Periya Tirumadal 1 · verse 2713 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The Alwar speaks as a girl in love with the Lord.) On the gleaming serpent with a thousand mouths, its body covered with many markings, amid the divine radiance of the gems that crown its heads, upon that serpent bed He rests like a great mountain, while His gem-set makara earrings flash and throw out their light;
Word by word
- pal poṟi
- many markings
- āyira vāy vāḷ araviṉ
- of the gleaming serpent with a thousand mouths
- maṇik kuṭumit
- the gem crests on its heads
- nākattu aṇaimēl
- on the serpent bed, Adisesha
- ōr mā malai pōl
- like a great mountain
- makara kuṇṭalaṅkaḷ
- earrings shaped like the makara, a sea-creature
- vil vīca
- throwing out light
Periya Tirumadal 2 · verse 2714 of the four thousand
Meaning
beneath the canopy that is the sky, filled with the great light of thronging stars, the two great lights, sun and moon, are lit as His lamps, and the rolling ocean waves its rippling breakers over Him like royal fans. And the Earth-lady,
Word by word
- tārakaiyiṉ
- of the stars
- vitāṉattiṉ kīḻāl
- beneath the canopy
- iru cuṭarai
- the two lights, sun and moon
- maṟi kaṭalum
- the rolling ocean
- tiraik kavari vīca
- waving its waves as chowries, royal fans
- nilamaṅkai
- the Earth-lady, Bhumi
Periya Tirumadal 3 · verse 2715 of the four thousand
Meaning
whom He once measured out with His red feet, steady and lovely as lotuses; the lady whose rain-dark hair wears a wreath of flowers that are the stars moving across the sky, whose breasts are the lofty mountain of the Pandya king in the south and the divine mountain of the north,
Word by word
- muṉa nāḷ aḷaviṭṭa
- measured out long ago
- cēvaṭiyai
- the red feet
- tārakai mīṉ
- the stars
- malarp piṇaiyal
- a wreath of flowers
- maḻaik kūntal
- hair dark as rain-clouds
- teṉṉaṉ uyar poruppum
- the lofty hill of the Pandya king in the south
- teyva vaṭamalaiyum
- the divine mountain of the north
Periya Tirumadal 4 · verse 2716 of the four thousand
Meaning
so finely formed, the lady with a swan's gait strokes His pair of feet with her own lovely hands; and He lies there and gives Himself to the sleep of deep contemplation, the yoga-sleep. Then,
Word by word
- aṉṉa naṭaiya aṇaṅkē
- the lady with a swan's gait
- aṭi iṇaiyait
- His pair of feet
- aṅkaikaḷāl
- with her lovely hands
- taṭava
- as she strokes
- uṉṉiya yōkattu uṟakkam
- the sleep of contemplative yoga, yoga-nidra
Periya Tirumadal 5 · verse 2717 of the four thousand
Meaning
from the circle of His navel there bloomed a great, firm lotus flower full of radiance, and on that flower He first created four-faced Brahma; and Brahma in turn first brought forth the four Vedas. And those Vedas
Word by word
- nāpi valayattup
- in the circle of His navel
- tāmarai mā malar pūttu
- a great lotus flower blossomed
- ticaimukaṉait
- four-faced Brahma, who faces the four quarters
- nāṉmaṟaikaḷ
- the four Vedas
Periya Tirumadal 6 · verse 2718 of the four thousand
Meaning
declare that in this world dharma, wealth, pleasure and release, these four, stand above all as the good paths, do they not? Of the four, the last is an ancient path, said to bear its fruit only hereafter. Those who seek that path live on fallen fruit and withered leaves,
Word by word
- aṟam poruḷ iṉpam vīṭu
- dharma, wealth, pleasure and release (moksha)
- nal neṟi
- good paths
- piṉṉaiyatu
- the last of them
- tol neṟiyai
- the ancient path
- vīḻ kaṉiyum ūḻ ilaiyum
- fallen fruit and withered leaves
Periya Tirumadal 7 · verse 2719 of the four thousand
Meaning
eating only these. They wear down their bodies, sleep in close-thatched huts of leaves, take in the blazing heat of the fierce sun, lie in deep ponds; and living in such a way, they leave the body here and rise up,
Word by word
- uṭalam tām varunti
- wearing down their bodies
- ilaik kurampait
- in huts of leaves
- vem cuṭarōṉ
- the fierce sun
- aḻal nukarntum
- taking in its heat
- vaṇ taṭattiṉuḷ kiṭantum
- lying in deep ponds
- uṭalam viṭṭu eḻuntu
- leaving the body and rising
Periya Tirumadal 8 · verse 2720 of the four thousand
Meaning
and it is said of them that they went by the ancient path. But apart from that saying, no one has ever heard and known that at such a time such people attained it. And if there is such a thing, then in the very middle of the orb of the fierce sun
Word by word
- eṉappaṭum col allāl
- apart from what is said
- iṉaiyār itu peṟṟār
- such people attained this
- kēṭṭu aṟivatu illai
- no one has heard and known
- uḷatu eṉṉil
- if it is real
- kaṭuṅ katirōṉ maṇṭalattiṉ
- of the orb of the fierce sun
Periya Tirumadal 9 · verse 2721 of the four thousand
Meaning
there is said to be an opening: then tell me of those who passed through it and went by that ancient path called release! You cannot tell. As for those of small, unknowing minds who keep repeating only that, we ourselves will teach them a thing or two. Let that be.
Word by word
- illiyiṉ ūṭu pōy
- going through an opening
- vīṭu
- release, moksha
- collumiṉkaḷ
- tell me
- aṟivu il ciṟu maṉattu
- of small minds without understanding
- kaṟpippōm yāmē
- we ourselves will teach them
- atu niṟka
- let that be
Periya Tirumadal 10 · verse 2722 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those who strove along the path of dharma that I spoke of first: see them! They enter the golden city of the thousand-eyed king of the gods while the immortals hail them, and upon the splendid, beautiful lion-throne, borne up by handsome lions trained to kill,
Word by word
- aṟattiṉ vaḻi muyaṉṟa
- who strove along the path of dharma
- āyirak kaṇ vāṉavar kōṉ
- the thousand-eyed king of the gods, Indra
- poṉ nakaram
- the golden city
- amarar pōṟṟi ceppa
- as the immortals hail them
- kōl arimāt
- handsome lions
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.