Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.1 · verse 371 of the four thousand
Meaning
Some let their minds run after desire, and lose themselves crying, Mother! Father! My sons! My land! My wife with long, fragrant hair! and so reach the hour of death without opening their mouths for Him. Others say, Kesava! Purushottama! and, Flawless One who became the boar! The greatness those people reach is more than we can ever tell.
Word by word
- ācaivāyc ceṉṟa cintaiyar āki
- with minds running after desire
- vāca vār kuḻalāḷ
- the wife with long, fragrant hair
- māḷum ellaikkaṇ
- at the hour of death
- kēḻal ākiya kēṭilī
- Flawless One who became the boar, Varaha
- eytum perumai
- the greatness they reach
- nam param aṉṟē
- is beyond our power
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.2 · verse 372 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before the end comes, when sores packed with pus swell and fester, oozing everywhere, when flies torment you with itching and you sink into confusion and reach the border of life, say with your mouth, Namo Narayana! and join your hands above your head. If you go having done this, then even if someone offered to stand surety, Yama's servants will never let you be taken their way.
Word by word
- cīyiṉāl ceṟintu ēṟiya puṇmēl
- on sores swollen and packed with pus
- īyiṉāl arippu uṇṭu
- tormented by flies
- ellaivāyc ceṉṟu
- reaching the border of life
- namō nāraṇā
- Namo Narayana, I bow to Narayana
- mattakattiṭaik kaikaḷaik kūppip
- joining the hands above the head
- piṇai koṭukkilum
- even if surety were offered
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.3 · verse 373 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before that last hour arrives, when your kin sit all around you saying, If you have hidden any wealth and forgotten it, tell us, tell us! and you cannot open your mouth whoever asks: make your chest a temple, install in it the God called Madhava, and offer Him the one flower called love. Those who can do this will be saved even from Yama's dreadful punishment.
Word by word
- cōrviṉāl poruḷ vaittatu
- wealth hidden away and forgotten
- collu col
- tell us, tell us
- anta kālam
- that last hour
- mārvam eṉpatu ōr kōyil
- a temple called the chest
- mātavaṉ eṉṉum teyvattai
- the God called Madhava
- ārvam eṉpatu ōr pū
- a flower called love
- arava taṇṭattil
- from Yama's dreadful punishment
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.4 · verse 374 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before a wind rises and swells up within you, pulling the upper throat inward, before your legs and arms shake and tremble and your eyes close in the last sleep: draw within you the single syllable that is the root of all, with its three measures, and reach the Lord whose colour is the sea. Then you may reach the heavenly world.
Word by word
- mēl eḻuntatu ōr vāyuk kiḷarntu
- a wind rising and swelling up
- vitir vitirttu
- shaking and trembling
- kaṇ uṟakkamatu
- the last sleep of the eyes
- mūlam ākiya oṟṟai eḻuttai
- the single syllable that is the root, Om
- mūṉṟu māttirai
- its three measures
- vēlai vaṇṇaṉai
- the Lord whose colour is the sea
- viṇṇakattiṉil mēvalum āmē
- you may reach the heavenly world
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.5 · verse 375 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before the body loses its control and the senses fail, before the gruel poured into your mouth runs back out of its corner, before the throat chokes and the eyes close in the last sleep: if you can praise Him, saying Hrishikesa! then Yama's dogs will not seize you by the thigh, his servants will not pierce you with spears, and on the way you will not lose even your clothes.
Word by word
- nīr pulaṉcōra
- as the senses fail
- vāyil aṭṭiya kañciyum
- the gruel poured into the mouth
- kaṇṭam aṭaippak
- as the throat chokes
- nāykaḷ kavarā
- the dogs will not seize you
- cūlattāl
- with spears
- iruṭīkēcaṉ eṉṟu ētta vallīrē
- if you can praise Him as Hrishikesa
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.6 · verse 376 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before the five breaths leave the limbs, before they test at your nose for breath, before your people give up, turn their hands away, and your head slowly droops: keep within your chest the wondrous One, Madhusudana, who lies on His bed in the ocean where ships sail about, and do the one deed worth doing. Those who do this can always achieve what they seek.
Word by word
- avai aintum akaṟṟi
- the five breaths departing
- āvi mūkkiṉiṟ cōtitta
- testing for breath at the nose
- paiyavē talai cāyppataṉ muṉṉam
- before the head slowly droops
- kaṭaṟ paḷḷi
- He who lies on the ocean
- māyaṉai matucūtaṉai
- the wondrous One, Madhusudana
- mārpil taṅka viṭṭuvaittu
- keeping Him in the chest
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.7 · verse 377 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before the merciless servants of the lord of the south, Yama, burst in like men breaking a bull, bind you with strong ropes, beat you, and drag you back and forth: there are those who say, He is like this, He is such, who think on Him, look within until the darkness of the heart is gone, and say, Our King, Madhusudana! They will move freely in the halls of heaven.
Word by word
- teṉṉavaṉ tamar
- the servants of the lord of the south, Yama
- ceppam ilātār
- merciless, without fairness
- vaṉ kayiṟṟāl
- with strong ropes
- uḷḷattu iruḷ aṟa nōkki
- looking within until the darkness is gone
- maṉṉavaṉ matucūtaṉaṉ
- our King, Madhusudana
- vāṉakattu
- in heaven
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.8 · verse 378 of the four thousand
Meaning
Your relatives will gather and sit together, set your faults aside and talk of your virtues; singing and singing, they will lay you on a bier, cover you with new cloth like a parcel for the army of jackals, and carry you off. Before that happens, if your heart has joined and played with Govinda who wears the Kaustubha gem, you can pass beyond the place marked out for you and be saved.
Word by word
- kūṭik kūṭi uṟṟārkaḷ
- relatives gathering together
- kuṟṟam niṟka naṟṟaṅkaḷ paṟaintu
- setting faults aside, speaking of virtues
- ōr pāṭaiyil iṭṭu
- laying you on a bier
- narip paṭaikku
- for the army of jackals
- kōṭi mūṭi
- covering with new cloth
- kauttuvam uṭaik kōvintaṉōṭu
- with Govinda who wears the Kaustubha gem
- kuṟippiṭam kaṭantu
- passing beyond the appointed place
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.9 · verse 379 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the mouth is pulled to one side and twitches, when the eyes sink into their sockets and flicker with tears, when mother on one side, father on another and wife on yet another all wail aloud: before the fire is reached on its own side, those who can stand firmly on one side, as kin of the red-eyed Lord, will be saved even from Yama's dreadful punishment.
Word by word
- vāy oru pakkam vāṅki valippa
- the mouth pulled to one side, twitching
- vārnta nīrk kuḻik kaṇkaḷ
- sunken eyes running with tears
- tāramum oru pakkam alaṟṟa
- the wife wailing on another side
- tī oru pakkam cērvataṉ muṉṉam
- before the funeral fire is reached
- ceṅkaṇ māloṭum
- with the red-eyed Lord
- cikkeṉac cuṟṟam āy
- firmly as His kin
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 4.5.10 · verse 380 of the four thousand
Meaning
Thinking of the hour of death and what must be done before it, and of the reward gained by those who die as devotees of the Lord of the gods, Vishnuchitta, Periyalwar, strong of shoulder, lord of Puttur, gathered his mind well and made this garland for Thirumal. Those who can recite these ten will gain a mind well gathered and gone to Thirumal.
Word by word
- cettup pōvatōr pōtu niṉaintu
- thinking of the hour of death
- tēvapirāṉmēl pattarāy
- as devotees of the Lord of the gods
- pāḻit tōḷ
- strong shoulders
- puttūrkkōṉ
- lord of Puttur, Srivilliputtur
- cittam naṉku oruṅkit
- gathering the mind well
- ceṉṟa cintai peṟuvarkaḷ
- will gain a mind gone to Him
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.