Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.1 · verse 3596 of the four thousand
Meaning
He broke off the twin hill-like tusks of the great mountain of an elephant, rut streaming down like falls, and rolled it over; He took the life of its strong mahout who rode it; He killed the wrestlers in the arena; and while the kings on the surrounding galleries, who had come eager for battle, turned and fled, He struck down Kamsa high on his mansion. That glorious little cowherd, at Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur, is the refuge we go to.
Word by word
- vār kaṭā aruvi
- rut streaming like a waterfall
- maruppu iṇaik kuvaṭu
- twin tusks like hill peaks
- araṅkiṉ mallaraik koṉṟu
- killing the wrestlers in the arena
- kañcaṉait takartta
- who struck down Kamsa
- cīr koḷ ciṟṟāyaṉ
- the glorious little cowherd
- tirucceṅkuṉṟūril
- in Thiruchengunrur (Chengannur)
- celcārvē
- the refuge we go to
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.2 · verse 3597 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our refuge, our own nectar, Father of the immortals and my Father; the One who, in three fitting forms, creates, sustains and destroys the teeming three worlds; our formless One! Other than the First Lord who dwells at Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur, ringed by sweet fields where red carp leap, who else is my beloved companion?
Word by word
- imaiyavar appaṉ
- Father of the immortals, the Lord's name here
- paṭaittu aḷittu aḻikkum
- creates, sustains and destroys
- mūvuruvaṉ
- the One in three forms
- em aruvaṉ
- our formless One
- ceṅkayal ukaḷum
- where red carp leap
- amar tuṇaiyē
- beloved companion
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.3 · verse 3598 of the four thousand
Meaning
My beloved Lord, Lord of the immortals, our Lord who dug up the vast earth, our Lord who rules me so that all my strong past deeds perish at once! Other than the feet of our Lord who stands on the upper bank of the Thiruchittaru at Thiruchengunrur, the jewel of the south, I have no other refuge, not even in thought.
Word by word
- iru nilam iṭanta
- who dug up the vast earth, as Varaha
- muṉṉai val viṉaikaḷ
- strong deeds of the past
- muḻutu uṭaṉ māḷa
- to perish all at once
- teṉ ticaikku aṇi
- the ornament of the south
- tirucciṟṟāṟṟaṅkarai
- the bank of the sacred Chittaru river
- niṉaippilum piṟitu illai
- nothing else, even in thought
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.4 · verse 3599 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have no other refuge but the two feet of our Lord: the little noble boy who rose as a vast form filling the great three worlds; my Lord, the lovely ruby who churned the roaring sea; our Lord who stands, true for all to know, at Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur, girded by fine groves of banana with dense bunches, areca and coconut.
Word by word
- pēr uruvamāy nimirnta
- who rose up as a vast form
- kuṟiya māṇ
- the little noble boy, Vamana
- kurai kaṭal kaṭainta
- who churned the roaring sea
- kōla māṇikkam
- the lovely ruby
- vāḻai kamuku teṅku
- banana, areca and coconut
- aṟiya meymmaiyē niṉṟa
- who stands truly, for all to know
- ōr araṇē
- a refuge
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.5 · verse 3600 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is no refuge apart from Him; and even if there were, my soul would not settle on and cling to anything but Him. And so, Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur, where He dwells, with its fine tall mansions, where the fragrant smoke of the sacrifices fed by good knowers of the four Vedas hides the light of the sky, is my good refuge.
Word by word
- avaṉil vēṟu illai
- none apart from Him
- atu poruḷ ākilum
- even if such a thing existed
- amarntu aṇaikillātu
- will not settle and cling
- nāṉmaṟaiyōr vēḷviyuḷ
- in the sacrifices of the Vedic scholars
- vicumpu oḷi maṟaikkum
- hides the light of the sky
- nal araṇē
- good refuge
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.6 · verse 3601 of the four thousand
Meaning
My good refuge, my dear life, father and mother of the immortals, whose nature is hard to know even for Himself, the Lord who lies on the wide ocean: I saw Him at Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur of strong, massive mansions, where live the three thousand of heart-winning glory, who are like bountiful Shiva, Brahma and the Lord Himself.
Word by word
- eṉatu ār uyirai
- my dear life
- imaiyavar tantai tāy
- father and mother of the immortals
- taṉakkum taṉ taṉmai aṟivu ariyāṉai
- whose nature is hard to know even for Himself
- taṭam kaṭal paḷḷi
- who lies on the wide ocean
- mūvāyiravar
- the three thousand Vedic families of the town
- kaṇṭēṉē
- I saw Him
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.7 · verse 3602 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those holy feet I saw at Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur: with His lovely red lotus eyes, red lips, red feet and red hands, His lovely red lotus navel, His chest where the red lotus-born Lakshmi dwells, His fine garment, His beautiful crown, necklace and weapons all shining, He stays for ever in my mind.
Word by word
- kaṇṭa at tiruvaṭi
- those holy feet I saw
- kamalak kaṇṇum cevvāyum
- lotus eyes and red lips
- kamala untiyum
- the lotus navel
- kamalai mārpum
- the chest where Lakshmi, the lotus-born, dwells
- muṭiyum āramum paṭaiyum
- crown, necklace and weapons
- tikaḻa eṉ cintaiyuḷāṉē
- He shines within my mind
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.8 · verse 3603 of the four thousand
Meaning
He sits shining within my mind; He stands on the bank of the Thiruchittaru at Thiruchengunrur, where the gods of the rich earth, the knowers of the four Vedas, join their palms from every side and praise Him; He is the refuge of the shining immortals and fierce death to the strong-handed asuras. I do not know how to praise Him, who creates, destroys and protects the three worlds.
Word by word
- ceḻu nilattēvar
- gods of the rich earth, the Vedic brahmins
- ticai kaikūppi ēttum
- join palms from every side and praise
- vāṉavarkaḷ pukaliṭam
- refuge of the immortals
- vem kūṟṟai
- fierce death
- pukaḻumāṟu aṟiyēṉ
- I do not know how to praise
- paṭaippoṭu keṭuppuk kāppavaṉē
- who creates, destroys and protects
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.9 · verse 3604 of the four thousand
Meaning
He who creates, destroys and protects is Brahma, is the Supreme beyond the supreme, is Lord Shiva too; He alone. There is no form He has not entered, no gap He has left; He alone is everything, so what praise can be given? He is the Lord who dwells at Thiruchittaru in Thiruchengunrur, whose own people are famed for great generosity and live with keen learning, right conduct and worship by nature.
Word by word
- paramparaṉ
- the Supreme beyond the supreme
- civappirāṉ avaṉē
- Lord Shiva too is He
- iṭaippukku
- having entered within
- yāvaiyum tāṉē
- all things are He Himself
- koṭaip perum pukaḻār
- people of great fame for giving
- kūriya viccaiyōṭu oḻukkam
- keen learning with right conduct
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.10 · verse 3605 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord who dwells there, who becomes each of the gods from within and grants them His grace; the Lord on the bank of the Thiruchittaru at Thiruchengunrur of cool, settled fields; the wondrous One who dwells as the very life of the three thousand Vedic brahmins of settled glory, the earth's gods, in their town; the One who is within the three-eyed Lord and the four-faced Brahma: in Him I have come to rest.
Word by word
- avar avar āki
- becoming each of them, as their inner self
- aruḷ aruḷum
- grants His grace
- taṇ paḻaṉa
- cool fields
- avaṉitēvar
- gods of the earth, the Vedic brahmins
- mukkaṇ ammāṉai
- the three-eyed Lord (Shiva)
- amarntēṉē
- I have come to rest in Him
Tiruvaymozhi 8.4.11 · verse 3606 of the four thousand
Meaning
Honey, good milk, sugarcane, nectar; the Lord who swallowed the well-ordered world; the wondrous One who created Brahma of the heavens on the flower of His cool, blossoming navel; the King: of Him Satakopan (Nammalwar) of bountiful Kurugur sang a thousand verses. These ten among them will lift their singers above the heavens, and in grace bring to an end the great, bewildering dance of birth.
Word by word
- tēṉai naṉ pālai kaṉṉalai
- honey, good milk, sugarcane
- tiruntu ulaku uṇṭa
- who swallowed the well-ordered world
- taṇ koppūḻ
- cool navel
- vāṉiṉ mītu ēṟṟi
- lifting them above the heavens
- muṭikkum
- will end
- piṟavi mā māyak kūttiṉaiyē
- the great, bewildering dance of birth
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.