Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.1 · verse 545 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Andal sends a cuckoo to call her Lord.) Because I loved Madhava of lasting, great fame, the sapphire-coloured One, the mighty Youth with the jewelled crown, is there any justice in my losing my conch bangles? O cuckoo who lives in the bower of punnai, kurukkatti, nazhal and serunthi trees, sit there always repeating His praise, and call quickly so that my coral-lipped Lord will come.
Word by word
- maṉṉu perumpukaḻ mātavaṉ
- Madhava of lasting, great fame
- maṇi-muṭi maintaṉ
- the mighty Youth with the jewelled crown
- caṅku iḻakkum vaḻakku
- any justice in losing my conch bangles
- puṉṉai kurukkatti ñāḻal ceruntip
- punnai, kurukkatti, nazhal and serunthi trees
- potumpiṉil vāḻum kuyilē
- O cuckoo who lives in the bower
- pavaḷa-vāyaṉ varak kūvāy
- call so that my coral-lipped Lord comes
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.2 · verse 546 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Spotless One, who holds the white, calling conch in His left hand, will not show me His form. Yet He enters my heart, wears me down day after day, and watches my life toss and dance. O cuckoo, you peck at champak blossoms dripping honey and sing in delight: do not sit idly chirping away; call so that my Lord of Venkatam will come.
Word by word
- veḷḷai viḷicaṅku
- the white conch that calls
- iṭaṅkaiyil koṇṭa vimalaṉ
- the Spotless One holding it in His left hand
- uruk kāṭṭāṉ
- will not show His form
- uḷḷam pukuntu eṉṉai naivittu
- entering my heart, He wears me down
- kūttāṭṭuk kāṇum
- watches my life dance in torment
- ceṇpakappū
- champak blossoms
- vēṅkaṭavaṉ varak kūvāy
- call so that the Lord of Venkatam comes
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.3 · verse 547 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Wondrous One, my Leader, with Matali holding the reins in front of His chariot, loosed a rain of arrows on Ravana so that his heads leapt off and fell again and again. I see Him coming nowhere. O cuckoo, you live with your mate in a grove of opening blossoms, breathing their fresh fragrance and hearing the melody of the spotted bees: call so that my dark gem will come.
Word by word
- mātali tēr muṉpu kōlkoḷḷa
- with Matali holding the reins of the chariot
- cara-māri
- a rain of arrows
- talai aṟṟu aṟṟu vīḻat
- heads severed again and again, falling
- eṅkum kāṇēṉ
- I see Him nowhere
- poṟi vaṇṭiṉ kāmaram
- the melody of the spotted bees
- kātaliyōṭu uṭaṉ vāḻ kuyilē
- O cuckoo who lives with your mate
- karumāṇikkam
- the dark gem
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.4 · verse 548 of the four thousand
Meaning
My very bones are melting, and for many days my long eyes, sharp as spears, have not closed. I have fallen into a sea of sorrow and drift about without the boat called Vaikunthan. O cuckoo, you too know the pain of being parted from those you love. Call so that the Holy One will come, whose banner bears Garuda of golden body.
Word by word
- eṉpu uruki
- my bones melting
- iṉa vēl neṭuṅ kaṇkaḷ
- long eyes, sharp as spears
- imai poruntā
- the eyelids do not close
- tuṉpak kaṭal pukku
- fallen into a sea of sorrow
- vaikuntaṉ eṉpatu ōr tōṇi
- the boat called Vaikunthan
- aṉpu uṭaiyāraip pirivu uṟu nōyatu
- the pain of parting from loved ones
- poṉ purai mēṉik karuḷak koṭi
- the banner of Garuda, whose body shines like gold
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.5 · verse 549 of the four thousand
Meaning
He dwells in Villiputtur, where swans of gentle gait spread out and play. Out of longing to see His golden feet, my eyes, like fighting carp, cannot sleep. O cuckoo, I will make you friends with my pretty parrot, whom I raised feeding on sweet rice and milk. Call so that He who measured the world will come.
Word by word
- meṉṉaṭai aṉṉam
- swans of gentle gait
- villiputtūr uṟaivāṉ
- He who dwells in Srivilliputtur
- poṉṉaṭi kāṇpatu ōr ācaiyiṉāl
- longing to see His golden feet
- poru kayaṟ kaṇṇiṉai tuñcā
- my eyes, like fighting carp, do not sleep
- kōlak kiḷiyai
- my pretty parrot
- tōḻamaik koḷḷuvaṉ
- I will make friends with you
- ulaku aḷantāṉ
- He who measured the world
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.6 · verse 550 of the four thousand
Meaning
Hrishikesa, whom the gods in every direction bow to and praise, is tormenting me, and my red lips with their pearl-white smile, and my breasts, have lost their beauty. O young cuckoo, sleeping in a jewelled nook of this grove of clustered blossoms, if you call my true Lord to come, I have nothing to repay you with but bowing my head to you.
Word by word
- et ticaiyum amarar
- the gods in every direction
- iruṭīkēcaṉ
- Hrishikesa, Lord of the senses
- vali ceyya
- as He torments me
- muttu aṉṉa veṇ muṟuval
- a white smile like pearls
- aḻaku aḻintēṉ
- I have lost my beauty
- tattuvaṉai
- my true Lord, the Real One
- talai allāl kaimmāṟu ilēṉē
- I have no return to give but my bowed head
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.7 · verse 551 of the four thousand
Meaning
In my longing to be united with Him who rests on the surging Milk Ocean, my breasts rise and ache and stir with eagerness, and trouble my very life. O lovely cuckoo, why do you live in hiding? If you call Him to come, in whose hands rest the discus, the conch and the bright mace, you will win great merit.
Word by word
- poṅkiya pāṟkaṭal paḷḷikoḷvāṉaip
- Him who rests on the surging Milk Ocean
- puṇarvatu ōr ācaiyiṉāl
- longing to be united with Him
- āviyai ākulam ceyyum
- trouble my very life
- maṟaintu uṟaivu
- living in hiding
- āḻiyum caṅkum oṇ taṇṭum
- the discus, the conch and the bright mace
- cālat tarumam peṟuti
- you will win great merit
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.8 · verse 552 of the four thousand
Meaning
The clever One, whose great hands bend the bow Sarnga, is bound to me. The pact we made while we were at home, only He and I know. O little cuckoo, pecking the red tender shoots in the grove of honey-sweet mangoes, if you call Thirumal to come here quickly, just see what I will do with Him!
Word by word
- cārṅkam vaḷaiya valikkum
- who draws and bends the bow Sarnga
- caturaṉ
- the clever One
- poruttam uṭaiyaṉ
- He is bound to me
- kaccaṅkam
- the pact, the secret agreement
- nāṉum avaṉum aṟitum
- only He and I know
- centaḷir kōtum
- pecking the red tender shoots
- tirumālai
- Thirumal, Lakshmi's Lord
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.9 · verse 553 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have been caught in a noose called Sridhara, whose colour is the green of a young parrot. O cuckoo living in the grove where shining bees hum, listen carefully to this. Either call the Lord of the conch and discus to come, or bring back my golden bangles. If you wish to go on living in this grove, one of these two must certainly be done.
Word by word
- paiṅkiḷi vaṇṇaṉ
- the Lord with the colour of a green parrot
- cirītaraṉ
- Sridhara, bearer of Lakshmi
- pācattu akappaṭṭiruntēṉ
- I am caught in a noose
- kuṟikkoṇṭu itu nī kēḷ
- listen to this carefully
- poṉvaḷai koṇṭu tarutal
- bringing back my golden bangles
- iraṇṭattu oṉṟēl tiṇṇam
- one of the two, for certain
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.10 · verse 554 of the four thousand
Meaning
I gave my love to Him who measured the world that day, and He torments me who am His servant. I do not know by what right the south breeze and the moon cut through me and hurt me. And you too, cuckoo, sitting on and on in this grove, do not trouble me. If you do not call Narayana to come today, I will drive you out of here.
Word by word
- aṉṟu ulakam aḷantāṉai
- Him who measured the world that day
- aṭimaikkaṇ
- me, who am His servant
- teṉṟalum tiṅkaḷum
- the south breeze and the moon
- ūṭaṟuttu eṉṉai naliyum
- cut through me and hurt me
- tataittātē
- do not trouble me
- iṅkuttai niṉṟum turappaṉ
- I will drive you out of here
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 5.11 · verse 555 of the four thousand
Meaning
"O dark cuckoo, call my ocean-coloured Lord, the mighty One who grew until He touched the sky and strode across it, so that I may see Him." These are the words the young woman with spear-like eyes spoke in her longing. Those who can sing this loving garland of words by Kodai, daughter of Bhattarpiran, lord of Puduvai, home of those who know the four Vedas set to music, will be among those who say "Namo Narayanaya".
Word by word
- viṇ uṟa nīṇṭu aṭi tāviya
- who grew to the sky and strode across
- vēṟkaṇ maṭantai
- the young woman with spear-like eyes
- kaṭal-vaṇṇaṉaik kūvu
- call the ocean-coloured Lord
- karuṅkuyilē
- O dark cuckoo
- paṇ uṟu nāṉmaṟaiyōr
- those who know the four Vedas set to music
- paṭṭarpirāṉ kōtai
- Kodai, daughter of Bhattarpiran, Periyalwar
- namō nārāyaṇāya
- "Namo Narayanaya", salutation to Narayana
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.