Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.1 · verse 3266 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The Alwar speaks as a girl, alone in the night, longing for the Lord.) The whole town sleeps; the whole world lies in midnight darkness; every water has grown still; and this one night has stretched out long. If our Lord on His serpent bed, who once swallowed the whole earth, does not come, ah, who now will save the life of me, held fast by strong deeds?
Word by word
- ūr ellām tuñci
- the whole town asleep
- naḷ iruḷ āy
- in midnight darkness
- nīr ellām tēṟi
- every water grown still
- ōr nīḷ iravu
- one long night
- pār ellām uṇṭa
- who swallowed the whole earth
- pāmpu aṇaiyāṉ
- He who rests on the serpent bed
- valviṉaiyēṉ
- I, held by strong deeds
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.2 · verse 3267 of the four thousand
Meaning
Who now will save my life? Covering the deep sea, the earth and the sky, this one cruel night has swollen into a great, misshapen thing and stretched out long. If my Kannan, coloured like the blue kaavi lily, does not come, then, O my heart, sinner that I am, even you are not on my side.
Word by word
- āvi kāppār iṉi yār?
- who now will save my life?
- mā vikāram āy
- grown into a great, misshapen thing
- ōr val iravu
- one cruel night
- kāvi cēr vaṇṇaṉ
- coloured like the blue kaavi lily
- pāṅku allaiyē
- you are not on my side
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.3 · verse 3268 of the four thousand
Meaning
See, my heart, you are not on my side; and the long night, never pausing, has stretched into an age. If my Kakutthan, Rama of the line of Kakutstha with His fierce, scorching bow, does not come, I do not even know how to die, I who was born a woman, held by strong deeds.
Word by word
- ōyum poḻutu iṉṟi
- with no moment of rest
- ūḻi āy nīṇṭatāl
- stretched into an age
- kāyum kaṭum cilai
- the fierce, scorching bow
- kākuttaṉ
- Kakutthan, Rama of the Kakutstha line
- māyum vakai aṟiyēṉ
- I do not know how to die
- peṇ piṟantē
- born a woman
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.4 · verse 3269 of the four thousand
Meaning
As if saying "I cannot bear to see the great sorrow that comes to those born women," the bright sun has hidden himself and will not come. If our dark bull, with large eyes and red lips, who measured this earth, does not come, who will cure the sickness of my mind, too great to measure?
Word by word
- perum tuyar kāṇkilēṉ
- I cannot bear to see the great sorrow
- oṇ cuṭarōṉ
- the bright sun
- im maṇ aḷanta
- who measured this earth
- kār ēṟu
- the dark bull
- eṇ periya cintai nōy
- sickness of mind beyond measure
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.5 · verse 3270 of the four thousand
Meaning
Who will look after me? My mothers and my friends sleep through the long night without even asking, "What is wrong with you?" Our Kannan, His body dark as a rain cloud, does not come; and this great torment that stands behind me will not even let me die, held as I am by strong deeds.
Word by word
- ār eṉṉai ārāyvār?
- who will look after me?
- nīr eṉṉē eṉṉātē
- without asking what is wrong with me
- nīḷ iravum tuñcuvarāl
- they sleep through the long night
- kār aṉṉa mēṉi
- body dark as a rain cloud
- māyātāl
- will not let me die
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.6 · verse 3271 of the four thousand
Meaning
Standing behind me, the sickness of love torments my heart terribly; standing before me, the night, long as an age, has closed over me so that my eyes are blind. If my wondrous Lord with the ever-ready discus does not come, who here will save this lingering life of mine?
Word by word
- kātal nōy
- the sickness of love
- peritu aṭumāl
- torments terribly
- irā ūḻi
- the night long as an age
- kaṇ putaiya mūṭiṟṟāl
- closed over so the eyes are blind
- maṉ niṉṟa cakkarattu
- with the ever-ready discus
- nīḷ āvi
- this lingering life
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.7 · verse 3272 of the four thousand
Meaning
Who will save me here? The night drips as fine drops of thick darkness and goes on like a far-reaching age. In such a night, if He who holds the pure, milk-white conch and the discus does not appear, then O gods, what shall I do, I whose deeds burn like fire?
Word by word
- kaṅku iruḷiṉ nuṇ tuḷi āy
- as fine drops of thick darkness
- cēṇ pālatu ūḻi āy
- like a far-stretching age
- kaṅkulvāy
- in the night
- tūp pāla veṇ caṅku
- the pure, milk-white conch
- tīp pāla valviṉaiyēṉ
- I whose strong deeds burn like fire
- teyvaṅkāḷ
- O gods
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.8 · verse 3273 of the four thousand
Meaning
O gods, what shall I do? One night has become seven ages; it has come in earnest, stands here, and wears my life away. If my Kannan, the discus ready in His hand, does not come, even the cool southern breeze that strokes me scorches me worse than a fierce fire.
Word by word
- ōr iravu ēḻ ūḻi āy
- one night become seven ages
- āvi melivikkum
- wears my life away
- kaivanta cakkarattu
- with the discus ready in His hand
- taivanta taṇ teṉṟal
- the cool southern breeze that strokes me
- vem cuṭaril tāṉ aṭumē
- burns worse than fierce fire
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.9 · verse 3274 of the four thousand
Meaning
It burns worse than fierce fire. The swelling darkness falls in fine drops, and the beautiful tall chariot of the hot, bright sun does not appear. My beloved Lord, with red, radiant lotus eyes, does not come either. Who now will end the anguish of my heart? I stand here, melting away.
Word by word
- vīṅku iruḷiṉ
- of the swelling darkness
- veyyōṉ
- the hot sun
- aṇi neṭum tēr
- the beautiful tall chariot
- ceñ cuṭart tāmaraikkaṇ
- red, radiant lotus eyes
- celvaṉum
- the beloved Lord, rich in Sri
- niṉṟu urukukiṉṟēṉē
- I stand here melting
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.10 · verse 3275 of the four thousand
Meaning
Just as I stand here melting, the vast sky too melts and falls as fine drops through the night. Yet the world does not say even once, "The Lord who measured the earth that day has not come". It simply sleeps!
Word by word
- neṭu vāṉam
- the vast sky
- uruki nuṇ tuḷi āy
- melting into fine drops
- aṉṟu orukāl vaiyam aḷanta pirāṉ
- the Lord who once measured the earth
- oṉṟu orukāl collātu
- without saying it even once
- ulakō uṟaṅkumē
- the world just sleeps
Tiruvaymozhi 5.4.11 · verse 3276 of the four thousand
Meaning
Sadagopan, Nammalwar of Kurugur ringed by fine groves, sang of the Lord who lies in yoga as though He were asleep. Among the thousand bright antadi verses he sang, how could anyone who knows these ten fail to reach Vaikuntha when they pass away?
Word by word
- uṟaṅkuvāṉ pōl yōkuceyta
- lying in yoga as though asleep
- ciṟanta poḻil cūḻ
- ringed by fine groves
- niṟam kiḷarnta antāti
- bright, glowing antadi verses
- iṟantu pōy
- on passing away
- vaikuntam cērāvāṟu eṅṅaṉēyō?
- how could they fail to reach 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.