Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.1 · verse 2791 of the four thousand
Meaning
Who is He who possesses every good, so high that nothing is higher? Who is He who graciously gave me knowledge, free of all confusion, that ripens into love? Who is He who is Lord of the tireless immortals? O my mind, worship His radiant feet that end all sorrow, and rise!
Word by word
- uyarvu aṟa uyar nalam
- goodness so high that nothing is higher
- uṭaiyavaṉ
- He who possesses it
- mayarvu aṟa mati nalam
- knowledge free of confusion, ripening into love
- aruḷiṉaṉ
- graciously gave
- ayarvu aṟum amararkaḷ
- the immortals who never tire, the nitya suris
- atipati
- the supreme Lord
- tuyar aṟu cuṭar aṭi
- radiant feet that end all sorrow
- toḻutu eḻu
- worship and rise
- eṉ maṉaṉē
- O my mind
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.2 · verse 2792 of the four thousand
Meaning
He cannot be measured even by the mind that rises and blossoms upward once its inner stains are washed away; nor can the senses grasp Him. He is wholly knowledge and complete goodness. In the future, the present and the past, there is none like Him. He is my very life, and there is no one above Him.
Word by word
- maṉaṉ akam malam aṟa
- the inner stains of the mind washed away
- malarmicai eḻutarum
- rising up and blossoming
- poṟi uṇarvu avai ilaṉ
- beyond what the senses can perceive
- muḻu nalam
- complete goodness
- etir nikaḻ kaḻiviṉum
- in future, present and past
- iṉaṉ ilaṉ
- He has no equal
- mikunarai ilaṉē
- He has none above Him
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.3 · verse 2793 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is hard to think of in terms of 'He lacks this, He has that.' On earth and in the heavens, He is the things that have form and the beings that have none. He dwells in the senses and their objects, yet is not they. He pervades everything, leaving nothing out. We have reached that One, the single Lord who holds all this goodness.
Word by word
- niṉaivu ariyavaṉ
- hard for thought to grasp
- nilaṉiṭai vicumpiṭai
- on earth and in the sky
- uruviṉaṉ aruviṉaṉ
- He is the things with form and the formless
- pulaṉoṭu pulaṉ alaṉ
- within the senses and their objects, yet not they
- oḻivu ilaṉ paranta
- pervading, leaving nothing out
- naṇukiṉam nāmē
- we have reached Him
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.4 · verse 2794 of the four thousand
Meaning
We, that man, this man, the one between; that woman, this woman, the one between, any woman at all; those people, these, the ones between; that thing, this thing, the thing between, anything at all; the things that perish, these and those; the good and the bad; the things yet to be and the things that have been: He stands as all of them.
Word by word
- avaṉ ivaṉ uvaṉ
- that man, this man, the one in between
- atu itu utu etu
- that, this, the thing between, whatever thing
- vīm avai
- the things that perish
- nalam tīṅku
- good and evil
- ām avai āyavai
- things that will be and things that have been
- āyniṉṟa avarē
- He is the One who stands as them all
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.5 · verse 2795 of the four thousand
Meaning
People, each according to the measure of their own understanding, take various gods as their lords and seek their feet in many ways. Those gods do not fail them, because the Lord stands within them, so that each person reaches the fruit that their own path has laid down. The elders read this as the Lord standing as the inner self of every god.
Word by word
- avaravar tamatamatu aṟivu
- each according to their own understanding
- iṟaiyavar
- their chosen lords, the gods
- aṭi aṭaivarkaḷ
- they seek and reach the feet
- kuṟaivu ilar
- they are not lacking, they do not fail
- vitivaḻi
- by the way their own path has ordained
- niṉṟaṉarē
- He stands, so ordering it
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.6 · verse 2796 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those who stand, who sit, who lie down, who wander; those who do not stand, sit, lie or wander: none of these keeps one nature for ever, and they are hard to think of as constant. But our steadfast Lord stands within all of them, with one unchanging nature for ever.
Word by word
- niṉṟaṉar iruntaṉar
- those who stand, those who sit
- kiṭantaṉar tirintaṉar
- those who lie down, those who wander
- eṉṟum ōr iyalviṉar
- ever of one unchanging nature
- niṉaivu ariyavar
- hard to think of so
- em tiṭarē
- our firm, steadfast One
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.7 · verse 2797 of the four thousand
Meaning
He became all the things spread across the firm sky, fire, wind, water and earth. In each of them He lies hidden, as the life is hidden within a body, and so He pervades everywhere. He is the God proclaimed in the radiant Vedas, the One who once swallowed all these into Himself.
Word by word
- tiṭa vicumpu eri vaḷi nīr nilam
- the firm sky, fire, wind, water and earth
- paṭar poruḷ muḻuvatum
- all the things spread over them
- uṭalmicai uyir eṉak
- as the life within a body
- karantu eṅkum parantuḷaṉ
- hidden, He pervades everywhere
- cuṭar miku curutiyuḷ
- in the radiant Vedas
- ivai uṇṭa curaṉē
- the God who swallowed all these
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.8 · verse 2798 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is the Supreme beyond all that is supreme. As the first cause He swallowed everything, from the high heavens onward, a state even the gods cannot know. Standing as Aran (Shiva), who burned the three cities, and as Ayan (Brahma), who taught knowledge to the immortals, it is He who destroys the worlds and makes them again.
Word by word
- curar aṟivu aru nilai
- a state even the gods cannot know
- varaṉ mutalāy
- being the first, excellent cause
- paraparaṉ
- the Supreme above all that is supreme
- puram oru mūṉṟu erittu
- burning the three cities
- amararkkum aṟiviyantu
- giving knowledge to the immortals
- araṉ ayaṉ eṉa
- as Shiva and as Brahma
- aḻittu amaittu uḷaṉē
- He destroys and creates
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.9 · verse 2799 of the four thousand
Meaning
If you say He exists, these things with form are His form. If you say He does not exist, these formless things are His formless being. Since both 'is' and 'is not' are qualities that belong to Him, He exists in both ways, pervading everything without exception.
Word by word
- uḷaṉ eṉil
- if you say He is
- iv uruvukaḷ
- these things with form
- uḷaṉ alaṉ eṉil
- if you say He is not
- iv aruvukaḷ
- these formless things
- iru takaimaiyoṭu
- in both ways
- oḻivu ilaṉ parantē
- pervading, leaving nothing out
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.10 · verse 2800 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the vast, cool ocean He pervades every drop of water. Through this vast universe, through earth and sky without exception, in every small hidden space and in every shining thing, He lies hidden and pervades everywhere: the hidden One who swallowed all these.
Word by word
- paranta taṇ paravaiyuḷ
- in the vast cool ocean
- nīrtoṟum parantuḷaṉ
- He pervades every drop of water
- paranta aṇṭam
- the vast universe
- karanta cil iṭantoṟum
- in every small hidden space
- iṭam tikaḻ poruḷtoṟum
- in every shining thing
- ivai uṇṭa karaṉē
- the hidden One who swallowed all these
Tiruvaymozhi 1.1.11 · verse 2801 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the sky, fire, wind, water and earth, the Supreme stands as their famed powers: the strength, force, coolness and enduring patience in them. On His feet, Satakopan of Kurukur (Nammalwar) spoke a thousand verses in perfect order. These ten among them are liberation itself for those who learn them.
Word by word
- kara vicumpu
- the sky in which all is held
- tiṟal vali aḷi poṟai
- strength, force, coolness, patient endurance
- paraṉ aṭimēl
- on the feet of the Supreme
- kurukūrc caṭakōpaṉ
- Satakopan of Kurukur, Nammalwar
- niral niṟai āyirattu
- of the thousand, ordered and complete
- pattum vīṭē
- these ten are liberation
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.