Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.1 · verse 3211 of the four thousand
Meaning
Enemies smile in mockery while dear kin weep and lament: what is this way of the world, which breeds sorrows beyond counting? O gracious One, who churned the ocean! Without delay, appoint for me, Your servant, the way of leaving this life that brings me to Your feet.
Word by word
- naṇṇātār muṟuvalippa
- enemies smiling in mockery
- nal uṟṟār karaintu ēṅka
- dear kin weeping and lamenting
- eṇ ārāt tuyar
- sorrows beyond counting
- ulaku iyaṟkai
- the way of the world
- kaṇṇāḷā
- O gracious One
- taṇṇāvātu
- without delay
- cāmāṟē
- the way of dying
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.2 · verse 3212 of the four thousand
Meaning
Dying and falling into ruin, kin and relatives crowding round one another, lying there deceived and wailing: what is this way of the world? I know no way at all to rise. O Lord, my Master, who rests on the serpent, mark me as Your own and make haste to call me to You.
Word by word
- cām āṟum keṭum āṟum
- dying and falling into ruin
- talaittalaippeytu
- crowding round one another
- ēmāṟik kiṭantu alaṟṟum
- lying deceived and wailing
- ām āṟu oṉṟu aṟiyēṉ
- I know no way to rise
- aravu aṇaiyāy
- You who rest on the serpent
- kūmāṟē viraikaṇṭāy
- make haste to call me
- kuṟikkoṇṭē
- marking me as Your own
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.3 · verse 3213 of the four thousand
Meaning
Celebrations, pride of family, kin and relatives, great wealth, a wife whose flower-decked hair is crowded with bees, a home: leaving all these behind, life perishes. I cannot bear to see this way of the world. O ocean-hued One, do not regard me as You did before; call me to Your feet and take me into Your service.
Word by word
- koṇṭāṭṭum kulam puṉaivum
- celebrations and pride of family
- viḻu nitiyum
- great wealth
- vaṇṭu ār pūṅ kuḻalāḷum
- a wife with bee-crowded flowery hair
- uyir māytal
- life perishing
- kaṇṭu āṟṟēṉ
- I cannot bear to see
- paṇṭēpōl karutātu
- not regarding me as before
- kūyp paṇikkoḷḷē
- call me and take me into service
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.4 · verse 3214 of the four thousand
Meaning
Great wealth that springs up in a rush turns all at once to fire; darkness rushes in and covers all: what is this way of the world? O generous One, gem-coloured Lord! Show Your generosity, and by Your grace draw me, Your servant, in, so that I come to Your feet.
Word by word
- kiḷarntu eḻunta perum celvam
- great wealth that springs up
- neruppu āka
- turning to fire
- tamam mūṭum
- darkness covers all
- vaḷḷalē maṇivaṇṇā
- O generous, gem-coloured One
- uṉatu aruḷāl
- by Your grace
- vāṅkāyē
- draw me in
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.5 · verse 3215 of the four thousand
Meaning
In this flower-like world encircled by the sea, the creatures that stand still and those that move are battered by birth and death, disease and old age; and beyond all this lies cruel hell. What is this way of the world? O gem-coloured Lord, take me up; do not turn Your servant away.
Word by word
- vāṅku nīr malar ulakil
- in this flower-like world ringed by the sea
- niṟpaṉavum tirivaṉavum
- those that stand still and those that move
- piṟappu iṟappup piṇi mūppāl
- by birth, death, disease and old age
- takarppuṇṇum
- are battered
- vem narakam
- cruel hell
- maṟukkēlē
- do not turn me away
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.6 · verse 3216 of the four thousand
Meaning
They bewilder creatures, trap them in strong nets, crush them, kill them and eat them; they neither know nor think about what is right. What is this way of the world? O Lord whose crown wears fragrant tulasi, You have taken me, sinner that I am, wholly as Your servant; now, my precious nectar, graciously call me to You.
Word by word
- val valaippaṭutti
- trapping them in strong nets
- koṉṟu uṇpar
- kill them and eat
- aṟapporuḷai aṟintu ōrār
- neither know nor consider what is right
- veṟit tuḷava muṭiyāṉē
- Lord whose crown wears fragrant tulasi
- uṉakku aṭimai aṟakkoṇṭāy
- You took me wholly as Your servant
- eṉ ār amutē
- my precious nectar
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.7 · verse 3217 of the four thousand
Meaning
You have become all that stands still and all that moves in this world; You alone stand as all, with nothing whatever apart from You. So call me and take me, Your servant, so that sickness, old age, death, birth and disease all end for me; do not show me this cruel world any more.
Word by word
- niṟpaṉavum tirivaṉavum
- all that stands still and all that moves
- nīyē
- You alone
- maṟṟu oru poruḷum iṉṟi
- with nothing apart from You
- nōyē mūppu iṟappu piṟappu
- sickness, old age, death, birth
- kūyēkoḷ
- call me and take me
- koṭu ulakam kāṭṭēlē
- do not show me the cruel world
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.8 · verse 3218 of the four thousand
Meaning
You put together earth, water, fire, sky and wind, and set up this single egg of a universe where the gods live; You bring it into view, hide it within You and bring it out again. When will You free me from this fortress of an egg and join me to Your holy feet, so hard to reach, in the heights of Your rich radiance?
Word by word
- kāṭṭi nī karantu umiḻum
- You reveal, hide and bring out again
- nilam nīr tī vicumpu kāl
- earth, water, fire, sky and wind
- taṉi muṭṭaik
- the single egg of the universe
- kōṭṭaiyiṉil kaḻittu
- freeing me from the fortress
- koḻum cōti uyarattuk
- in the heights of Your rich radiance
- eññāṉṟu kūṭṭutiyē
- when will You join me?
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.9 · verse 3219 of the four thousand
Meaning
You will join me to Your feet with their ringing anklets. O You who rest on the serpent, You keep even the gods busy at Your play, so that they do not come to worship there; I, Your servant, know that too. Yet You have freed me of every desire, and so that I may go about bearing only Your holy feet, You have joined me to those feet so hard to reach. I have seen it.
Word by word
- niṉ kurai kaḻalkaḷ
- Your feet with ringing anklets
- imaiyōrum toḻāvakaiceytu
- so that even the gods do not worship
- āṭṭuti
- You keep them at Your play
- vēṭkai ellām viṭuttu
- freeing me of every desire
- tiruvaṭiyē cumantu uḻalak
- to go about bearing only Your holy feet
- kūṭṭiṉai nāṉ kaṇṭēṉē
- You have joined me; I have seen it
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.10 · verse 3220 of the four thousand
Meaning
The five senses wander about seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting; there are the pleasures they find, and another pleasure hard to discern, small though it is boundless. I have seen through the cleverness of them all and finished with them, so that only You and Sri, the Lady of bright bangles, remain for me. I have reached Your holy feet.
Word by word
- kaṇṭu kēṭṭu uṟṟu mōntu uṇṭu
- seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting
- aiṅkaruvi
- the five senses
- aḷavu illāc ciṟṟiṉpam
- a small pleasure, though boundless
- oṇ toṭiyāḷ tirumakaḷum
- Sri, the Lady of bright bangles
- kaṇṭa catir kaṇṭoḻintēṉ
- I saw through their cleverness and was done
- aṭaintēṉ uṉ tiruvaṭiyē
- I have reached Your holy feet
Tiruvaymozhi 4.9.11 · verse 3221 of the four thousand
Meaning
Longing to reach the feet of the Master, Narayana, Kesava, the Supreme Light, Satakopan, Nammalwar, of fertile Kurugur sang a thousand Tamil verses on those holy feet. These ten among them will lead you to His holy feet; reach those feet and become one with them.
Word by word
- tiruvaṭiyai
- the Master, the Holy Feet
- kēcavaṉai
- Kesava
- parañcuṭarai
- the Supreme Light
- tiruvaṭi cērvatu karuti
- longing to reach His holy feet
- ceḻuṅ kurukūrc caṭakōpaṉ
- Satakopan of fertile Kurugur
- tiruvaṭiyē aṭaivikkum
- will lead you to His holy feet
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.