Periyalwar's twelve verses of blessing for the Lord. According to tradition, when Perumal appeared on Garuda over Madurai after the Alwar had shown His supremacy at the Pandya king's court, the Alwar forgot His greatness and, fearing the evil eye, sang that He should live for many, many years. This care for the Lord's own welfare is called mangalasasanam, and the sampradaya holds it as the sweetest form of love. Nathamunigal placed it at the head of the four thousand.
Tiruppallandu 1 · verse 1 of the four thousand
Meaning
May You live for many years, many years, many thousands of years, for countless crores of hundreds of thousands of years! O Lord with strong shoulders that overcame the wrestlers, O Lord whose colour is the sapphire's, may protection rest on the beauty of Your red, holy feet.
Word by word
- pallāṇṭu
- many years: a blessing of long life
- mallāṇṭa tiṇ tōḷ
- strong shoulders that overcame the wrestlers, as Krishna did in Mathura
- maṇivaṇṇā
- O Lord whose colour is like a sapphire
- cevvaṭi
- red, beautiful feet
- cevvi
- their beauty
- tirukkāppu
- holy protection
Tiruppallandu 2 · verse 2 of the four thousand
Meaning
May the bond between us, Your servants, and You, never broken, last a thousand years and many more. May the Lady who lives on the right side of Your chest, radiant as the dawn, live for many years. May the blazing discus that dwells in Your right hand, full of beauty and light, live for many years. May the Panchajanya conch, which roars as it enters the battle, live for many, many years.
Word by word
- aṭiyōmōṭum niṉṉoṭum pirivu iṉṟi
- with no parting between us, Your servants, and You
- āyiram pallāṇṭu
- a thousand and many more years
- vala mārviṉil vāḻkiṉṟa
- who lives on the right side of Your chest
- maṅkaiyum
- the Lady, Lakshmi
- cuṭar āḻiyum
- and the blazing discus
- paṭaipōr pukku muḻaṅkum
- roaring as it enters the battle
- pāñca caṉṉiyamum
- and the Panchajanya, His conch
Tiruppallandu 3 · verse 3 of the four thousand
Meaning
If you would live as His servants, come and take up the sacred earth and the fragrant work of His festival. But those who stand as servants only for their food, we will not let into our company. We have no blemish for seven generations. We sing pallandu, "many years", to Him who fought with His army until Lanka, where the rakshasas lived, became a ruin.
Word by word
- vāḻāṭpaṭṭu niṉṟīr
- you who stand as servants for the true life of service
- maṇṇum maṇamum koṇmiṉ
- take up the sacred earth and the festive work
- kūḻāṭpaṭṭu
- serving only for gruel, for one's own gain
- kuḻuviṉiṟ pukutaloṭṭōm
- we will not let you enter our company
- ēḻāṭkālum paḻippu ilōm
- blameless through seven generations
- irākkatar vāḻ ilaṅkai
- Lanka, where the rakshasas lived
- pāḻāḷ āka
- so that it became a ruin
Tiruppallandu 4 · verse 4 of the four thousand
Meaning
Before this body falls to the ground, come into our band. You who have a heart to join us, leave your limits behind and come quickly, join us! You devotees whose hearts would sing "Namo Narayanaya" so that country and town know it well, come and sing pallandu to Him.
Word by word
- ēṭu nilattil iṭuvataṉ muṉṉam
- before the body is laid on the ground
- eṅkaḷ kuḻām pukuntu
- entering our band
- varampu oḻi
- giving up your limits
- ollaik kūṭumiṉō
- join us quickly
- nāṭum nakaramum naṉku aṟiya
- so that country and town know it well
- namō nārāyaṇāya
- "Namo Narayanaya", bowing to Narayana
- pattaruḷḷīr
- you who are devotees
Tiruppallandu 5 · verse 5 of the four thousand
Meaning
He became the Lord of all the worlds, and He rooted out the tangled clan of asuras and rakshasas like a thicket. You who belong to the clan of His servants, come to Hrishikesa, worship His feet and say His thousand names. Leave behind your old ways and say "Many years, many thousands of years!"
Word by word
- aṇṭak kulattukku atipati
- Lord of the whole race of worlds
- iṇṭak kulattai
- the clan, tangled like a thorny thicket
- eṭuttuk kaḷainta
- pulled up and cleared away
- iruṭikēcaṉ
- Hrishikesa, Lord of the senses
- toṇṭak kulattil uḷḷīr
- you who belong to the clan of servants
- āyira nāmam
- the thousand names
- paṇṭaik kulattait tavirntu
- leaving behind your former ways
Tiruppallandu 6 · verse 6 of the four thousand
Meaning
From my father, his father, his father, his father and their forefathers before them, for seven generations we have come serving Him, line after line. On the holy festival of Thiruvonam, at the hour of dusk, He took the form of a lion and destroyed His enemy, Hiranya. So that His weariness may pass, we sing to Him, "Many years, many thousands of years!"
Word by word
- ēḻpaṭikāl toṭaṅki
- beginning seven generations back
- vaḻivaḻi āṭceykiṉṟōm
- we serve, line after line
- tiru vōṇat tiruviḻavil
- at the holy Thiruvonam festival, His birth-star
- antiyam pōtil
- at the hour of dusk
- ariyuru āki
- taking the form of a lion, Narasimha
- ariyai aḻittavaṉaip
- Him who destroyed the enemy, Hiranya
- pantaṉai tīrap
- so that His weariness may pass
Tiruppallandu 7 · verse 7 of the four thousand
Meaning
We bear the seal of His house, the mark of the holy discus, red and radiant, shining brighter than fire, and so marked, we serve Him family after family. Bana fought with an army of sorcery, and the Lord whirled His discus until the blood poured from all his thousand arms. To Him, master of the discus, we sing pallandu.
Word by word
- tīyiṟ polikiṉṟa
- shining brighter than fire
- tiruccakkarattiṉ
- of the holy discus
- kōyiṟ poṟiyālē oṟṟuṇṭu
- branded with the seal of His house
- kuṭikuṭi āṭceykiṉṟōm
- we serve, family after family
- māyap porupaṭai vāṇaṉai
- Bana, with his army that fought by sorcery
- āyiran tōḷum
- all his thousand arms
- āḻi vallāṉukkup
- to Him who is master of the discus
Tiruppallandu 8 · verse 8 of the four thousand
Meaning
He gives me rice rich with ghee, daily service and a place of service in His royal hall, betel to hold in my hand, jewels for my neck, earrings for my ears and fine sandal paste for my body, and so He can make my soul pure and white. To Him whose banner bears Garuda, the enemy of hooded serpents, I sing pallandu.
Word by word
- neyyiṭai nallatōr cōṟum
- good rice rich with ghee
- attāṇic cēvakamum
- service in the royal hall
- kai aṭaikkāyum
- betel and areca for the hand
- kātukkuk kuṇṭalamum
- earrings for the ears
- cāntamum
- and sandal paste
- veḷḷuyir ākkavalla
- who can make my soul pure and white
- nākappakaik koṭiyāṉukkup
- to Him whose flag bears Garuda, foe of serpents
Tiruppallandu 9 · verse 9 of the four thousand
Meaning
We are Your servants who wear the yellow silk You have worn and set aside, who eat what is left from Your plate, and who wear the tulasi garlands You have worn and taken off. Having duly done the tasks You sent us to do in every direction, on the holy Thiruvonam festival we sing pallandu to Him who lies on the hooded serpent as His bed.
Word by word
- uṭuttuk kaḷainta
- worn and then set aside
- pītaka āṭai
- the yellow silk garment
- kalattatu uṇṭu
- eating what is left on Your plate
- tuḻāymalarcūṭik kaḷaintaṉa
- tulasi flowers worn and then removed
- ittoṇṭarkaḷōm
- we, these servants
- viṭutta ticaik karumam tiruttit
- having duly done the tasks sent in every direction
- pain nākaṉaip
- the hooded serpent bed
Tiruppallandu 10 · verse 10 of the four thousand
Meaning
My Lord, on the very day it was written down that we are Your servants, on that very day our whole household of servants gained release and was saved, see! You appeared on a blessed day, bent the bow in holy Mathura, and leapt onto the head of the five-hooded serpent. O You, we sing pallandu to You.
Word by word
- uṉtaṉakku aṭi yōm
- we are Your servants
- eḻuttuppaṭṭa annāḷē
- the very day it was written down
- aṭikkuṭil
- the household of servants
- vīṭupeṟṟu uyntatu
- gained release and was saved
- cennāḷ tōṟṟit
- appearing on a blessed day
- cilai kuṉittu
- bending the bow
- aintalaiya painnākat talaip pāyntavaṉē
- You who leapt on the head of the five-hooded serpent, Kaliya
Tiruppallandu 11 · verse 11 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like Selvan, Abhimanatungan, the lord of the fine people of Thirukkottiyur, free of every wrong way, I too, O Thirumal, am Your servant of old. Praising Your many names in the good way, saying "Namo Narayana", and in every way I can, O Pure One, I sing pallandu to You.
Word by word
- alvaḻakku oṉṟum illā
- with no wrong way at all
- kōṭṭiyar kōṉ
- lord of the people of Thirukkottiyur
- apimāṉatuṅkaṉ celvaṉaip pōla
- like Selvan, called Abhimanatungan
- tirumālē
- O Thirumal, Lord of Sri
- paḻa aṭiyēṉ
- Your servant of old
- nāmam pala paravi
- praising Your many names
- pavittiraṉē
- O Pure One
Tiruppallandu 12 · verse 12 of the four thousand
Meaning
These are the words that Vishnuchitta of Villiputhur, Periyalwar, loved: "Pallandu" to the Pure One, the Supreme, the Lord who wields the bow called Sarngam. Those who recite them, knowing this to be the good time, and say "Namo Narayanaya", will gather around the Supreme Self through all the many years and praise Him, "Many years!"
Word by word
- pavittiraṉaip
- the Pure One
- para mēṭṭiyaic
- the Supreme, who dwells in the highest place
- cārṅkam eṉṉum vil āṇṭāṉ
- who wields the bow called Sarngam
- villiputtūr viṭṭu cittaṉ
- Vishnuchitta of Villiputhur, Periyalwar
- nal āṇṭu eṉṟu
- knowing this to be the good time
- paramātmaṉaic cūḻntiruntu
- gathered around the Supreme Self
- ēttuvar
- they will praise
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.