Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.1 · verse 286 of the four thousand
Meaning
(A mother speaks of her little daughter.) O sirs, her body is all smeared with dust, and her speech is still a child's tangle. She cannot even wear her little garment of red thread properly. She has a little toy pot in her hand and has not yet given up her play-basket. And yet she comes along with her hand in the hand of Him who rests on the hooded serpent couch!
Word by word
- puḻuti uṭampu aḷaintu
- her body smeared with dust
- pēccum alantalaiyāyc
- her speech still a jumble
- ceyya nūliṉ ciṟṟāṭai
- little garment of red thread
- ciṟutūtai
- a little toy pot
- muṟṟil pirintum ilaḷ
- has not yet given up her play-basket
- pai aravaṇaip paḷḷiyāṉoṭu
- with Him who rests on the hooded serpent
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.2 · verse 287 of the four thousand
Meaning
Her teeth have not all come in yet, and her hair is not yet long enough to gather into a knot. She mixes with a few little children, small and unsteady, falls into their naughty games, and comes home full of talk of her own goodness. And she is falling in love with the wondrous Lord, coloured like a great sapphire!
Word by word
- vāyiṟ pallum eḻuntila
- her teeth have not yet come in
- mayi rum muṭi kūṭiṟṟila
- her hair not long enough to tie up
- cila piḷḷaikaḷōṭu iṇaṅki
- keeping company with a few children
- tī iṇakku
- naughty company, mischief
- māyaṉ mā maṇivaṇṇaṉmēl
- on the wondrous Lord coloured like a great sapphire
- māl uṟukiṉṟāḷē
- she is falling in love
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.3 · verse 288 of the four thousand
Meaning
If she sets out to build little play-houses in the courtyard with heaps of white sand, she will draw nothing but the conch, the discus, the mace, the sword and the bow. She is not yet even grown, and yet, fearing what there may be between her and Govinda, my heart trembles every single day.
Word by word
- poṅku veṇmaṇal
- heaped white sand
- ciṟṟilum
- little play-houses
- caṅku cakkaram taṇṭu vāḷ villum
- conch, discus, mace, sword and bow, His five weapons
- caṅkai yāki
- fearful, suspecting
- taṭṭuḷuppu ākiṉṟatē
- trembles in alarm
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.4 · verse 289 of the four thousand
Meaning
A simple, innocent-seeming boy came and teased my daughter, and with the help of many of her friends led her away. To whom can I tell the plot they hatched? They made her plunge into the deep pool called 'the Lord of the discus' and caught her fast. Now she is not even like the ladle in the old saying, that stirs the salt yet never knows its taste.
Word by word
- ēḻai pētai ōr pālakaṉ
- a simple, innocent-seeming boy
- peṇmakaḷai eḷki
- teasing my daughter
- cūḻcciyai yārkku uraikkēṉ
- to whom shall I tell their plot?
- āḻiyāṉ eṉṉum āḻa mōḻaiyil
- into the deep pool called the Lord of the discus
- akappaṭutti
- catching her fast
- mūḻai uppu aṟiyātu
- the ladle does not know the salt's taste
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.5 · verse 290 of the four thousand
Meaning
For the whole land and town to see, she goes about wearing a fine garland of tulasi, searching every place where Narayana goes. There are many who wish her ill. The whole world is in a flurry, crying again and again, 'Set a guard between her and Kesava!'
Word by word
- nāṭum ūrum aṟiyavē
- for the whole land and town to know
- nalla tuḻāy alaṅkal
- a fine garland of tulasi
- nāraṇaṉ pōm iṭam ellām
- every place where Narayana goes
- cōtittu uḻitarkiṉṟāḷ
- she roams about searching
- kēṭu vēṇṭukiṉṟār
- those who wish her harm
- pāṭikāval iṭumiṉ
- set a guard
- pār taṭumāṟiṉatē
- the world is in a flurry
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.6 · verse 291 of the four thousand
Meaning
I tied a band on her brow, put gold studs in her ears, gave her anklets and tinkling bells, and raised her with all my love; yet she no longer cares to stay with me. Suddenly she slips out, stands there and calls, 'O You coloured like the kaya flower!' O ladies with long, curling tresses, she is falling in love with Him.
Word by word
- paṭṭam kaṭṭip
- tying a band on her brow
- poṟṟōṭu
- gold ear-studs
- pāṭakamum cilampum
- anklets and tinkling anklet-bells
- iṭṭa māka vaḷarttu
- raising her lovingly
- pūvaip pūvaṇṇā
- O You coloured like the kaya flower
- māl uṟukiṉṟāḷē
- she is falling in love
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.7 · verse 292 of the four thousand
Meaning
I am so bound by a woman's modesty that I cannot even bear to speak of such things; yet my simple girl, without any shyness, stands before everyone like a ladle that has lost its handle, beyond all control, and with lips red as the kinjuka flower calls out, 'Kesava!' and 'O Faultless One!' O ladies with long fragrant tresses, she is falling in love with Him.
Word by word
- pēcavum tariyāta peṇmaiyiṉ
- a woman's modesty that cannot bear even to speak
- kūcamiṉṟi
- without shyness
- kōl kaḻintāṉ mūḻaiyāy
- like a ladle that has lost its handle
- kēṭilī
- O Faultless One
- kiñcuka vāy moḻiyāḷ
- she whose lips are red as the kinjuka flower
- vāca vārkuḻal maṅkaimīr
- O ladies with long fragrant tresses
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.8 · verse 293 of the four thousand
Meaning
She puts on her necklace, looks into the mirror, jingles the bangles on her wrist, puts on her sari, grows faint, then touches up her lips, red as kovvai fruit. Gathering herself again and again, she stands and babbles of the greatness of the God of a thousand names. She is falling in love with the matchless Lord, coloured like a great sapphire.
Word by word
- kāṟai pūṇum
- puts on her necklace
- kaṇṇāṭi kāṇum
- looks into the mirror
- ayarkkum
- grows faint
- kovvaic cevvāy tiruttum
- touches up her lips, red as the kovvai fruit
- tēṟit tēṟi niṉṟu
- gathering herself again and again
- āyiram pērt tēvaṉ tiṟam pitaṟṟum
- babbles of the glory of the God of a thousand names
- māṟil mā maṇivaṇṇaṉmēl
- on the matchless great sapphire-coloured Lord
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.9 · verse 294 of the four thousand
Meaning
Why squander the wealth in our hands on weddings, and keep her and keep her here? What profit is there in that? She will only bring us shame. Like seedlings rising in His own field, let Him do with her as He wills. Send her to grow up at the side of the Lord coloured like a great dark cloud.
Word by word
- kaittalattu uḷḷa māṭu aḻiyak
- squandering the wealth in our hands
- kaṇṇālaṅkaḷ ceytu
- holding weddings
- eṉṉa vāṇipam
- what profit is there?
- vaṭuppaṭuttum
- will bring us shame
- ceyttalai eḻu nāṟṟup pōl
- like seedlings rising in the field
- mait taṭamukil vaṇṇaṉ
- the Lord coloured like a great dark cloud
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.10 · verse 295 of the four thousand
Meaning
We thought of holding grand, grand weddings and keeping her lovingly here in our own house, but she has a thought of her own. Before word goes about that she is past the help of any medicine, make her ready and send her to Him who measured the worlds.
Word by word
- perup perutta kaṇṇālaṅkaḷ
- grand, grand weddings
- nam illattuḷḷē iruttuvāṉ
- to keep her in our own house
- ivaḷum oṉṟu eṇṇukiṉṟāḷ
- she has a thought of her own
- maruttuvap patam nīṅkiṉāḷ
- she is past the help of medicine
- oruppaṭuttu iṭumiṉ
- make her ready and send her
- ulakaḷantāṉ iṭaikkē
- to Him who measured the worlds
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.7.11 · verse 296 of the four thousand
Meaning
Narayana swallowed the whole world and sleeps on a banyan leaf. A mother told how her daughter fell in love with Him and rejoiced, and Vittuchittan, Periyalwar, lord of the people of Puduvai, ringed by lovely groves, put it into words. Those who master this garland of ten will have no sorrow coming to them.
Word by word
- ñālam muṟṟum uṇṭu
- swallowing the whole world
- ālilait tuyil
- sleeping on a banyan leaf
- mālatāki makiḻntaṉaḷ
- fell in love and rejoiced
- tāy urai ceytataṉai
- what the mother said
- kōlam ār poḻil cūḻ putuvaiyarkōṉ
- lord of Puduvai ringed by lovely groves
- illai varu tuyarē
- no sorrow will come
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.