Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.1 · verse 453 of the four thousand
Meaning
I tore away completely the net that lay around me, the whirlpool of sorrow, entered Your refuge and found You. Will I ever let You go now? You came and were born, holding fast, in the womb of the mother who had lost six sons, dashed against the stone. O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai!
Word by word
- tukkac cuḻalaiyaic
- the whirlpool of sorrow
- valaiyai aṟap paṟittup
- tearing away the net completely
- pōka viṭuvatuṇṭē?
- will I let You go?
- makkaḷ aṟuvaraik kalliṭai mōta
- six sons dashed against the stone
- iḻantavaḷ taṉvayiṟṟiṟ
- in the womb of her who lost them, Devaki
- cikkeṉa vantu
- came, holding fast
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.2 · verse 454 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have hemmed You in; I will not let You go now. If You try to slip away and hide by Your conjuring tricks, I hold You to Your holy oath, for You are true to no one! O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai, with its holy waters, to which people of every land and town come in Your grace, wishing to be rid of their sins, sprinkle themselves and walk around in reverence.
Word by word
- vaḷaittu vaittēṉ
- I have hemmed You in
- intira-ñālaṅkaḷāl
- by Your conjuring tricks
- niṉ tiruvāṇai
- I hold You to Your holy oath
- oruvarkkum meyyaṉ allai
- You are true to no one
- tīviṉai tīrkkal uṟṟut
- wishing to be rid of their sins
- teḷittu valañceyyum tīrttam
- holy waters they sprinkle and circle
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.3 · verse 455 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have had the good fortune to serve You. If I now went off, bowed to some other man and stood waiting at his doorstep, it would be the ruin of Your glory. O my Father of beautiful Thirumaliruncholai, where the hill people pluck the millet from their fields, show it to You as a fresh offering, say, May Your golden feet flourish! and only then eat the new grain with their kin.
Word by word
- uṉakkup paṇi ceytirukkum tavam
- the good fortune of serving You
- kaṭaittalai niṟkai
- standing at another's doorstep
- niṉ cāyai aḻivu
- the ruin of Your glory
- puṉattiṉaik kiḷḷip
- plucking the millet from the field
- putu avi kāṭṭi
- showing it as a fresh offering
- poṉṉaṭi vāḻka
- may Your golden feet flourish
- iṉattuk kuṟavar
- the hill people with their kin
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.4 · verse 456 of the four thousand
Meaning
I wandered and toiled over many leagues, and found no shade there and no water. Apart from the shade of Your feet I see no place anywhere to draw breath. You went as messenger for the Pandavas; there You spoke in the guise of kinship, set them against each other, and strewed the field everywhere with the dead. O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai!
Word by word
- kātam palavum tirintu uḻaṉṟēṟku
- for me, who wandered many leagues
- uṉ pāta niḻal allāl
- but for the shade of Your feet
- uyirppiṭam
- a place to breathe
- tūtu ceṉṟāy
- You went as messenger
- pētam ceytu
- setting them against each other
- piṇampaṭuttāy
- strewed the field with the dead
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.5 · verse 457 of the four thousand
Meaning
My legs will not lift, my tears will not stop, my body grows faint and trembles, my voice will not rise, my hair stands on end without ceasing, and my shoulders keep drooping. My mind leaps with love, for I have come to You, to live. O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai, ringed by long pools where the sel fish leap!
Word by word
- kālum eḻā
- my legs will not lift
- kaṇṇa nīrum nillā
- my tears will not stop
- mayirk kūccum aṟā
- my hair stands on end without ceasing
- māl ukaḷāniṟkum
- leaps with love
- vāḻat talaippeytiṭṭēṉ
- I have come to You, to live
- cēl ukaḷāniṟkum
- where the sel fish leap
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.6 · verse 458 of the four thousand
Meaning
Neither Shiva of the bull banner, nor Brahma, nor Indra, nor anyone else knows the medicine for this disease called birth. O great sapphire-hued One, who stand as the Physician: set me right so that I am not born again, and let me come in at the gate of Your temple, O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai.
Word by word
- eruttuk koṭi uṭaiyāṉum
- Shiva, whose banner bears the bull
- piṟavi eṉṉum nōykku
- for the disease called birth
- maruttuvaṉāy niṉṟa
- who stand as the Physician
- maṟu piṟavi tavirat
- so that rebirth ends
- kōyiṟ kaṭaip pukap pey
- let me enter Your temple gate
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.7 · verse 459 of the four thousand
Meaning
I was sunk in the sea of misery called that far shore; by Your great grace I have climbed up onto this shore, and here I lie, worn out. Hold Your hand over me and say, Do not fear. O You whose discus, broad hands and eyes, with Your yellow silk, glow red like the evening sky, O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai!
Word by word
- aṉattak kaṭaluḷ
- in the sea of misery
- uṉ pēr aruḷāl
- by Your great grace
- iḷaittiruntēṉai
- me, lying worn out
- añ cēl eṉṟu kai kaviyāy
- hold Your hand over me: do not fear
- pītaka āṭaiyoṭum
- with Your yellow silk
- cekkar niṟattuc civappuṭaiyāy
- glowing red like the evening sky
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.8 · verse 460 of the four thousand
Meaning
For so long, for so many ages, saying today, then tomorrow, all this time went by, and I was caught in snares. Now I will not let You go. You made Your cousins flourish and brought ruin on the hundred who were their foes. You know, do You not, that my mind is set on You, O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai.
Word by word
- ettaṉai ūḻiyum
- for so many ages
- iṉṟoṭu nāḷai
- today, then tomorrow
- kiṟippaṭṭēṉ
- I was caught in snares
- pōkaloṭṭēṉ
- I will not let You go
- māṟṟalar nūṟṟuvaraik keṭuttāy
- You ruined the hundred foes
- cittam niṉpālatu
- my mind is set on You
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.9 · verse 461 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even then, while I lay in the womb, I was eager to serve You. Today I have come here and found You: will I ever let You go now? You went there and, with Your holy discus, cut down Bana, so that his thousand arms fell scattered in every direction. O my Father of Thirumaliruncholai!
Word by word
- aṉṟu vayiṟṟiṟ kiṭantiruntē
- even then, lying in the womb
- uṉṉaik kaṇṭukoṇṭēṉ
- I have found You
- pōka viṭuvatuṇṭē?
- will I let You go?
- vāṇaṉai āyiram tōḷum
- Bana and his thousand arms
- tiruc cakkaram ataṉāl
- with Your holy discus
- ticai ticai vīḻac ceṟṟāy
- cut them down to fall in every direction
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 5.3.10 · verse 462 of the four thousand
Meaning
Vishnuchitta, Periyalwar, lord of Puduvai, which shines with its gleaming golden mansions, laid this humble plea at the feet of the Lord who stands in Thirumaliruncholai, whose springs the whole world comes to bathe in, setting out rightly the way of His servants. Those who can sing these ten will be the very own people of Him who measured the world.
Word by word
- ulakam kuṭaintāṭum cuṉait
- springs the whole world bathes in
- aṭimait tiṟam
- the way of servitude
- nērpaṭa viṇṇappañ cey
- rightly set out as a humble plea
- poṉ tikaḻ māṭam
- mansions gleaming with gold
- oṉṟiṉōṭu oṉpatum
- one with nine, these ten
- pāṭa vallār
- those who can sing
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.