Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.1 · verse 297 of the four thousand
Meaning
(A mother whose daughter has gone after Krishna speaks.) Like a fine lotus pond whose fresh flowers, dripping with dew, have shed their petals and pollen and lost all their beauty, my house has become empty and desolate. I cannot find my daughter anywhere. Has she gone after Him who killed the wrestlers, and reached the outskirts of Mathura?
Word by word
- tāmaraip poykai
- a lotus pond
- nāṇmalar mēl paṉi cōra
- dew dripping on the fresh flowers
- alliyum tātum utirntiṭṭu
- petals and pollen shed
- illam veṟiyōṭiṟṟālō
- my house has become empty
- mallarai aṭṭavaṉ
- He who killed the wrestlers
- maturaip puṟam pukkāḷ kollō
- has she reached the outskirts of Mathura?
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.2 · verse 298 of the four thousand
Meaning
As easily as those simple cowherds, who know nothing at all, lead a calf off from one place to another, He took away the maiden who lived here with us, playing a fine trick on us, and went. Will this wrong that Narayana has done become a lasting reproach on our family?
Word by word
- oṉṟum aṟivu oṉṟu illāta
- knowing nothing at all
- kōpālar
- the cowherds
- kaṉṟu kāl māṟumā pōlē
- as a calf is led from place to place
- kaṉṉi iruntāḷaik koṇṭu
- taking the maiden who lived here
- naṉṟum kiṟi ceytu
- playing a fine trick
- ēccukkol
- a reproach, a blame
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.3 · verse 299 of the four thousand
Meaning
Will they wed the maiden properly, adorn her and keep her in the house? Will they announce, for kin and strangers alike to know, that she is given to Damodara? Will they worship the queen of the lord of the immortals, beat the drums till the sound rises high, and set up festoons?
Word by word
- kumari maṇam ceytu koṇṭu
- wedding the maiden
- kōlam ceytu
- adorning her
- tamarum piṟarum aṟiyat
- for kin and others to know
- tāmōtaraṟku eṉṟu cāṟṟi
- announcing she is given to Damodara
- amarar patiyuṭait tēvi
- the queen of the lord of the immortals
- tōraṇam nāṭṭiṭuṅ kollō
- will they set up festoons?
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.4 · verse 300 of the four thousand
Meaning
I had just one daughter, and with a fame that filled the world I raised her like Lakshmi herself. The red-eyed Lord has taken her away. Will Yashoda, who has lived as the great lady of her household and borne that great son, rejoice to see her daughter-in-law and perform the rites of welcome for the bride?
Word by word
- oru makaḷ taṉṉai uṭaiyēṉ
- I had just one daughter
- tirumakaḷ pōla vaḷarttēṉ
- I raised her like Lakshmi
- ceṅkaṇ māl
- the red-eyed Lord
- perumpiḷḷai peṟṟa acōtai
- Yashoda, who bore that great son
- marumakaḷaik kaṇṭu ukantu
- rejoicing to see her daughter-in-law
- maṇāṭṭup puṟamceyyuṅ kollō
- will she perform the bride's welcome?
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.5 · verse 301 of the four thousand
Meaning
Will her father-in-law Nandagopa take my daughter into his arms and speak fondly to her? Seeing her fine carp-like eyes, her red lips, her young figure, her slender waist and her smooth, rounded shoulders, will he say, 'The mother who bore this girl will not be able to bear being without her now'?
Word by word
- tam māmaṉ nantakōpālaṉ
- her father-in-law Nandagopa
- taḻīik koṇṭu
- embracing
- ceḻuṅ kayaṟ kaṇṇum
- fine carp-like eyes
- koḻumpaṇait tōḷkaḷum
- smooth shoulders like young bamboo
- iṉit tariyār
- will no longer bear it
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.6 · verse 302 of the four thousand
Meaning
Will He, like the fierce hunter clans, do just as He pleases and live with my daughter as though their meeting alone were their marriage? Or will the Lord who kicked the cart to pieces hold a fine wedding, for land and town to know, and take her hand as is fitting?
Word by word
- vēṭar maṟakkulam pōlē
- like the fierce hunter clans
- kūṭiya kūṭṭamē yākak
- their meeting alone counting as marriage
- nāṭum nakarum aṟiya
- for land and town to know
- cāṭu iṟap pāynta perumāṉ
- the Lord who kicked the cart to pieces
- takkavā kaippaṟṟuṅ kollō
- will He take her hand fittingly?
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.7 · verse 303 of the four thousand
Meaning
Will the Lord of the immortals of the universe, the Lord of the discus, now speak slights against my daughter and rule over her without regard? Or will He take her, live a householder's life with her, crown her with the title of cowherd queen, and keep her safe and honoured before His earlier brides?
Word by word
- aṇṭattu amarar perumāṉ
- Lord of the immortals of the universe
- āḻiyāṉ
- the Lord of the discus
- paṇṭap paḻippukkaḷ collip
- speaking slights against her
- paricu aṟa āṇṭiṭuṅ kollō
- will He rule her without regard?
- kōvalap paṭṭam kavittup
- crowning her with the cowherd queen's title
- paṇṭai maṇāṭṭimār muṉṉē
- before His earlier brides
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.8 · verse 304 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kannan, Nandagopa's son, has done none of the good things the well-born do; alas, my friend, He has followed no proper custom at all. Will my daughter, her waist bending first to one side and then the other, growing thinner and thinner, sighing, have to pull at the churning rope till calluses rise on her hands?
Word by word
- kuṭiyiṟ piṟantavar ceyyum kuṇam
- the good ways of the well-born
- naṭai oṉṟum ceytilaṉ
- He followed no proper custom
- nantakōpaṉ makaṉ kaṇṇaṉ
- Kannan, Nandagopa's son
- iḷaittu iḷaittu
- growing thinner and thinner
- kaṭaikayiṟē paṟṟi vāṅkik
- pulling at the churning rope
- kai taḻumpu ēṟiṭuṅ kollō
- will her hands grow calloused?
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.9 · verse 305 of the four thousand
Meaning
Will she be able to rise before the white dawn and sit up without sleep to churn the white curdled curd? Will He with bright red lotus eyes, who measured the world, set my daughter to work without honour and rule over her without regard?
Word by word
- veṇṇiṟat tōy tayir
- white curdled curd
- veḷvaraippiṉ muṉ eḻuntu
- rising before the white dawn
- kaṇ uṟaṅkātē
- without sleep
- oṇṇiṟat tāmaraic ceṅkaṇ
- bright red lotus eyes
- ulakaḷantāṉ
- He who measured the world
- paṇikoṇṭu
- setting her to work
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 3.8.10 · verse 306 of the four thousand
Meaning
The mother went along the path the wondrous Lord had taken, heard the talk along the way, entered the cowherds' settlement and heard all that was said there. Pattan, Periyalwar, of cool Puduvai, has told her words in these ten verses of pure Tamil. Those who master them will be servants of the Lord coloured like a pure sapphire.
Word by word
- māyavaṉ piṉvaḻi ceṉṟu
- going along the wondrous Lord's path
- vaḻiyiṭai māṟṟaṅkaḷ kēṭṭu
- hearing the talk along the way
- āyarkaḷ cēriyilum pukku
- entering the cowherds' settlement
- taṇ putuvaip paṭṭaṉ
- Pattan of cool Puduvai, Periyalwar
- tū maṇivaṇṇaṉukku āḷarē
- will be servants of the pure sapphire-coloured Lord
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.