Tiruviruttam 61-70

Tiruviruttam 61 · verse 2538 of the four thousand

Meaning

Is it even our place to speak of Him? He is the Lord of the ancient celestials, whom all other lords worship. With just two steps He measured the whole earth, so that not even a space the size of a bamboo's hollow was left out. And this Lord of ours came and was born into the cowherd clan!

Word by word

vācakam ceyvatu namparamē

is it our place to speak of Him?

tollai vāṉavar tam nāyakaṉ

Lord of the ancient celestials

nāyakar ellām toḻum

whom all lords worship

vēy akam āyiṉum

even a space the size of a bamboo's hollow

iraṇṭē aṭiyāl tāyavaṉ

He who measured it with just two steps

āyk kulamāy vantu tōṉṟiṟṟu

came and was born in the cowherd clan

Tiruviruttam 62 · verse 2539 of the four thousand

Meaning

(The friend speaks to the Lord.) Though we plead with it, and though it sees that here is only a woman, the dark sea shows no pity; it stands and roars as if in challenge. Her restraint, here and now, is hard to guard except by Your sacred grace. Is this right, O cloud-coloured Lord who lies on the serpent bed?

Word by word

iṟaiyō irakkiṉum

though we plead even a little

ōr peṇpāl

only a woman

aṟaiyō eṉa niṉṟu atirum

stands roaring as if in challenge

ivaḷ taṉ niṟaiyō

her restraint, her composure

uṉ tiru aruḷāl aṉṟi

except by Your sacred grace

muṟaiyō

is this right?

mukil vaṇṇaṉē

O cloud-coloured Lord

Tiruviruttam 63 · verse 2540 of the four thousand

Meaning

Are these they, His eyes, red-hued and cool in their gaze, shining like a pond of cool, soft lotuses in the heavenly world? I fell in love with the holy face of Kannan, Tirumal; and now they have entered my thoughts and stay here with me, His servant.

Word by word

vaṇṇam civantuḷa

red in hue

kuḷir viḻiya

cool in their gaze

taṇ meṉ kamalat taṭam pōl

like a pond of cool, soft lotuses

tirumukam

His holy face

kātal ceytēṟku

to me who fell in love

eṇṇam pukuntu

entering my thoughts

Tiruviruttam 64 · verse 2541 of the four thousand

Meaning

The gods of the earth, the learned Brahmins, worship with words full of the Rig Veda, never straying from the path, the pair of holy feet that measured the world. We too long for that; and so, with our wavering deeds and our own troubled selves, like those who bite on unripe fruit for want of ripe, we have learnt the words of His holy names.

Word by word

irukku ār moḻiyāl

with words full of the Rig Veda

neṟi iḻukkāmai

without straying from the path

tirut tāḷ iṇai

the pair of holy feet

nilattēvar

gods of the earth, the Vedic Brahmins

kaṉi iṉmaiyiṉ

for want of ripe fruit

karukkāy kaṭippavar pōl

like those who bite on unripe fruit

tirunāmac col kaṟṟaṉamē

we have learnt the words of His holy names

Tiruviruttam 65 · verse 2542 of the four thousand

Meaning

Her eyes have outdone the eyes of does and of flowers. Set on one single task, they practise it, stretching back to take counsel with her ears. Now resting on, now leaving, the holy feet of the Lord who swallowed all the worlds and brought them forth again, they flash and they devour me.

Word by word

kaṟṟuppiṇai malar kaṇṇiṉ kulam veṉṟu

outdoing the eyes of does and of flowers

orō karumam

a single task

ceviyoṭu ucāvi

taking counsel with the ears, reaching to them

viḻuṅki umiḻnta pirāṉār

the Lord who swallowed and brought forth again

uṟṟum uṟātum

now touching, now not

emmai uṇkiṉṟavē

they devour me

Tiruviruttam 66 · verse 2543 of the four thousand

Meaning

(The hero speaks.) These blue lilies are of a nature that shines as the very object of thought for all the yogis who meditate without food or sleep. They have become the eyes of her who is lovely as the Vaikuntham of our Lord, who is fire, water, wind, sky and earth; and they have become the life of me, of hard fate.

Word by word

uṇṇātu uṟaṅkātu

without eating, without sleeping

yōkiyarkkum

for the yogis, those who meditate

eṇ āy miḷirum

shining as the object of their thought

eri nīr vaḷi vāṉ maṇ ākiya

who is fire, water, wind, sky and earth

vaikuntam aṉṉāḷ

she who is lovely as Vaikuntham

kāvikaḷē

these blue lilies

Tiruviruttam 67 · verse 2544 of the four thousand

Meaning

(The hero speaks.) They have defeated the blue lily, the dark lily, the spear and the carp in many ways, and their sweep is beyond what my life can bear. They are the paired flowers that are the eyes of her who is like a lovely downy hen-bird dwelling on Venkatam, the hill of Madhava, Govinda, who destroyed the asuras and is master of the mighty great bird, Garuda.

Word by word

kāviyum nīlamum

the blue lily and the dark lily

vēlum kayalum

the spear and the carp

āviyiṉ taṉmai aḷavu alla

beyond what my life can bear

acurar ceṟṟa

who destroyed the asuras

puḷ valla

master of the great bird, Garuda

mātavaṉ kōvintaṉ vēṅkaṭam

Venkatam of Madhava, Govinda

tūvi am pēṭai aṉṉāḷ

she who is like a lovely downy hen-bird

tuṇaimalarē

a pair of flowers

The word-separated edition loses or misplaces the first letters of some lines here; they are restored from the Project Madurai edition by K. Kalyanasundaram.

Tiruviruttam 68 · verse 2545 of the four thousand

Meaning

(The friend speaks to the girl.) The strong kondrai trees have not merely blossomed: they have hung out garlands and golden chaplets, letting them down to the poles of leafy pavilions that reach the ground. O you who are lovely as the Vaikuntham of our Lord, who strode over the earth girt by the dashing sea, the kondrai trees have flowered in this rainy season to welcome the return of the one who was united with you.

Word by word

malarntē oḻintila

they have not merely blossomed

mālaip poṉ vācikaiyum

garlands and golden chaplets

pulantōy taḻaip pantar

leafy pavilions reaching the ground

nilan tāviya em perumāṉ

our Lord who strode over the earth

vaikuntam aṉṉāy

O you who are lovely as Vaikuntham

kalantār varavu etir koṇṭu

to welcome the return of your beloved

vaṉ koṉṟaikaḷ kārttaṉavē

the strong kondrai trees have flowered for the rains

The word-separated edition loses or misplaces the first letters of some lines here; they are restored from the Project Madurai edition by K. Kalyanasundaram.

Tiruviruttam 69 · verse 2546 of the four thousand

Meaning

(The friend speaks to the girl.) The dark bull of night, chafing at the brightness of the red bull, the sun, has come out to fight and win: the dim evening has set in. Will the tall Lord, who received the gift poured with water and measured all the worlds, fail to show His grace? O young one with bodice-bound breasts, do not grieve over your bangles.

Word by word

kār ēṟṟu iruḷ

the dark bull of night

cekil ēṟṟiṉ cuṭarukku

at the brightness of the red bull, the sun

puṉ talai mālai

the dim evening

nīr ēṟṟu aḷanta

who received the gift with water and measured

neṭiya pirāṉ

the tall Lord

aruḷā viṭumē

will He fail to show grace?

varuntēl uṉ vaḷaittiṟamē

do not grieve over your bangles

The word-separated edition loses or misplaces the first letters of some lines here; they are restored from the Project Madurai edition by K. Kalyanasundaram.

Tiruviruttam 70 · verse 2547 of the four thousand

Meaning

(The girl speaks.) For the fragrant, close-bound wreath of cool, lovely tulasi on the crown of our Lord of heaven, who bears the curved, sharp-edged holy discus, my colour has turned to pallor. To make that pallor grow, and while days, months, years and ages all stand still, this one night has come in to torment me: it is a thousand ages long.

Word by word

vaḷaivāyt tiruc cakkarattu

with the curved, sharp-edged holy discus

taḷaivāy naṟuṅ kaṇṇit

of the fragrant, close-bound wreath

vaṇṇam payalai

colour turned to pallor

nāḷ tiṅkaḷ āṇṭu ūḻi niṟka

while days, months, years and ages stand still

uḷaivāṉ pukuntu

entering to torment me

kaṅkul āyiram ūḻikaḷē

a night of a thousand ages

The word-separated edition loses or misplaces the first letters of some lines here; they are restored from the Project Madurai edition by K. Kalyanasundaram.