Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.1 · verse 223 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Yashoda, seeing who her child really is.) He comes toddling along with a thousand boys just like Himself. Having drunk the nectar of milk with golden ghee, this little rascal now crawls about only in pretence. Lord who put His mouth to the breast of the deceitful woman, slender as lightning at the waist, until she died: my dear, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- taṉnēr āyiram piḷḷaikaḷōṭu
- with a thousand boys like Himself
- taḷarnaṭaiiṭṭu
- toddling
- puḷḷuvaṉ poyyē tavaḻum
- the rascal crawls only in pretence
- vañcamakaḷ koṅkai
- the breast of the deceitful woman, Putana
- aṟintukoṇṭēṉ
- I have come to know You
- añcuvaṉ ammam taravē
- I am afraid to give You my breast
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.2 · verse 224 of the four thousand
Meaning
I bathed You till You shone like gold, fed You, and went out; and while I was gone, here You kicked the heavy, cruel cart till it broke, then went into the house to the north and stayed there, and left a maiden with a waist slender as lightning quite changed in her looks. My loving one, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- poṉpōl mañcaṉam āṭṭi
- bathing You till You shone like gold
- vaṉ pārac cakaṭam
- the cruel, heavy cart
- vaṭakkil akam pukku
- going into the house to the north
- vēṟṟuruvam ceytu vaitta
- left her changed in her looks
- aṉpā
- my loving one
- uṉakku añcuvaṉ
- I am afraid of You
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.3 · verse 225 of the four thousand
Meaning
You swallowed the butter along with the kummayam, tipped over the pot of curd and drank it, destroyed the false, magic demons who had become the marutha trees, and came back today. Nambi, a child who can work such wonders, and the people standing here call You my son! My dear, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- kummāyattoṭu
- with kummayam, a sweet of mashed lentils
- kuṭat tayir cāyttup paruki
- tipping the pot of curd and drinking
- marutu āṉa acuraraip
- the demons who had become the marutha trees
- im māyam valla piḷḷai
- a child who can work such wonders
- eṉmakaṉē eṉpar niṉṟār
- those standing here call You my son
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.4 · verse 226 of the four thousand
Meaning
You charm the daughters of the simple cowherd women with their kohl-dark eyes, follow them about, catch hold of their pleated flowered garments, and stand apart with them doing mischief upon mischief. Deceiver! I hear that the things said about You behind Your back would fill a book. My Lord, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- maiār kaṇ maṭa āycciyar
- simple cowherd women with kohl-dark eyes
- maiyaṉmai ceytu
- charming them, making them lovesick
- koy ār pūntukil
- pleated, flowered garments
- poyyā
- O deceiver
- puṟam pala pēcuva
- the many things said behind Your back
- puttakattukku uḷa
- enough to fill a book
- aiyā
- my Lord
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.5 · verse 227 of the four thousand
Meaning
You swallow the butter gathered from churning three times a day, and the curd with it. You tip over and drink from the very vessels the cowherds have carried in on their poles from far away. And then You sob and sob like children who still cry after drinking at the breast! My father, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- muppōtum kaṭaintu
- churned three times a day
- kāviṟ koṇarnta
- carried in on shoulder-poles
- kalattoṭu cāyttup paruki
- tipping the vessel and drinking
- meyppāl uṇṭu aḻu piḷḷaikaḷ pōla
- like children who cry even after drinking at the breast
- vimmi vimmi
- sobbing and sobbing
- appā
- my father
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.6 · verse 228 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the herds of milch cows crowded into the long fields among the sugarcane to eat the ripe red paddy, You picked up a calf that was no calf and flung it so the wood-apples fell, my Lord. And You go about laying nets for a maiden with soft hair where the bees swarm. You rogue, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- karumpār nīḷ vayaṟ
- long fields full of sugarcane
- kāykatirc cennelaik
- the ripe-eared red paddy
- virumpāk kaṉṟu
- an unwelcome calf, a demon in disguise
- viḷaṅkaṉi vīḻa eṟinta
- who flung it so the wood-apples fell
- cūḻvalai vaittut tiriyum
- going about laying nets
- arampā
- O rogue
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.7 · verse 229 of the four thousand
Meaning
Taking Your soft, enchanting flute, You went into the grove and put it to Your lips, and in that cowherd village the maidens with soft curling hair came and stood all around You, worshipping You, radiant one. My Lord, I have gained nothing here, no wealth or share, except the fault of having borne You. You naughty one, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- maruṭṭār meṉkuḻaṟ
- the soft, enchanting flute
- poḻil pukku
- going into the grove
- curuṭṭār meṉkuḻaṟ kaṉṉiyar
- maidens with soft curling hair
- cuṟṟum toḻa niṉṟa cōti
- the radiance they surround and worship
- poruḷ- tāyam ilēṉ
- I have no wealth or share
- uṉṉaip peṟṟa kuṟṟam
- the fault of having borne You
- araṭṭā
- O naughty one
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.8 · verse 230 of the four thousand
Meaning
People cannot bear to see You even when You are doing nothing; yet You charm other people's daughters, put Your arm round their shoulders, revel with them, and do things that should not be spoken of. The cowherd clan will not put up with this disgrace. I am ruined; there is no living for me. Young bull of Nandagopa, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- piṟar makkaḷai
- other people's daughters
- tōḷāl iṭṭu
- putting Your arm round their shoulders
- collap paṭātaṉa ceytāy
- You did things not to be spoken of
- ip paḻi
- this disgrace
- keṭṭēṉ vāḻvillai
- I am ruined; there is no life for me
- nantaṉ kāḷāy
- young bull of Nandagopa
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.9 · verse 231 of the four thousand
Meaning
The mothers go off to sell buttermilk; the fathers go off behind the herds of milch cows; and You lead away the young maidens of Ayarpadi in broad daylight. You always do just what delights those who wish us ill, and wander about so that everyone who sees You rebukes You. Cowherd boy, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- mōr viṟkap pōvar
- go to sell buttermilk
- kaṟṟā niraip piṉpu
- behind the herds of milch cows
- nērpaṭavē koṇṭu pōti
- You lead them away openly
- kāyvārkku eṉṟum ukappaṉavē ceytu
- always doing what pleases those who hate us
- kaṇṭār kaḻaṟat tiriyum
- roaming so that all who see rebuke You
- āyā
- O cowherd
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.10 · verse 232 of the four thousand
Meaning
You took a maiden with clustered flowers in her hair deep into the grove, held her close, and came home only after twenty-one nazhigais of the night had gone. People will talk, each after their own kind, and I cannot bring myself to scold You at all. My Lord, I have come to know You. I am afraid to give You my breast.
Word by word
- tottār pūṅkuḻaṟ kaṉṉi
- a maiden with clustered flowers in her hair
- cōlait taṭam
- the depths of the grove
- irā nāḻikai mūvēḻu
- twenty-one nazhigais of the night, about eight hours
- ottārkku ottaṉa pēcuvar
- people talk, each after their own kind
- urappavē nāṉ oṉṟum māṭṭēṉ
- I cannot scold You at all
- attā
- my Lord, my father
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.1.11 · verse 233 of the four thousand
Meaning
The cowherd mother with fragrant flowers in her hair said to our Lord of the cloud-dark body, 'I will give You sweet nectar that never cloys, but I will not give You my breast.' Bhattarpiran, Periyalwar, king of Puduvai, whose ancient fame fills the earth, sang it. Those who can sing these lovely garlands of sweet music will be servants of Hrishikesa.
Word by word
- kārār mēṉi niṟattu
- with a body the colour of dark cloud
- kaṭikamaḻ pūṅkuḻal āycci
- the cowherd mother with fragrant flowered hair
- ārā iṉṉamutu
- sweet nectar that never cloys
- ammam tārēṉ
- I will not give You the breast
- putuvai maṉṉaṉ
- king of Puduvai, Srivilliputtur
- iruṭikēcaṉ aṭiyārē
- servants of Hrishikesa
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.