Moondram Tiruvandadi 51 · verse 2332 of the four thousand
Meaning
He it is who protected the herds of cattle with the mighty hill. He it is who felled the beautiful marutu trees. And see, He it is who will show us the great city that never wavers: He who with His arrows burned the city of Lanka.
Word by word
- aru varaiyāl
- with the mighty hill, Govardhana
- ā niraikaḷ kāttāṉ
- protected the herds of cattle
- aṇi marutam cāyttāṉ
- felled the beautiful marutu trees
- kalaṅkāp peru nakaram
- the great city that never wavers, Vaikuntha
- kāṭṭuvāṉ kaṇṭīr
- see, He will show us
- ilaṅkāpuram erittāṉ
- He who burned the city of Lanka
Moondram Tiruvandadi 52 · verse 2333 of the four thousand
Meaning
As Rama He shot through the seven sal trees with one arrow. For the lady of fine jewels, Sita, He shot that golden deer. His arrows brought down the king of southern Lanka. And long before, going as the little dwarf Vamana, He took the earth for Himself with patient effort.
Word by word
- marāmaram ēḻum
- all seven sal trees
- irāmaṉāy
- as Rama
- am māṉ maṟiyai
- that (golden) deer
- ēntiḻaikku āy
- for the lady of fine jewels, Sita
- teṉ ilaṅkaik kōṉ vīḻa
- so that the king of southern Lanka fell
- kuṟaḷ uru āy
- taking the form of the dwarf, Vamana
- muṉ nilam kaikkoṇṭāṉ
- long ago took the earth for Himself
Moondram Tiruvandadi 53 · verse 2334 of the four thousand
Meaning
O my heart, strive and worship the feet of Him who wears a cool garland: He who, when the flood took in all the good earth, lay there at ease as a wondrous infant upon a banyan leaf, from the tree that grew at the shore of the mighty sea.
Word by word
- muyaṉṟu toḻu neñcē
- O heart, strive and worship
- mūri nīr vēlai
- the shore of the mighty sea
- āl ilaiyiṉ mēlāl
- upon a banyan leaf
- maṇ nalam koḷ veḷḷattu
- in the flood that took in all the good earth
- māyak kuḻaviyāy
- as a wondrous infant
- taṇ alaṅkal mālaiyāṉ tāḷ
- the feet of Him who wears a cool garland
Moondram Tiruvandadi 54 · verse 2335 of the four thousand
Meaning
With His foot He kicked the cart apart; He drove back the elephant; He went between the marutu trees and split them; as the boar Varaha He tore into the breadth of the earth without turning back, and there delighted in the Lady of the earth upon His chest. Great indeed is His love for the Lady He holds to His heart.
Word by word
- tāḷāl cakaṭam utaittu
- kicking the cart with His foot
- pakaṭu unti
- driving back the elephant
- kīḷā marutu iṭai pōy
- going between the marutu trees, splitting them
- kēḻal āy
- as the boar, Varaha
- maṇ akalam kīṇṭu
- tearing into the breadth of the earth
- peṇ akalam kātal peritu
- great is His love for the Lady at His chest
Moondram Tiruvandadi 55 · verse 2336 of the four thousand
Meaning
When He wears the great necklace on His vast, mountain-like chest, it shows like lightning in the midst of a dark cloud. And the only thing that can show the colour of His long, wide eyes is the lotus, where the bees hum so sweetly that the bards fall silent.
Word by word
- periya varai mārpil
- on His vast, mountain-like chest
- pēr āram pūṇṭu
- wearing the great necklace
- kariya mukiliṭai miṉ pōla
- like lightning amid a dark cloud
- pāṇ oṭuṅka
- so that the bards fall silent
- paṅkayamē
- only the lotus
- nīḷ neṭuṅ kaṇ
- His long, wide eyes
Moondram Tiruvandadi 56 · verse 2337 of the four thousand
Meaning
He takes on a colour, white, then green, then dark: we cannot know the Lord's true form. If you think about it, could even the Lady of speech, Saraswati, perfect as she is, praise in full the splendour of the Consort of the Lady of the lotus?
Word by word
- niṟam veḷitu ceytu
- taking a white colour
- pacitu karitu
- green, dark
- iṟai uruvam yām aṟiyōm
- we do not know the Lord's form
- nā maṅkai
- the Lady of speech, Saraswati
- pū maṅkai kēḷvaṉ
- the Consort of the Lady of the lotus, Lakshmi
- polivu
- splendour
Moondram Tiruvandadi 57 · verse 2338 of the four thousand
Meaning
Like lightning flashing in a dark, rain-heavy sky, Thiru, Lakshmi, abides in fullness on His chest. The dark Lord rides upon the splendid Garuda. Know that His feet alone are true wisdom, and be clear about it.
Word by word
- iruṇṭa kār vāṉil
- in the dark, rain-heavy sky
- miṉṉēpōl tōṉṟi
- appearing like lightning
- tiru irunta mārvaṉ
- He on whose chest Lakshmi abides
- karuṭaṉmēl koṇṭa kariyāṉ
- the dark Lord who rides upon Garuda
- kaḻalē
- His feet alone
- teruḷ
- clear, true wisdom
- teḷi
- be clear about it
Moondram Tiruvandadi 58 · verse 2339 of the four thousand
Meaning
There, a she-monkey sitting on a smooth slab of rock looks at her loving mate and says, "Give me that bright white moon!" That Thiruvenkatam is the home of Him who long ago took the earth by His cleverness and rejoiced.
Word by word
- teḷinta cilātalattiṉmēl
- on a smooth, clear slab of rock
- manti
- the she-monkey
- aḷinta kaṭuvaṉaiyē
- her loving mate
- veṇ matiyam tā
- give me the white moon
- maṇ matiyil koṇṭu
- taking the earth by cleverness, as Vamana
- vāḻvu
- home, dwelling
Moondram Tiruvandadi 59 · verse 2340 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have learnt the way to live, now that I have reached the feet of our Lord: the red-eyed Mal of the colour of the beautiful great sapphire, on whose chest the garland lies like a waterfall tumbling down a tall mountain dark as collyrium.
Word by word
- vāḻum vakai aṟintēṉ
- I have learnt the way to live
- mai pōl neṭu varaivāyt
- on a tall mountain dark as collyrium
- tāḻum aruvi pōl
- like a waterfall tumbling down
- tār kiṭappa
- where the garland lies
- tiru mā maṇi vaṇṇaṉ
- He of the colour of the beautiful great sapphire
- aṭi cērappeṟṟu
- having reached His feet
Moondram Tiruvandadi 60 · verse 2341 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago He protected the cattle fully, went between the twin marutu trees, drank from the ghoul's breast, and kicked apart the great cart. He took the calf for a throwing stick and flung it at the wood-apple fruit. And He rejoiced as He set the conch of victory to His lips.
Word by word
- peṟṟam
- the cattle
- piṇai marutam
- the twin marutu trees
- pēy mulai
- the ghoul's breast, Putana
- māc cakaṭam
- the great cart
- kaṟṟuk kuṇilai
- the calf as a throwing stick
- viḷaṅ kaṉikkuk
- at the wood-apple fruit
- veṟṟip paṇilam
- the conch of victory
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.