Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.1 · verse 3816 of the four thousand
Meaning
For the path of tapas, the true means is the feet of Damodara. He has the hue of a dark rain cloud and lotus eyes; holding the discus, He stands as water, sky, earth, fire and wind. His greatness is such that the great heavenly ones can only babble of it. The elders read this path as surrender, with His feet as the means.
Word by word
- cārvē tavaneṟikkut
- the means for the path of tapas, devotion
- tāmōtaraṉ tāḷkaḷ
- the feet of Damodara, Krishna bound at the waist
- kār mēka vaṇṇaṉ
- with the hue of a dark rain cloud
- kamala nayaṉattaṉ
- lotus-eyed
- nēmiyāṉ
- He who holds the discus
- pitaṟṟum perumaiyaṉē
- whose greatness they can only babble of
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.2 · verse 3817 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is great; even the unblinking ones in heaven find Him hard to see, and so, always, do those who do not hold Him close in their hearts. Yet the red-eyed Mal, on whose holy body Sri dwells, every day here drives away my twofold karma and takes me as His own.
Word by word
- vāṉattu imaiyōrkkum
- even for the unblinking gods of heaven
- kāṇṭaṟku arumaiyaṉē
- hard to see
- ākattu aṇaiyātārkku
- for those who do not hold Him in their hearts
- tiru mey uṟaikiṉṟa
- on whose holy body Sri dwells
- ceṅkaṇ māl
- red-eyed Mal, the Lord
- irumai viṉai
- twofold karma, merit and sin
- eṉṉai āḷkiṉṟāṉē
- He rules me, takes me as His own
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.3 · verse 3818 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord of the discus rules me: through whom could we ever be in want? There is no going back now; we have cut off the sorrow of birth. I found the feet of the beloved husband of young Nappinnai, whose bright eyes are like sword-sharp kendai fish, and I wore them on my head.
Word by word
- āḻiyāṉ
- the Lord of the discus
- ārāl kuṟaivu uṭaiyam?
- through whom could we be in want?
- mīḷkiṉṟatu illai
- there is no going back
- piṟavit tuyar kaṭintōm
- we have cut off the sorrow of birth
- vāḷ keṇṭai oṇkaṇ
- bright eyes like sword-sharp kendai fish
- maṭap piṉṉai taṉ kēḷvaṉ
- the beloved of young Nappinnai
- talaimēl puṉaintēṉē
- I wore them on my head
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.4 · verse 3819 of the four thousand
Meaning
I wore on my head the feet of Him who slept on a banyan leaf; He stands on the hill while the immortals bow to Him, and He has come to stay in my mind. I have made very sure that He can never be moved from His place there.
Word by word
- caraṇaṅkaḷ
- His feet
- āliṉ ilaimēl tuyiṉṟāṉ
- He who slept on a banyan leaf at the deluge
- imaiyōr vaṇaṅka
- while the immortals bow
- malaimēl tāṉ niṉṟu
- standing on the hill
- maṉattuḷ iruntāṉai
- Him who stays in my mind
- nilai pērkkal ākāmai
- so that He cannot be moved from His place
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.5 · verse 3820 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have made sure that He will never leave my heart. The Lord with the discus in His hand has great cunning; others cannot see His worth; He is skilled in untruths that look like truth. Yet to us, He who lies on the serpent is the One to long for.
Word by word
- neñcam kaḻiyāmai
- so that He never leaves my heart
- kaic cakkarattu aṇṇal
- the Lord with the discus in His hand
- kaḷvam peritu uṭaiyaṉ
- He has great cunning
- meccappaṭāṉ piṟarkku
- others do not see His worth
- meypōlum poy vallaṉ
- skilled in untruth that looks like truth
- naccappaṭum
- is to be longed for
- nākattu aṇaiyāṉē
- He who lies on the serpent
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.6 · verse 3821 of the four thousand
Meaning
He lies on the serpent; He is the Lord who shows grace every day to those who, through true knowledge, hold Him close in their hearts; He keeps on one side of His body the one whose matted hair bears the young moon of the sky. I have bowed down at His feet.
Word by word
- ñāṉattāl
- through true knowledge
- ākattu aṇaippārkku
- for those who hold Him close in their hearts
- aruḷceyyum ammāṉai
- the Lord who shows grace
- iḷa matiyam cērum caṭaiyāṉaip
- the one with the young moon in his matted hair: Shiva
- pākattu vaittāṉ
- who keeps him on one side of His body
- pātam paṇintēṉē
- I bowed at His feet
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.7 · verse 3822 of the four thousand
Meaning
Bow down, my heart, every day, to the Supreme who is beyond all that is supreme. No illness at all will come near; He ends our births and rules us. He is Madhusudana, radiant as a gem, my Lord, who holds the mighty discus of red gold that is His ornament.
Word by word
- paṇi neñcē
- bow down, my heart
- parama paramparaṉai
- the Supreme beyond all that is supreme
- piṇi oṉṟum cārā
- no illness at all will come near
- piṟavi keṭuttu āḷum
- who ends our births and rules us
- maṇi niṉṟa cōti
- radiant as a gem
- aṭal āḻiyāṉē
- He who holds the mighty discus
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.8 · verse 3823 of the four thousand
Meaning
He holds the discus; deep as the ocean, He is beyond even the immortals. He is Time itself and created the ages; He grazed the herds; with His strong, lovely shoulders He lifted the hill. Long may you live, my heart! Live on, never forgetting His feet.
Word by word
- amararkkum appālāṉ
- beyond even the immortals
- ūḻiyāṉ
- He who is Time itself
- ūḻi paṭaittāṉ
- He created the ages
- nirai mēyttāṉ
- He grazed the herds
- pāḻi am tōḷāl varai eṭuttāṉ
- lifted the hill (Govardhana) with strong, lovely shoulders
- maṟavātu vāḻkaṇṭāy
- live, never forgetting
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.9 · verse 3824 of the four thousand
Meaning
I saw His lotus-flower feet, and the moment I saw them, all that was karma split apart and was gone. To serve Him always, worship Him, and walk in His way: this is the manner of service the Supreme ordained long ago.
Word by word
- kamala malarp pātam
- lotus-flower feet
- kāṇṭalumē
- the moment I saw them
- viṇṭē oḻinta
- split apart and gone
- toṇṭē ceytu
- doing service alone
- vaḻiyoḻuka
- to walk in His way
- paṇṭē paramaṉ paṇitta
- ordained by the Supreme long ago
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.10 · verse 3825 of the four thousand
Meaning
In every direction the immortals come, minds fixed on Him in the proper way, and every day bow to Madhava with incense, lamps, fresh flowers and water. The feet of Him who stands there so gracious are the one support for His own people.
Word by word
- vakaiyāl maṉam oṉṟi
- minds fixed on Him in the proper way
- mātavaṉai
- Madhava, Lakshmi's Lord
- pukaiyāl viḷakkāl
- with incense, with lamps
- ticaitōṟu amararkaḷ
- the immortals in every direction
- takaiyāṉ caraṇam
- the feet of the gracious One
- tamarkaṭku ōr paṟṟē
- the one support for His own
Tiruvaymozhi 10.4.11 · verse 3826 of the four thousand
Meaning
Holding the Supreme beyond all that is supreme as his only support, Nammalwar, lord of the rich Pandya land, with strong wrestler's shoulders and a garland, made a thousand-verse antadi of linked words. For those who learn these ten from it, the two feet of Kannan will be their one support.
Word by word
- paṟṟu eṉṟu paṟṟi
- holding Him as the only support
- mal tiṇ tōḷ
- strong, wrestler's shoulders
- vaḻuti vaḷanāṭaṉ
- lord of the rich Pandya land, Nammalwar
- col toṭai antāti
- an antadi of linked words, each verse beginning where the last ended
- kaṟṟārkku
- for those who learn
- kaṇṇaṉ kaḻal iṇaiyē
- the two feet of Kannan
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.