Seven long verses in the asiriyam metre, held to be the essence of the Yajur Veda. Nammalwar sings of the Lord's form and of Him as the cause and master of all, and turns away from every lesser goal, even from the joys of the higher worlds.
Tiruvasiriyam 1 · verse 2578 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a mountain of emerald glowing with fresh light, dressed in a red evening cloud, crowned with the blazing red sun, adorned with the lovely moon and decked with many stars, with a mouth of coral, asleep on the hands of the Ocean King: so You lie. You wear the yellow silk, the crown, ornaments and many fine jewels; Your shining mouth and eyes glow red against Your dark green body. Mounting the bed of the forked-headed serpent of poisonous deeds, You rest in wakeful sleep amid the dashing sea, while Shiva, Brahma, Indra and all the hosts of gods worship You with folded hands. O matchless great Lord with the lotus navel, whose red feet measured the three worlds!
Word by word
- cekkar mā mukil uṭuttu
- dressed in a great red evening cloud
- pavaḷac cevvāy
- a mouth red as coral
- marakatak kuṉṟam
- a mountain of emerald
- kaṭalōṉ kaimmicaik
- upon the hands of the Ocean King
- pītaka āṭai
- the yellow silk garment
- aṟituyil amarntu
- resting in wakeful, yogic sleep
- tāmarai untit taṉip peru nāyaka
- O matchless great Lord with the lotus navel
- mūvulaku aḷanta cēvaṭiyōyē
- O You whose red feet measured the three worlds
Tiruvasiriyam 2 · verse 2579 of the four thousand
Meaning
My Father created the worlds and swallowed them. To long to wear on one's head His radiant lotus feet with their sounding anklets, until the dear life melts and pours out in true, loving devotion: that is a flood of nectar, a honey that yields bliss. Those who leave that glory and waver after some other goal, let them waver. Even if they were offered the three worlds of great, unfading might, rich with fortune, and release besides, would the minds of the clear-sighted ever think of taking them?
Word by word
- ulaku paṭaittu uṇṭa entai
- my Father, who created and swallowed the worlds
- aṟai kaḻal
- sounding anklets
- cuṭarp pūn tāmarai
- radiant lotus flowers, His feet
- ār uyir uruki ukka
- the dear life melting and pouring out
- iṉpu īṉ tēṟal
- honey that yields bliss
- amuta veḷḷattāṉ
- a flood of nectar
- acaivōr acaika
- let those who waver, waver
- teḷḷiyōr kuṟippē
- the minds of the clear-sighted
Tiruvasiriyam 3 · verse 2580 of the four thousand
Meaning
Holding the three worlds in His thought, He rules them truly by His command of shining fame, so that they bow together on the right path. He is first among the three gods, with radiance gleaming on His chest. He churned the cool, thunder-roaring sea, whirling the great mountain with the body of the serpent king, so that waves like mountains clashed and the great mountains trembled in fear. Will it be granted to us, age after age without ceasing, to be servants of the devotees of this one great God?
Word by word
- kuṟippil koṇṭu
- holding them in His thought
- tōṉṟu pukaḻ āṇai
- His command of shining fame
- teyvam mūvaril mutalvaṉ
- first among the three gods
- cuṭar viḷaṅku akalattu
- with radiance gleaming on His chest
- naḷir kaṭal
- the cool sea
- aravu aracu uṭal
- the body of the serpent king
- aṭiyavarkku iṉi nām āḷākavē
- that we may now be servants of His devotees
- ūḻitōṟu ūḻi ōvātē
- age after age, without ceasing
Tiruvasiriyam 4 · verse 2581 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the time of the great void, when there was no world of any kind and no one at all, He alone became the one rare seed of all great things. He brought forth the rich sprout, the divine four-faced Brahma, and, purposing the three-eyed Lord and many other gods, His navel brought forth the three worlds. Will it be granted to us to worship the great first feet of this wondrous God, saying, 'May they flourish, age after age, without ceasing'?
Word by word
- vāḻiya
- may they flourish
- perumpāḻk kālattu
- in the time of the great void
- arum peṟal taṉi vittu
- the one rare seed
- teyva nāṉmukak koḻu muḷai
- the rich sprout, the divine four-faced Brahma
- mukkaṇ īcaṉoṭu
- with the three-eyed Lord, Shiva
- mūvulakam viḷaitta unti
- the navel that brought forth the three worlds
- mā mutal aṭiyē
- the great first feet
Tiruvasiriyam 5 · verse 2582 of the four thousand
Meaning
He turned down one flower of His great first feet and spread it wide, taking in the whole earth; the other bright flower-foot went up to the sky, so that the world of the four-faced Brahma marvelled and rejoiced, and the celestials worshipped it in due order. His eyes are a forest of blooming lotuses, His mouth is like ripe fruit; He blazes like a thousand suns at once; His thousand crowns and shoulders spread like many groves of kalpaka trees. Does the world belong at the feet of anyone but this Tall One?
Word by word
- aṭip pōtu oṉṟu
- one flower of His feet
- maṇ muḻutum akappaṭuttu
- taking in the whole earth
- nāṉmukap puttēḷ nāṭu
- the world of the four-faced god, Brahma
- tāmaraik kāṭu malark kaṇṇoṭu
- with eyes like a forest of blooming lotuses
- kaṟpakak kāvu
- groves of kalpaka, the wish-granting trees
- neṭiyōykku allatu
- other than the Tall One
- aṭiyatō ulakē
- does the world belong at anyone else's feet?
Tiruvasiriyam 6 · verse 2583 of the four thousand
Meaning
O, the ways of the world! It is like bathing a wooden seat in honour while the mother who bore you is sitting right there. The first great God stands here, who creates the world, lifts it from the flood, swallows it, brings it forth, measures it and watches over it; yet people worship the many lesser deities they know, showing plainly their poor understanding. They strive at unworthy things, killing among them; such deeds yield pleasure and pain. Never leaving this ancient, deceptive round of births, they sink, shivering, into its many great delusions.
Word by word
- ōō ulakiṉatu iyalvē
- O, the ways of the world!
- īṉṟōḷ irukka
- while the mother who bore you is there
- maṇai nīrāṭṭi
- bathing a wooden seat
- mutal peruṅ kaṭavuḷ
- the first great God
- pullaṟivāṇmai
- poor understanding
- iṉpu tuṉpu aḷi
- yielding pleasure and pain
- māyap piṟaviyuḷ
- in the deceptive round of births
Tiruvasiriyam 7 · verse 2584 of the four thousand
Meaning
Shiva with the cool moon in his matted locks, Brahma the four-faced god, Indra, Lord of the immortals who shine like tender leaves, all the worlds of every kind and every being, earth, water, fire, wind, the lights and the wide sky, all that blooms and shines, all mingled together: with not a single thing left outside, He hid them all within Himself and lay on one banyan leaf. Other than this great, great wondrous Lord of ours, have we any other great God?
Word by word
- naḷir matic caṭaiyaṉum
- Shiva, with the cool moon in his matted locks
- nāṉmukak kaṭavuḷum
- and Brahma, the four-faced god
- imaiyavar talaivaṉum
- and Indra, Lord of the immortals
- nilam nīr tī kāl
- earth, water, fire, wind
- oru poruḷ puṟappāṭu iṉṟi
- with not a single thing left outside
- ōr āl ilaic cērnta
- who lay on a single banyan leaf
- peru mā māyaṉai allatu
- other than the great, wondrous 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.