Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.1 · verse 264 of the four thousand
Meaning
He gulped down whole the mountain of heaped cooked rice, the pond of curd and the mire of ghee, and so stirred up the rain-god's enmity; then the mighty Lord, coloured like the sea, bore up a mountain. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where hill-women catch the fawns of the gentle, round, wide-eyed deer in their nets and rear them, feeding them milk from the tip of a tuft of cotton.
Word by word
- aṭṭuk kuvi cōṟṟup paruppatamum
- the mountain of heaped cooked rice
- tayir- vāviyum ney- aḷaṟum
- a pond of curd and a mire of ghee
- mārip pakai puṇartta
- who stirred up the rain-god's enmity
- kuṟamakaḷir
- the hill-women
- koṭṭait talaip pāl koṭuttu
- feeding milk from the tip of a cotton tuft
- kōvarttaṉam eṉṉum koṟṟak kuṭaiyē
- the mountain called Govardhana, the victorious umbrella
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.2 · verse 265 of the four thousand
Meaning
The king of the gods, in his anger, sent down the rain, and it poured for seven days to crush the herds; then Madhusudana lifted up a mountain and held it back. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where a mother elephant who has just given birth, unable to bear losing her young, when a young lion chases and rushes at it, sets her calf between her legs and turns to fight him face to face.
Word by word
- vāṉavarkōṉ
- the king of the gods, Indra
- eḻu nāḷ peytu
- pouring for seven days
- matucūtaṉ eṭuttu maṟitta malai
- the mountain Madhusudana lifted to hold it back
- īṟṟup piṭi
- a mother elephant just delivered
- iḷañ cīyam
- a young lion
- kuḻavi iṭaik kāl iṭṭu
- setting her calf between her legs
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.3 · verse 266 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the tender cowherd women with lovely dark-lined wide eyes, the cowherd men and the herds of cattle cried out and begged, 'Take us as Your refuge!', my Father, with the shining discus in His hand, lifted a mountain. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where the hill-men with sturdy shoulders, calling to the women who rely on them, 'Look at the deer grazing in the field!', bend their bows.
Word by word
- am mait taṭaṅkaṇ
- lovely wide eyes lined with kohl
- emmaic caraṇ ēṉṟukoḷ
- accept us as Your refuge
- ilaṅku āḻik kai entai
- my Father with the shining discus in hand
- puṉamēykiṉṟa māṉiṉam
- deer grazing in the field
- kommaip puyak kuṉṟar
- hill-men with sturdy shoulders
- cilai kuṉikkum
- bend their bows
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.4 · verse 267 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like one who lifts a ball of food to feed a fierce, angry elephant with blazing eyes, the Lord of the immortals thrust His hand deep under its base, plucked it up and stood holding a mountain. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where the clouds go down to the sea, bend low, draw up water till they almost burst, rise again and stand everywhere pouring rain as if from upturned pots.
Word by word
- kaḷiṟṟiṉukkuk kavaḷam eṭuttuk koṭuppāṉ
- one who lifts a ball of food for an elephant
- aṭivāy uṟak kaiyiṭṭu
- thrusting His hand deep under its base
- amararperumāṉ
- Lord of the immortals
- kaṭalvāyc ceṉṟu mēkam
- clouds going down to the sea
- nīrmukantu ēṟi
- drawing water and rising
- kuṭavāyp paṭa
- as if from upturned pots
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.5 · verse 268 of the four thousand
Meaning
As if to say, 'You in the heavens, if you are strong, come, I challenge you, and take this from Me!', the Lord, my Father, who once took the form of the Boar, wrenched up a mountain, earth and all, and lifted it. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where a forest elephant in rut, having lost a tusk, its musth trickling from the broken place, lifts its trunk and stands gazing upward, wanting the curved crescent moon.
Word by word
- aṟaiyō vantu vāṅkumiṉ
- I challenge you, come and take it
- ēṉattu uru ākiya īcaṉ
- the Lord who took the form of the Boar
- iṭavaṉ eḻa vāṅki
- wrenching it up, earth and all
- kāṉak kaḷi-yāṉai
- a forest elephant in rut
- kompu iḻantu
- having lost its tusk
- kūṉaṟ piṟai vēṇṭi
- wanting the curved crescent moon
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.6 · verse 269 of the four thousand
Meaning
Tirumal, the Lord of goodness, spread the five fingers of His red lotus hand as its ribs and gave His long, jewel-bright arm as its handle, and held up a mountain like an umbrella. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where clear waterfalls spread out and stream down on every side, glittering like strings of gems and pearls, so that the mountain seems to wear a shining jacket.
Word by word
- tirumāl
- Tirumal, the Lord with Sri
- centāmaraik kaiviral aintiṉaiyum
- the five fingers of His red lotus hand
- kappu āka
- as the ribs of the umbrella
- kāmpu ākak koṭuttuk
- giving it as the handle
- teḷ aruvi
- clear waterfalls
- muttuvaṭam
- strings of pearls
- kuppāyam eṉa
- like a jacket
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.7 · verse 270 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like the many-hooded king of serpents who lies bearing up the wide earth, Damodara spread open the five fingers of His great hand and bore up a huge mountain. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where mother monkeys hold their little ones in the hollow of their palms and lull them to sleep, singing the fame of Hanuman, who went and utterly broke the might of Lanka.
Word by word
- paṭaṅkaḷ palavum uṭaip pāmpu- araiyaṉ
- the many-hooded king of serpents, Adisesha
- taṭaṅkai viral aintum malara vaittut
- spreading open the five fingers of His great hand
- ilaṅkaiyai īṭaḻitta
- who broke the might of Lanka
- aṉumaṉ pukaḻ pāṭit
- singing Hanuman's fame
- kuṭaṅkaik koṇṭu
- holding in the hollow of their palms
- mantikaḷ kaṇvaḷarttum
- mother monkeys lull to sleep
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.8 · verse 271 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the many hosts of great water-laden clouds rained arrows everywhere and raised a clamour as on a battlefield, Narayana, like a warrior who holds up his shield so as to suffer no harm, met them face-on and guarded all with a mountain. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where fierce, killing tigers walk in among great sages living in leaf-thatched huts, and stand there asleep while the sages scratch their chins.
Word by word
- cala mā mukil pal kaṇap
- many hosts of great water-laden clouds
- cara- māri poḻintu
- raining arrows
- kēṭakam kōppavaṉ pōl
- like one holding up a shield
- ilai vēy kurampait tava mā muṉivar
- great sages in leaf-thatched huts
- aṇār coṟiyak
- as their chins are scratched
- ciṉa vēṅkaikaḷ niṉṟu uṟaṅkum
- fierce tigers stand asleep
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.9 · verse 272 of the four thousand
Meaning
Damodara, whose mouth once drank from the breast of the cruel demoness, took up upon this earth, in His own name, a great burden that stood like a mighty pillar: a huge mountain. That mountain is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where troops of langur monkeys, their elders leading the way, carry their little ones on their backs, climb into the branches and teach them to leap.
Word by word
- vaṉ pēymulai uṇṭatu
- who drank from the cruel demoness Putana's breast
- vaṉ tūṇ eṉa niṉṟatu
- standing like a mighty pillar
- taṉ pēr iṭṭuk koṇṭu
- taking it on in His own name
- mucuk kaṇaṅkaḷ
- troops of langur monkeys
- mutukiṟ peytu
- carrying on their backs
- kuti payiṟṟum
- teach them to leap
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.10 · verse 273 of the four thousand
Meaning
His red lotus fingers, with their lines like creepers, did not lose their beauty, nor did they wilt; His shapely sacred nails did not even ache. The gem-coloured Lord's mountain too is a marvel. It is Govardhana, His victorious umbrella, where many hosts of great clouds that have climbed onto its peak, looking like foreheads turned grey, settle down everywhere as if they lived there, and pour down rain.
Word by word
- cen tāmaraik kaiviralkaḷ
- His red lotus fingers
- vāṭiṟṟu ila
- did not wilt
- tiruvukir nontum ila
- His sacred nails did not even ache
- maṇivaṇṇaṉ
- the gem-coloured Lord
- campiratam
- a marvel
- muṉ neṟṟi naraittaṉa pōla
- like foreheads turned grey
- kuṭi ēṟi iruntu
- settling as if they lived there
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.5.11 · verse 274 of the four thousand
Meaning
He sleeps on a serpent, He drove the serpent Kaliya away, and He rides on Garuda, the serpents' foe. On His victorious umbrella, the mountain called Govardhana, where jasmine creepers on the kuravu trees stand and sleep, Pattarpiran, Periyalwar, shining in Puttur of Veda-scholars rich in grace, has sung this garland of ten. Devotees whose hearts truly love to praise will reach supreme Vaikuntha.
Word by word
- araviṟ paḷḷikoṇṭu
- sleeping on a serpent
- aravam turantiṭṭu
- driving away the serpent
- aravap-pakai ūrti
- whose mount is the serpents' foe, Garuda
- maṟaivāṇar puttūrt
- Puttur of the Veda-scholars, Srivilliputhur
- paṭṭarpirāṉ
- Pattarpiran, a name of Periyalwar
- paravu maṉam naṉku uṭaip pattar
- devotees with hearts that truly praise
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.