Perumal Tirumozhi 6.1 · verse 698 of the four thousand
Meaning
(A cowherd girl speaks to Krishna, who failed to come.) In this village there are so many cowherd women with lovely flowered tresses; I knew full well You had no real wish to embrace me. Yet I listened to Your lie, and stood on the long sand dune by the Yamuna until dawn, chilled by dew as sharp as rain, shrinking and shivering, watching for You to come, O Vasudeva.
Word by word
- ēr malarp pūṅkuḻal
- lovely flowered tresses
- āyar mātar
- cowherd women
- uṉtaṉ poyyaik kēṭṭu
- listening to Your lie
- kūr maḻai pōl paṉik kūtal
- chill of dew as sharp as rain
- vār maṇaṟ kuṉṟiṟ
- on the long sand dune
- pulara niṉṟēṉ
- I stood until dawn
- uṉ varavu pārttē
- watching for You to come
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.2 · verse 699 of the four thousand
Meaning
A young woman with bright eyes like the kendai fish was churning curd in the house to the east. You saw her, said, "Quick, I'll churn too," rolled Your roguish eyes and went in. Your bee-haunted flowered locks slipped down and swayed, Your bright face sweated, Your red lips quivered: the way You churned that cool curd, O Damodara, I know it all too well.
Word by word
- keṇṭai oṇ kaṇ
- bright eyes like the kendai fish
- kīḻai akattut
- in the house to the east
- kaḷḷa-viḻiyai viḻittup
- rolling Your roguish eyes
- vaṇṭu amar pūṅkuḻal
- flowered locks where bees settle
- vāḷmukam vērppa
- Your bright face sweating
- tāmōtarā
- O Damodara, the one bound at the waist
- mey aṟivaṉ
- I know it well
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.3 · verse 700 of the four thousand
Meaning
You cast side-glances at one girl with dark, flowered hair; there and then You set Your heart on another; You speak sweet words to yet another; You make a false promise to some innocent girl; and You go off with a maiden of curling locks, yet to her too You are not true. O You who broke the marudu trees, as You grow, Your trickery grows right along with You.
Word by word
- karumalark kūntal
- dark, flowered hair
- kaṭaikkaṇittu
- casting side-glances
- poy kuṟittu
- making a false promise
- purikuḻal maṅkai
- a maiden of curling locks
- meyyaṉ allai
- You are not true
- marutu iṟuttāy
- You who broke the marudu trees
- uṉtaṉ māyai
- Your trickery
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.4 · verse 701 of the four thousand
Meaning
Though there was nectar in Your own mother's milk, You crawled and toddled away, put Your mouth to the demoness's breast and drank her poison, so that others mocked You as mad. And while I waited for You with deep love, You found Your pleasure with the very messenger I sent to You. That too fits Your wayward nature well.
Word by word
- tāy-mulaip pālil amutirukkat
- though there was nectar in the mother's milk
- taḷarnaṭaiyiṭṭuc ceṉṟu
- toddling away
- pēy-mulai
- the demoness Putana's breast
- pittaṉ eṉṟē piṟar ēca
- others mocking You as mad
- eṉ tūtiyōṭē
- with my own messenger
- kōrampukku
- for Your wayward nature
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.5 · verse 702 of the four thousand
Meaning
You were taking along a girl with a waist as slender as lightning, through my very street, in the thick darkness, the two of you hooded under one gold-like cloth. I stood and saw you go by. I stood and saw You, too, beckon with Your eyes and wave Your hand at the one who caught Your eye. Why did You leave her and come here? Go on, back there again, O Nambi!
Word by word
- miṉṉotta nuṇṇiṭaiyāḷaik
- a girl with a waist slender as lightning
- vīṅku iruḷvāy
- in the thick darkness
- poṉṉotta āṭai
- a gold-like cloth
- kukkūṭaliṭṭup
- drawn over both your heads as a hood
- kai viḷikkiṉṟatum
- beckoning with the hand
- naṭa nampi
- go on, O Nambi
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.6 · verse 703 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Vasudeva, whose shoulders fought the wrestlers! The moment I, so unlucky, fell asleep, You laid me on the soft bed at midnight and slipped away. That whole night and the day after, You spent with other women, and only now You come back. Why have You come to my side? My Lord, please be on Your way.
Word by word
- maṟ poru tōḷ uṭai
- whose shoulders fought the wrestlers
- valviṉaiyēṉ
- I, so unlucky
- iraviṭai ēmattu
- in the middle of the night
- iṉṉaṇaimēl iṭṭu
- laying me on the soft bed
- arivaiyarōṭum
- with other women
- eḻuntaruḷē
- please be on Your way
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.7 · verse 704 of the four thousand
Meaning
O You who lie on the hooded serpent bed! We are not what we used to be, nor are we the ones You delight in, with bright eyes lined with kohl. Stop coming to our hamlet and lingering. Once we were taken in, gazing at Your red garment, Your holy face, Your lips like red fruit and Your curls; one day of being deceived is enough. No more deceiving talk; go, Nambi.
Word by word
- paiyaraviṉ aṇaip paḷḷiyiṉāy
- You who lie on the hooded serpent bed
- paṇṭaiyōm allōm
- we are not what we used to be
- maiyari oṇ kaṇṇiṉārum
- those with bright kohl-lined eyes
- em cēri
- our hamlet
- ceṅkaṉivāyum
- lips like red fruit
- puḷḷuvam pēcātē
- no more deceiving talk
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.8 · verse 705 of the four thousand
Meaning
You gave me a sign to come, then settled in the shade of the bower of jasmine in full bloom and went off to be with her; and when You saw me, You slipped away in a fluster. You may hurry off clutching Your golden garment, pretending to be afraid, but if one day You come into my hands here again, I will settle my anger then.
Word by word
- eṉṉai varuka eṉak kuṟittiṭṭu
- giving me a sign to come
- mullaiyiṉ pantar-nīḻal
- the shade of the jasmine bower
- uḻaṟā nekiḻntāy
- You slipped away in a fluster
- poṉṉiṟa āṭaiyaik
- Your golden garment
- poy-accam kāṭṭi
- pretending to be afraid
- eṉ ciṉam tīrvaṉ
- I will settle my anger
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.9 · verse 706 of the four thousand
Meaning
The auspicious forest garland shining on Your chest, peacock feathers on Your head, a bright new cloth fastened at Your waist, bunches of flowers tucked into Your ears, You came along mingling with women of fragrant, honeyed hair, sweetly playing Your flute. Will the music of Your flute never come one day, just to play for us alone?
Word by word
- maṅkala nal vaṉamālai
- the auspicious forest garland
- mayil-taḻaip pīli
- peacock feathers
- poṅku iḷa āṭai
- a bright new cloth
- pūṅkottuk kātiṟ
- bunches of flowers in the ears
- koṅku naṟuṅ kuḻalārkaḷōṭu
- with women of fragrant, honeyed hair
- kuḻal iṉitu ūti
- sweetly playing the flute
- eṅkaḷukkē orunāḷ
- one day, for us alone
Perumal Tirumozhi 6.10 · verse 707 of the four thousand
Meaning
The young cowherd girls, longing for the Consort of Sri of the petalled lotus, sulked with Him in the night and spoke these words of reproach. Kulasekhara, ruler of the city of Kolli, king of Koodal, set them to sweet music and made this sweet Tamil garland of ten. Those who can recite it will know no sorrow at all.
Word by word
- alli malart tirumaṅkai kēḷvaṉ
- the Consort of Sri of the petalled lotus
- iḷa āyccimārkaḷ
- the young cowherd girls
- ellip poḻutiṉil
- in the night
- ūṭi
- sulking in love
- kolli nakarkku iṟai
- ruler of the city of Kolli
- iṉṉicaiyil mēvic
- setting them to sweet music
- illai tuṉpan tāṉē
- there is no sorrow at all
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.