Painfulness of Conditioned Existence

When something happens to us, we suffer the event. When what happens is not agreeable, we call it suffering, and when it makes us feel good, we call it happiness. But the truth is we have suffered happiness, but it has not given us pain, not now.

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சளத்திற் பிணிபட் டசட்டுக் ரியைக்குட் டவிக்குமென்ற

னுளத்திற் ப்ரமத்தைத் தவிர்ப்பா யவுண ருரத்துதிரக்

குளத்திற் குதித்துக் குளித்துக் களித்துக் குடித்துவெற்றிக்

களத்திற் செருக்கிக் கழுதாட வேல்தொட்ட காவலனே.

"Lashed with suffering": Joined wth, bound to, tethered to suffering. Pinipattu has another sense, taken ill, afflicted, diseased...

Variar Swamigal states the suffering is due to the triple torments: Adhyatmika (suffering arising from our own body and mind) adhibhautika (suffering arising from external natural forces) and adhidaivika (sufferening caused by non-human agencies). These three are elsewhere interpreted as Pain caused by mind and body, that caused by destiny and that caused by created beings. 

Whichever interpretation we choose to go with, it is obvious that we are not free from pain, from the pain associated with the conditioning of our mind and body, the circumstances of our birth and lifestyle, and the contingencies of accident and probability (even when we choose not to believe in any supernatural beings).