Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.1 · verse 3013 of the four thousand
Meaning
Did the radiance of Your face rise and blossom into the radiance of Your crown? Did the radiance of Your feet open out into the lotus on which You stand? Did the radiance of Your body become Your garment and Your many ornaments, and mingle with the golden radiance at Your waist? O Tirumal, Lord of Sri, tell me plainly. Everything that adorns Him seems only an overflow of His own light.
Word by word
- muṭic cōtiyāy
- becoming the radiance of the crown
- mukac cōti malarntatuvō
- did the radiance of Your face blossom?
- aṭic cōti
- the radiance of Your feet
- paṭic cōti
- the radiance of Your divine form
- pal kalaṉāy
- becoming many ornaments
- kaṭic cōti
- the radiance at Your waist
- tirumālē
- O Tirumal, beloved of Lakshmi
- kaṭṭuraiyē
- tell me plainly
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.2 · verse 3014 of the four thousand
Meaning
If one speaks plainly, the lotus is no match for Your eyes, Your feet and Your hands; fine gold, tested in the fire, is no match for the glow of Your divine body. All the praise this world offers You by comparing You with such things mostly turns into worn-out words, and in the end only makes You look poor, O Supreme Light.
Word by word
- kaṭṭuraikkil
- if one speaks plainly
- kaṇ pātam kai ovvā
- is no match for Your eyes, feet and hands
- cuṭṭu uraitta naṉ poṉ
- fine gold, burnt and assayed
- oṭṭu uraittu
- by speaking in comparisons
- paṭṭuraiyāy
- becoming worn-out, empty words
- puṟku
- poor, lowly
- parañcōtī
- O Supreme Light
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.3 · verse 3015 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Supreme Light, You are the highest; there is no other supreme light that rises above You, and so You stand beyond all comparison. You are the Supreme Light who created within Yourself the spreading worlds. O my Supreme Light, Govinda, I am not able to tell Your nature.
Word by word
- parañcōti
- Supreme Light
- niṉ ikaḻntu
- surpassing You
- paṭi ōvi
- beyond all comparison
- niṉṉuḷḷē
- within Yourself
- paṭar ulakam paṭaitta
- who created the spreading worlds
- kōvintā
- Govinda, Krishna the cowherd
- paṇpu uraikkamāṭṭēṉē
- I cannot tell Your nature
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.4 · verse 3016 of the four thousand
Meaning
Though I cannot describe You, see what has happened: to this vast, wide world You gave many creeds whose understanding cannot fix the mind on Your beautiful form, lovely as the lotus flowers that belong to You. And You have set Your heart on the blossoming tulasi. Will this great world not suffer?
Word by word
- malar talai mā ñālam
- this vast, wide-spread world
- malar puraiyum tiruvuruvam
- Your divine form, like a flower
- pala camaya mati
- the understanding of many creeds
- malart tuḻāy
- blossoming tulasi
- maṉam vaittāy
- You set Your heart on
- varuntātē
- will it not suffer?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.5 · verse 3017 of the four thousand
Meaning
Your body is a radiance brighter than the blossoming rays of the sun; You are knowledge that never tires; without limit You have become everything and done everything. You became the time to come, the time that is and the time gone by, and You protect the whole world together. Where could I ever reach the end of telling Your glories?
Word by word
- malar katiriṉ
- of the blossoming rays of the sun
- cuṭar uṭampu
- a body of radiance
- varuntāta ñāṉam
- knowledge that never tires
- varampu iṉṟi
- without limit
- varum kālam nikaḻ kālam kaḻi kālam
- future, present and past
- oruṅkāka aḷippāy
- You protect all together
- eṅku ulakka ōtuvaṉē
- where could I finish telling?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.6 · verse 3018 of the four thousand
Meaning
All the scriptures of all who recite them, in every world, every one of them, rightly speak of nothing but the beauty of Your glory. O You whose crown wears the tulasi of the woods where blossoms live, You on whose chest dwells the Lady of the lotus, what can I say to praise You?
Word by word
- ōtuvār ōttu ellām
- all the scriptures of those who recite
- cātuvāy
- rightly, fittingly
- niṉ pukaḻiṉ takai
- the beauty of Your glory
- puṉam tuḻāy muṭiyiṉāy
- You whose crown wears wild tulasi
- pūviṉmēl mātu
- the Lady on the lotus, Lakshmi
- vāḻttuvaṉē
- shall I praise?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.7 · verse 3019 of the four thousand
Meaning
So that many might praise You, You first created Brahma within Yourself and told him, "Create all the worlds surrounded by the deep waters." You rose up as the shining gods, with Shiva of great renown at their head, dwelling within them. If these immortals gather round and praise You, will Your ancient glory not be stained? Their praise falls far short of You.
Word by word
- nāṉmukaṉai
- Brahma, the four-faced
- mūḻtta nīr ulaku
- the world surrounded by deep waters
- mutal paṭaittāy
- You created first
- kēḻtta cīr araṉ
- Shiva of great renown
- kiḷar teyvamāyk kiḷarntu
- rising up as the shining gods
- tol pukaḻ mācūṇātē
- will Your ancient glory not be stained?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.8 · verse 3020 of the four thousand
Meaning
You have a radiant body that never dims, that neither opens nor closes like a flower; You are knowledge that never dims; You are all things and have done all things. If the king of the immortals, in his unfading heavenly splendour, comes to worship You, will the radiance of Your lotus feet, which never dims, not be dulled?
Word by word
- mācūṇāc cuṭar uṭampuāy
- with a radiant body that never dims
- malarātu kuviyātu
- neither blooming nor closing
- muḻutu iyaṉṟāy
- You have done everything
- amarar kōṉ
- the king of the immortals
- vaḻippaṭṭāl
- if he worships You
- pātamalarc cōti
- the radiance of Your lotus feet
- maḻuṅkātē
- will it not be dulled?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.9 · verse 3021 of the four thousand
Meaning
Holding in Your right hand the good discus whose sharp edge never blunts, You appeared riding on the bird, Garuda, to save the elephant that worshipped You with longing. If You give to those who serve You in this flowering world a knowledge that never dims as their weapon, will Your bright radiance not be hidden? Even such grace is small beside what You are.
Word by word
- vain nutiya cakkara
- the discus with a sharp edge
- valattaiyāy
- holding in Your right hand
- toḻum kātal kaḷiṟu
- the elephant that worshipped with love
- puḷ ūrntu
- riding on the bird, Garuda
- maḻuṅkāta ñāṉamē paṭai āka
- undimmed knowledge as their weapon
- toḻumpāyārkku
- to those who serve You
- cuṭarc cōti maṟaiyātē
- will Your bright radiance not be hidden?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.10 · verse 3022 of the four thousand
Meaning
O flowering light who stands within the four Vedas, the secret scripture! In due order You created all these worlds, lifted the earth from the waters, swallowed it, brought it out again and measured it. Shiva with the crescent moon in his matted hair, Brahma and Indra know You as their Lord and praise You, and You sit enthroned in majesty. Is that any wonder?
Word by word
- maṟai āya nāl vētattuḷ
- within the four Vedas, the secret scripture
- malarc cuṭarē
- O flowering light
- paṭaittu iṭantu uṇṭu umiḻntu aḷantāy
- created, lifted, swallowed, brought out and measured
- piṟai ēṟu caṭaiyāṉum
- Shiva, crescent moon in his matted hair
- iṟai ātal aṟintu
- knowing You are the Lord
- vīṟṟiruttal
- sitting enthroned in majesty
- itu viyappē
- is this a wonder?
Tiruvaymozhi 3.1.11 · verse 3023 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is the Lord of true knowledge, the One the Vedas speak of, to whom all wondrous things are no wonder at all. Satakopan, Nammalwar, of wide Kurugur where many of victorious fame live, worshipped Him without any confusion and spoke a thousand verses. Of these, these ten will lift you up and cut off birth in this world ringed by the roaring sea.
Word by word
- viyappu āya viyappu illā
- to whom all wonders are no wonder
- meyñ ñāṉa vētiyaṉaic
- the Vedic Lord of true knowledge
- cayap pukaḻār
- those of victorious fame
- taṭam kurukūrc caṭakōpaṉ
- Satakopan of wide Kurugur
- tuyakku iṉṟit
- without confusion
- uyakkoṇṭu piṟappu aṟukkum
- will uplift you and end birth
- oli munnīr ñālattē
- in this world ringed by the roaring sea
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.