Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.1 · verse 433 of the four thousand
Meaning
Since my speech is not pure, Madhava, I ought not to take You into my mouth. Yet my tongue knows nothing but You; I fear for it, but it is not in my control. Even if You grow angry and say, This one talks like a fool, I cannot hold my tongue back. People take a meaning even from the cawing of a crow, O Cause of all, You whose banner bears Garuda.
Word by word
- vākkut tūymai ilāmaiyiṉālē
- since my speech is not pure
- vāykkoḷḷa māṭṭēṉ
- I ought not take You into my mouth
- nākku niṉṉai allāl aṟiyātu
- my tongue knows nothing but You
- eṉvacam aṉṟu
- it is not in my control
- kākkai vāyilum kaṭṭurai koḷvar
- people take meaning even from a crow's caw
- karuḷak koṭiyāṉē
- You whose banner bears Garuda
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.2 · verse 434 of the four thousand
Meaning
With a crooked tongue I have spoken poor verses, O You whose hands hold the conch and discus. Even if their own servants go wrong, is it not the duty of the great to bear with what they say? I have no eyes to see with but Yours; my mind will not cling to anyone else. One more spot is nothing extra on a spotted deer, O You who swallowed the seven worlds at the deluge and brought them out again.
Word by word
- caḻakku nākkoṭu
- with a crooked tongue
- puṉkavi coṉṉēṉ
- I spoke poor verses
- poṟuppatu periyōr kaṭaṉ aṉṟē
- is it not the duty of the great to bear it?
- viḻikkum kaṇṇilēṉ
- I have no eyes to see with
- uḻaikku ōr puḷḷi mikai aṉṟu
- one more spot is nothing extra on a deer
- ūḻi ēḻ ulaku uṇṭu umiḻntāṉē
- who swallowed and brought out the seven worlds at the deluge
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.3 · verse 435 of the four thousand
Meaning
I know nothing of good and evil, except to say, Narayana. O Thirumal, I am not one who praises You with false flattery out of some petty motive. I do not even know how to meditate on You; I only keep saying, without a pause, Namo Narayana. My one strength, You see, is this: that I am a Vaishnava who lives in Your temple.
Word by word
- naṉmai tīmaikaḷ oṉṟum aṟiyēṉ
- I know nothing of good and evil
- puḷḷuvam pēcip
- speaking false flattery
- uṉṉumāṟu
- how to meditate
- ōvātē namō nāraṇā
- Namo Narayana, without a pause
- uṉ kōyilil vāḻum
- who lives in Your temple
- vaiṭṭaṇavaṉ eṉṉum vaṉmai
- the strength of being a Vaishnava
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.4 · verse 436 of the four thousand
Meaning
You measured the seven worlds with Your great height, O Pure One, O tall One! You need not hesitate to take me, Your servant, as Your own; I ask for no cloth, no food. Being Your servant is itself a kingship, and because of it, such things will come to me wherever I am. O You who killed cruel Kamsa and loosened the strong fetters he had bound on Your father!
Word by word
- neṭumaiyāl ulakēḻum aḷantāy
- You measured the seven worlds with Your height
- niṉmalā
- O Pure One
- kuṭimai koḷvataṟku
- to take me as Your own servant
- kūṟai cōṟu
- cloth and food
- aṭimai eṉṉum ak kōyiṉmaiyālē
- by that kingship called servitude
- vaṉ taḷai kōḷ viṭuttāṉē
- who loosened the strong fetters
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.5 · verse 437 of the four thousand
Meaning
Garden, wife, cows, cowshed, pond, fields and well: all of these I have marked out and fenced within the enclosure beneath Your golden feet, holding nothing back. Dealing with the men of this world is hard for me, and many covet these things. O You who became a boar and lifted the earth on Your tusk! O You who broke the tusk so that the elephant fell!
Word by word
- tōṭṭam illavaḷ
- garden and wife
- āt toḻu ōṭai
- cows, cowshed and pond
- uṉ poṉṉaṭik kīḻē
- beneath Your golden feet
- vaḷaippu-akam vakuttukkoṇṭu
- marking out an enclosure
- naccuvār palar
- many covet them
- kēḻal oṉṟu ākik
- becoming a boar
- kuñcaram viḻak kompu ocittāṉē
- who broke the tusk and felled the elephant
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.6 · verse 438 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Kanna, who created four-faced Brahma, Cause of all, dark One! For me, Your servant, a day without food is no hunger at all. But the days when I do not keep saying Namo Narayana without a pause, and the days when I do not come to Your feet bearing the fresh flowers of the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas: if such days slip by, those are my days of starving.
Word by word
- nāṉmukaṉaip paṭaittāṉē
- who created four-faced Brahma
- uṇṇā nāḷ
- a day without food
- irukku ecuc cāma
- the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas
- nāḷmalar koṇṭu
- bearing fresh flowers
- paṭṭiṉi nāḷē
- days of starving
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.7 · verse 439 of the four thousand
Meaning
On the white flood of the milk ocean You spread a serpent as Your mattress and lie on it in Your feigned sleep. Longing to see that, somehow, my heart melts, I rejoice and sob, the hair rises on my body, tears stream down, and I cannot lie down on my bed to sleep. Tell me, how am I to reach You?
Word by word
- veḷḷai veḷḷattiṉ mēl
- on the white flood, the milk ocean
- mettaiyāka virittu
- spreading as a mattress
- kaḷḷa nittirai
- feigned sleep, yoga-sleep
- uḷḷam cōra
- my heart melting
- urōma kūpaṅkaḷāyk
- the hair rising on the body
- tuyil aṇai koḷḷēṉ
- I cannot lie down to sleep
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.8 · verse 440 of the four thousand
Meaning
You who held up the lovely great hill as an umbrella and saved them from the rain, Madhusudana, Kanna, You who freed the elephant from the crocodile's grip, Cause of all, Lord who slew the elephant, You who remove the troubles of those who think of You, whose great fame is beyond praise: my Lord, grant me only this good, that I may come to You and praise You every day.
Word by word
- vaṇṇa māl varaiyē kuṭaiyāka
- the lovely great hill as an umbrella
- māri kāttavaṉē
- who saved them from the rain
- kari kōḷ viṭuttāṉē
- who freed the elephant from the grip
- kaḷiṟu aṭṭa pirāṉē
- Lord who slew the elephant
- eṇṇuvār iṭaraik kaḷaivāṉē
- who removes the troubles of those who think of Him
- naṉmaiyē aruḷcey
- grant only this good
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.9 · verse 441 of the four thousand
Meaning
O faithful One, Master of those who can praise You again and again, You who became Narasimha! King of the gods, You who measured the seven worlds, You who are time itself! You who long ago took up the discus and freed the great trembling elephant from the crocodile's grip, Cause of all, You who churned the ocean! My Lord, honey who has made me Yours, remove the troubles of poor me.
Word by word
- nampaṉē
- O faithful One
- naraciṅkamatu āṉāy
- You who became Narasimha
- umparkōṉ
- King of the gods
- ūḻi āyiṉāy
- You who are time itself
- kampa mā kari
- the great trembling elephant
- eṉṉai āḷ uṭait tēṉē
- honey who has made me Yours
- ēḻaiyēṉ iṭaraik kaḷaiyāyē
- remove the troubles of poor me
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.1.10 · verse 442 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is the father of Kama, a lion to His foes, the little one with dark curls so sweet to see, Vamana, my emerald-hued Lord, Madhava, Madhusudana. On Him Vishnuchitta, Periyalwar, lord of the people of Puduvai, where well-being dwells, made these ten in rich Tamil. Those who recite them as His very names will swiftly reach the world of Narayana.
Word by word
- kāmar tātai
- father of Kama
- karutalar ciṅkam
- a lion to His foes
- karuṅkuḻaṟ kuṭṭaṉ
- the little one with dark curls
- marakata vaṇṇaṉ
- the emerald-hued Lord
- putuvaiyar kōṉ
- lord of the people of Puduvai
- nāmam eṉṟu naviṉṟu uraippārkaḷ
- those who recite them as His names
- ollai nāraṇaṉ ulakē
- swiftly, the world of Narayana
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.