Periya Tirumadal 31 · verse 2743 of the four thousand
Meaning
had a daughter so lovely that in all the world she had no equal among maidens. Through her own dear friend, the beloved one of our Lord, the wondrous One who wears sweet tulasi and has shoulders like gem-bright mountains, who, sinner that I am,
Word by word
- taṉṉuṭaiya pāvai
- his daughter, Usha
- taṉ okkum kaṉṉiyarai illāta
- with no maiden her equal
- iṉ uyirt tōḻiyāl
- through her dearest friend
- īṉ tuḻāy
- fragrant tulasi
- maṇi varait tōḷ
- shoulders like gem mountains
- māyavaṉ
- the wondrous One
- pāviyēṉ
- sinner that I am
Periya Tirumadal 32 · verse 2744 of the four thousand
Meaning
has brought this upon me, the King whose four shoulders are like great mountains: that beloved one was carried off by magic and placed beside the maiden; and what great and lasting joys she knew with him! All these things,
Word by word
- itu viḷaitta
- who brought this about
- īr iraṇṭu māl varait tōḷ
- four shoulders like great mountains
- kātalaṉai
- His beloved one, His grandson Aniruddha
- māyattāl koṇṭupōy
- carrying him off by magic
- pēr iṉpam
- great joy
Periya Tirumadal 33 · verse 2745 of the four thousand
Meaning
have you heard them only now, from me, poor simple girls? What more shall I say? The golden daughter of the king of the mountains, Uma, whose red lips part in a lovely smile that flashes like bright moonlight, the lady with a swan's gait and a swaying waist,
Word by word
- ēḻaikāḷ
- poor, simple girls
- malai araiyaṉ
- the king of the mountains
- poṉ pāvai
- his golden daughter
- aṇi muṟuval
- lovely smile
- umai
- Uma, Parvati
- nuṭaṅku iṭai
- a swaying waist
Periya Tirumadal 34 · verse 2746 of the four thousand
Meaning
let her golden body waste away and her five senses ache and leave her; she bore her hair in a heavy mass of matted locks and went deep into hard penance. And He who dances with a thousand arms, His palms beating, while the quarters flash and blaze with fire, His anklet-ringed foot raised high beyond all seven golden worlds, ringing above them,
Word by word
- pulaṉ aintum
- the five senses
- caṭāpāram
- a heavy mass of matted hair
- arun tavattiṉ
- of hard penance
- karatalaṅkaḷ maṭṭittu
- beating with the palms
- cūḻ kaḻal kāl
- the foot ringed with anklets
- poṉ ulakam ēḻum
- all seven golden worlds
Periya Tirumadal 35 · verse 2747 of the four thousand
Meaning
while the great mountains, the winds and the stars whirl about with Him as He whirls in His dance, He who bears the killing three-pointed spear, the Dancer smeared with ash: did she not go and embrace His golden chest?
Word by word
- kula varaiyum
- the great mountains
- mārutamum
- the wind
- mūvilai vēl
- the three-pointed spear, the trident
- kūttaṉ
- the Dancer, Shiva
- poṭi āṭi
- smeared with ash
- aṇaintilaḷē
- did she not embrace?
Periya Tirumadal 36 · verse 2748 of the four thousand
Meaning
To tell all this in full would make a whole epic, a Bharatam. Hear me tell instead, sinner that I am, of the sickness that has come upon me. At Thirunaraiyur, ringed by great groves, where the Vedic brahmins dwell, I passed through the gate of the mansion shining with gold, tall as a great mountain, and went in,
Word by word
- paṉṉi uraikkuṅkāl
- if told in full
- pāratam ām
- it would make a Bharatam, a whole epic
- eṉ uṟu nōy
- the sickness that has come to me
- maṟaiyōr
- the Vedic brahmins
- tirunaṟaiyūr
- Thirunaraiyur
- māṭak kavāṭam
- the gate of the mansion
Periya Tirumadal 37 · verse 2749 of the four thousand
Meaning
and I gazed until my eyes rejoiced. And as I gazed, the King's beautiful chest, His mouth, His two feet, His fine hands and His eyes were like a golden forest of lotuses blooming on a mountain of gems,
Word by word
- kaṇ kaḷippa
- so that my eyes rejoiced
- maṉṉaṉ tiru mārpum
- the King's beautiful chest
- aṭi iṇaiyum
- His two feet
- karatalamum
- His hands
- paṅkayattiṉ
- of lotuses
- maṇivaraimēl
- on a mountain of gems
Periya Tirumadal 38 · verse 2750 of the four thousand
Meaning
flashing and shedding radiance. His hanging cord, His armlets, His earrings, His necklace and tall crown, and the crest-jewel spreading its blaze like sunlight, all glittered. And there, beside that emerald hill,
Word by word
- vīḻ nāṇum
- the hanging cord
- tōḷ vaḷaiyum
- armlets
- kuṇṭalamum
- earrings
- nīḷ muṭiyum
- the tall crown
- cūḷāmaṇi imaippa
- the crest-jewel glittering
- marakatak kuṉṟiṉ
- of the emerald hill
Periya Tirumadal 39 · verse 2751 of the four thousand
Meaning
stood a single sweet, young vanji creeper, His Consort. She was a swan, a doe, a lovely peacock; at her middle she was lightning; she was two young bamboos, a pair of caskets, a red tondai fruit in front, and two darting kendai fish:
Word by word
- vañcikkoṭi
- a vanji creeper: the slender Consort
- aṉṉam āy māṉ āy
- a swan, a doe: her gait, her glance
- iṭaiyē miṉ āy
- lightning at the waist
- iḷa vēy iraṇṭu āy
- two young bamboos: her arms
- iṇaic ceppu āy
- a pair of caskets: her breasts
- toṇṭai āy
- the red tondai fruit: her lips
- keṇṭaik kulam iraṇṭu āy
- two kendai fish: her eyes
Periya Tirumadal 40 · verse 2752 of the four thousand
Meaning
Not even noticing that such a beautiful form stood there, I came away, leaving behind me there my heart, my wits, my set of bangles and my golden girdle. And now, for me, the rolling ocean roars, and the moon's
Word by word
- aṟiyātē
- without even noticing
- neñcum aṟivum
- my heart and my wits
- iṉa vaḷaiyum
- my set of bangles
- mēkalaiyum
- my girdle
- oḻiyap pōntēṟku
- to me, who came away leaving them
- maṟikaṭalum ārkkum
- the rolling sea roars
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.