NAMMALVAR: TIRUVOIMOZHI: A SELECTION: 1-1-9

உளன் எனில் உளன் அவன் உருவம் இவ்வுருவுகள்

உளன் அலன் எனில் அவன் அருவமிவ்வுருவுகள்

உளனென இலனென இவைகுணமுடைமையில்

உளன் இரு தகைமையொடு ஒழிவிலன் பரந்தே

(1-1-9)

Ulan enil ulan avan uruvam ivvuruvugal

Ulan alan enil avan aruvamivvuruvugal

Ulanena ilanena ivaigunamudaimaiyil

Ulan iru thakaimaiyodu ozhivilan paranthe

If you say He is within,

He is,

And all these are His forms,

If you question it,

Why, all these shadows

Are His shadow.

But He is, He is,

With these twin attributes,

Being within, being not within,

He is.

(Translation: A. Srinivasa Raghavan)

(This paasuram is like the apex of Thiruvoimozhi 1^st paththu.) The Tamil equivalents of the words “within” (ulan) and “without” (ulan alan) are consciously used here by Nammalvar. The Alvar states the revolutionary idea of God having the twin states of being as qualities, all-pervading and beyond, He is.