Periya Tiruvandadi 31 · verse 2615 of the four thousand
Meaning
Knowing His beauty well, we have become His shadow and His footprints, never leaving Him who ends our mighty sins: Him who once danced with pots upon His head, whirling them about, and who lies resting in the wide ocean.
Word by word
- aḻakum aṟivōmāy
- knowing His beauty well
- valviṉaiyait tīrppāṉ
- He who ends mighty sins
- niḻalum aṭi tāṟum
- His shadow and His footprints
- kuṭaṅkaḷ talaimītu eṭuttuk
- lifting pots onto His head, the pot dance
- taṭaṅ kaṭalai
- the wide ocean
- mēyār tamakku
- to Him who dwells there
Periya Tiruvandadi 32 · verse 2616 of the four thousand
Meaning
Damodara wants service done to Him. Yet when people are told, 'Serve Damodara', they will not; saying 'This is for ourselves', they sink low in the very evil deeds they do. Such are people's hearts. What is there for us to do here, in this place?
Word by word
- tamakku aṭimai vēṇṭuvār
- He who wants service for Himself
- tāmōtaraṉār
- Damodara, Krishna bound at the waist
- ceyyātu
- they do not do it
- emakku eṉṟu
- saying 'for ourselves'
- tīviṉaikkē tāḻvuṟuvar
- they sink low in evil deeds
- yām ceyvatu
- what we can do
Periya Tiruvandadi 33 · verse 2617 of the four thousand
Meaning
If He finds even one thing, anything at all, in a person, He is glad of it. Why then do people not offer Him whatever they have and draw near to Him, the Lord who smashed to pieces with His discus the asuras who would never come to their senses?
Word by word
- yātāṉum oṉṟu aṟiyil
- if He finds any one thing
- taṉ ukakkil
- He is glad of it
- nērntu aṇukā āṟu
- why they do not offer and draw near
- tēṟumā ceyyā
- who never came to their senses
- nēmiyāl
- with the discus
- pāṟupāṟu ākkiṉāṉpāl?
- to Him who smashed them to pieces
Periya Tiruvandadi 34 · verse 2618 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even just hearing of how You lie upon the ocean of milk, our legs sink under us, our heart melts and our eyes swim. O Radiance like the blue sea, O First One, You whose way is to drive away our old karma: we have come to You and stand here.
Word by word
- pāl āḻi
- the ocean of milk
- kāl āḻum
- our legs sink
- neñcu aḻiyum
- our heart melts
- kaṇ cuḻalum
- our eyes swim
- cōtiyāy ātiyāy
- O Radiance, O First One
- tolviṉai empāl kaṭiyum
- who drives away our old karma
Periya Tiruvandadi 35 · verse 2619 of the four thousand
Meaning
Standing, sitting, lying, walking about, never ceasing in any of these, He does not leave my heart: He who that day, with the hard blow of His lovely hand, smashed the mouth of Hiranya, the one named for gold, and tore open his chest. Is He not full of love?
Word by word
- niṉṟum iruntum kiṭantum
- standing, sitting and lying
- tiritantum
- walking about
- oṉṟum ōvāṟṟāṉ
- never ceasing in any of these
- eṉ neñcu akalāṉ
- He does not leave my heart
- poṉpeyarōṉ
- the one named for gold, Hiranya
- mārvu iṭantāṉ
- He who tore open the chest, Narasimha
- aṉpuṭaiyaṉ aṉṟē avaṉ?
- is He not full of love?
Periya Tiruvandadi 36 · verse 2620 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is it that one? This one? The one over there? Or that one up in the heavens? Do not stay wavering, saying 'that one'. If you see clearly that He alone is the One, and give yourself wholly to Kannan, then He Himself will become everything to you.
Word by word
- avaṉ ām? ivaṉ ām?
- is it that one? this one?
- uvaṉ ām?
- the one over there?
- umpar
- up in the heavens
- avaṉē eṉat teḷintu
- seeing clearly that He alone is the One
- kaṇṇaṉukkē tīrntāl
- if you give yourself wholly to Kannan
- evaṉēlum ām
- will become anyone, everything to you
Periya Tiruvandadi 37 · verse 2621 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is it not rare to become people who know the way to reach Him? We ourselves have that, my good heart. So praise Mal, who wears the cool tulasi where the bees that feed on flowers come to rest. That praise is the work for our hands: set yourself to it with love.
Word by word
- ām āṟu aṟivuṭaiyār
- those who know the way to reach Him
- nāmē atu uṭaiyōm
- we ourselves have that
- matukaram
- bees, honey-gatherers
- taṇ tuḻāy mālārai
- Mal of the cool tulasi
- atu karamē
- that is the work for our hands
- aṉpāl amai
- set to it with love
Periya Tiruvandadi 38 · verse 2622 of the four thousand
Meaning
O heart, if you think about it, is there time to set things right later, even the time of a blink? Even if it is only by mocking the way the cowherd woman punished Him, spend your time speaking of nothing but the wondrous Lord who wears fresh tulasi; anything else is a mistake.
Word by word
- amaikkum poḻutu uṇṭē
- is there time to set things right?
- imaikkum poḻutum?
- even the time of a blink?
- iṭaicci
- the cowherd woman, Yashoda
- kumaittiṟaṅkaḷ
- the ways she punished Him
- īṉ tuḻāy māyaṉaiyē
- only the wondrous Lord with fresh tulasi
- pēciyē pōkkāy
- spend your time only speaking of Him
Periya Tiruvandadi 39 · verse 2623 of the four thousand
Meaning
Tell me, O heart: did we strive to save ourselves? We never once called the Lord whose chest bears flourishing tulasi to come and do us some splendid favour. Instead, what a fortune it is that our mouths took up His praise alone as their service!
Word by word
- piḻaikka muyaṉṟōmō
- did we strive to save ourselves?
- taḻaikkum tuḻāy mārvaṉ
- He whose chest bears flourishing tulasi
- upakāram poliyak koḷḷātu
- not taking some splendid favour
- avaṉ pukaḻē
- His praise alone
- vāy upakāram
- the service of the mouth
- vāyppu
- good fortune
Periya Tiruvandadi 40 · verse 2624 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is there any fortune to equal this? There is none. Come, heart, do not go on and on and sink into the cruel hell. Praise Him who drank the poisoned milk of the demon-mother together with her life, and ended her life: that is our strength.
Word by word
- itu oppa maṟṟu illai
- there is nothing to equal this
- pōyp pōoy
- going on and on
- pūviyēl
- do not sink in
- tīp pāla
- of the fiery, poisoned milk
- pēyt tāy
- the demon-mother, Putana
- uyir kalāyp pāl uṇṭu
- drank the milk mixed with her life
- vāḻttē vali
- praising Him is our strength
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.