Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.1 · verse 2824 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The Alwar speaks as a girl longing for the Lord, sending birds as messengers.) O gentle crane with lovely wings, take pity on me. You and your lovely-winged mate, cry 'Ah, ah!' for me and go as my messengers to Him who raised the fierce-winged bird, Garuda, on His banner. And if He should keep you in His strong prison, let yourselves be kept; what harm could it do?
Word by word
- am ciṟaiya maṭa nārāy
- gentle crane with lovely wings
- aḷiyattāy
- you who can pity
- cēvalumāy
- together with your mate
- āā eṉṟu
- crying 'ah, ah' in pity
- vem ciṟaip puḷ uyarttārkku
- to Him who raised the fierce-winged Garuda on His flag
- viṭu tūtāyc
- as messengers sent
- vaṉ ciṟaiyil
- in a strong prison
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.2 · verse 2825 of the four thousand
Meaning
O flocks of koels, are you not my own? If you went as my messengers to my Lord with red lotus eyes and spoke to Him, what would it cost you? Because of all my past deeds, I never tried, in time, to do small services beneath His holy feet. Must I now be kept far from Him? It is my fate.
Word by word
- ceyya tāmaraikkaṇ
- red lotus eyes
- iṉak kuyilkāḷ
- O flocks of koels
- nīr alirē
- are you not my own?
- muṉ ceyta muḻuviṉaiyāl
- because of all my past deeds
- tiruvaṭikkīḻk kuṟṟēval
- small services beneath His holy feet
- akalvatuvō
- must I be kept away?
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.3 · verse 2826 of the four thousand
Meaning
O swans of gentle gait, who live with your mates as nature ordains, go to the Thief who cleverly became a little dwarf student and begged for the world. Tell Him: 'A girl, her whole mind shaken within, swoons, saying, "Will the cruel deeds of senseless me never come to an end?"' Will you not tell Him?
Word by word
- vitiyiṉāl peṭai maṇakkum
- living with their mates as nature ordains
- meṉnaṭaiya aṉṉaṅkāḷ
- O swans of gentle gait
- kuṟaḷ māṇāy
- as a little dwarf student, Vamana
- ulaku iranta kaḷvarkku
- to the Thief who begged for the world
- val viṉaiyē māḷātō
- will my cruel deeds never end?
- uḷ kalaṅki mayaṅkumāl
- shaken within, she swoons
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.4 · verse 2827 of the four thousand
Meaning
He saw my state and did not take pity and say, 'This is not right.' What words of mine can I send to Him, my Lord the colour of a dark-blue cloud? O lovely dark-blue anril birds, who never part from your mates, will you carry this one word to Him: 'From now on, His good name for kindness will not stay with Him'? Will you, or will you not?
Word by word
- eṉ nīrmai kaṇṭu
- seeing my state
- itu takātu eṉṉāta
- who did not say, 'this is not right'
- nīla mukil vaṇṇaṟku
- to the One the colour of a dark-blue cloud
- naṉ nīrmai
- His good nature, His kindness
- makaṉṟilkāḷ
- O anril birds, pairs that never part
- nalkutirō? nalkīrō
- will you grant it, or will you not?
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.5 · verse 2828 of the four thousand
Meaning
He graciously guards and cherishes all seven worlds; can He not show that grace to me too, sinner that I am? O generous little heron, searching for food in the garden by the brimming waters, if you see Narayana, please bring back one word from Him for me, whose eyes brim with tears.
Word by word
- kāttu aḷikkum
- guards and cherishes
- poḻil ēḻum
- all seven worlds
- viṉaiyēṟkē
- to me, a sinner
- nāraṇaṉaik kaṇṭakkāl
- if you see Narayana
- vaṇ ciṟu kurukē
- O generous little heron
- malku nīrk kaṇṇēṟku
- to me, whose eyes brim with tears
- ōr vācakam
- a single word
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.6 · verse 2829 of the four thousand
Meaning
O striped bee, so full of kindness, when you see the Lord of the gracious discus, tell Him this: 'You who have shown no grace, show it now, before her life dries away. You who ride the gracious bird Garuda, come down her street one day.' And what wrong have we done, that He stays away?
Word by word
- aruḷāta nīr aruḷi
- You who have shown no grace, show grace
- avar āvi tuvarāmuṉ
- before her life dries away
- aruḷ āḻip puṭkaṭavīr
- You who ride the gracious bird
- avar vīti orunāḷ
- her street, one day
- aruḷ āḻi ammāṉaik
- the Lord of the gracious discus
- vari vaṇṭē
- O striped bee
- eṉ piḻaittōmē
- what wrong have we done?
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.7 · verse 2830 of the four thousand
Meaning
The cold north wind cuts through me as a thread is drawn through bones. Thirumal thinks only of my faults and shows me no grace. Tell Him just one word: 'What wrong has she done against the kindness of Your holy feet?' What harm could that one word do? O young parrot, are you not the one I raised?
Word by word
- eṉpu iḻai kōppatu pōlap
- like threading a string through bones
- paṉi vāṭai īrkiṉṟatu
- the cold north wind cuts me
- aruḷāta tirumālārkku
- to Thirumal, who shows no grace
- tiruvaṭiyiṉ takaviṉukku
- against the kindness of Your holy feet
- iḷaṅ kiḷiyē
- O young parrot
- yāṉ vaḷartta nī alaiyē
- are you not the one I raised?
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.8 · verse 2831 of the four thousand
Meaning
Are you not the one I raised, little myna? I asked you to go as my messenger to the great Lord, Nedumal, and tell Him of my sickness, and you just sat there and said nothing. I have lost my grace and my gem-like glow. From now on, go and find someone else to put sweet food into your beak.
Word by word
- ciṟu pūvāy
- O little myna
- neṭumālārkku
- to the great Lord, Nedumal
- nōy eṉatu nuval
- tell of my sickness
- nuvalātē iruntoḻintāy
- you sat there and said nothing
- cāyaloṭu maṇi māmai
- my grace and my gem-like glow
- iṉ aṭicil
- sweet food
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.9 · verse 2832 of the four thousand
Meaning
He ordained that, day after day, I should seek out flowers no one else has sought and lay them beneath Narayana's flower-feet that never fade. But to sit apart, kept away from Him, is now my wretched lot; what can I do? O cold north wind that blows through and through, speak to me, and then cut through my body.
Word by word
- nāṭāta malar nāṭi
- seeking flowers no one has sought
- vāṭāta malar aṭikkīḻ
- beneath the flower-feet that never fade
- vakukkiṉṟu
- He ordained
- vīṭāṭi vīṟṟiruttal
- to sit apart, kept away from Him
- ūṭāṭu paṉi vāṭāy
- O cold north wind blowing through
- īrāy eṉatu uṭalē
- cut through my body
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.10 · verse 2833 of the four thousand
Meaning
He became everything: the body, the sea of births, liberation, the soul and all the rest. He brought forth the waters of the ocean and sleeps within them, the Lord with the mighty discus. O my simple heart, deep as the sea, when you see Him, tell Him this, and do not leave Him until we, unlucky as we are, are joined with Him.
Word by word
- piṟappu vīṭu uyir
- birth, liberation, the soul
- mutalā muṟṟumāyk
- and all the rest, He became
- kaṇvaḷarum
- sleeps
- aṭal āḻi ammāṉaik
- the Lord with the mighty discus
- maṭa neñcē
- O my simple heart
- oṉṟām aḷavē
- until we are one with Him
Tiruvaymozhi 1.4.11 · verse 2834 of the four thousand
Meaning
Satakopan (Nammalwar) of generous Kurukur, surrounded by rich fields, spoke fittingly of Kannan, Krishna, Lord of the people of the seven worlds in all their measured extent, in a thousand linked verses of perfect measure. Through the rich words of these ten among them, one can gain the great wealth that rises up to heaven.
Word by word
- ēḻ ulakattavar perumāṉ
- Lord of the people of the seven worlds
- kaṇṇaṉai
- Kannan, Krishna
- vaḷa vayal cūḻ
- surrounded by rich fields
- vāyntu uraitta
- spoke fittingly
- antāti āyirattuḷ
- among the thousand linked verses
- vāṉ ōṅku peru vaḷamē
- the great wealth that rises to heaven
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.