Irandam Tiruvandadi 21 · verse 2202 of the four thousand
Meaning
Are they here? Is there a heart within them? Are there lotus flowers to offer? Is there time to praise Him? Are theirs the heads that bear the feet of Vamana, feet where Sri dwells? If so, then truly, for such people it is hard ever to reach the cruel hell. With all these at hand, why should anyone fall?
Word by word
- tām uḷarē
- are they here, do they exist?
- tam uḷḷam uḷ uḷatē
- is there a heart within them?
- tāmaraiyiṉ pū uḷatē
- are there lotus flowers?
- ēttum poḻutu uṇṭē
- is there time to praise?
- tiru maruvu tāḷ
- feet where Sri dwells
- aru narakam
- cruel, grievous hell
Irandam Tiruvandadi 22 · verse 2203 of the four thousand
Meaning
What is hard becomes easy when He finds those who turn away from all else and strive with all their strength. Did not the great black elephant with the white tusks win its victory long ago simply by bowing low, holding a great flower from the cool bank of the pond?
Word by word
- ariyatu eḷitu ākum
- the hard becomes easy
- peruka muyalvārai
- those who strive greatly
- veṇ kōṭṭu māl yāṉai
- the great elephant with white tusks
- veṉṟi muṭittaṉṟē
- did it not win its victory?
- taṇ kōṭṭu mā malarāl
- with a great flower from the cool bank
- tāḻntu
- bowing low
Irandam Tiruvandadi 23 · verse 2204 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those who bow down, receive His gifts, and pass their days living in fitting ways: He makes them truly live. He is the One who threw the calf at the low-hanging wood-apple fruit, and who, in another form, measured the world and took it under His feet.
Word by word
- tāḻntu varam koṇṭu
- bowing and receiving His gifts
- takka vakaikaḷāl
- in fitting ways
- vāḻvikkum
- He makes them truly live
- viḷaṅ kaṉikkuk kaṉṟu eṟintu
- throwing the calf at the wood-apple fruit
- vēṟṟu uruvāy
- in another form, Vamana
- aṭikkīḻk koṇṭa
- took under His feet
Irandam Tiruvandadi 24 · verse 2205 of the four thousand
Meaning
It is He, my good heart! He is full grace and He is ruin too; He is the One who stands as the five senses. It is He who is wind, fire, water, sky, the dark mountains and the earth, and He is the raging fire that burns within the dark sea, reaching into all.
Word by word
- avaṉ kaṇṭāy
- it is He, you see
- nal neñcē
- O my good heart
- ār aruḷum kēṭum
- full grace, and ruin too
- aimpulaṉāy niṉṟāṉ
- He who stands as the five senses
- karu varai
- the dark mountains
- cīṟṟat tī
- the raging fire within the sea
Irandam Tiruvandadi 25 · verse 2206 of the four thousand
Meaning
He went straight against Lanka; in His fury He killed Ravana. And if we speak of where He came and stands, it is Thiruvenkatam, with its cool slopes where tall bamboo rises: He, whose ancient glory swells on the lips of the celestials.
Word by word
- ceṉṟatu ilaṅkaimēl
- He went against Lanka
- cīṟṟattāl
- in His fury
- koṉṟatu irāvaṇaṉai
- He killed Ravana
- vēy ōṅku taṇ cāral
- cool slopes where bamboo grows tall
- vēṅkaṭamē
- Thiruvenkatam itself
- vāy ōṅku tol pukaḻāṉ
- He whose ancient glory swells on their lips
Irandam Tiruvandadi 26 · verse 2207 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those who bow to Him, who hold within the five senses that stand in their way, and are full of longing, become like immortals here on earth. The place where they live is that world which the Lord, who rests on the sea, gave long ago to the immortals.
Word by word
- vantittu avaṉai
- bowing to Him
- vaḻi niṉṟa aimpūtam
- the five senses that stand in the way
- akattu aṭakki
- holding them in check within
- ārvamāy
- full of longing
- vēlaiyāṉ
- the Lord of the sea
- paṭi amarar
- immortals on earth, His devotees here
Irandam Tiruvandadi 27 · verse 2208 of the four thousand
Meaning
My mind runs searching for Thirumal, just like a tender creeper which finds its place, reaches out, grows thick and rises, brushing against the moon, gazing at the dome of the sky, and runs ever faster searching for a pole to climb. So my heart rises and reaches for Him.
Word by word
- pati amaintu
- finding its place
- paruttu eḻunta
- growing thick and rising
- mati uriñci
- brushing against the moon
- vāṉ mukaṭu nōkki
- gazing at the dome of the sky
- kōl tēṭi ōṭum koḻuntatē
- the tender shoot that runs seeking a pole
- māl tēṭi ōṭum maṉam
- the mind that runs seeking Thirumal
Irandam Tiruvandadi 28 · verse 2209 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is within my heart; He is at Thiruvenkatam; He is in the great sea; and He is in long Srirangam, beyond all thought. He whom so many call the God of gods is the boy who once tore apart the mouth of the horse demon.
Word by word
- maṉattu uḷḷāṉ
- He who is in my heart
- vēṅkaṭattāṉ
- He who is at Thiruvenkatam
- mā kaṭalāṉ
- He who is in the great sea
- nīḷ araṅkattu uḷḷāṉ
- He who is in long Srirangam
- tēvāti tēvaṉ
- the God of gods
- mā vāy piḷanta makaṉ
- the boy who split the horse demon's mouth
Irandam Tiruvandadi 29 · verse 2210 of the four thousand
Meaning
She took You up as though You were her son, and You said, 'I will drink my fill of this fine breast,' and drank, and so dealt with her that she, the false mother, never recovered. And You shot Your arrows and destroyed southern Lanka, turning it to ash. It was You who did all this.
Word by word
- makaṉākak koṇṭu eṭuttāḷ
- she took You up as her son, Putana
- māṇpu āya koṅkai
- the fine breast
- akaṉ āra uṇpaṉ
- I will drink my fill
- tēṟāta vaṇṇam
- so that she never recovered
- teṉ ilaṅkai
- southern Lanka
- nīṟu āka
- into ash
Irandam Tiruvandadi 30 · verse 2211 of the four thousand
Meaning
It was You who measured the world that day, O tall Thirumal; it was You who lifted up the earth, so they say; it was You who long ago churned the dark sea and later built a dam across the great ocean, O Lord whose form is like the vast sea.
Word by word
- ulaku aḷantāy
- You measured the world
- nīṇṭa tirumālē
- O tall Thirumal
- ulaku iṭantāy
- You lifted up the earth, as Varaha
- kār ōtam muṉ kaṭaintu
- first churning the dark sea
- piṉ aṭaittāy mā kaṭalai
- later You dammed the great ocean
- pēr ōta mēṉip pirāṉ
- Lord whose form is like the vast sea
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.