti etc (necessary for the attainment of the fruit) to save me? Just as, in the first step, You removed my external distraction to other objects as stated in "jitante pundarIkAkSha", pray remove my fears and save me.

(na jAnE sharaNam param) I am not aware of any refuge except You. Even though the srutis commanded "nididhyAsitavya:" and You, the saviour also proclaimed "manmanA bhava madbhakta:", I am totally unaware of any other means. What is the reason behind it? Because, including the chetana or jIvAtma and including his assistant sense organs, all are totally subordinate to You as explained in "namastE(a)stu" and "hriShIkEsha". Even God proclaimed "matta: smritir jnAnam apohanam", i.e., remembrance, knowledge and forgetting are all caused by Me!

When the first shlokam is the summary, this shlokam is the elucidation of the word "pundarIkAkSha".