Tiruviruttam 81 · verse 2558 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The friend speaks.) Not thinking of what must be done, did the mothers who bore this girl not bear her through pain of their own bodies? They do not place tulasi in her tresses; they do not even arrange to take her to bathe at ancient Venkatam. Her body is wasting away, while her tender life is caught in fire.
Word by word
- ōrppilarāy
- without thinking
- peṟukiṉṟa tāyar
- the mothers who bore her
- meyn nontu
- with pain of their own bodies
- tuḻāy kuḻalvāyt tuṟukiṉṟilar
- they do not place tulasi in her tresses
- tollai vēṅkaṭam
- ancient Venkatam
- mel āvi eri koḷḷavē
- while her tender life is caught in fire
Tiruviruttam 82 · verse 2559 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our Lord's eyes have the colour of two flaming red suns rising together over the eastern mountain. Like the asuras who fell into their red fire, women like us too are burnt by them. Tell me, is this why the whole world has turned pale?
Word by word
- eri koḷ cen nāyiṟu iraṇṭu
- two flaming red suns
- utaya malaivāy
- over the mountain of sunrise
- em perumāṉ kaṇkaḷ
- the eyes of our Lord
- cen tī vīḻ acuraraip pōla
- like the asuras who fell into the red fire
- em pōliyarkkum
- even to women like us
- viḷariyatē
- has turned pale
Tiruviruttam 83 · verse 2560 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The mother speaks.) In our courtyard, the soft hen of the anril birds calls her plaintive call from her nest of twigs in the palmyra. And all the while my girl babbles the names of the cloud-coloured Lord, over and over again, her tender life wasting and failing. I do not know whether this girl can survive.
Word by word
- viḷarik kural aṉṟil
- the anril bird with its plaintive call
- meṉ peṭai
- the soft hen-bird
- muṉṟil peṇṇai
- the palmyra in the courtyard
- mukil vaṇṇaṉ pēr
- the names of the cloud-coloured Lord
- kiḷarik kiḷarip pitaṟṟum
- babbling them over and over
- uyyal āvatu
- whether she can survive
- it taiyalukkē
- for this girl
Tiruviruttam 84 · verse 2561 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the gatherings of fine women crowding together, and in the festivals where noble men throng, everywhere, there and there, I long to see You, holding the golden discus and the white conch in Your hands, O dark-hued One, my sapphire, my pearl, my ruby!
Word by word
- taiyal nallārkaḷ kuḻāṅkaḷ
- gatherings of fine women
- aiya nallārkaḷ
- noble, good men
- viḻaviṉum
- in the festivals
- poṉ āḻi veṇ caṅkoṭum
- with the golden discus and white conch
- kāṇpāṉ avāvuvaṉ
- I long to see
- maiya vaṇṇā maṇiyē
- O dark-hued One, my sapphire
- eṉ taṉ māṇikkamē
- my ruby
Tiruviruttam 85 · verse 2562 of the four thousand
Meaning
Clashing with the darkness, like a monkey flinging away a ruby, the evening sheds a glow like refined gold. O ruby who measured the world, my emerald, O matchless refined gold! My life, the life of Your servant, is placed at Your feet as Your ward.
Word by word
- māṇikkam koṇṭu kuraṅku eṟivu ottu
- like a monkey flinging away a ruby
- iruḷōṭu muṭṭi
- clashing with the darkness
- āṇippoṉ aṉṉa cuṭar
- a glow like refined gold
- eṉ marakatamē
- my emerald
- maṟṟu oppārai illā
- with no equal
- aṭi āvi aṭaikkalamē
- my life, a ward placed at Your feet
Tiruviruttam 86 · verse 2563 of the four thousand
Meaning
He once freed Shiva from eating out of a foul bowl, the skull of Brahma, who sits in the lotus that rises up. He bears the discus and conch as His weapons. That day, for the butter, the cowherd woman struck Him with stout ropes. With what words shall I lament for my Lord?
Word by word
- kamalattu alar ayaṉ
- Brahma of the blossoming lotus
- ceṉṉi eṉṉum muṭaik kalattu
- the foul-smelling bowl that was a skull
- araṉukku nīkkiyai
- You who freed Shiva
- paṭaikkalam ēntiyai
- Him who bears weapons
- āycci vaṉ tāmpukaḷāl
- the cowherd woman, with stout ropes
- eṉ collip pulampuvaṉē
- with what words shall I lament?
Tiruviruttam 87 · verse 2564 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl speaks to the Lord.) The sharp-beaked anril birds wailing in heavy voices, and the sea, whose encircling waves rush into the flowered backwaters and roar in heavy voices, sing there the praise of Your mighty bird. Taking that as my fault, the world rings with gossip about me. Tirumal, is this what Your grace does?
Word by word
- pōḻ vāya aṉṟilum
- and the anril birds with their sharp beaks
- pūṅ kaḻi
- flowered backwaters
- cūḻ tirai āḻiyum
- and the sea with encircling waves
- nalam pāṭum
- sing the praise
- itu kuṟṟamāka
- taking this as a fault
- vaiyam cilampumpaṭi
- so that the world rings with talk
- it tiruviṉaiyē
- this blessing, said in sorrow
Tiruviruttam 88 · verse 2565 of the four thousand
Meaning
Mount Meru resembles the form of Tirumal; and on that Meru the red sun resembles the holy discus in Tirumal's holy hand. Seeing such things, we keep babbling only of Tirumal's form and His emblems. We have taken Tirumal upon our heads; from where could evil deeds come to us?
Word by word
- tirumāl uru okkum mēru
- Meru resembles the form of Tirumal
- ceñcuṭarōṉ
- the red sun
- tirukkait tiruc cakkaram
- the holy discus in the holy hand
- ciṉṉamē pitaṟṟā niṟpatu
- babbling only of His emblems
- tirumāl talaikkoṇṭa
- having taken Tirumal upon our heads
- tīviṉaiyē
- evil deeds
Tiruviruttam 89 · verse 2566 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is deadly poison to evil deeds and sweet nectar to good deeds; He is the bridegroom of the goddess who dwells in the flower; He is the strong cowherd who grazed the cows, never shrinking from that lowly work; He is the mighty bull who that day strode across the world with two steps. When shall I reach Him, my Lord?
Word by word
- tīviṉaikku āru nañcai
- Him who is deadly poison to evil deeds
- iṉ amutattiṉai
- Him who is sweet nectar
- pūviṉai mēviya tēvi maṇāḷaṉai
- the bridegroom of the goddess who dwells in the flower
- puṉmai eḷkātu
- never shrinking from lowly work
- īr aṭiyāl tāviṉa ēṟṟai
- the bull who strode with two steps
- eññāṉṟu talaippeyvaṉē
- when shall I reach Him?
Tiruviruttam 90 · verse 2567 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have reached You and won the good fortune of wearing Your holy feet on my head. Yet whenever I see this delusion, men doing penance so that the body may last, and see how this illusory body never truly lasts, O my Father, whose discus destroyed the hosts of asuras, the ancient age of waiting does not grow any shorter.
Word by word
- uṉ tiruvaṭi cūṭum takaimaiyiṉāl
- by the good fortune of wearing Your holy feet
- nilaippu eyta ākkaikku
- so that the body may last
- nōṟṟa im māyamum
- this delusion of doing penance
- acurar kuḻām
- the hosts of asuras
- nēmi entāy
- O my Father with the discus
- tollai ūḻi curuṅkalatē
- the ancient age does not grow shorter
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.