Periya Tiruvandadi 21 · verse 2605 of the four thousand
Meaning
To keep me from going off and falling into the cruel hell, it is held tight today, here, by my heart: that foot which the dark-hued Lord stretched out that day, so that the form of the earth and the form of the waters that encircle the earth were hidden from sight.
Word by word
- vem narakil
- in the cruel hell
- cērāmal kāppataṟku
- to keep me from reaching it
- iṭukkuṇṭa
- held tight, pressed close
- pār vaḷaitta nīr uruvum
- the waters that encircle the earth
- kaṇ putaiyak
- so that they were hidden from sight
- kār uruvaṉ
- the Lord of dark-cloud form
- nimirtta kāl
- the foot He stretched up, as Trivikrama
Periya Tiruvandadi 22 · verse 2606 of the four thousand
Meaning
Mal has now come to live in my mind. So my mighty sins, which once sat here in state with all their arrogance and pomp, can no longer find a place to sit; they will wander about until their legs ache, crying out, worn out.
Word by word
- kālē potat tirintu
- wandering until their legs ache
- kattuvarām
- they will cry out
- mālār kuṭipukuntār
- Mal has moved in to dwell
- tarukkum iṭampāṭṭiṉoṭum
- with arrogance and pomp
- valviṉaiyār
- the mighty sins
- irukkum iṭam kāṇātu
- finding no place to sit in state
Periya Tiruvandadi 23 · verse 2607 of the four thousand
Meaning
O heart, whether you tire or not, I have told you: so that Yama's men do not seize you, set their dogs on you and beat you until you are worn out, He will show you grace and keep you safe. He is mother and father to every living being.
Word by word
- iḷaippāy iḷaiyāppāy
- whether you tire or not
- namaṉ tamarkaḷ
- Yama's servants
- nāy tantu mōtāmal
- without setting dogs on you and beating you
- nalkuvāṉ
- He will show grace
- tāy tantai
- mother and father
- ev uyirkkum
- to every living being
Periya Tiruvandadi 24 · verse 2608 of the four thousand
Meaning
He alone appears of Himself, alone; there is no measure of Him. He alone gives the others their coming into being. If He so wills, the world below and above is undone, and He sets it in order once again. Then who on this earth could measure Him?
Word by word
- taṉit tōṉṟal
- who appears alone, of Himself
- taṉ aḷappu oṉṟu illātāṉ
- He who has no measure
- piṟarkaṭkum taṉ tōṉṟal
- the source of others' coming into being
- kīḻ mēl ām
- is turned upside down, undone
- mīṇṭu amaippāṉ
- He sets it in order again
- aḷakkiṟpār
- those who could measure Him
Periya Tiruvandadi 25 · verse 2609 of the four thousand
Meaning
Let anyone do anything at all: is it possible to look into this wide world and set it right? Not for me. But through Kannan, Lord of the host of the heavenly ones, I have driven out the hard sorrow from my heart, now full of His glory.
Word by word
- ārāṉum ātāṉum ceyya
- let anyone do anything
- akaliṭattai
- the wide world
- tiruttal āvatē?
- can it be set right?
- cīr ār
- full of glory
- vaṉ tuṉpattai māṟṟiṉēṉ
- I drove out the hard sorrow
- iṉat talaivaṉ
- Lord of the host of heavenly ones
Periya Tiruvandadi 26 · verse 2610 of the four thousand
Meaning
I and my heart are now of one mind. He will drive our mighty sins off into the forests and the mountains, beating them with the staff called grace, given by our Lord whose great form is dark as the night.
Word by word
- icaintoḻintōm
- we have come to agree, once for all
- kāṉum malaiyum pukak
- so that they flee into forest and mountain
- kaṭivāṉ
- He will drive away
- iruḷ aṉṉa mā mēṉi
- a great form like darkness
- aruḷ eṉṉum taṇṭāl
- with the staff called grace
- aṭittu
- beating
Periya Tiruvandadi 27 · verse 2611 of the four thousand
Meaning
O tall One, which came first: Your foot crossing over the earth, or Your crown measuring the sky? The day You stretched up Your foot with its close-fitting anklet and went over all the worlds, measuring them, we could not tell.
Word by word
- aṭiyāl paṭi kaṭanta
- crossing the earth with Your foot
- muṭiyāl vicumpu aḷanta
- measuring the sky with Your crown
- neṭiyāy
- O tall One, Trivikrama
- ceṟi kaḻal koḷ tāḷ
- the foot with its close-fitting anklet
- aṟikilamāl
- we could not tell
- nī aḷanta aṉṟu
- the day You measured
Periya Tiruvandadi 28 · verse 2612 of the four thousand
Meaning
Back then, eyes like ours could see the dark form of the Lord who holds the discus; today we do not see it. Yet that form, which eyes of flesh never see at any time, the inner eye called the heart does see, by knowing Him.
Word by word
- āḻiyāṉ
- the Lord who holds the discus
- kār uruvam
- His dark-cloud form
- kāṇātu iruppatuvum
- that we do not see
- kaṭkaṇṇāl
- with eyes of flesh
- neñcu eṉṉum
- called the heart
- uṭkaṇṇēl
- the inner eye
Periya Tiruvandadi 29 · verse 2613 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is my Father, wearing the garland of tulasi in clusters, easy for anyone to know truly? No. But as far as people make themselves easy for Him to know, that far He comes to them. And so, here, my Lord has become easy for me.
Word by word
- uṇara oruvarkku eḷiyēṉē
- is He easy for anyone to know?
- iṇarum tuḻāy alaṅkal
- the garland of tulasi in clusters
- entai?
- my Father
- ev aḷavar av aḷavaṉ
- as far as they are, so far is He
- eṉakku eḷiyaṉ
- easy for me
- em perumāṉ
- my Lord
Periya Tiruvandadi 30 · verse 2614 of the four thousand
Meaning
The mighty sins can no longer sit here in state as they did before: my heart is too small even for the glories of my red-eyed Mal. Rather than stand there cramped, tucking in their clothes, would it not be fitting for those sins to pick up their feet and leave?
Word by word
- paṇṭupōl vīṟṟiruttal
- sitting in state as before
- ceṅkaṇ māl
- red-eyed Mal
- cīrkkum ciṟitu uḷḷam
- my heart is too small even for His glories
- maṭi aṭakki niṟpataṉil
- rather than stand cramped, tucking in their clothes
- aṭi eṭuppatu
- to pick up their feet, to leave
- aṉṟō aḻaku?
- is it not fitting?
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.