Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.1 · verse 567 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Andal speaks to the Lord's conch, Panchajanya.) Does it smell of camphor? Does it smell of the lotus flower? Do His beautiful lips, red as coral, taste sweet? O white conch of the deep sea, I ask you with longing: tell me the taste and the fragrance of the mouth of Madhava, who broke off the elephant's tusk.
Word by word
- karuppūram nāṟumō?
- does it smell of camphor?
- kamalap pū
- the lotus flower
- tirup pavaḷac cevvāytāṉ
- His beautiful lips, red as coral
- maruppu ocitta
- who broke off the tusk of the elephant Kuvalayapida
- vāyccuvaiyum nāṟṟamum
- the taste and the fragrance of His mouth
- āḻi-veṇcaṅkē
- O white conch of the deep sea
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.2 · verse 568 of the four thousand
Meaning
You were born in the sea; then, never minding where you came from, you grew up in the body of the demon Panchajana; and then you went and settled on the high seat of the hand of the Lord who outlasts the ages. Now you roar so that the wicked asuras are thrown into distress. Such is your glory, good conch!
Word by word
- kaṭaliṟ piṟantu
- born in the sea
- pañcacaṉaṉ
- Panchajana, the demon in whose body the conch grew
- ūḻiyāṉ
- the Lord of the ages, who remains at the deluge
- kaittalat tiṭariṟ kuṭiyēṟi
- settling on the high seat of His hand
- naṭalaip paṭa
- so that they fall into distress
- tōṟṟattāy
- you of such distinction
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.3 · verse 569 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like the autumn moon rising full over the top of a great mountain, you too have settled and sit enthroned in the hand of Vasudeva, King of northern Mathura, O beautiful great conch!
Word by word
- taṭa varaiyiṉ mītē
- over the top of a great mountain
- caraṟkāla cantiraṉ
- the autumn moon
- iṭai uvāvil
- on the night of the full moon
- vaṭa maturaiyār-maṉṉaṉ
- the King of northern Mathura
- vīṟṟiruntāy
- you sit enthroned
- kōlap peruñ caṅkē
- O beautiful great conch
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.4 · verse 570 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like the full disc of the moon, you have climbed onto the hand of Damodara and stay there, never apart from Him; you seem to be whispering secrets into His ear, O conch that curls to the right! Even Indra cannot match you in good fortune.
Word by word
- cantira-maṇṭalam pōl
- like the full disc of the moon
- tāmōtaraṉ
- Damodara, bound at the waist by Yashoda's rope
- antaram oṉṟu iṉṟi
- with no gap, never apart
- mantiram koḷvāyē pōlum
- as if you were whispering secrets
- valampuriyē
- O right-whorled conch, the rarest of conches
- celvattukku ēlāṉē
- cannot equal you in good fortune
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.5 · verse 571 of the four thousand
Meaning
Look: of all those who lived with you in the same sea, no one even stops to ask who they are or what they are like. But you, Panchajanya, day after day, drink the nectar of the mouth of Madhusudana, who stands as the Lord of all.
Word by word
- oru kaṭalil vāḻvārai
- those who lived in the same sea
- iṉṉār iṉaiyār
- who they are, what they are like
- maṉ āki niṉṟa
- who stands as the Lord of all
- vāyamutam
- the nectar of His mouth
- paṉṉāḷum uṇkiṉṟāy
- you drink day after day
- pāñcacaṉṉiyamē
- O Panchajanya, the Lord's conch
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.6 · verse 572 of the four thousand
Meaning
Without going off to bathe in sacred waters, you climbed onto the hand of Him who pulled down and dragged away the twin marudu trees standing together, and made your home there. And now, O right-whorled conch, you are able to plunge and bathe in the sacred water of the mouth of the red-eyed Lord, who is Himself the supreme sacred water.
Word by word
- pōyt tīrttam āṭātē
- without going to bathe in sacred waters
- puṇar marutam
- the twin marudu trees
- cāyttu īrttāṉ
- He who pulled them down and dragged them
- cēyt tīrttamāy niṉṟa
- who is Himself the supreme purifying water
- ceṅkaṇ māl
- the red-eyed Lord
- vāyt tīrttam
- the sacred water of His mouth
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.7 · verse 573 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a swan that sips honey on a fresh red lotus, you climb onto the beautiful palm of Vasudeva, red-eyed and dark of body, and rest there at ease as a swan does. O lord of conches, your good fortune is lovely indeed!
Word by word
- ceṅkamala nāḷ-malarmēl
- on a fresh red lotus
- tēṉ nukarum aṉṉam
- a swan sipping honey
- ceṅkaṇ karumēṉi
- red-eyed and dark of body
- aṅkait talam
- the beautiful palm of His hand
- aṉṉa-vacañ ceyyum
- resting at ease, as a swan does
- caṅku-araiyā
- O lord of conches
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.8 · verse 574 of the four thousand
Meaning
If one speaks of what you eat, it is the nectar of the mouth of Him who measured the worlds; and when you sleep, it is in the hand of the Lord whose colour is the sea's. The whole company of women is raising a great outcry against you, and still you go on with your many ways, Panchajanya!
Word by word
- uṇpatu collil
- if one speaks of what you eat
- ulaku aḷantāṉ
- He who measured the worlds, Trivikrama
- kaṇpaṭai koḷḷil
- when you lie down to sleep
- kaṭalvaṇṇaṉ
- the Lord whose colour is the sea's
- peṇ paṭaiyār
- the whole company of women
- perum pūcal cāṟṟukiṉṟār
- raise a great outcry
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.9 · verse 575 of the four thousand
Meaning
His sixteen thousand queens stand looking on, while you go in and drink, as one drinks honey, the nectar of Madhava's mouth, which belongs to all of them alike. When you take it all for yourself, will they not fall out with you, O rich and great conch?
Word by word
- patiṉāṟām āyiravar
- the sixteen thousand
- tēvimār
- queens
- matu vāyiṟ koṇṭāṟpōl
- as one takes honey into the mouth
- potuvāka
- shared by all alike
- citaiyārō uṉṉōṭu?
- will they not fall out with you?
- celvap peruñcaṅkē
- O rich and great conch
Nachiyar Tirumozhi 7.10 · verse 576 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kodhai, Andal, daughter of Pattarpiran, Periyalwar, of fitting fame in bountiful Puduvai, made Panchajanya the dearest of kin to Padmanabha in these ten Tamil verses. Those who can study them closely and sing them in praise will also become His intimate companions, close to Him.
Word by word
- paṟpanāpaṉōṭum
- with Padmanabha, from whose navel the lotus springs
- vāynta peruñ cuṟṟam
- the dearest and closest of kin
- vaṇputuvai
- bountiful Puduvai, Srivilliputtur
- paṭṭarpirāṉ
- Pattarpiran, Periyalwar
- āyntu ētta vallār
- those who can study and praise them
- aṇukkarē
- intimate companions, close to Him
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.