Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.1 · verse 524 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Krishna has taken the girls' clothes while they bathe and sits up in a kurundha tree.) We came before the cock crowed, to plunge in and bathe, and now the sun has risen. O You who rest on the serpent bed, we have suffered enough for our foolishness; never again will we come to this pond. My friend and I fold our hands to You: please give us back our clothes.
Word by word
- kōḻi aḻaippataṉ muṉṉam
- before the cock crowed
- kuṭaintu nīrāṭuvāṉ
- to plunge in and bathe
- āḻiyañ celvaṉ eḻuntāṉ
- the sun, lord of the wheeled chariot, has risen
- aravu-aṇaimēl paḷḷi koṇṭāy
- O You who rest on the serpent bed
- ēḻaimai āṟṟavum paṭṭōm
- we have suffered enough for our foolishness
- tukilaip paṇittaruḷāyē
- please give back our clothes
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.2 · verse 525 of the four thousand
Meaning
What has come upon us here? Alas! How did You come to this pond? O loving Lord, whose crown bears tulasi full of honey, Wondrous One, our nectar! It is not our lot, and so we cannot do what You ask. Clever boy, do not hurry us. O You who leapt and danced upon the serpent, give us our clothes from the kurundha tree.
Word by word
- itu eṉ pukuntatu iṅku
- what has come upon us here?
- matuviṉ tuḻāy muṭi mālē
- O loving Lord, crowned with honeyed tulasi
- eṅkaḷ amutē
- O our nectar
- viti iṉmaiyāl
- since it is not our lot
- vittakap piḷḷāy
- O clever boy
- kutikoṇṭu aravil naṭittāy
- You who leapt and danced on the serpent Kaliya
- kuruntiṭaik kūṟai paṇiyāy
- give our clothes from the kurundha tree
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.3 · verse 526 of the four thousand
Meaning
Hey, what childishness is this? If our mothers see it, they will never let us out again. You do not think this is wrong, sitting up there on the flowering kurundha tree. O You who destroyed Lanka with Your bow, we will give You whatever You want. Let us slip away without many people seeing us: please give us back our silks.
Word by word
- ellē ītu eṉṉa iḷamai
- hey, what childishness is this?
- em aṉaimār kāṇil oṭṭār
- if our mothers see, they will not allow it
- pollāṅku
- wrong, wicked
- pūṅkuruntu ēṟi irutti
- you sit up on the flowering kurundha tree
- villāl ilaṅkai aḻittāy
- You who destroyed Lanka with Your bow
- paṭṭaip paṇittaruḷāyē
- please give back our silks
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.4 · verse 527 of the four thousand
Meaning
Look how our wide-open eyes, searching everywhere, stream with tears we cannot hold back, in this pool where so many come to bathe. O You who have no pity at all, Lord who destroyed Lanka! Now we know You are fit to be king of the monkeys! Give us our clothes from the kurundha tree.
Word by word
- parakka viḻittu
- eyes wide open
- palar kuṭaintu āṭum cuṉaiyil
- in the pool where many come to bathe
- arakka nillā kaṇṇa nīrkaḷ
- tears we cannot hold back
- irakkamēl oṉṟum ilātāy
- O You who have no pity at all
- kurakku-aracu āvatu aṟintōm
- we know You are fit to be king of the monkeys
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.5 · verse 528 of the four thousand
Meaning
Carp and valai fish together are nibbling at our feet. If our brothers took up spears and chased You off, what sort of game would that be? Do not sit up there with all our pretty little garments. O Lord of dark beauty, give us our clothes from the kurundha tree.
Word by word
- kālaik katuviṭukiṉṟa
- biting at our feet
- kayaloṭu vāḷai
- carp and valai fish
- eṉṉaimārkaḷ
- our elder brothers
- eṉṉa viḷaiyāṭṭō
- what kind of game would that be?
- kōlac ciṟṟāṭai
- pretty little garments
- kōlam kariya pirāṉē
- O Lord of dark beauty
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.6 · verse 529 of the four thousand
Meaning
In this wide pond of blooming lotuses, the lotus stalks wind around our legs, and we suffer pain as if stung by a poisonous scorpion. O our King, skilled in the dance of tossing pots high in the air, give up all Your tricks and give us back our silks.
Word by word
- taṭattu aviḻ tāmaraip poykait
- in the wide pond of blooming lotuses
- tāḷkaḷ em kālaik katuva
- the stalks gripping our legs
- viṭat tēḷ eṟintālē pōla
- as if stung by a poisonous scorpion
- kuṭattai eṭuttu ēṟaviṭṭuk
- tossing the pots high in the air
- kūttāṭa valla em kōvē
- O our King, skilled in that dance
- paṭiṟṟai ellām tavirntu
- giving up all Your tricks
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.7 · verse 530 of the four thousand
Meaning
Standing in the water, we are worn out. You have done what is not fair. Our village is very far away, O You who know all things through all the ages. Our longing is for You alone, but if our mothers see this, they will not allow it. Let our silks come down; do not stay sitting up on the flowering kurundha tree.
Word by word
- nīrilē niṉṟu ayarkkiṉṟōm
- standing in the water, we are worn out
- nīti-allātaṉa ceytāy
- You have done what is not fair
- ūrakam cālavum cēyttāl
- since our village is very far
- ūḻi ellām uṇarvāṉē
- O You who know all through the ages
- ārvam uṉakkē uṭaiyōm
- our longing is for You alone
- pōra viṭāy
- let them come down
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.8 · verse 531 of the four thousand
Meaning
It is not only we, the daughters of Your aunts; all the others have come here too. O You who sleep through the long night of the ages, Your pure flower eyes closed! This is not right at all; we tell You so plainly. O tender shoot of the gentle cowherds, give us our clothes from the kurundha tree.
Word by word
- māmimār makkaḷē allōm
- not only we, the daughters of Your aunts
- tūmalark kaṇkaḷ vaḷarat
- with Your pure flower eyes closed in sleep
- tollai irāt tuyilvāṉē
- O You who sleep through the long night of the ages
- cēmamēl aṉṟu itu cāla
- this is not right at all
- cikkeṉa
- firmly, plainly
- kōmaḷa āyar koḻuntē
- O tender shoot of the gentle cowherds
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.9 · verse 532 of the four thousand
Meaning
The day Kamsa set his trap, You escaped in the pitch-dark night, and You have come here to trouble the hearts of us maidens standing before You. Yashoda, who should scold You until You are afraid, lets You run about as You please. O shameless One, who drank the milk of the deceitful demoness, give us our clothes!
Word by word
- kañcaṉ valaivaitta aṉṟu
- the day Kamsa set his trap
- kāriruḷ elliṟ piḻaittu
- escaping in the pitch-dark night
- neñcu tukkam ceyyap pōntāy
- You came to bring grief to our hearts
- añca urappāḷ acōtai
- Yashoda, who should scold You into fear
- āṇāṭa viṭṭiṭṭu
- lets You run about as You please
- vañcakap pēyccipāl uṇṭa
- who drank the milk of the deceitful demoness Putana
- macimaiyilī
- O shameless One
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 3.10 · verse 533 of the four thousand
Meaning
This is the play of our Nambi, the dark Lord, with the maidens. Kodai, Andal, daughter of Pattan, lord of Puduvai surrounded by golden mansions, sang it as a garland in sweet music. Those who can sing these ten will go and dwell in Vaikuntha with Madhava, who abides for ever.
Word by word
- kaṉṉiyarōṭu
- with the maidens
- eṅkaḷ nampi
- our Nambi, the perfect one
- kariya pirāṉ viḷaiyāṭṭaip
- the play of the dark Lord
- poṉ iyal māṭaṅkaḷ
- golden mansions
- putuvaiyarkōṉ paṭṭaṉ kōtai
- Kodai, daughter of Pattan, Periyalwar, lord of Puduvai
- maṉṉiya mātavaṉōṭu
- with Madhava, who abides for ever
Verse text: the word-separated e-text of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Project Madurai, checked verse by verse against its second edition. Meanings are simple renderings in the light of the acharyas' commentaries, written for this site, and are awaiting a scholar's review.