Moondram Tiruvandadi 71 · verse 2352 of the four thousand
Meaning
An elephant raises its trunk to pierce the clouds and runs; a yali, the fierce beast whose paws break gleaming tusks, brings it down roaring, kills it, and stands there thundering. That Thiruvenkatam is the hill of Him who long ago seized a young calf and flung it.
Word by word
- kaḷiṟu mukil kutta
- the elephant, to pierce the clouds
- kai eṭuttu ōṭi
- raising its trunk and running
- oḷiṟu maruppu
- gleaming tusks
- yāḷi
- the yali, a fierce lion-like beast
- niṉṟu atirum
- stands there thundering
- kuḻak kaṉṟu koṇṭu eṟintāṉ
- He who seized a young calf and flung it
Moondram Tiruvandadi 72 · verse 2353 of the four thousand
Meaning
On one of the hills, the sweet sugarcane among which the hill girls with bangled hands go to play grows so tall that it overcomes the dragon of the eclipse and sets the bright moon free. That Thiruvenkatam is the abode of the Lord of the ever-young ones above.
Word by word
- kuṟa makaḷir
- the girls of the hill tribe
- kōl vaḷaik kai
- hands with fine bangles
- tīm kaḻai
- sweet sugarcane
- viḷaṅku mati
- the bright moon
- kōḷ viṭukkum
- frees from the grip of the eclipse
- iḷaṅ kumarar kōmāṉ
- the Lord of the ever-young ones, the nitya suris
Moondram Tiruvandadi 73 · verse 2354 of the four thousand
Meaning
He who drives the chariot of the sun, with seven horses yoked left and right; He who abides for ever at Thiruvenkatam in the north; He who stood as the dancer who loved the dance with pots: the only good the tongue can do is to speak of His feet with their sounding anklets.
Word by word
- ēḻ pūṇṭa iravit tēr
- the sun's chariot yoked with seven horses
- vaṭa muka vēṅkaṭattu
- at Thiruvenkatam in the north
- maṉṉum
- abides for ever
- kuṭam nayanta kūttaṉāy
- as the dancer who loved the dance with pots
- kurai kaḻalē
- His feet with sounding anklets
- nāttaṉṉāl uḷḷa nalam
- the only good the tongue can do
Moondram Tiruvandadi 74 · verse 2355 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is love really so strong? When the cruel ghoul who came to feed Him poison fell rolling to the ground, the cowherd woman took back the child who had so boldly sucked that burning breast, held Him close, and put her own breast to His mouth to feed Him.
Word by word
- nalamē valitukol
- is love really so strong?
- nañcu ūṭṭu vaṉ pēy
- the cruel ghoul who fed poison, Putana
- nilamē puraṇṭu pōy vīḻa
- fell rolling to the ground
- vem koṅkai uṇṭāṉai
- Him who sucked the burning breast
- mīṭṭu āycci
- the cowherd woman, taking Him back
- taṉ koṅkai vāy vaittāḷ
- put her own breast to His mouth
Moondram Tiruvandadi 75 · verse 2356 of the four thousand
Meaning
There a fierce tiger, rubbing its belly against a towering peak, creeps close and eyes the bright hare in the white moon as it glides over the summit. That holy mountain, fragrant with wild vengai blossoms, is the mountain of the Cowherd.
Word by word
- akaṭu tēyppat
- rubbing its belly
- kōṭṭu uccivāy
- at the top of the peak
- veṇ matiyiṉ oṇ muyalaic
- the bright hare in the white moon
- ciṉa vēṅkai pārkkum
- the fierce tiger eyes it
- āyaṉ
- the Cowherd, Krishna
- puṉa vēṅkai nāṟum poruppu
- the mountain fragrant with wild vengai blossoms
Moondram Tiruvandadi 76 · verse 2357 of the four thousand
Meaning
You need not stand among the mountains, nor bathe in cold waters, nor stand amid five fires. If you scatter true flowers and worship with folded hands Him who came to dwell at Thiruvehka, the place He loves, will not your evil deeds dwindle away? Think it over.
Word by word
- poruppiṭaiyē niṉṟum
- standing among the mountains
- puṉal kuḷittum
- bathing in the waters
- aintu neruppiṭaiyē
- amid five fires
- viruppu uṭaiya veḵkāvē
- Thiruvehka, the place He loves
- meym malar tūyk
- scattering true flowers
- aḵkāvē tīviṉaikaḷ
- will not your evil deeds dwindle?
Moondram Tiruvandadi 77 · verse 2358 of the four thousand
Meaning
He who, as a fine child sitting on the lap of four-faced Brahma, master of the rare Vedas, counted the flower-like crowned heads of the sword-bearing demon Ravana as "three" and "seven": His full flower-like feet are our refuge.
Word by word
- āynta aru maṟaiyōṉ
- master of the rare, well-studied Vedas
- nāṉmukattōṉ
- the four-faced one, Brahma
- naṉ kuṟaṅkil
- on his fine lap
- vāḷ arakkaṉ
- the sword-bearing demon, Ravana
- mūṉṟu ēḻ eṉṟu eṇṇiṉāṉ
- counted them as three and seven
- aṭip pōtu naṅkaṭku araṇ
- His flower-feet are our refuge
Moondram Tiruvandadi 78 · verse 2359 of the four thousand
Meaning
He who is mighty with the discus is our refuge for ever; He is the strong one who once overcame the demon Mura. If He is our refuge, do not ask "What path? What state? What birth?" Knowing that the wondrous Lord alone is the way, recite His names.
Word by word
- araṇ ām namakku eṉṟum
- He is our refuge for ever
- āḻi valavaṉ
- He who is mighty with the discus
- muraṉ
- the demon Mura
- caraṇ āmēl
- if He is our refuge
- ētu kati? ētu nilai? ētu piṟappu?
- what path? what state? what birth?
- ōtu kati māyaṉaiyē ōrttu
- knowing the wondrous Lord alone as the way, recite
Moondram Tiruvandadi 79 · verse 2360 of the four thousand
Meaning
With a mind made firm, restraining the five senses and reflecting well, if you turn away from the world you can drive away all seven births: by standing firm before Him alone who wears fresh, fragrant tulasi, whose body is like the swelling sea, and whose chest bears rows of necklaces.
Word by word
- ōrtta maṉattarāy
- with a mind made firm
- aintu aṭakki
- restraining the five senses
- piṟappu ēḻum pērkkalām
- you can drive away all seven births
- naṟum tuḻāy
- fragrant tulasi
- vīṅku ōta mēṉi
- a body like the swelling sea
- nirai āra mārvaṉaiyē
- Him whose chest bears rows of necklaces
Moondram Tiruvandadi 80 · verse 2361 of the four thousand
Meaning
Bana stood against Him with rows of jewelled chariots, and his thousand arms were cut off at once by the great shining discus with its spokes, which won the day. My heart strives to come face to face with the red feet of Him who lies on the serpent bed.
Word by word
- nirai maṇit tēr
- rows of jewelled chariots
- vāṇaṉ tōḷ
- the arms of Bana, the demon king
- īr aiññūṟu
- twice five hundred, a thousand
- ār paṭu vāṉ nēmi
- the great discus with its spokes
- aravu aṇaiyāṉ cēvaṭikkē
- to the red feet of Him on the serpent bed
- nērpaṭuvāṉ tāṉ muyalum neñcu
- my heart strives to come face to face
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.