Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.1 · verse 3530 of the four thousand
Meaning
O wondrous Vamana, Madhusudana, tell me in Your grace: You stand as fire, as water, as earth, as sky and as wind; as mother, as father, as children, as everything else and as the whole of it; and You stand as Yourself as well. What are these ways of Yours?
Word by word
- māyā vāmaṉaṉē
- O wondrous Vamana
- nī aruḷāy
- tell me in Your grace
- tī āy nīr āy nilaṉ āy
- as fire, water, earth
- tāy āy tantai āy
- as mother and father
- nī āy nī niṉṟavāṟu
- the way You stand as Yourself too
- eṉṉa niyāyaṅkaḷē
- what are these ways?
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.2 · verse 3531 of the four thousand
Meaning
Achyuta, with a crown of cool tulasi and lovely honeyed flowers, tell me in Your grace: You are the moon and the sun, the many bright stars, and the darkness too; You are the heavy pouring rain; You are fame and You are blame; and You are also cruel-eyed, cruel Death. What strange wonders are these?
Word by word
- am kaḷ malar
- lovely honeyed flowers
- accutaṉē
- O Achyuta, the One who never lets go
- ceḻum pal cuṭar
- the many bright stars
- poṅku poḻi maḻai
- the heavy pouring rain
- pukaḻ āy paḻi āy
- as fame and as blame
- vem kaṇ vem kūṟṟamum
- cruel-eyed, cruel Death
- eṉṉa vicittiramē
- what strange wonders
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.3 · verse 3532 of the four thousand
Meaning
Driver of the wondrous chariot, Lord of the holy discus, tell me in Your grace: You are all the ages, however many there are; You are the many bright things that move within them, alike and endless; You are the wonder of it all; and in Your great skill You stand as all this. What strange contraries are these?
Word by word
- cittirat tēr valavā
- driver of the wondrous chariot
- tiruc cakkarattāy
- Lord of the holy discus
- ettaṉai ōr ukamum
- all the ages, however many
- ulappu illaṉa
- endless things
- vittakattāy
- in Your great skill
- eṉṉa viṭamaṅkaḷē
- what strange contraries
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.4 · verse 3533 of the four thousand
Meaning
Krishna, with lotus eyes from which honey flows, grant me this one thing and tell me: You are what is and what is not; You are endless things, and the wonder of them; and You recline on the venomous serpent in the vast, flooding sea, holding many contemplations in Your mind. What are these devices of Yours?
Word by word
- kaḷ aviḻ tāmaraikkaṇ
- lotus eyes from which honey flows
- uḷḷatum illatum āy
- as what is and what is not
- veḷḷat taṭam kaṭaluḷ
- in the vast, flooding sea
- viṭa nāku aṇaimēl
- on the venomous serpent bed
- uḷḷap pal yōku ceyti
- You hold many contemplations in Your mind
- eṉṉa upāyaṅkaḷē
- what devices are these?
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.5 · verse 3534 of the four thousand
Meaning
You cut away my bonds and took me wholly for Yourself alone. Wondrous Lord with a crown of fragrant, cool tulasi, tell me in Your grace: You are the body and the soul, You are death and You are birth; and besides, You work wonders and keep us within them. What bewilderments are these?
Word by word
- pācaṅkaḷ nīkki
- cutting away my bonds
- uṉakkē aṟak koṇṭiṭṭu
- taking me wholly for Yourself alone
- vāca malart taṇ tuḻāy
- fragrant, cool tulasi
- kāyamum cīvaṉum āy
- as the body and the soul
- kaḻivu āy piṟappu āy
- as death and as birth
- eṉṉa mayakkukkaḷē
- what bewilderments are these?
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.6 · verse 3535 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Vamana, never bewildered Yourself, grant me some way to understand: You are forgetting and You are clarity; You are fire and You are cold; You are wonder and amazement; You are the victories; You are deeds and their fruits; and You stand as confusion too. What sorrows are these?
Word by word
- mayakkā vāmaṉaṉē
- Vamana, never bewildered
- mati ām vaṇṇam
- some way to understand
- ayarppu āy tēṟṟamum āy
- as forgetting and as clarity
- aḻal āy kuḷir āy
- as fire and as cold
- viṉai āy payaṉ āy
- as deeds and their fruits
- tuyakku āy
- as confusion
- eṉṉa tuyaraṅkaḷē
- what sorrows are these?
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.7 · verse 3536 of the four thousand
Meaning
Krishna who brings sorrows, Lord with the tall radiant crown, tell me in Your grace: You are the pride that brings sorrow, the passion and the delights; You are the desires that bring sorrow; You are balance, stillness and movement. You bring sorrows and keep us in them. What tricks are these?
Word by word
- tuyaraṅkaḷ ceyyum kaṇṇā
- Krishna who brings sorrows
- cuṭar nīḷ muṭiyāy
- Lord with the tall radiant crown
- tuyaram cey māṉaṅkaḷ
- the pride that brings sorrow
- ukavaikaḷ āy
- as the delights
- tulai āy nilai āy naṭai āy
- as balance, stillness and movement
- eṉṉa cuṇṭāyaṅkaḷē
- what tricks are these?
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.8 · verse 3537 of the four thousand
Meaning
By what tricks have You come to stand like this, Krishna who rule me? No one can be made to grasp You as being 'of this kind'. You are the three worlds that You willed into being; You made them; and You are within them and outside them too. What natures are these?
Word by word
- eṉṉai āḷum kaṇṇā?
- Krishna who rule me
- iṉṉatu ōr taṉmaiyai
- of this kind, of such a nature
- yāvarkkum tēṟṟariyai
- no one can be made to grasp You
- muṉṉiya mūvulakum
- the three worlds You willed
- uḷḷāy puṟattāy!
- within and outside
- eṉṉa iyaṟkaikaḷē
- what natures are these?
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.9 · verse 3538 of the four thousand
Meaning
Through what natures, and in what way, do You stand, my Krishna? All the limbs, beginning with the close-joined hands and feet, and taste, light, touch, sound and smell that we perceive: all of it is You. If one sets out to understand You, there is no end to Your subtleties.
Word by word
- eṅṅaṉē niṉṟiṭṭāy
- in what way do You stand?
- karacaraṇam
- hands and feet
- ellā uṟuppum
- all the limbs
- cuvai oḷi ūṟu oli nāṟṟam
- taste, light, touch, sound and smell
- uṉṉai uṇaravuṟil
- if one tries to understand You
- ulappu illai nuṇukkaṅkaḷē
- there is no end to Your subtleties
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.10 · verse 3539 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is nothing subtle beyond this: the forms and the formless that the good ancient scriptures speak of are You. My Achyuta, whose chest is adorned with a garland of tender tulasi! Whatever way one is able to describe, that very way is the way You are.
Word by word
- itaṉil piṟitu
- other than this
- tollai nal nūlil
- in the good ancient scriptures
- uruvum aruvum nīyē
- You are the forms and the formless
- allit tuḻāy alaṅkal
- garland of tender tulasi
- vallatu ōr vaṇṇam coṉṉāl
- whatever way one is able to describe
- atuvē uṉakku ām vaṇṇamē
- that very way is how You are
Tiruvaymozhi 7.8.11 · verse 3540 of the four thousand
Meaning
Hari's nature is hard to know as 'it is this'. Satakopan of Kurugur came to know Him as He truly is, and told it in a thousand bright Tamil verses that show His nature rightly. Those who recite these ten among them in the right way will be fulfilled for ever.
Word by word
- aṟivatu ariya ariyai
- Hari, so hard to know
- ām vaṇṇattāl
- as He truly is; in the right way
- aṟintu uraitta
- came to know and told
- oṇ tamiḻkaḷ
- bright Tamil verses
- amaintār
- are fulfilled
- eṉṟaikkumē
- for ever
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.