Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.1 · verse 86 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Yashoda longs to see her child take His first toddling steps.) Like an elephant moving slowly along, its linked chains clanking, its hanging golden bells ringing, its ichor streaming, with His ankle bells all jingling together and the little bell at His waist sounding like a drum, will Sarngapani, the bearer of the bow, not toddle along on His two broad feet?
Word by word
- toṭar caṅkilikai
- linked chains
- calār-pilār
- the clanking of the chains
- mummatap puṉal cōra
- ichor flowing from three places
- vāraṇam
- the elephant
- uṭai maṇi paṟai kaṟaṅka
- the waist-bell sounding like a drum
- cārṅkapāṇi
- Sarngapani, He who holds the Sarnga bow
- taḷarnaṭai naṭavāṉō
- will He not walk His toddling walk?
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.2 · verse 87 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a little crescent moon sprouting at the tip of a branch amid the red evening sky, His cool white teeth are sprouting and shining on the ledge of His smiling coral-red mouth. Wearing a string of little shells and a tortoise amulet, He who lies on Ananta, the great sapphire-hued one, worthy of all, Vasudeva: will He not walk His toddling walk?
Word by word
- cekkariṭai
- amid the red evening sky
- ciṟupiṟai muḷaip pōla
- like a little crescent moon sprouting
- naḷir veṇpal muḷai
- cool white teeth sprouting
- akkuvaṭam
- a string of little shells
- āmaittāli
- an amulet shaped like a tortoise
- aṉantacayaṉaṉ
- He who lies on Ananta
- vācutēvaṉ
- Vasudeva
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.3 · verse 88 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is like a dark rain cloud aglow with lightning, wearing what look like a streak of lightning, a white moon and the halo around it: the peepal-leaf ornament gleaming on its plaited string, His little yellow silk garment, and the ring around His neck. Hrishikesa, who shines by His own beauty: will He not walk His toddling walk?
Word by word
- miṉṉuk koṭiyum
- a streak of lightning
- cūḻ parivēṭamumāyp
- and the halo around the moon
- aracilaiyum
- the ornament shaped like a peepal leaf
- pītakac ciṟṟāṭaiyoṭum
- with a little garment of yellow silk
- kāṟaiyoṭum
- with a ring around the neck
- taṉṉiṟ polinta
- shining by His own beauty
- iruṭikēcaṉ
- Hrishikesa, Lord of the senses
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.4 · verse 89 of the four thousand
Meaning
Overflowing like an opened pot of sugarcane syrup, laughing aloud with delight, He comes up in front of me and gives me kisses: my cloud-hued one, with Sri on His chest. To me who bore Him He gives the nectar of His mouth and makes me bloom afresh. Will He not toddle over the heads of the foes who would strike at Him?
Word by word
- kaṉṉaṟ kuṭam tiṟantāl ottu
- like an opened pot of sugarcane syrup
- kaṇakaṇa cirittu
- laughing aloud
- muttam tarum
- gives kisses
- tirumārvaṉ
- He with Sri on His chest
- taṉvāy amutam
- the nectar of His mouth
- taḷirppikkiṉṟāṉ
- makes me bloom afresh
- māṟṟalar talaikaḷ mītē
- over the heads of His foes
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.5 · verse 90 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a little calf of a great silver mountain rushing ahead, and a little calf of a black mountain following behind, stepping after it, as His elder brother Baladeva, whose unending fame the world sings again and again, runs ahead, will He not go along behind him, toddling?
Word by word
- veḷḷip perumalaik kuṭṭaṉ
- the little calf of a great silver mountain
- moṭumoṭu viraintu ōṭap
- rushing ahead in a hurry
- karumalaik kuṭṭaṉ
- the little calf of a black mountain
- peyarntu aṭiyiṭuvatu pōl
- as if stepping along behind
- ōvāp pukaḻp
- unending fame
- palatēvaṉ
- Baladeva, Balarama
- taṉ nampi
- His elder brother
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.6 · verse 91 of the four thousand
Meaning
On the sole of one foot is the conch, on the other the discus, imprinted within. With those two feet He walks, leaving the marks printed here and there as if drawn, pouring more and more onto our ever-swelling flood of joy: He with the colour of the dark ocean, the father of Kama. Will He not walk His toddling walk?
Word by word
- oru kāliṟ caṅku
- the conch on one foot
- oru kāliṟ cakkaram
- the discus on the other
- uḷḷaṭi poṟittu
- imprinted on the soles
- ilacciṉai paṭa
- leaving their marks
- iṉpa-veḷḷattiṉmēl
- upon the flood of joy
- kārk kaṭalvaṇṇaṉ
- He with the colour of the dark ocean
- kāmar tātai
- the father of Kama (Pradyumna)
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.7 · verse 92 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like little drops of dew falling as a spreading lotus opens its petals, the drool keeps welling from His wide red mouth and falling in drops. Like the bell on the neck of a fierce bull, the bell at His waist goes clang-clang. Will Sarngapani not walk His toddling walk on His two broad feet?
Word by word
- paṭar paṅkaiya malarvāy nekiḻap
- as the spreading lotus opens its petals
- paṉi paṭu ciṟutuḷi pōl
- like small drops of dew
- iṭaṅ koṇṭa cevvāy
- the wide red mouth
- iṟṟu iṟṟu vīḻaniṉṟu
- breaking off and falling in drops
- kaṭuñ cēk kaḻuttiṉ
- on the neck of a fierce bull
- kaṇakaṇeṉa
- ringing clang-clang
- taṭan tāḷiṇai
- the two broad feet
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.8 · verse 93 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like streams spilling down over a small black rock, the string of little shells slips down and rises and hangs low, shifting about His lovely hips. Vasudeva, the great sapphire-hued one, worthy of all, in the form of a jewel of a child such as no one in the human world has ever borne: will He not walk His toddling walk?
Word by word
- karuñ ciṟuppāṟai mītē
- over a small black rock
- aruvikaḷ pakarntaṉaiya
- like streams spilling down
- akkuvaṭam iḻintu ēṟit tāḻa
- the string of shells slipping down, rising, hanging low
- aṇi alkul puṭai peyara
- shifting about His lovely hips
- peytu aṟiyā
- have never borne
- maṇik kuḻavi
- a jewel of a child
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.9 · verse 94 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a dark young elephant calf that has thrown white dust over itself and played in it, Trivikrama has rolled in clean dust and sweated till little specks show on Him. So that His small feet, like lotuses in bright bloom, are not hurt in the least, will He not toddle on a soft mat strewn with cool flowers?
Word by word
- veṇ puḻuti mēṟ peytukoṇṭu
- throwing white dust on itself
- vēḻattiṉ karuṅkaṉṟu pōl
- like a dark young elephant calf
- tirivikkiramaṉ
- Trivikrama, who measured the three worlds
- ciṟu pukarpaṭa viyarttu
- sweating till little specks show
- oṇ pōtu alarkamalac ciṟukkāl
- small feet like lotuses in bright bloom
- oṉṟum nōvāmē
- so as not to be hurt at all
- taṇ pōtu koṇṭa taviciṉ
- on a mat strewn with cool flowers
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.10 · verse 95 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like the orb of the moon in the waves of the sea, the pendant on the lovely, cool face of red-eyed Mal, Kesava, shines and swings all about. Will He not walk His toddling walk, as little drops trickle from Him, water that gives a greater merit of holy bathing than even the Ganga with its great waves?
Word by word
- tirai nīrc cantira maṇṭalam pōlac
- like the moon's orb in the waves of the sea
- ceṅkaṇmāl kēcavaṉ
- red-eyed Mal, Kesava
- tulaṅku cuṭṭi
- the shining forehead pendant
- peru nīrt tirai eḻu kaṅkaiyilum
- even more than the Ganga with its great waves
- tīrtta palam
- the merit of holy bathing
- tuḷḷam cōrat
- drops trickling
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 1.7.11 · verse 96 of the four thousand
Meaning
The kohl-hued one, born into the clan of the cowherds, walked His toddling walk so that the mothers rejoiced and His foes grew weak. Vishnuchitta, praised by his Veyar clan, unfolded it with grace. Those who can recite these verses will have children who bow at the feet of the wondrous, sapphire-hued Lord.
Word by word
- āyar kulattiṉil
- in the clan of the cowherds
- añcaṉavaṇṇaṉ
- the kohl-hued one
- tāyar makiḻa oṉṉār taḷarat
- the mothers rejoicing, the foes growing weak
- vēyar pukaḻ viṭṭucittaṉ
- Vishnuchitta, praised by the Veyar, his clan
- māyaṉ maṇivaṇṇaṉ tāḷ
- the feet of the wondrous sapphire-hued Lord
- makkaḷaip peṟuvarkaḷē
- will have children
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.