Periya Tiruvandadi 51 · verse 2635 of the four thousand
Meaning
The five unruly senses are hard troublemakers that rule the mind. To quell their fury, gather them in one place, and so see the feet of the Lord who wears the cool tulasi grown in the fields: is that not the true greatness of those rich in glory?
Word by word
- maṉam āḷum ōr aivar
- the five who rule the mind, the senses
- vaṉ kuṟumpar
- hard, unruly troublemakers
- ciṉam māḷvittu
- quelling their fury
- ōr iṭattē cērttu
- gathering them in one place
- puṉam mēya
- grown in the fields
- taṇ tuḻāyāṉ aṭiyait
- the feet of Him who wears cool tulasi
- māṇpu?
- greatness
Periya Tiruvandadi 52 · verse 2636 of the four thousand
Meaning
That day He took on the look of a young brahmachari and begged for the earth; He made as if it were food and drank the poison of the deceiving woman. Our eyes long to see that one form; they will not agree to look at anything else. And will the mouth agree to eat anything at all without first praising His glory?
Word by word
- māṇ pāvittu
- taking on the look of a brahmachari
- maṇ irantāṉ
- He who begged for the earth
- māyavaḷ nañcu
- the poison of the deceiving woman
- ūṇ pāvittu
- making as if it were food
- kaṇ avā
- the eyes long
- cīr paravātu
- without praising His glory
Periya Tiruvandadi 53 · verse 2637 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is one thing I would say to You, red-eyed Mal. You keep sitting and worrying, 'What shall I do for My devotees?' But the heaven You grant them, calling it Vaikuntham: is it any sweeter to them than their own minds, which dwell in Your glories?
Word by word
- oṉṟu uṇṭu
- there is one thing
- ceṅkaṇmāl
- red-eyed Mal
- eṉ ceyvaṉ eṉṟē irutti
- You sit worrying, 'what shall I do?'
- niṉ pukaḻil
- in Your glories
- maṟṟu iṉitō
- is it any sweeter?
- vaikuntam eṉṟu aruḷum vāṉ?
- the heaven You grant, called Vaikuntham
Periya Tiruvandadi 54 · verse 2638 of the four thousand
Meaning
Where has our hard sorrow, that once clung close beside us, gone off to hide: in the sky, in the rolling sea, in the wind, in the fire, or in the forest? We cannot see it anywhere! For we have bowed at the feet of Him who flung the calf high and brought down the fruits. Ah, ah!
Word by word
- maṟi kaṭalō
- in the rolling sea?
- mārutamō
- in the wind?
- oruṅkiṟṟu?
- has it hidden itself?
- āṉ īṉṟa
- born of a cow: the calf, a demon in disguise
- kāy utirttār
- He who brought down the fruits
- vaṉ tuyarai
- the hard sorrow
- āā maruṅku
- ah, ah, that was at our side
Periya Tiruvandadi 55 · verse 2639 of the four thousand
Meaning
He lies on the jewelled serpent bed, with the sea beating at its side. Even if He is hard to bring to our side, we can see Him whole, at any time, within: He whose coming there ends all the cares of the mind.
Word by word
- maruṅku ōtam mōtum
- with the sea beating at its side
- maṇi nākaṇaiyār
- He of the jewelled serpent bed
- vara ariyarēlum
- even if He is hard to bring
- oruṅkē
- whole, all at once
- eppoḻutum uḷḷāl
- at all times, within
- maṉak kavalai tīrppār varavu
- the coming of Him who ends the mind's cares
Periya Tiruvandadi 56 · verse 2640 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is no way left for us to come back into birth; life is sweet now. Oh! Such is the path shown by the wondrous Lord: who changes His form in ways no one can follow, who is near to some and far from others, and who once measured the world.
Word by word
- varavu āṟu oṉṟu illaiyāl
- there is no way left to come back
- vāḻvu iṉitāl
- life is sweet
- ellē!
- oh!
- uru māṟum
- who changes His form
- āyavar tām cēyavar tām
- who is near and who is far
- ulakam tāyavar
- He who measured the world
- māyavar tām kāṭṭum vaḻi
- the path the wondrous Lord shows
Periya Tiruvandadi 57 · verse 2641 of the four thousand
Meaning
O heart! Will He not remove the mighty sins that lie in our path? He is Mal, who seized the warring demon, held him close and tore open his chest so that his life was ended, while floods of blood surged, swirling everywhere and filling every low place.
Word by word
- vaḻit taṅku valviṉaiyai
- the mighty sins lying in the path
- māṟṟāṉō?
- will He not remove?
- taḻīikkoṇṭu
- holding him close
- pōr avuṇaṉ
- the warring demon, Hiranya
- pulāl veḷḷam
- floods of blood
- mārvu iṭanta māl
- Mal who tore open his chest
Periya Tiruvandadi 58 · verse 2642 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Mal, do not take the radiance of Your form away from me now: I have ripened completely in Your glories, sweet as milk. What I want from here on, as my wealth, is not so much to be freed of birth and do small services at Your feet; it is never to forget You.
Word by word
- paṭic cōti
- the radiance of Your form
- māṟṟēl
- do not take away
- pālē pōl cīril
- in glories sweet as milk
- paḻuttoḻintēṉ
- I have ripened completely
- piṟappu iṉmai
- freedom from birth
- aṭikkīḻk kuṟṟēval
- small services at His feet, kainkaryam
- maṟappu iṉmai
- never forgetting
Periya Tiruvandadi 59 · verse 2643 of the four thousand
Meaning
Knowing that we are now to come to His side, the mighty sins take to the forest or wherever they can and keep no hold on us. Can they still come in between and turn us away from reciting and pondering the names of the great One who sleeps on the scattering waves of the vast sea?
Word by word
- māṭē varappeṟuvarām
- they are to come to His side
- valviṉaiyār
- the mighty sins
- kāṭāṉum ātāṉum
- the forest or anywhere at all
- pēr ōtam cintu tiraik
- on the scattering waves of the vast sea
- kaṇvaḷarum pērāḷaṉ
- the great One who sleeps
- pēr ōta cintikka
- to recite and ponder His names
Periya Tiruvandadi 60 · verse 2644 of the four thousand
Meaning
O my heart, do not turn aside to look at anything else; whether you follow behind Him or not, hold to the wondrous Lord of the cool tulasi alone. To keep you from going anywhere into the ancient, great and cruel hell, see, there is no other Lord.
Word by word
- pērntu oṉṟu nōkkātu
- not turning aside to look at anything
- piṉ niṟpāy nillāppāy
- whether you follow behind or not
- īrn tuḻāy māyaṉaiyē
- only the wondrous Lord of cool tulasi
- tollai mā vem narakil
- into the ancient, great, cruel hell
- cērāmal kāppataṟku
- to keep you from reaching it
- maṟṟōr iṟai
- another Lord
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.