Tiruviruttam 51 · verse 2528 of the four thousand
Meaning
The wondrous Lord churned the sea, a mountain for His stick and the serpent for His rope, and took the nectar from its waves. Unable to win that nectar back, the sea now roars and calls out, as if rising to claim its inheritance by the scales, with the fragrant tulasi as its ally: these conch bangles of mine, which the sea-traders sold me for a price.
Word by word
- malai koṇṭu mattā
- with the mountain as churning stick
- aravāl cuḻaṟṟiya
- turning it with the serpent
- māyap pirāṉ
- the wondrous Lord
- kaṭal paratar
- the sea-traders, fishermen
- vērit tuḻāy tuṇaiyā
- with fragrant tulasi as its ally
- tāyam kiḷarntu koḷvāṉ
- rising to claim its inheritance
Tiruviruttam 52 · verse 2529 of the four thousand
Meaning
The roaring dark sea took her up in the hands of its white waves, and she of the cool, rain-soft eyes who dwells in the lotus went to mount the serpent bed with Him. Then the lady of the earth, calling out to the sky and wailing, lets her tears flow down in rivers from the mountains of her breasts, from her rain-filled eyes, crying, 'Tirumal is cruel.'
Word by word
- veṇ tiraik kaikkoṇṭu
- taking her in the hands of its white waves
- maḻaikkaṇ maṭantai
- the lady with cool, rain-soft eyes, Lakshmi
- aravu aṇai ēṟa
- as she mounted the serpent bed
- maṇ mātar
- the lady of the earth, Bhudevi
- mulaimalaimēl niṉṟum āṟukaḷāy
- as rivers from the mountains of her breasts
- tirumāl koṭiyāṉ
- Tirumal is cruel
Tiruviruttam 53 · verse 2530 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The friend speaks to the mothers.) This girl, her breasts held in a bodice, has a fine, divine sickness born of the glory of the Lord of the celestials. So bring His divine, cool, lovely tulasi, whether a garland, a leaf, a cool twig, the root below, or even the earth it grew in, and fan her with it.
Word by word
- vār āyiṉa mulaiyāḷ
- she whose breasts are held in a bodice
- vāṉōr talaimakaṉ
- the Lord of the celestials
- teyva nal nōy
- a fine, divine sickness
- tār āyiṉum taḻai āyiṉum
- be it a garland or a leaf
- niṉṟa maṇ āyiṉum
- or even the earth it stood in
- koṇṭu vīcumiṉē
- bring it and fan her
Tiruviruttam 54 · verse 2531 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl speaks to the bees.) You fly on fanning wings; the heavenly world is easy for you to reach. Our Lord, Lord of the celestials, speaks such words as people talk about and then goes away; He steals ghee and eats it and does things that draw blame. O bees, will you bring us to His spotless flower-feet?
Word by word
- vīcum ciṟakāl paṟattīr
- you who fly on fanning wings
- viṇ nāṭu nuṅkaṭku eḷitu
- the heavenly world is easy for you
- ney toṭu uṇṭu
- stealing ghee and eating it
- ēcumpaṭi aṉṉa ceyyum
- doing such things as draw blame
- mācu il malar aṭikkīḻ
- beneath His spotless flower-feet
- cērvikkum vaṇṭukaḷē
- O bees, will you bring us there?
Tiruviruttam 55 · verse 2532 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The hero speaks to the bees.) Come, O bees! You who roam about drunk on flowers of the water, flowers of the land and bright flowers on the trees, I have one thing to ask. In all your wide world, is there any flower that opens and pours out honey as fragrant as the tresses of her who is lovely as the Vaikuntham of the Lord who, as a matchless boar, was covered in the dust of the earth?
Word by word
- nīrp pū nilap pū
- flowers of the water, flowers of the land
- uṇṭu kaḷittu uḻalvīrkku
- to you who roam about drunk with feeding
- ēṉam oṉṟāy
- as a matchless boar
- maṇ tukaḷ āṭi
- covered in the dust of the earth
- vaikuntam aṉṉāḷ
- she who is lovely as Vaikuntham
- kuḻalvāy virai
- the fragrance of her tresses
- viyaliṭattē
- in your wide world
Tiruviruttam 56 · verse 2533 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl speaks to her friend.) By the sacred grace sent by the Lord who swallowed the wide world, we have found a place to live and are saved; we are no longer afraid, my friend! A cool south breeze came, and no one nearby knew it. Gentle as rain, it stroked my senses with the sweet honey of the lovely flowering tulasi.
Word by word
- viyaliṭam uṇṭa pirāṉār
- the Lord who swallowed the wide world
- viṭutta tiruvaruḷāl
- by the sacred grace He sent
- uyal iṭam peṟṟu uyntam
- we found a place to live and are saved
- taṇ teṉṟal
- a cool south breeze
- iṉ tēṉ
- sweet honey
- puyaluṭai nīrmaiyiṉāl
- with the gentleness of rain
- pulaṉ
- the senses
Tiruviruttam 57 · verse 2534 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The hero speaks to his friend.) Like warring carp in lotuses that reach to her earrings, held apart by a slender creeper between them, her eyes roam about and glance like spears. Like the rolling sea, churned by Kannan's hand till it gave up nectar, I was churned by them. Anyone who saw me on that day would not reproach me.
Word by word
- pulak kuṇṭalap puṇṭarīkatta
- in lotuses that reach to her earrings
- pōrk keṇṭai
- warring carp, her eyes
- valli oṉṟāl vilakkuṇṭu
- held apart by a single creeper
- vēl viḻikkiṉṟaṉa
- they glance like spears
- malakkuṇṭu amutam curanta
- churned until it gave up nectar
- kaḻaṟalarē
- would not reproach
Tiruviruttam 58 · verse 2535 of the four thousand
Meaning
The sole of one foot became the whole earth; the other foot went up and filled all the heavens, giving them shade. He stands as a lamp of the spreading radiance of knowledge in the vast cosmos, with no one above Him: Kannan, whose eyes are lotuses blooming from the mire. What is it that He is measuring here now?
Word by word
- kaḻal talam oṉṟē
- the sole of one foot alone
- nilam muḻutu āyiṟṟu
- became the whole earth
- niḻal tara
- giving shade
- ñāṉac cuṭar viḷakkāy
- as a lamp of the radiance of knowledge
- uyarntōrai illā
- with none higher than Him
- aḻaṟu alar tāmaraik kaṇṇaṉ
- Kannan with eyes like lotuses blooming from the mire
- aḷakkiṉṟatē
- is measuring
Tiruviruttam 59 · verse 2536 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The mother speaks.) 'Nights of ages whose length cannot be measured have grown longer still through my heart's great love for the cool, lovely tulasi,' she says, 'Madhusudana, Lord of the rich, great land girt by the swelling sea!' So says my girl, daughter of me of hard fate, with her full breasts and her red mouth that smiles a long smile like jasmine buds.
Word by word
- aḷappu arum taṉmaiya
- of a nature hard to measure
- ūḻi am kaṅkul
- nights as long as ages
- uḷap peruṅ kātaliṉ
- through the heart's great love
- ōṅku munnīr
- the swelling sea
- val viṉaiyēṉ
- I, of hard fate
- taḷap peru nīḷ muṟuval
- a long smile like jasmine buds
Tiruviruttam 60 · verse 2537 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The mother speaks.) Her breasts have not yet fully grown; her thick, flowered tresses are short; her garment will not stay on her waist; her tongue still lisps; her eyes flash as if the whole sea-girt earth were no fit price for them. Is it within this girl's reach to be learning the words, 'Thiruvenkatam is the mountain of the Lord'?
Word by word
- muḻu muṟṟum pōntila
- have not fully grown
- moy pūṅ kuḻal kuṟiya
- her thick, flowered tresses are short
- nāvō kuḻaṟum
- her tongue lisps
- kaṭal maṇ ellām vilaiyō
- is the whole sea-girt earth a fit price?
- ivaḷ paramē
- is it within her reach?
- kaṟkiṉṟa vācakamē
- the words she is learning
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.