Perumal Tirumozhi 5.1 · verse 688 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even if You do not ward off the grief that comes to me, I have no refuge but Your feet, O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, ringed by flower groves heavy with fragrance. A baby, even when its own mother pushes it away in anger, still cries out thinking only of her love. I have been just like that child.
Word by word
- taru tuyaram taṭāyēl
- if You do not ward off the grief that comes
- uṉ caraṇ allāl caraṇ illai
- no refuge but Your feet
- vittuvakkōṭṭu ammāṉē
- O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu
- īṉṟa tāy akaṟṟiṭiṉum
- even if the mother who bore it pushes it away
- aruḷ niṉaintē
- thinking only of her love
- aḻum kuḻavi
- the crying baby
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.2 · verse 689 of the four thousand
Meaning
A wife of good family knows no one but the husband who took her, even if he does things that make onlookers scorn him. O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, encircled by walls that touch the sky, like her, even if You do not take me as Yours and rule over me, I will speak only of Your feet with their tinkling anklets.
Word by word
- kaṇṭār ikaḻvaṉavē
- things that onlookers scorn
- kātalaṉtāṉ ceytiṭiṉum
- even if her beloved does them
- koṇṭāṉai allāl aṟiyāk
- knowing none but the one who took her
- kulamakaḷ
- a wife of good family
- viṇ tōy matil
- walls that touch the sky
- kuraikaḻalē
- Your feet with tinkling anklets
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.3 · verse 690 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, ringed by long fields teeming with fish! Even if You do not look my way, I have no support but You. Subjects live looking to the sceptre of their garlanded king, even when he cares nothing for them and causes them every kind of grief. I have been just like them.
Word by word
- mīṉ nōkkum nīḷ vayal
- long fields teeming with fish
- eṉ- pāl nōkkāyākilum
- even if You do not look my way
- uṉ paṟṟu allāl paṟṟu ilēṉ
- I have no support but You
- tār-vēntaṉ
- the garlanded king
- kōl nōkki vāḻum kuṭi
- subjects who live looking to the king's sceptre
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.4 · verse 691 of the four thousand
Meaning
A patient, though the physician cuts him with a knife and burns him, keeps an undying love for the physician. O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, even if by Your wondrous ways You give me grief that does not leave me, I, Your servant, will look only to Your grace, as one who is Yours.
Word by word
- vāḷāl aṟuttuc cuṭiṉum
- even if he cuts with a knife and burns
- maruttuvaṉpāl
- towards the physician
- māḷāta kātal
- undying love
- māyattāl
- by Your wondrous ways
- mīḷāt tuyar
- grief that does not leave
- uṉatu aruḷē pārppaṉ
- I will look only to Your grace
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.5 · verse 692 of the four thousand
Meaning
O You who crushed the strong, fierce-eyed elephant, O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu! Where can I go and be saved, other than reaching Your two feet? A great bird flies off a ship in the tossing sea, goes everywhere and finds no shore, and comes back to perch on the ship's mast. I am like that bird.
Word by word
- veṅkaṇ-tiṇkaḷiṟu aṭarttāy
- You who crushed the strong, fierce-eyed elephant
- eṅkup pōy uykēṉ
- where can I go and be saved?
- iṇaiyaṭiyē aṭaiyal allāl
- other than reaching Your two feet
- karai kāṇātu
- finding no shore
- vaṅkattiṉ kūmpu
- the mast of the ship
- māp paṟavai
- a great bird
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.6 · verse 693 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even if red fire itself comes close and scorches it, the red lotus will open only for the hot sun that moves across the sky. O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, even if You do not end my burning grief, my heart will melt for nothing but Your endless glories.
Word by word
- centaḻalē vantu
- even if red fire itself comes
- ceṅkamalam
- the red lotus
- antaram cēr veṅkatirōṟku
- for the hot sun in the sky
- alarāvāl
- will not open
- antamil cīrkku
- for Your endless glories
- akam kuḻaiya
- for my heart to melt
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.7 · verse 694 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even when the sky forgets to rain for ever so long, the young green crops keep looking up only to the great cloud that rises dark. Like them, O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, even if You do not end the sufferings of this body, I, Your servant, will set my whole mind on You alone.
Word by word
- vāṉ maṟanta kālattum
- even when the sky forgets to rain
- paiṅkūḻkaḷ
- young green crops
- maittu eḻunta mā mukilē
- only the great cloud that rises dark
- meyt tuyar
- the sufferings of the body
- cittam mika uṉpālē vaippaṉ
- I will set my whole mind on You
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.8 · verse 695 of the four thousand
Meaning
All the rivers gather, sparkle, spread out and run, and cannot stay anywhere but must enter the deep sea. Like them, O You whose colour is that of a bright cloud, O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, I enter nowhere but into Your shining glories. See this, O Holy One.
Word by word
- yāṟellām
- all the rivers
- toṭukaṭalē pukku
- entering the deep sea
- puṟamniṟka māṭṭāta
- unable to stay outside
- mukil-niṟattāy
- You whose colour is that of a cloud
- pukku ilaṅku cīr
- Your shining glories, my only entry
- puṇṇiyaṉē
- O Holy One
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.9 · verse 696 of the four thousand
Meaning
Wealth comes seeking the one who seeks You alone and does not want great riches. Like that, O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, holding a discus that flashes like lightning, though You test me with Your wondrous ways, I, Your servant, will stand seeking You alone.
Word by word
- niṉṉaiyē tāṉ vēṇṭi
- seeking You alone
- nīḷ celvam vēṇṭātāṉ
- one who does not want great riches
- māyattāl
- by Your wondrous ways
- miṉṉaiyē cēr tikiri
- the discus that flashes like lightning
- niṟpaṉ aṭiyēṉē
- I, Your servant, will stand
Perumal Tirumozhi 5.10 · verse 697 of the four thousand
Meaning
"O Lord of Thiruvithuvakkodu, even if You do not want me, I have no one else to hold to": saying this, longing for His feet, Kulasekhara, whose army carries victorious spears, spoke these ten fine Tamil verses. Those who can recite them will never come near hell.
Word by word
- nī vēṇṭāyē āyiṭiṉum
- even if You do not want me
- maṟṟu ārum paṟṟu ilēṉ
- I have no one else to hold to
- tāḷ nayantu
- longing for His feet
- koṟṟa vēl-tāṉaik
- whose army carries victorious spears
- naṇṇār narakamē
- will never come near hell
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.