Tiruviruttam 41 · verse 2518 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl speaks.) We have always known this north wind to be a feeble thing; never did we see in it such heat as this, not its form, not even a trace. Now, on this day when the grace of Him who rides the bird to destroy the towering asuras has not come to me, this cruel wind stands spreading slander through the public square, and it kills me.
Word by word
- puṉ vāṭai
- the feeble north wind
- uruvum cuvaṭum
- its form and its trace
- ōṅku acurar poṉṟum vakai
- so that the towering asuras perish
- puḷḷai ūrvāṉ
- He who rides the bird
- aruḷ aruḷāta in nāḷ
- on this day when He has not shown His grace
- maṉṟil niṟai paḻi tūṟṟi
- spreading slander through the public square
- vaṉ kāṟṟu aṭumē
- the cruel wind kills me
Tiruviruttam 42 · verse 2519 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a pond of soft-stemmed lotuses that a strong wind has struck, so that they all turn over together and lie in full bloom, so shone over earth and heaven the wide eyes of my Lord upon me, as I bowed at His foot. That foot rose and stretched to the sky, as if He were saying, 'See, my foot has no measure.'
Word by word
- vaṉ kāṟṟu aṟaiya
- struck by a strong wind
- oruṅkē maṟintu
- turning over all together
- meṉ kāl kamalat taṭampōl
- like a pond of soft-stemmed lotuses
- eṉ kāṟku aḷaviṉmai kāṇmiṉ
- see, my foot has no measure
- vāṉ nimirnta
- which rose up to the sky
- taṭaṅ kaṇkaḷē
- His wide eyes
Tiruviruttam 43 · verse 2520 of the four thousand
Meaning
His eyes are red lotuses; His hands are lotuses too; and His feet, they too are lotuses. His colour is dark, like a great black mountain. However the mind may reckon, going beyond the heavens, beyond the worlds above and further still, can the beauty of our Lord's colour be held in anyone's thought, anywhere?
Word by word
- kaṇṇum centāmarai
- His eyes are red lotuses
- aṭiyō avaiyē
- and His feet, they too
- kariyatu ōr māl varai pōṉṟu
- like a great dark mountain
- mati vikaṟpāl
- by the many reckonings of the mind
- eṇṇum iṭattatuvō
- can it be held within thought?
- eḻil niṟamē
- the beauty of His colour
Tiruviruttam 44 · verse 2521 of the four thousand
Meaning
Thinkers of many schools, striving after dharma with their learning, may declare, 'His colour, His lofty form, His names and His shape are this and this.' Yet everywhere, in each of those places, He stands as a lamp shining with the radiance of the highest knowledge. Beyond that, no one who has tried has grasped anything of our Lord's greatness.
Word by word
- niṟam uyar kōlamum
- His colour and lofty form
- pērum uruvum
- His names and His shape
- aṟam muyal ñāṉac camayikaḷ
- learned followers of creeds who strive after dharma
- uyar ñāṉac cuṭar viḷakkāy
- as a lamp shining with the light of highest knowledge
- peṟa muyaṉṟār illaiyāl
- none who tried has grasped
- perumaiyaiyē
- His greatness
Tiruviruttam 45 · verse 2522 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord who came as the great Boar has set His great lotus-flower eyes upon us, all at once, flashing. In this age, is there anyone else who has won such splendour as we have? Can the ancient round of births that once surrounded us ever come near us again? Tell me, my simple heart, and long may you live!
Word by word
- peruṅ kēḻalār
- the Lord who came as the great Boar, Varaha
- kaṇ malarp puṇṭarīkam
- lotus-flower eyes
- oruṅkē piṟaḻa vaittār
- set them upon us all at once, flashing
- nam pōl
- like us
- cūḻ piṟappu
- the births that surrounded us
- maruṅkē varap peṟumē
- can they come near us?
- maṭa neñcamē
- O simple heart
Tiruviruttam 46 · verse 2523 of the four thousand
Meaning
Thinking it a simple heart, and our very own, I sent it off on one errand: to go to the feet of the Lord who tore open the broad chest of the one with the golden name, Hiranya. Should one's own ever forsake one like this? It went, turned hard, left us, and wanders there to this very day.
Word by word
- maṭa neñcam
- a simple heart
- tamatu
- our very own
- ōr karumam karuti
- intent on one errand
- appoṉpeyarōṉ
- that one with the golden name, Hiranya
- taṭa neñcam kīṇṭa
- who tore open the broad chest
- tiṭa neñcam āy
- becoming a hardened heart
- tirikiṉṟatē
- it wanders
Tiruviruttam 47 · verse 2524 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The mother speaks.) The north wind roams about; the moon scoops up hot fire and pours it down; and so it goes on. As she turns to worship Kannan's heavenly city, her conch bangles slip off; longing for the cool, lovely tulasi, she loses her colour and pallor spreads over her whole body. What will become of my gentle girl?
Word by word
- vaṭa mārutam
- the north wind
- tiṅkaḷ vem tī mukantu
- the moon scooping up hot fire
- kaṇṇaṉ viṇṇūr toḻavē
- as she worships Kannan's heavenly city
- carikiṉṟatu caṅkam
- her conch bangles slip off
- vaṇṇam payalai
- her colour turns to pallor
- melliyaṟkē
- to my gentle girl
Tiruviruttam 48 · verse 2525 of the four thousand
Meaning
What can the world see in me, a frail body, a mass of worms, flickering here and going the way it must go? It is Tirumal Himself who arranged to have Himself spoken of even through me; what poetry of His have I ever learnt? From the oldest days, people have taken even a lizard's chirp as a word that means something.
Word by word
- melliyal ākkaik
- this frail body
- kirumik kuruvil
- in a form that is a mass of worms
- eṉṉālum taṉṉaic colliya
- having Himself spoken of even through me
- cūḻal tirumāl
- Tirumal, who arranged it
- palliyiṉ collum
- even the chirp of a lizard
- paṇṭupaṇṭē
- from the oldest days
Tiruviruttam 49 · verse 2526 of the four thousand
Meaning
Many, many swelling nights we have seen before; but darkness spreading like this we have never seen, known or heard of. O you of shining forehead, lovely as the earth which the Lord swallowed and brought forth again: He of dark hue, wearing tulasi that bees feed on, Madhusudana, Damodara!
Word by word
- vīṅku iruḷ
- swelling darkness
- ip pāy iruḷ pōl
- like this spreading darkness
- kāḷa vaṇṇa
- of dark hue
- vaṇṭu uṇ tuḻāyp perumāṉ
- the Lord wearing tulasi that bees feed on
- matucūtaṉaṉ tāmōtaraṉ
- Madhusudana, Damodara
- uṇṭum umiḻntum
- swallowing and bringing forth again
- oḷ nutalē
- O you of shining forehead
Tiruviruttam 50 · verse 2527 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The hero speaks to his charioteer.) Before the bright complexion of her shining forehead loses its glow, our chariot must arrive in haste. Charioteer, drive it on towards the great mountain where waterfalls pour down to the earth, like a garland of white pearls on the tall crown of the Lord, first of the heavens, rich with honeyed flowers.
Word by word
- oḷ nutal māmai
- the complexion of her of shining forehead
- oḷi payavāmai
- before it loses its glow
- valava kaṭākiṉṟu
- charioteer, drive on
- viṇ mutal nāyakaṉ
- the Lord, first of the heavens
- veṇ mutta vācikaittāy
- like a garland of white pearls
- aruviceyyāniṟkum mā malaikkē
- to the great mountain where waterfalls pour
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.