Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.1 · verse 3255 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The Alwar speaks as a girl in love, to her friend.) Seeking Him, the flawless light, my red-lipped mountain of gems, the Lord whose goodness has no fault, the first and primal One, I have grown pale and lost all my wits. How many more days must I live like this? Friend, what can the town's gossip do to me now?
Word by word
- mācu aṟu cōti
- flawless light
- maṇikkuṉṟattai
- the mountain of gems
- ācu aṟu cīlaṉai
- the One whose goodness has no fault
- āti mūrttiyai
- the first, primal Lord
- aṟivu iḻantu
- losing my wits
- ūravar kavvai
- the gossip of the townsfolk
- tōḻī
- O friend
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.2 · verse 3256 of the four thousand
Meaning
Friend, what can the town's gossip do to us now? My Kannan, with eyes like red lotuses, has carried away all my composure. I have lost the lovely dark glow I had before; my body has grown thin; and pallor has crept over my red lips and my dark eyes.
Word by word
- ceyya tāmaraik kaṇṇaṉ
- Kannan with eyes like red lotuses
- niṟai koṇṭāṉ
- has carried away my composure
- māmai iḻantu
- losing my lovely dark glow
- mēṉi melivu eyti
- my body growing thin
- payappu ūrntavē
- pallor has crept over them
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.3 · verse 3257 of the four thousand
Meaning
He whose foot kicked the cart that rolled at Him, He whose red lips drew on the demoness's breast and drank, has taken away my composure. Again and again I have no word for anything but Him. My friend, wholly my own, what can the town's gossip do?
Word by word
- ūrnta cakaṭam
- the rolling cart, a demon in disguise
- utaitta pātattaṉ
- He whose foot kicked it
- pēymulai
- the breast of the demoness Putana
- pērntum peyarntum
- again and again
- avaṉōṭu aṉṟi ōr col ilēṉ
- I have no word except of Him
- tīrnta eṉ tōḻī
- my friend, wholly my own
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.4 · verse 3258 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the great field of my heart, the town's gossip was the manure and my mother's scolding the water; the moist seed of love was sown and sprouted. And He made it ripen into a vast love, as big as the sea: our Kannan, with His body dark as rain clouds. Friend, He is cruel!
Word by word
- eru iṭṭu
- laying it as manure
- aṉṉai col nīr paṭuttu
- mother's words poured as water
- īra nel vitti
- sowing moist seed paddy
- neñcap peruñ ceyyuḷ
- in the great field of the heart
- kātal kaṭal puraiya
- a love as vast as the sea
- kaṭiyaṉē
- He is cruel
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.5 · verse 3259 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is harsh, He is cruel, the towering Mal whose feet took the worlds, a wonder whose form no one can know. Even so, my stubborn heart lies only on Him. Ah, my innocent friend with a waist slim as the little drum, what can my mother do?
Word by word
- kaṭiyaṉ koṭiyaṉ
- harsh and cruel
- neṭiya māl
- the towering Lord
- ulakam koṇṭa aṭiyaṉ
- He whose feet took the worlds
- aṟivu aru mēṉi
- a form beyond knowing
- koṭiya eṉ neñcam
- my stubborn heart
- tuṭi koḷ iṭai
- waist slim like the hourglass drum
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.6 · verse 3260 of the four thousand
Meaning
What does it matter what my mother does? What does it matter what the town says? Friends, you need not hope for me any longer: I am caught in the net of Vasudeva, the sapphire-hued King of rich Dwaraka, the first among the ancient immortals.
Word by word
- tōḻimīr
- O friends
- ācai illai
- no more hope for me
- akappaṭṭēṉ
- I am caught
- muṉṉai amarar mutalvaṉ
- first of the ancient immortals
- vaṇ tuvarāpati maṉṉaṉ
- King of rich Dwaraka
- valaiyuḷē
- in the net
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.7 · verse 3261 of the four thousand
Meaning
He caught me in His net and called my good heart away to Himself. Friend, in your fine clothes, could we see with our own eyes the Lord who rests on the wave-tossed sea, the Master of the discus, and bow our heads to Him, right there in front of all the other women?
Word by word
- valaiyuḷ akappaṭuttu
- catching me in His net
- nal neñcam kūvikkoṇṭu
- calling my good heart away
- alai kaṭal paḷḷi ammāṉai
- the Lord who rests on the wave-tossed sea
- āḻippirāṉ
- the Lord of the discus
- talaiyil vaṇaṅkavum
- to bow with our heads
- taiyalār muṉpē
- in front of the other women
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.8 · verse 3262 of the four thousand
Meaning
He drank at the demoness's breast, kicked the cart, went between the marudu trees and felled them at the root, split the beak of the bird demon and killed the elephant: the Lord with the pure smile and lips red as the tondai fruit. Friend, when will be the day we reach Him, and put our mothers to shame?
Word by word
- cakaṭam pāyntu
- kicking the cart
- marutu iṭai pōy
- going between the marudu trees
- puḷ vāy piḷantu
- splitting the bird demon's beak
- kaḷiṟu aṭṭa
- who killed the elephant
- tū muṟuval
- pure smile
- toṇṭaivāyp pirāṉai
- the Lord with lips red as the tondai fruit
- aṉṉaiyar nāṇavē
- so that our mothers are shamed
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.9 · verse 3263 of the four thousand
Meaning
He stole my modesty and my composure and called my good heart away to Himself, the Lord of the gods who dwells in the far, high heaven. I swear it, friend: I will spread the scandal through every world, do every wild thing, and, defying all, ride the madal for Him.
Word by word
- nāṇum niṟaiyum kavarntu
- stealing modesty and composure
- cēṇ uyar vāṉattu
- in the far, high heaven
- āṇai
- I swear it
- alar tūṟṟi
- spreading the scandal
- kutiriyāy
- as one defying all restraint
- maṭal ūrtumē
- we will ride the madal, the spurned lover's palmyra horse
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.10 · verse 3264 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even riding the madal, we will take the cool, lovely tulasi with its pure petals that belongs to our Lord with the discus in His beautiful hand, and wear it ourselves, with no shyness left, so that in every street the neighbouring women spread blame with tongues that never stop, and the whole land is in uproar.
Word by word
- āḻi aṅkaip pirāṉ
- the Lord with the discus in His lovely hand
- tū maṭal taṇ am tuḻāy
- cool, lovely tulasi with pure petals
- cūṭuvōm
- we will wear it
- ām maṭam iṉṟi
- with no shyness left
- nā maṭaṅkāp paḻi
- blame from tongues that never stop
- nāṭum iraikkavē
- so the whole land is in uproar
Tiruvaymozhi 5.3.11 · verse 3265 of the four thousand
Meaning
Sadagopan, Nammalwar of Kurugur with its fragrant groves, sang a thousand verses in ordered antadi, each beginning where the last one ends, on Kanna Piran, hued like the roaring dark sea. For those who can recite these ten among them, every town they live in becomes Vaikuntha.
Word by word
- iraikkum karuṅ kaṭal vaṇṇaṉ
- hued like the roaring dark sea
- viraik koḷ poḻil
- fragrant groves
- niraik koḷ antāti
- ordered antadi, each verse linked to the next
- uraikka vallārkku
- for those who can recite
- vaikuntam ākum tam ūr ellām
- all their towns become Vaikuntha
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.