Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.1 · verse 3233 of the four thousand
Meaning
Over and over I called Him "my dark gem with the discus in His hand", but I said it falsely, with pretence, playing only on the surface. Yet I have gained the truth, I have gained Him. When His grace is at work, who can hold it back? Ah, Kanna Piran, I dare You: try leaving me now!
Word by word
- kai ār cakkarattu
- with the discus filling His hand
- karumāṇikkamē
- O dark gem
- poyyē kaimmai colli
- speaking falsely, with pretence
- puṟamē puṟamē āṭi
- playing only on the outside
- meyyē peṟṟoḻintēṉ
- I have gained the truth itself
- viti vāykkiṉṟu kāppār ār?
- when His grace works, who can stop it?
- aṟaiyō
- a cry of challenge: I dare You
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.2 · verse 3234 of the four thousand
Meaning
"You who crawled between the two great marudu trees, my mischievous gem, honey, sweet nectar!" I said such words only as play-acting. And for that, my Lord Himself became mine, He became all of me. Now the sky, the great earth and everything else besides are all within my reach, all mine.
Word by word
- mā marutiṉ naṭuvē
- between the two great marudu trees
- pollā maṇiyē
- O mischievous gem
- iṉ amutē
- O sweet nectar
- cila kūttuc colla
- as I spoke a few play-acted words
- eṉ āki oḻintāṉ
- He became wholly mine, all of me
- eṉ uḷḷaṉavē
- are now all mine
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.3 · verse 3235 of the four thousand
Meaning
I had other things and other desires, and outwardly I spoke a few tricks, calling You "generous one, sapphire-hued one", deceiving even You. That thieving mind has left me now; I have seen You and I am saved. You who lie on Your serpent bed in the flood of the ocean, now, leaving You, what else would I take?
Word by word
- cila māyam colli
- speaking a few deceits
- vaḷḷal maṇivaṇṇaṉē
- generous one, sapphire-hued Lord
- kaḷḷa maṉam tavirntē
- the thieving mind gone
- uyntoḻintēṉ
- I am saved
- veḷḷattu aṇaikkiṭantāy
- You who lie on Your bed in the flood
- iṉi uṉṉai viṭṭu eṉ koḷvaṉē?
- now what would I take, leaving You?
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.4 · verse 3236 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even while I say the words "What would I take, leaving You?", I, a hardened thief, steel my mind and hide my tears, and still I cannot bring my soul close to You and give it up to You. O Kanna, cut away the impurity in me, and graciously call me to Yourself.
Word by word
- vaṉ kaḷvaṉēṉ
- I, a hardened thief
- maṉattai valittu
- steeling my mind
- kaṇṇa nīr karantu
- hiding my tears
- niṉkaṇ neruṅkavaittē
- bringing it close to You
- maliṉam aṟuttu
- cutting away the impurity
- kūvi aruḷāy
- graciously call me to You
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.5 · verse 3237 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kanna Piran, the dark gem of the heavenly ones, my nectar: though I drew near Him, I could not reach Him. In between, You put me in a body, tied it fast with the strong rope of my many deeds, bound it so that its sores were hidden from sight, and kept me far outside, away from You.
Word by word
- viṇṇōr karumāṇikkattai
- the dark gem of the heavenly ones
- naṇṇiyum naṇṇakillēṉ
- though I drew near, I could not reach
- ōr uṭampil iṭṭu
- placing me in a body
- ceyviṉai vaṉ kayiṟṟāl
- with the strong rope of deeds done
- puṇṇai maṟaiya varintu
- binding it so the sores are hidden
- pōra vaittāy puṟamē
- You kept me far outside
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.6 · verse 3238 of the four thousand
Meaning
The two strong deeds, good and bad, tie me up on every side and torment me, body after body in turn. Now that refuge in bodies is ended, for I have seen and made my own the Lord: with four broad, shining shoulders, red lips and red lotus eyes, the discus that works for righteousness in His lovely hand, the dark-bodied Lord.
Word by word
- iru valviṉaiyār
- the two strong deeds, merit and sin
- kumaikkum
- torment
- muṟai muṟai yākkai
- body after body in turn
- nāl taṭam tōḷ
- four broad shoulders
- aṟam muyal āḻi
- the discus that works for righteousness
- karumēṉi ammāṉ
- the dark-bodied Lord
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.7 · verse 3239 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord, the Master of the discus: how high is He, and who am I? See, even for the worst of sinners, when His grace comes to work, it works. Crying "You who ended the elephant's suffering!" and wailing with my hands on my head, I have become truly mad for Him; and my Lord too has fallen for me.
Word by word
- āḻippirāṉ
- the Lord of the discus
- ev iṭattāṉ? yāṉ ār?
- how high is He, and who am I?
- viti vāykkiṉṟu vāykkum
- when grace works, it works
- kaimmā tuṉpu oḻittāy
- You who ended the elephant's suffering
- kaitalaipūcal iṭṭē
- wailing with hands on my head
- meym māl āyoḻintēṉ
- I became truly mad with love
- eṉ mēlāṉē
- has fallen for me
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.8 · verse 3240 of the four thousand
Meaning
Mal, whom the high gods above and the holy ones of the earth gather to worship, came of late and settled firmly in the mind of me, His servant. Women with eyes like the sel fish, great wealth, good children, and the best of mothers and fathers: from now on He Himself will be all of these to me.
Word by word
- nilat tēvarum
- the holy ones of the earth
- mālār
- Mal, the Lord who is love
- maṉattē maṉṉiṉār
- settled firmly in my mind
- cēl ēy kaṇṇiyarum
- women with eyes like the sel fish
- naṉmakkaḷum
- good children
- avarē iṉi āvārē
- He alone will now be all these
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.9 · verse 3241 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Who will be my help?" Like a ship sinking in the wave-tossed sea, I was trembling in the ocean of births. Then He came, with His divine form, with the sacred discus and conch, crying "Ah, ah!" in pity, poured out His grace, and became one with me, His servant.
Word by word
- āvār ār tuṇai?
- who will be my help?
- aḻuntum nāvāy pōl
- like a sinking ship
- piṟavikkaṭaluḷ
- in the ocean of births
- tēvu ār kōlattoṭum
- with His divine form
- āā eṉṟu
- crying "Ah, ah!" in pity
- aṭiyēṉoṭum āṉāṉē
- became one with me, His servant
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.10 · verse 3242 of the four thousand
Meaning
Taking only this, that I said "He is my Master", He rejoiced, came to me, gave His sweet grace of His own accord, and became all of me entirely. He became the fish, the tortoise, Narasimha, the dwarf, and the boar of the forest, and is yet to become Kalki: the cloud-dark Lord.
Word by word
- āḷuṭaiyāṉ
- my Master, who owns me
- aḵtē koṇṭu ukantu
- rejoicing in that alone
- muṟṟavum tāṉ āṉāṉ
- became all of me entirely
- kuṟaḷ āy
- becoming the dwarf, Vamana
- kāṉ ār ēṉamum āy
- becoming the boar of the forest
- kaṟki ām iṉṉam
- will yet become Kalki
- kār vaṇṇaṉē
- the cloud-dark Lord
Tiruvaymozhi 5.1.11 · verse 3243 of the four thousand
Meaning
Of the thousand bright Tamil verses of glorious praise that Sadagopan, Nammalwar of Kurugur with its lovely, rich and shining fields, sang about the cloud-dark Kanna Piran with large lotus eyes: those who recite these ten with longing will enter beneath His feet and shine there.
Word by word
- kamalattaṭaṅkaṇṇaṉ
- the Lord with large lotus eyes
- kurukūrc caṭakōpaṉ
- Sadagopan of Kurugur, Nammalwar
- cīr vaṇṇam oṇ tamiḻkaḷ
- bright Tamil verses of glorious praise
- ārvaṇṇattāl uraippār
- those who recite with longing
- aṭikkīḻp pukuvār
- will enter beneath His feet
- polintē
- shining
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.