Perumal Tirumozhi 7.1 · verse 708 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Devaki speaks to Krishna.) "Lullaby, my son, sweet as tall sugarcane ready for the press; lullaby, with wide lotus eyes; lullaby, with the colour of the sea; lullaby, like a young elephant calf; lullaby, my son with long, fragrant hair": I never had the good fortune to sing this to You again and again with my mouth full of it. I have become the lowest of all mothers.
Word by word
- ālai nīḷ karumpu
- tall sugarcane ready for the press
- tālō
- lullaby, the cradle-song refrain
- ampuyat taṭaṅ kaṇṇiṉaṉ
- He of wide lotus eyes
- vēlai nīr niṟattu
- with the colour of the sea
- vēḻap pōtakam
- a young elephant calf
- ēla vār kuḻal
- long, fragrant hair
- tiruviṉai illāt
- without the good fortune
- tāyariṟ kaṭai
- the lowest of mothers
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.2 · verse 709 of the four thousand
Meaning
Your red flower eyes lined with fine kohl, gazing up sweetly at something; Your little dark legs with their red flower feet drawn up, like the baby of a rain cloud shining; all Your little red fingers closed into Your palm: alas, I was never blessed to see You lying like that. O Kesava, I am ruined, utterly ruined.
Word by word
- añcaṉam eḻutu
- lined with kohl
- cem malarkkaṇ
- red flower eyes
- muṭakkic cēvaṭi
- red feet drawn up
- nīr-mukiṟ kuḻaviyē pōla
- like the baby of a rain cloud
- ceñ ciṟu viral
- little red fingers
- kaṇṭiṭap peṟṟilaṉ antō
- alas, I was never blessed to see
- keṭuvēṉ keṭuvēṉē
- I am ruined, utterly ruined
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.3 · verse 710 of the four thousand
Meaning
Loving women of good, old custom took You in turn onto their laps and asked, "O my father, great light of my clan, young bull who steals the beauty of the gathering clouds, who is your father?" And You pointed with Your red finger and the corner of Your eye. Nanda had that joy; our lord Vasudeva, without such good fortune, did not.
Word by word
- kuṟaṅkiṭai irutti
- seating You on their laps
- kulap peruñ cuṭarē
- great light of my clan
- eḻil kavar ēṟē
- young bull who steals their beauty
- untai yāvaṉ
- who is your father?
- kaṭaikkaṇṇiṉum kāṭṭa
- pointing with the corner of the eye
- nantaṉ peṟṟaṉaṉ
- Nanda had that joy
- nalviṉai yillā
- without good fortune
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.4 · verse 711 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Krishna! Your face like the beautiful moon shining with joy, Your strong hands, chest and shoulders, the crescent ornament in Your dark curls with tender flowers, Your wide lotus eyes: today I drink in the joy of Your youth with my eyes. But I, sinner that I am, lost the boundless joy of Your childhood, when You would have known me as Your mother. My life cannot go on.
Word by word
- eḻil matipurai mukamum
- face like the beautiful moon
- tiṇtōḷum
- and strong shoulders
- karuṅ kuḻaṟ piṟaiyatuvum
- the crescent ornament in dark curls
- taṭaṅkoḷ tāmaraik kaṇkaḷum
- wide lotus eyes
- iḷamai-iṉpattai
- the joy of Your youth
- piḷḷaimai-iṉpattai iḻanta
- who lost the joy of Your childhood
- āvi nillātē
- my life cannot go on
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.5 · verse 712 of the four thousand
Meaning
The little pendant on Your holy forehead swaying as You gave kisses from Your gem-like mouth; my heart cooled to see Your form, so like Your father's; Your finger pressed to Your little red mouth as You stood and said those words in a temper: unlucky me, I had none of it. The divine lady Yashoda had it all.
Word by word
- tiruneṟṟiyiṟ cuṭṭi
- the pendant on Your holy forehead
- maṇivāyiṭai muttam
- kisses from Your gem-like mouth
- uṉtaṉ tātaiyaip pōlum
- so like Your father's
- uḷḷam uḷ kuḷira
- my heart cooled within
- vekuḷiyāy niṉṟu
- standing in a temper
- tiruvilēṉ
- unlucky me
- teyva naṅkai yacōtai
- the divine lady Yashoda
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.6 · verse 713 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Krishna, with cool, lovely lotus eyes! Crawling, then tottering along, You would play in the red dust of the earth and come to nestle on my chest: alas, I was not blessed with that. Nor could I eat the leftovers of the food You scooped into Your mouth with all Your lovely little red fingers. O my cruel karma! Why did my mother bear me at all?
Word by word
- taṇ an tāmaraik kaṇṇaṉē
- You with cool, lovely lotus eyes
- tavaḻntu
- crawling
- maṇṇiṟ cempoṭi āṭi
- playing in the red dust of the earth
- mārvil maṉṉiṭap
- nestling on my chest
- aṭiciliṉ miccil
- the leftovers of Your food
- koṭu viṉaiyēṉ
- I of cruel karma
- em mōyē
- my mother
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.7 · verse 714 of the four thousand
Meaning
O charming one, my tender child, Govinda! Lying snug in my cupped hands like a little tender shoot overflowing with beauty, one hand fingering the tip of one breast, gracing me now and then with lisping, soft smiles, the breast in Your mouth, Your beautiful holy eyes gazing up at my face: that too I lost, I lost.
Word by word
- kuḻakaṉē
- O charming one
- kōmaḷap piḷḷāy
- my tender child
- eṉ kuṭaṅkaiyil maṉṉi
- lying snug in my cupped hands
- iḷañciṟu taḷirpōl
- like a little tender shoot
- maḻalai meṉṉakai
- lisping, soft smiles
- tiruk kaṇṇiṉai nōkkan
- the gaze of Your holy eyes
- iḻantēṉ iḻantēṉē
- I lost, I lost
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.8 · verse 715 of the four thousand
Meaning
Little budding lotus hands that dabbled all through the butter and ate; the way You shrank when she raised a fine rope to beat You; Your red mouth smeared with white curd; Your crying; that frightened look; Your lovely little red mouth twisting; Your folded hands begging pardon: Yashoda, who saw all these, reached the very limit of that ancient joy.
Word by word
- veṇṇey aḷaintu
- dabbling in the butter
- mukiḻ iḷañ ciṟut tāmaraik kaiyum
- little budding lotus hands
- tāmpu koṇṭu aṭippataṟku
- to beat with a rope
- veṇ tayir tōynta cevvāyum
- red mouth smeared with white curd
- añci nōkkum
- the frightened look
- toḻukaiyum
- folded hands begging pardon
- iṟuti kaṇṭāḷē
- she reached the very limit
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.9 · verse 716 of the four thousand
Meaning
Holding up the hill as an umbrella, leading the lovely kuravai dance, the dance with the pots, flinging the calf at the wood-apple tree, trampling the head of Kaliya with Your foot: of all those good and victorious childhood games, I, Your servant, was blessed to see not one that would have cooled my heart. If there is still some way for me to see them, grant it.
Word by word
- kuṉṟiṉāl kuṭai kavittatum
- holding up the hill as an umbrella
- kuravai kōttatuvum
- leading the kuravai, the cowherds' circle dance
- kuṭamāṭṭum
- the dance with the pots
- kaṉṟiṉāl viḷavu eṟintatum
- flinging the calf at the wood-apple tree
- kāḷiyaṉ talai mitittatum
- trampling the head of Kaliya
- piḷḷai nal viḷaiyāṭṭam
- good childhood games
- kāṇumāṟu iṉi uṇṭeṉil aruḷē
- if there is a way to see, grant it
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.10 · verse 717 of the four thousand
Meaning
Alas, the demoness with a heart full of deceit had a breast heavy with poison, which shrivelled, scorched and fell, her sinews and veins standing out; You sucked it and, gracious, You grew. O my Lord, dark cloud who cut short the days of Kamsa! I am the lowest of all, bearing breasts in vain; I had no refuge, and yet I lived on. How fitting: You found Yourself a fine mother!
Word by word
- vañcam mēviya neñcu uṭaip pēycci
- the demoness with a heart full of deceit
- nañcam ārtaru cuḻimulai
- the breast heavy with poison
- kañcaṉ nāḷ kavar
- who cut short Kamsa's days
- karumukil entāy
- my Lord, the dark cloud
- vaṟitē mulai cumantu
- bearing breasts in vain
- takkatē nalla tāyaip peṟṟāyē
- how fitting, You found a fine mother
Perumal Tirumozhi 7.11 · verse 718 of the four thousand
Meaning
He sent Kamsa, king of that great city, to heaven and came here to join her; yet divine Devaki never saw the endless wonders this child did, and so she lamented. Kulasekhara, guardian of Kolli, who wears the feet of the Lord as an ornament on his head, sang her lament. Those who master this Tamil garland of fine music will soon reach the world of Narayana.
Word by word
- mallai mā nakarkku iṟaiyavaṉtaṉṉai
- the king of that great city, Kamsa
- vāṉ celutti
- sending him to heaven
- ellaiyil piḷḷai ceyvaṉa
- the endless deeds of the child
- teyvat tēvaki
- divine Devaki
- māl aṭi muṭimēl kōlamām
- who wears the Lord's feet as an ornament on his head
- nāraṇaṉ ulakē
- the world 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.