Mudhal Tiruvandadi 1 · verse 2082 of the four thousand
Meaning
With the earth as the lamp's bowl, the wide ocean as its ghee, and the hot sun as its flame, I have placed this garland of words at the feet of the Lord who holds the radiant discus, so that the ocean of sorrows may pass away.
Word by word
- vaiyam
- the earth
- takaḷiyā
- the bowl of a lamp
- vār kaṭalē
- the wide ocean
- ney
- ghee
- veyya katirōṉ
- the hot sun
- viḷakku
- the lamp's flame
- cuṭar-āḻiyāṉ
- the Lord who holds the radiant discus
- col-mālai
- a garland of words
- iṭar-āḻi
- the ocean of sorrow
- nīṅkukavē
- may it pass away
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 2 · verse 2083 of the four thousand
Meaning
When was it that You churned the ocean? Which world was it that You received as water poured into Your hand? I know nothing of those times. But this sea before me is the one You once dammed, then broke, and lay down to sleep on; and this earth is the one You created, dug up from the deep, swallowed, and brought out again. Those deeds of long ago I cannot see, but their witnesses are here.
Word by word
- kaṭal kaṭaintatu
- churned the ocean
- nīr ēṟṟatu
- received as water poured into the hand, from Mahabali
- uṇarēṉ nāṉ
- I do not know
- aṭaittu uṭaittu
- dammed it, then broke the dam
- kaṇpaṭutta āḻi
- the sea on which You lay asleep
- paṭaittu iṭantu uṇṭu umiḻnta
- created, dug up, swallowed and brought out again
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 3 · verse 2084 of the four thousand
Meaning
One foot You set down to measure the earth, and the other rose up and went as far as the waters that clothe the earth. O Lord who took the measure of the demoness of fearsome form and ended her! I cannot understand the way You measured all of this.
Word by word
- pār aḷavum ōr aṭi
- one foot that measured the earth
- pār uṭutta nīr
- the waters that clothe the earth
- nimirntatē
- rose up, stretched high
- cūr uruviṉ pēy
- the demoness of fearsome form, Putana
- aṟikilēṉ
- I cannot understand
- aḷavu kaṇṭa neṟi
- the way You measured
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 4 · verse 2085 of the four thousand
Meaning
He stands as the path and as the very gateway to it. The one who knows Him, by shutting fast the doors of the five senses that wage war on the mind, is Hara, Shiva, whose throat holds the poison, who once sat in the shade of the banyan tree and taught dharma to the four sages.
Word by word
- neṟi vācal tāṉēyāy
- Himself both the path and its gateway
- aintu poṟi vācal
- the gates of the five senses
- pōrk katavam cātti
- shutting the doors that wage war
- āla mara nīḻal
- the shade of the banyan tree
- aṟam nālvarkku
- dharma, to the four sages
- ālam amar kaṇṭattu araṉ
- Hara, Shiva, whose throat holds the poison
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 5 · verse 2086 of the four thousand
Meaning
Hara and Narayana are their names; the bull and the bird Garuda are their mounts; the Agamas and the Vedas are their books; the mountain and the waters are their temples; destroying and protecting are their work; the spear and the discus are in their hands; a form like fire and a body dark as a rain-cloud are their colours. Yet the two are in one body.
Word by word
- araṉ nāraṇaṉ nāmam
- Hara and Narayana, their names
- āṉviṭai puḷ ūrti
- the bull and the bird as mounts
- urai nūl maṟai
- the Agama texts and the Vedas
- varai nīr
- the mountain and the sea, their abodes
- aḻippu aḷippu
- destroying and protecting
- vēl nēmi
- the spear and the discus
- eri kār mēṉi
- a fiery form and a cloud-dark body
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 6 · verse 2087 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have never forgotten anything of Him whose colour is the surging sea. Would I forget Him now, today, you foolish ones? Long ago, lying in the womb, I folded my hands in worship and saw the direction of Him who dwells in Srirangam.
Word by word
- oṉṟum maṟantaṟiyēṉ
- I have never forgotten anything
- ōta nīr vaṇṇaṉai
- Him coloured like the surging sea
- ēḻaikāḷ
- O foolish ones
- karu-araṅkattuḷ kiṭantu
- lying within the womb
- kaitoḻutēṉ
- I worshipped with folded hands
- tiruvaraṅkam mēyāṉ ticai
- the direction of Him who dwells in Srirangam
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 7 · verse 2088 of the four thousand
Meaning
The directions, the gods who rule those directions, and all the rites that suit those gods: all of it is a bewildering play set up by Kannan, Krishna, the great Mal of unshaken glory, who churned the ocean, whose colour is the dark rolling sea. Those who stop at these gods are caught in what He has made.
Word by word
- ticai uṟu teyvamum
- the gods who belong to the directions
- icaiyum karumaṅkaḷ
- the rites that suit them
- acaivu il cīr
- glory that never wavers
- neṭu māl
- the great Mal, the Lord
- kār ōta vaṇṇaṉ
- coloured like the dark rolling sea
- paṭaitta mayakku
- the bewilderment He created
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 8 · verse 2089 of the four thousand
Meaning
In that close-fought battle You set the right-whorled conch to Your lips so that the enemy swooned, and then You hid the blazing sun that moves across the sky behind a wheel. Why did You do that, O Thirumal, when You hold a war-discus in Your hand to fight with?
Word by word
- mayaṅka
- so that the enemy swooned
- valampuri vāy vaittu
- setting the right-whorled conch to His lips
- eṟi katirōṉ
- the sun with its blazing rays
- muyaṅku amaruḷ
- in the close-locked battle
- tēr āḻiyāl maṟaittatu
- hid it with a wheel
- pōr āḻik kaiyāl
- with the war-discus in Your hand
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 9 · verse 2090 of the four thousand
Meaning
When long ago You became a boar with fighting tusks, plunged in and dug out the earth, it lay on just one of Your tusks, did it not? Yet that same earth is the one You measured with Your vast form, stretching out Your red foot like a flower of spreading petals, while the directions trembled and the sky shook.
Word by word
- poru kōṭṭu ōr ēṉamāy
- as a boar with fighting tusks
- pukku iṭantāykku
- for You who plunged in and dug it up
- oru kōṭṭiṉ mēl
- upon a single tusk
- viri tōṭṭa cēvaṭiyai
- the red foot like a flower with spreading petals
- ticai naṭuṅka viṇ tuḷaṅka
- the directions trembling, the sky shaking
- mā vaṭiviṉ
- with Your vast form
Mudhal Tiruvandadi 10 · verse 2091 of the four thousand
Meaning
They say it is true that You swallowed the earth, the mountains, the rolling seas, the wind and the sky. O Lord of the discus, whose glory no counting can measure: when You did that, was Your mouth only as large as this world?
Word by word
- maṟi kaṭalum
- the rolling sea
- mārutamum
- the wind
- viḻuṅkiyatu mey eṉpar
- they say it is true You swallowed
- alaku aḷavu kaṇṭa cīr
- glory beyond all count and measure
- āḻiyāykku
- for You who hold the discus
- ulaku aḷavum uṇṭō uṉ vāy
- was Your mouth only the size of the world?
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.