Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.1 · verse 213 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The cowherd girls complain to Yashoda.) We were playing in the river, and he pelted us with mud, snatched our bangles and our clothes, ran off into the house swifter than the wind, and will not even give us an answer. This is the limit today! He will not even speak of giving back our bangles. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- āṟṟil iruntu viḷaiyāṭuvōṅkaḷaic
- us, as we were playing in the river
- cēṟṟāl eṟintu
- pelting us with mud
- vaḷai tukiṟ kaikkoṇṭu
- snatching our bangles and clothes
- kāṟṟiṟ kaṭiyaṉāy
- swifter than the wind
- māṟṟamum tārāṉāl
- he will not even answer
- iṉṟu muṟṟum
- this is the limit today; today it is all over
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.2 · verse 214 of the four thousand
Meaning
His earrings swinging, His curls tumbling down, His waist-cord hanging loose, while people of all eight directions bow and worship and praise Him, He took the clothes of the girls with bee-haunted flowers in their hair and climbed a tree that touches the sky. This is the limit today! Even when we beg, He will not give them back. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- kuṇṭalam tāḻa
- His earrings swinging
- nāṇ tāḻa
- His waist-cord hanging
- eṇ ticaiyōrum
- people of all eight directions
- vaṇṭu amar pūṅkuḻalār
- girls with bee-haunted flowers in their hair
- viṇ tōy marattāṉāl
- He climbed a sky-touching tree
- vēṇṭavum tārāṉāl
- even when we beg, He will not give
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.3 · verse 215 of the four thousand
Meaning
He churned up the broad lotus pond, seized the venomous serpent by its tail and dragged it, leapt up so that its green hooded heads rose high, and danced, swaying His body upon it. This is the limit today! He stood on its very crest. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- taṭam paṭu tāmaraip poykai kalakki
- churning up the broad lotus pond
- viṭam paṭu nākattai
- the venomous serpent, Kaliya
- vāl paṟṟi īrttu
- seizing it by the tail and dragging it
- paṭam paṭu paintalai
- its green hooded heads
- uṭampai acaittāṉāl
- He swayed His body, dancing
- ucciyil niṉṟāṉāl
- He stood on its crest
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.4 · verse 216 of the four thousand
Meaning
With His great, broad shoulders He took the life of Dhenuka and flung him at the palmyra fruits. He held off the rain sent by the king of the gods and protected the herds of cows. This is the limit today! He took them all and kept them safe. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- tēṉukaṉ āvi cekuttup
- taking the life of Dhenuka, the donkey demon
- paṉaṅkaṉi
- palmyra fruits
- taṭam peruntōḷiṉāl
- with His great broad shoulders
- vāṉavar kōṉ viṭa vanta maḻai
- the rain sent by Indra, king of the gods
- āṉirai kāttāṉāl
- He protected the herds of cows
- avai uyyak koṇṭāṉāl
- He kept them safe
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.5 · verse 217 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the cowherd women's lane He ate up the churned curd and the milk. When they caught sight of Him again and seized Him, He was caught; and failing to get away with the butter of the women whose shoulders are smooth as bamboo, He sat there tied up. This is the limit today! He was beaten and He cried. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- āycciyar cēri
- the cowherd women's lane
- aḷai tayir pāl uṇṭu
- eating the churned curd and milk
- piṭikkap piṭiyuṇṭu
- when they seized Him, He was caught
- vēyt taṭantōḷiṉār
- women with shoulders smooth as bamboo
- āppuṇṭu iruntāṉāl
- He sat there tied up
- aṭiyuṇṭu aḻutāṉāl
- He was beaten and cried
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.6 · verse 218 of the four thousand
Meaning
Toddling along on unsteady feet like a little child, He looked deep into her with His inner eye, and at the breast of the demoness who had come with deceit He sucked until her life leapt out of her. This is the limit today! He drank until nothing held her life. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- taḷar naṭai
- unsteady, toddling steps
- uḷḷattiṉ uḷḷē avaḷai uṟa nōkki
- looking deep into her within His heart
- kaḷḷattiṉāl vanta pēycci
- the demoness who came with deceit, Putana
- uyir tuḷḷac cuvaittāṉāl
- He sucked till her life leapt out
- tuvakku aṟa uṇṭāṉāl
- He drank till nothing held her life
- iṉṟu muṟṟum
- this is the limit today
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.7 · verse 219 of the four thousand
Meaning
He went to Mahabali's sacrifice as a little brahmin boy and begged, 'Give me three steps.' This very earth He covered with a single step, and with the second step He leapt across the sky. This is the limit today! He measured the whole earth. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- māvali vēḷviyil
- at Mahabali's sacrifice
- māṇ uruvāyc ceṉṟu
- going as a brahmin boy, Vamana
- mūvaṭi tā eṉṟu iranta
- begging, 'give me three steps'
- oraṭi iṭṭu
- taking one step
- tāvaṭi iṭṭāṉāl
- He took a leaping stride
- taraṇi aḷantāṉāl
- He measured the earth
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.8 · verse 220 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the great broad pond with screwpine and cool water-lilies, the elephant fell into the grip of the crocodile that lived there and was tormented. To end its suffering, He, Lord of the heavenly ones, set His discus to work. This is the limit today! He showed it grace. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- tāḻai taṇ-āmpaṟ
- screwpine and cool water-lilies
- vāḻum mutalai
- the crocodile that lived there
- vātippu uṇ vēḻam
- the tormented elephant, Gajendra
- viṇṇōr perumāṉāy
- as Lord of the heavenly ones
- āḻi paṇi koṇṭāṉāl
- He set His discus to work
- ataṟku aruḷ ceytāṉāl
- He showed it grace
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.9 · verse 221 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like a rain-cloud risen in the sky, He roamed all over the forest with the herds, playing for joy. In the form of the Boar He dug up this earth and set it back in its place. This is the limit today! He lifted the earth from below. This is the limit today!
Word by word
- vāṉattu eḻunta maḻai mukil pōl
- like a rain-cloud risen in the sky
- kāṉattu mēyntu
- grazing the herds in the forest
- ēṉattu uruvāy
- in the form of the Boar, Varaha
- tāṉattē vaittāṉāl
- He set it in its place
- taraṇi iṭantāṉāl
- He dug up the earth
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.10.10 · verse 222 of the four thousand
Meaning
The fine young women came to Yashoda to complain about lotus-eyed Kannan, and Bhattan, Periyalwar, lord of Puduvai, set down their words just as they spoke them there. Those who can sing these here will meet no harm at all.
Word by word
- aṅ kamalak kaṇṇaṉtaṉṉai
- lovely lotus-eyed Kannan
- maṅkai nallārkaḷ
- the fine young women
- muṟaippaṭṭa
- complained
- putuvaikkōṉ paṭṭaṉ
- Bhattan, lord of Puduvai, Periyalwar
- ētam oṉṟu illaiyē
- no harm at all
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.