Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.1 · verse 3805 of the four thousand
Meaning
(A cowherd girl pleads with Krishna as He leaves to graze the cows.) My shoulders, smooth as bamboo, are growing thin, alas! Heedless of my thinness and my loneliness, the lovely koels keep calling, alas! The flocks of peacocks gather and dance together, alas! When You go off to graze the herds of cattle, a single day becomes a thousand ages, alas! And with Your lotus eyes You tear at my heart, alas! You are unkind, You are unkind, Kanna!
Word by word
- vēy maru tōḷ iṇai
- my two shoulders, smooth as bamboo
- meliyum ālō
- grow thin, alas
- kāmaru kuyilkaḷum
- the lovely koels
- kaṇa mayil
- flocks of peacocks
- oru pakal āyiram ūḻi
- one day is a thousand ages
- īrti
- You tear at me, draw me
- takavilai
- You have no kindness
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.2 · verse 3806 of the four thousand
Meaning
You are unkind, unkind, Kanna! Each time I am held close to You, a flood of bliss that union can never satisfy rises beyond the sky and surrounds my mind and drowns it; then it slips away like a dream, and right there a longing too heavy for my life to bear enters every inmost part of my soul, alas! From now on I must be parted from You more and more. Your going to graze the cows will be the death of me.
Word by word
- puṇarccikku ārāc
- never satisfied by union
- cukaveḷḷam
- a flood of bliss
- vicumpu iṟantu
- overflowing the sky
- kaṉavu eṉa nīṅki
- slipping away like a dream
- āviyiṉ param alla vēṭkai
- a longing my life cannot bear
- vīva
- it will kill me
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.3 · verse 3807 of the four thousand
Meaning
Your going to graze the herds will kill me; my soul burns with a scorching breath. I have no one at all to keep me company; staying here, I shall not see the play of Your body, dark as collyrium. If You go away, a single day will never pass, and the tears of my two eyes, restless like fighting carp, will not stop. What will kill us, servant girls born as cowherd women in this cowherd clan, is this loneliness.
Word by word
- vevvuyir koṇṭu
- with a scorching breath
- añcaṉa mēṉiyai
- Your body, dark as collyrium
- pōvatu aṉṟu oru pakal
- a single day will not pass
- poru kayal kaṇ iṇai
- two eyes like fighting carp
- āykkulattu āycciyōmāyp
- as cowherd women of the cowherd clan
- toḻuttaiyōm
- we, Your servant girls
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.4 · verse 3808 of the four thousand
Meaning
Govinda, You give no thought to the loneliness of us servant girls, nor to the grief of those parted from their beloved. Loving only the cows in Your pen, You leave us behind and go to graze them. Your gentle, coaxing words from Your lips, red as ripe fruit, cunning words like a flood of sweet juice from ripe good nectar, have entered every inmost part of my sinful mind and pressed deep; each time I think of them, my soul burns.
Word by word
- tuṇai pirintār
- those parted from their beloved
- toḻuttaṉil pacukkaḷaiyē
- only the cows in Your pen
- paḻutta nal amutiṉ
- of ripe, good nectar
- pāviyēṉ
- I, the sinful one
- ceṅkaṉi vāyiṉ
- of lips red as ripe fruit
- kaḷvap
- cunning, stealing the heart
- paṇimoḻi
- gentle, humble, coaxing words
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.5 · verse 3809 of the four thousand
Meaning
Each time I think of Your gentle words my soul burns, Kanna, who have gone off by day to graze the herds. The north wind scatters the scent of jasmine buds as they open, and the maddening evening has come, alas! Let the mullai blossoms on Your gem-bright chest lend their fragrance to my bosom, give me the nectar of Your lips, and, alas, place Your beautiful lotus hand on the heads of us, Your servants.
Word by word
- piṇi aviḻ mallikai
- jasmine buds coming open
- vāṭai
- the north wind
- peru mata mālaiyum
- the evening that maddens with longing
- maṇi miku mārpiṉil
- on Your chest bright with gems
- mullaippōtu
- mullai, wild jasmine, blossoms
- aṭicciyōm
- we, Your servants
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.6 · verse 3810 of the four thousand
Meaning
Place Your beautiful hand on the heads of us, Your servants, Kanna with the lovely discus. Many other young women hold Your beautiful feet in their midst; let that be. We cannot bear the longing of our womanhood. The tears of our long, sharp eyes will not stop, and our minds will not stay still. Because of this, Your going to graze the herds breaks us: our life melts and burns like wax in a fire.
Word by word
- āḻi am kaṇṇā
- Kanna with the lovely discus
- kōlap pātam
- beautiful feet
- arivaiyarum palar
- there are many young women
- em peṇmai āṟṟōm
- we cannot bear the longing of our womanhood
- vaṭittaṭam kaṇ iṇai
- long, sharp, wide eyes
- aḻal meḻukil ukkē
- melting like wax in a fire
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.7 · verse 3811 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our life burns, melting like wax in a fire; our white bangles and girdles loosen and fall; from my pure flower eyes, tears like pearls stream down; my breasts grow pale and my shoulders wither. O You with the hue of a great sapphire, You go off, so that Your soft feet, the colour of red lotus, ache, and You graze the cows in happy delight. If the asuras come upon You there, what will happen?
Word by word
- veḷ vaḷai mēkalai
- white bangles and girdle
- muttam cōra
- pearls (tears) streaming down
- mā maṇi vaṇṇā
- O You with the hue of a great sapphire
- mel malar aṭi nōva
- so that Your soft flower feet ache
- ā makiḻntu ukantu
- happily delighting in the cows
- evaṉkol āṅkē?
- what will happen there?
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.8 · verse 3812 of the four thousand
Meaning
"If the asuras come upon Him there, what will happen?" At this thought my dear life sinks. Do not go off after the cows. Melting and longing mingle within me, and even our union torments me; do not slip from my hands. Showing Your enchanting lotus eyes, Your lips, Your hands and Your yellow robe, roam here instead with the young cowherd girls of slender, swaying waists, the good ones You love.
Word by word
- āḻum eṉ ār uyir
- my dear life sinks
- āṉ piṉ pōkēl
- do not go after the cows
- kacikaiyum vēṭkaiyum
- melting tenderness and longing
- kaikaḻiyēl
- do not slip from my hands
- vacicey
- enchanting, that wins us over
- pītaka uṭaiyum
- the yellow silk robe
- ocicey nuṇ iṭai
- slender, swaying waist
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.9 · verse 3813 of the four thousand
Meaning
Roam about with the good girls You love; each time the trouble in Your heart is eased, we rejoice in wonder. We cannot bear the longing of our womanhood. Our Lord, do not go to graze the cows. Very many asuras, sent by Kamsa, take whatever forms they please and roam about waiting. If You fall among them, there will be calamity there between them and You. Take my word, alas!
Word by word
- ukakkum nallavaroṭum
- with the good ones You love
- tiruvuḷḷam iṭar keṭumtōṟum
- each time Your heart's trouble is eased
- viyakka iṉpuṟutum
- we rejoice in wonder
- vēṇṭu uruvam koṇṭu
- taking whatever forms they wish
- kañcaṉ ēva
- sent by Kamsa
- avattaṅkaḷ
- calamities, harm
- eṉ col koḷ
- take my word
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.10 · verse 3814 of the four thousand
Meaning
There will be calamity; take my word, alas! Asuras with strong hands, sent by Kamsa, roam about, troubling even the ascetics. And Your loneliness out there is great: You tire even of Balarama and will not go about with him. Thinking this again and again, my soul burns within me. You delight in grazing the herds more than in heaven itself, O god of us cowherds, with lips red as ripe fruit!
Word by word
- vaṉ kaiyar
- with strong, cruel hands
- tavattavar maṟuka
- so that even ascetics are troubled
- irāmaṉaiyum
- even Balarama, Krishna's elder brother
- uvarttalai
- You tire of, find irksome
- tivattilum
- more than heaven
- eṅkaḷ āyar tēvē
- O god of us cowherds
Tiruvaymozhi 10.3.11 · verse 3815 of the four thousand
Meaning
Generous Sadagopan of rich southern Kurugur, lord of the Porunal's ghats adorned with conches, lives at the holy feet of that god of the cowherds with lips red as ripe fruit. Among his thousand words are these ten, a garland in the voice of the cowherd maidens: the young woman, grieving at being parted from Him, spoke them to stop Him going to graze the herds. These ten too are a sure refuge.
Word by word
- āyar tēvu
- the god of the cowherds
- porunal
- the Porunal, Thamirabarani river
- caṅku aṇi tuṟaivaṉ
- lord of the ghats adorned with conches
- vaṇ caṭakōpaṉ
- generous Sadagopan, Nammalwar
- maṅkaiyar āycciyar
- young women, the cowherd maidens
- pirivataṟku iraṅki
- grieving at the parting
- pacu nirai mēyppu oḻippāṉ
- to stop Him grazing the herds
- cārvē
- a refuge, support
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.