Perumal Tirumozhi 1.1 · verse 647 of the four thousand
Meaning
On Ananta, king of serpents, a great radiance, whose thousand hooded heads glitter with gems that drive the darkness away, on that beautiful, lofty white bed, in the great city of Srirangam, where the clear waters of the Ponni stroke His feet with the hands of her waves, He lies resting: that dark gem, that tender beauty. When will the day come when my two eyes see Him and rejoice?
Word by word
- iruḷ iriyac
- driving the darkness away
- aravu-aracap
- the king of serpents
- aṉantaṉ
- Ananta, Adisesha, the Lord's bed
- tiruvaraṅkap peru nakaruḷ
- the great city of Srirangam
- poṉṉi
- the Kaveri river
- tiraik kaiyāl aṭi varuṭap
- stroking His feet with the hands of her waves
- paḷḷikoḷḷum
- who lies resting
- karumaṇiyaik
- the dark gem
- kōmaḷattaik
- tender beauty
- eṉṟukolō kaḷikkum nāḷē
- when will the day of rejoicing come?
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.2 · verse 648 of the four thousand
Meaning
The fiery serpent Adisesha, his coiled body crowned with a thousand mouths full of praise, breathes out red flame that spreads above, wider and wider, like a canopy over his never-fading, flower-like heads. Beneath it, in fragrant Srirangam, on that serpent bed, lies the wondrous Lord, dark like a heap of kaya blossoms. When will the day come when I stand holding the Manathoon pillar before Him and praise Him with all my mouth?
Word by word
- īraiññūṟu
- twice five hundred, a thousand
- aḻal nākam
- the fiery serpent, Adisesha
- vitāṉamē pōl
- like a canopy
- kāyāmpū malarp piṟaṅkal
- a heap of dark kaya blossoms
- māyōṉai
- the wondrous Lord
- maṇattūṇē paṟṟi niṉṟu
- standing holding the Manathoon pillar before the sanctum
- vāyāra
- with my whole mouth, to my heart's content
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.3 · verse 649 of the four thousand
Meaning
Great Brahma, praising with all four tongues, gazing with all four faces and all eight beautiful eyes, worships and bows to Him sweetly, appearing on the lotus that blooms from the navel of the Lord, bright as red gold. That Lord reclines on the serpent bed in beautiful Srirangam. When will the day come when I scatter flowers beneath His two feet and draw near to Him there, together with His devotees?
Word by word
- ayaṉ
- Brahma
- nāṉku nāviṉālum
- with his four tongues
- eḻiṟkaṇkaḷ eṭṭiṉōṭum
- with his eight beautiful eyes
- cempoṉ
- red gold, the Lord's radiance
- malark kamalak koppūḻ
- the lotus-flowered navel
- alarkaḷ iṭṭu
- scattering blossoms
- aṭiyavarōṭu
- together with His devotees
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.4 · verse 650 of the four thousand
Meaning
He tore open the mouth of the horse demon and rejoiced; He has the colour of the sea; He is my Krishna, who held up the mighty hill and saved the cows that day; the bull among the cowherds; the chief of the immortals; the sweet verse of lovely Tamil and the northern tongue too. He is the King who reclines on the serpent bed in Srirangam, where those free of worldly attachment dwell. When will the day come when I praise Him till my tongue is full, and fold my hands after scattering fresh-picked flowers?
Word by word
- māviṉai vāy piḷantu
- tearing open the mouth of the horse demon
- vēlai vaṇṇaṉai
- the one with the colour of the sea
- vaṉ kuṉṟam ēnti
- holding up the mighty hill, Govardhana
- āyar-ēṟṟai
- the bull among cowherds
- an tamiḻiṉ iṉpap pāviṉai
- the sweet verse of lovely Tamil
- vaṭamoḻiyai
- the northern tongue, Sanskrit
- paṟṟu-aṟṟārkaḷ
- those free of attachment
- koymmalar tūy
- scattering freshly picked flowers
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.5 · verse 651 of the four thousand
Meaning
Tumburu and Narada bow and praise Him to the sweet music of their peerless yazh; Brahma of ancient lotus eyes worships Him and praises Him without pause with hymns from the matchless ancient Vedas. In rich, walled Srirangam, crowded with jewelled mansions, the gem-hued Lord reclines on the serpent bed. When will the day come when I see Him and bow my head before Him?
Word by word
- iṉṉicai yāḻ
- the sweet-toned yazh, a stringed instrument
- tumpuruvum nārataṉum
- Tumburu and Narada, celestial singers
- tol maṟai nūl-tōttirattāl
- with hymns from the ancient Vedas
- ōvātu ētta
- praising without pause
- maṇi māṭa māḷikaikaḷ
- jewelled mansions
- maṇivaṇṇaṉ
- the gem-hued Lord
- malarc ceṉṉi
- my head, as a flower offered
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.6 · verse 652 of the four thousand
Meaning
Brahma on his bee-haunted lotus, Shiva, Indra and the throngs of other gods, the celestial dancers, and the bands of sages of clear minds all press forward, scattering flowers in every direction as they come. In Srirangam of groves full of honeyed blossoms, the Lord with the colour of the sea mounts the serpent and sleeps. When will the day come when I see His lotus eyes and His holy face, bright as the moon, and my heart melts utterly?
Word by word
- aḷi malarmēl ayaṉ
- Brahma on the bee-haunted lotus
- ayaṉ araṉ intiraṉōṭu
- Brahma, Shiva and Indra
- arampaiyarum
- the celestial dancers
- teḷi mati cēr muṉivarkaḷ
- sages of clear minds
- urakam ēṟik
- mounting the serpent
- kaṇvaḷarum kaṭalvaṇṇar
- the sea-hued Lord who sleeps
- oḷi mati cēr tirumukamum
- His holy face bright as the moon
- urukum nāḷē
- the day my heart melts
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.7 · verse 653 of the four thousand
Meaning
There are servants who have put away hard and cruel thoughts, cast off deceit, mastered the strong senses and left behind the burden of sorrow; who praise Him through the hours of each day and stand firm on the boundless, ancient path. Their minds shine with goodness, and He is their refuge. That wondrous Lord of radiant colour reclines on the serpent bed in beautiful Srirangam by the Ponni. When will the day come when I stand seeing Him, my eyes brimming with tears?
Word by word
- maṟam tikaḻum maṉam
- a mind given to cruelty
- vaṉ pulaṉkaḷ aṭakki
- mastering the strong senses
- tol neṟikkaṇ
- on the ancient path
- aṟam tikaḻum maṉattavartam katiyai
- the refuge of those whose minds shine with goodness
- poṉṉi
- the Kaveri river
- niṟam tikaḻum māyōṉai
- the wondrous Lord of radiant colour
- nīr malka
- brimming with tears
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.8 · verse 654 of the four thousand
Meaning
The long Sarnga bow with its arrows, the curving conch, the deadly discus, the fierce mace, the bright sword of victory, and the swift and fierce bird of triumph called Garuda, fast as the wind: all these stand guard around Him. In Srirangam, ringed by groves and long fields full of fish, the Lord reclines on the serpent bed. When will the day come when I, burdened with strong karma, see Him, know the joy of union with Him, and truly live?
Word by word
- neṭuñcārṅkam
- the long Sarnga bow
- kūṉaṟ caṅkam
- the curving conch
- kolaiyāḻi
- the deadly discus
- koṭuntaṇṭu
- the fierce mace
- kāl ārnta katik karuṭaṉ
- Garuda, swift as the wind
- puṟañcūḻ kāppa
- standing guard all around
- iṉpak kalavi eyti
- attaining the joy of union
- valviṉaiyēṉ
- I, burdened with strong karma
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.9 · verse 655 of the four thousand
Meaning
The servants whose love never wanes gather in throngs and sing His glories, over and over, with a joy that is never filled, tears pouring like rain from their weeping eyes, thinking of Him, melting, praising Him every day. In Srirangam, where the rich sound of drums is like the roar of the sea, the Lord with the discus of battle reclines on the serpent bed. When will the day come when I see Him, leap for joy, and roll upon the ground?
Word by word
- tūrāta maṉakkātal
- love in the heart that never wanes
- toṇṭar taṅkaḷ kuḻām
- the throng of His servants
- aḻuta kaṇṇīr maḻai cōra
- tears pouring like rain
- muḻavu-ōcai
- the sound of drums
- paravai
- the sea
- pōr āḻi ammāṉaik
- the Lord with the discus of battle
- pūtalattil
- on the ground
- puraḷum nāḷē
- the day I roll about
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.10 · verse 656 of the four thousand
Meaning
So that the vast heaven and the immortals may flourish, the earth and the people of the earth may flourish, so that grief and sorrow may go and unfailing happiness may grow, and His servants may live with glad hearts, the Lord of beautiful Srirangam lies resting, lovingly facing the south. In His holy courtyard gathers the great and joyful company of His devotees. When will the day come when I see them and join them, and stay with them?
Word by word
- vāṉakam uyya
- so that heaven may flourish
- maṇ-ulakil maṉicar uyya
- so that the people on earth may flourish
- ayarvu oṉṟu illāc cukam
- happiness without any weariness
- teṉticai nōkkip
- facing the south
- tirumuṟṟattu
- in the holy courtyard
- iṉpa miku peruṅ kuḻuvu
- the great joyful company
- icaintu uṭaṉē
- joining them, together
Perumal Tirumozhi 1.11 · verse 657 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Srirangam, set amid the Ponni whose banks shine with sandbanks, the Lord with a dark form like the sea reclines on the serpent bed. Out of longing to see Him to his eyes' content and rejoice, Kulasekhara, the generous king, lord of Koodal, with his victorious bright sword and his army under shining parasols, made this graceful garland of Tamil. Those who can recite these ten will reach the feet of Narayana, radiant with goodness.
Word by word
- tiṭar viḷaṅku karaip poṉṉi
- the Ponni with shining sandbanks along its banks
- kaṭal viḷaṅku karumēṉi
- dark form like the sea
- kaṇṇārak kaṇṭu
- seeing to the eyes' content
- kūṭalarkōṉ
- lord of Koodal, Madurai
- koṭaik kulacēkaraṉ
- Kulasekhara the generous
- tamiḻ-mālai pattum
- these ten, a garland of Tamil
- nāraṇaṉ-aṭikkīḻ naṇṇuvārē
- will reach the feet of 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.