Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.1 · verse 2980 of the four thousand
Meaning
What He rests on is the serpent bed; what He embraces is the body of the flower-maiden, Lakshmi. He Himself is the source of those two, Brahma and Shiva. He becomes one with all things, coming as one of them; He is the giver of liberation; and for those swimming across the sea of births, He is the raft.
Word by word
- aṇaivatu aravu aṇaimēl
- He rests on the serpent bed
- pūmpāvai ākam
- the body of the flower-maiden, Lakshmi
- iruvar avar mutalum tāṉē
- He is the source of those two, Brahma and Shiva
- iṇaivaṉ ām ep poruṭkum
- He becomes one with all things
- vīṭu mutal ām
- He is the giver of liberation
- puṇaivaṉ piṟavikkaṭal
- the raft across the sea of births
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.2 · verse 2981 of the four thousand
Meaning
The sorrowful births that one must swim through, and everything else besides, and liberation, where there is no sorrow left to swim through: all this is the work of my sole Master, who wears flowering, cool tulasi, and who ended the distress of the elephant in the pond of cool, flower-filled water.
Word by word
- nīntum tuyarp piṟavi
- sorrowful births to be swum through
- tuyar illā vīṭu
- liberation, free of sorrow
- pūn taṇ puṉal poykai
- the pond of cool, flower-filled water
- yāṉai iṭar kaṭinta
- who ended the elephant's distress, Gajendra's
- taṉi nāyakaṉ
- the sole Master
- puṇarppē
- is His work, His design
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.3 · verse 2982 of the four thousand
Meaning
He becomes Brahma, who creates, and Hara, who destroys; He keeps them in His navel and in His body, and dwells there with them. Sri is joined to Him, and He holds her on His own chest. He is the great Designer, and His great design is plain to see everywhere.
Word by word
- puṇarkkum ayaṉ ām
- He becomes Brahma, who creates
- aḻikkum araṉ ām
- He becomes Hara, Shiva, who destroys
- untiyoṭu ākattu maṉṉi
- keeping them in His navel and His body
- taṉ mārvil tāṉ cēr
- holding her on His own chest
- perum puṇarppu
- His great design
- eṅkum pulaṉē
- is plain to see everywhere
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.4 · verse 2983 of the four thousand
Meaning
You who wish to leave behind the five senses that graze on the five sense-objects, and to enter the land of endless good: plunge without ceasing into the glories, first among them His might, of the Lord who destroyed the asuras so that they perished in confusion.
Word by word
- pulaṉ aintu mēyum
- grazing on the five sense-objects
- poṟi aintum nīṅki
- leaving the five senses behind
- nalam antam illatu ōr nāṭu
- the land of endless good, Paramapadam
- alamantu vīya
- perishing in confusion
- palam muntu cīril
- in His glories, first of them His might
- paṭimiṉ ovātē
- plunge in without ceasing
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.5 · verse 2984 of the four thousand
Meaning
Of the unceasing sorrowful births and of all other things, He is the ageless, sole First Cause; He is the Protector of the three worlds. He became a beast, a tortoise, a fish and a man. He is the God of gods, the Lord, my Holy One.
Word by word
- ōvāt tuyarp piṟavi
- unceasing sorrowful births
- mūvāt taṉi mutalāy
- the ageless, sole First Cause
- mūvulakum kāvalōṉ
- Protector of the three worlds
- āmai āy mīṉ āki
- becoming a tortoise and a fish
- tēvāti tēva perumāṉ
- the Lord, God of gods
- eṉ tīrttaṉē
- my Holy One, who makes pure
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.6 · verse 2985 of the four thousand
Meaning
Partha placed a garland of flowers on the red feet of the Holy One, the feet that measured the world; then he saw those very flowers on Shiva's head, and his mind became clear for ever. Can anyone ever again speak fully of the greatness of the Lord who wears fresh tulasi?
Word by word
- ulaku aḷanta cēvaṭimēl
- on the red feet that measured the world
- pūntāmam
- a garland of flowers
- civaṉ muṭimēl
- on Shiva's head
- pārttaṉ teḷintoḻinta
- Partha, Arjuna, became clear for ever
- paintuḻāyāṉ perumai
- the greatness of the Lord with fresh tulasi
- pēcak kiṭantatē
- is it something one can speak of?
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.7 · verse 2986 of the four thousand
Meaning
He lies, He sits, He stands, He measures; as a boar He went down below and dug her up; He hides her within Himself and brings her out again; He embraces her fully with His great broad shoulders. Who can ever see to the end of this Lover, so infatuated with the maiden called Earth?
Word by word
- kiṭantu iruntu niṉṟu aḷantu
- lying, sitting, standing, measuring
- kēḻal āy kīḻp pukku
- as a boar, going down below
- taṉṉuḷ karakkum umiḻum
- hides her within and brings her out again
- taṭam perun tōḷ ārat taḻuvum
- embraces her fully with great broad shoulders
- pār eṉṉum maṭantaiyai
- the maiden called Earth
- māl ceykiṉṟa māl
- the Lover infatuated with her
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.8 · verse 2987 of the four thousand
Meaning
Who can see my Lord Kannan? How could anyone see Him? If you speak of His food, all the worlds together would not make a single mouthful. Whether it is far-off liberation, or souls, or anything else at all, He leaves out no part of it; He pervades all and is everywhere.
Word by word
- kāṇpār ār
- who can see Him?
- ūṇ pēcil
- if you speak of His food
- ōr tuṟṟu āṟṟā
- not enough for a single mouthful
- cēṇ pāla vīṭō
- far-off liberation
- ēṇ pālum cōrāṉ
- leaving out no part at all
- parantu uḷaṉ ām eṅkumē
- He pervades and is everywhere
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.9 · verse 2988 of the four thousand
Meaning
Angry with his son, who said, "Kannan is everywhere," Hiranya cried, "Then He is not here!" and struck the pillar. There, at that very moment, my Lion-Lord appeared, and Hiranya perished. Is His greatness something anyone can measure by searching?
Word by word
- eṅkum uḷaṉ kaṇṇaṉ
- Kannan is everywhere
- makaṉaik kāyntu
- angry with his son, Prahlada
- iraṇiyaṉ tūṇ puṭaippa
- as Hiranya struck the pillar
- aṅku appoḻutē
- there, at that very moment
- ciṅkap pirāṉ
- the Lion-Lord, Narasimha
- ārāyum cīrmaittē
- can it be measured by searching?
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.10 · verse 2989 of the four thousand
Meaning
From glorious liberation, through heaven, down to hell at the end, with the gods in between, He is the root and the first, the seed of all things; He has spread through all and yet stands alone. Him of the hue of a dark rain-cloud, my Kannan, I have seen.
Word by word
- cīrmai koḷ vīṭu
- glorious liberation
- cuvarkkam naraku īṟā
- heaven, down to hell at the end
- vēr mutal āy vittu āy
- being the root, the first and the seed
- parantu taṉi niṉṟa
- spread through all, yet standing alone
- kār mukil pōl vaṇṇaṉ
- He of the hue of a dark rain-cloud
- nāṉ kaṇṭēṉē
- I have seen Him
Tiruvaymozhi 2.8.11 · verse 2990 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Alwar of the rich Pandya land, with its groves loud with bees, sang a thousand Tamil verses to melody on the dark-bodied Lord whose eyes are red. Those who can recite these ten among them will sit in glory and reign at the summit of heaven. That is our great liberation.
Word by word
- kaṇ talaṅkaḷ ceyya
- whose eyes are red
- karu mēṉi ammāṉai
- the dark-bodied Lord
- vaṇṭu alampum cōlai
- groves loud with bees
- vaḻuti vaḷa nāṭaṉ
- he of the rich land of the Pandya king, Nammalwar
- paṇ talaiyil coṉṉa
- sung to melody
- viṇ talaiyil vīṟṟiruntu āḷvar
- will sit in glory and reign at heaven's summit
- em mā vīṭē
- that is our great 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.