Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.1 · verse 3134 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The mother speaks of her daughter.) As a little child He swallowed the seven worlds and lay at ease, without a care, on a banyan leaf. "The cool, lovely tulasi that adorns that Lord's two feet!" she says, and is lost in bewilderment, my tender creeper of a girl, and I am the one with the heavy sins.
Word by word
- pālaṉ āy ēḻ ulaku uṇṭu
- as a child, swallowing the seven worlds
- āl ilai
- the banyan leaf
- aṉṉavacam ceyyum
- lies resting
- taṇ am tuḻāy
- the cool, lovely tulasi
- mālumāl
- she is bewildered
- maṭa valliyē
- my tender creeper of a girl
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.2 · verse 3135 of the four thousand
Meaning
With the cowherd girls, whose waists are slender as creepers, He played His bold pranks and joined hands to dance the kuravai, the circle dance. "The fragrant tulasi that adorns His good feet!" So she keeps saying, my doll, and I am the one whom karma has hemmed in.
Word by word
- valli cēr nuṇ iṭai
- waists slender as a creeper
- āycciyar
- the cowherd girls
- kollaimai ceytu
- playing bold pranks
- kuravai piṇaintavar
- He who joined hands in the kuravai dance
- nāṟu tuḻāy
- fragrant tulasi
- pāvaiyē
- my doll
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.3 · verse 3136 of the four thousand
Meaning
The gods and the great sages bow to Him, bringing many fine garlands of the Vedas set in verse, and He stands there on His red feet. "The red-gold tulasi that adorns those red feet!" she cries out, my girl, my garland, and I am the one held fast by sin.
Word by word
- pā iyal vēta nal mālai
- fine garlands of the Vedas in verse
- mā muṉivar
- the great sages
- cēvaṭimēl
- on His red feet
- cem poṉ tuḻāy
- red-gold tulasi
- kūvumāl
- she cries out
- kōtaiyē
- my girl, lovely as a garland
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.4 · verse 3137 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is the Lord, the Supreme, about whom the followers of many creeds babble their differing doctrines, each holding some part of His flawless, generous glory. "The fresh golden tulasi that adorns His feet!" So she keeps chanting, my broad-shouldered girl, and mine is the karma of old.
Word by word
- kōtu ila vaṇ pukaḻ
- flawless, generous glory
- camayikaḷ
- followers of the various creeds
- pētaṅkaḷ collip pitaṟṟum
- babble their differing doctrines
- pirāṉ paraṉ
- the Lord, the Supreme
- ōtumāl
- she keeps chanting
- taṭan tōḷiyē
- my broad-shouldered girl
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.5 · verse 3138 of the four thousand
Meaning
For Nappinnai of lovely shoulders He grappled with the seven bulls and won her: the strong one, the cowherd, the dancer with pots. "The cool, lovely tulasi that adorns His two feet!" Saying this, day after day my girl wastes away.
Word by word
- tōḷi cēr piṉṉai
- Nappinnai of lovely shoulders
- erutu ēḻ taḻīik
- grappling with the seven bulls
- kōvalaṉār
- the cowherd
- kuṭak kūttaṉār
- the dancer with pots
- nāḷum nāḷ naikiṉṟatāl
- she wastes away day after day
- mātarē
- my girl
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.6 · verse 3139 of the four thousand
Meaning
For the lovely great lady, the Earth, He became a boar and, in the first age, dug up the wide earth from the deep. "The fresh golden tulasi that adorns His feet!" So she keeps saying, my young girl, and she has fallen into bewilderment.
Word by word
- mā maṇmaṭantaiporuṭṭu
- for the great lady, the Earth
- ēṉam āy
- becoming a boar, Varaha
- āti am kālattu
- in the first age
- akal iṭam kīṇṭavar
- He who dug up the wide earth
- māl eytiṉaḷ
- she has fallen into bewilderment
- maṭantaiyē
- my young girl
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.7 · verse 3140 of the four thousand
Meaning
He holds the lady of the rich lotus, Lakshmi, on His broad, garlanded chest. For the strands of cool, lovely tulasi flowers on His feet this girl of mine droops and wilts. O ladies of shining foreheads, see my tender young branch!
Word by word
- vaṇ kamalat tirumātiṉai
- Lakshmi of the rich lotus
- taṭam koḷ tār mārpiṉil
- on His broad, garlanded chest
- vaṭam koḷ pūm
- flowers strung in strands
- maṭaṅkumāl
- she droops and wilts
- vāḷ nutalīr
- O ladies of shining foreheads
- maṭakkompē
- my tender young branch
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.8 · verse 3141 of the four thousand
Meaning
For Sita, slender as a twig, He sent arrows of fire into the city of Lanka. For the cool, lovely tulasi flowers, opening with fragrance, that adorn His two feet, this girl is longing with all her heart. O ladies, what am I to do about this?
Word by word
- kompu pōl cītaiporuṭṭu
- for Sita, slender as a twig
- ilaṅkai nakar
- the city of Lanka
- ampu eri uyttavar
- He who sent arrows of fire
- vampu aviḻ
- opening with fragrance
- nampumāl
- she longs for it
- naṅkaimīr
- O ladies
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.9 · verse 3142 of the four thousand
Meaning
O ladies, you too have borne a daughter and raised her with love; how can I describe the poor girl I bore? "The conch!" she says, "The discus!" she says, "The tulasi!" she says; like this she talks, night and day. What am I to do?
Word by word
- ōr peṇ peṟṟu nalkiṉīr
- you bore a daughter and raised her lovingly
- yāṉ peṟṟa ēḻaiyai
- the poor girl I bore
- caṅku eṉṉum
- she says "the conch"
- cakkaram eṉṉum
- she says "the discus"
- irāp pakal
- night and day
- eṉceykēṉ
- what am I to do?
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.10 · verse 3143 of the four thousand
Meaning
What am I to do? My innocent one, my tender darling, is no longer ruled by my words or within my control, O ladies. She pines for the tulasi on the feet of Kannan, whose chest is bright with flashing jewels, to lay upon her soft breasts that wear ornaments of gold, and she grows thin.
Word by word
- eṉṉuṭaip pētai
- my innocent girl
- eṉ kōmaḷam
- my tender darling
- eṉ collum eṉ vacamum allaḷ
- not ruled by my words, nor in my control
- miṉ cey pūṇ mārpiṉaṉ
- He whose chest has flashing jewels
- kaḻal tuḻāy
- the tulasi on His feet
- meliyumē
- she grows thin
Tiruvaymozhi 4.2.11 · verse 3144 of the four thousand
Meaning
These are the words of Satakopan, Nammalwar, of rich and famous Kurugur, on the feet of our Kannan, which cure the illness that wastes one away. Those who can sing these ten of the far-famed thousand will be good kin to the gods of abundant glory.
Word by word
- meliyum nōy tīrkkum
- which cure the wasting illness
- nam kaṇṇaṉ kaḻalkaḷmēl
- on the feet of our Kannan
- vaṇ kurukūrc caṭakōpaṉ
- Satakopan of rich Kurugur
- oli pukaḻ āyirattu
- of the far-famed thousand
- vāṉavarkku
- to the gods, the eternal ones
- nal kōvaiyē
- good kin, close company
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.