Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.1 · verse 988 of the four thousand
Meaning
He crossed the forest where stags, elephants and horses roam, and went on with only His bow and arrows for companions. On the field of victorious battle, after damming the wave-tossed sea with mountains, He gladly cut off the ten heads of the chief of the sword-bearing rakshasas of Lanka, guarded by walls and water. O my heart, reach Salagramam!
Word by word
- kalaiyum kariyum parimāvum
- stags, elephants and horses
- cilaiyum kaṇaiyum tuṇaiyākac
- with bow and arrows as companions
- veṉṟic cerukkaḷattu
- on the field of victorious battle
- malai koṇṭu alai nīr aṇai kaṭṭi
- damming the wave-tossed sea with mountains
- talaivaṉ talai pattu aṟuttu ukantāṉ
- who gladly cut off the chief's ten heads
- cāḷakkirāmam aṭai neñcē
- O heart, reach Salagramam
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.2 · verse 989 of the four thousand
Meaning
Fortified Lanka rose up to fight, ringed with elephants streaming musth, horses, great rumbling chariots and foot soldiers; He loosed His sharp-pointed arrows and turned it to dust. O my heart, reach Salagramam, lovely on every side, ringed by fragrant pools, where the gods gather from all over the wide sky to worship Him!
Word by word
- kaṭam cūḻ kariyum
- elephants streaming musth
- oli māt tērum kālāḷum
- great rumbling chariots and foot soldiers
- kaṭi ilaṅkai
- fortified Lanka
- vaṭi vāyc caram turantāṉ
- who loosed sharp-pointed arrows
- imaiyōr vaṇaṅka
- as the gods worship
- maṇam kamaḻum taṭam cūḻntu
- ringed by fragrant pools
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.3 · verse 990 of the four thousand
Meaning
He stands as the moving waves and the great mountains, as the ages from the very first, as the eight directions, as the moon, the sun and the darkness. He wields the mighty, victorious discus; He is Lord of the gods, and ever unyielding towards the hostile rakshasas. O my heart, reach Salagramam, lovely and ringed by water!
Word by word
- ulavu tiraiyum kula varaiyum
- the moving waves and the great mountains
- ūḻi mutalā eṇ tikkum
- the ages from the first, the eight directions
- nilavum cuṭarum iruḷum
- the moon, the sun and darkness
- veṉṟi viṟal āḻi valavaṉ
- who wields the mighty, victorious discus
- maruvā arakkarkku
- towards the hostile rakshasas
- calam cūḻntu
- ringed by water
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.4 · verse 991 of the four thousand
Meaning
His town is Thirukkudanthai; He is the Supreme One. As His bow bent, once and again, He destroyed the flood of chariots of the senseless rakshasas. He dwells in Thirupper, ringed by never-failing flowing waters; He has a thousand names; He wears a garland where bright-winged bees hum. O my heart, reach Salagramam, ringed by fields where water birds gather!
Word by word
- ūrāṉ kuṭantai uttamaṉ
- the Supreme One whose town is Thirukkudanthai
- oru kāl iru kāl cilai vaḷaiyat
- as the bow bent once and again
- tērā arakkar tēr-veḷḷam
- the flood of chariots of senseless rakshasas
- vaṟṟā varu puṉal cūḻ pērāṉ
- Lord of Thirupper, ringed by never-failing waters
- pēr āyiram uṭaiyāṉ
- who has a thousand names
- tārā vayal cūḻnta
- ringed by fields full of water birds
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.5 · verse 992 of the four thousand
Meaning
When she came close, roaring and rising to attack, He sent her away screaming from her cave-like mouth, her nose cut off with a sharp sword. He bears the shining, radiant discus; He is Lord of the gods. When the great rain rose fierce and roaring before His foes, He lifted a hill and held it back, guarding the herds of cattle. O my heart, reach Salagramam, lovely and ringed by pools!
Word by word
- aṭuttu ārttu eḻuntāḷ
- she who came close, roaring, Surpanakha
- pila vāy viṭṭu alaṟa
- screaming from her cave-like mouth
- mūkku ayil vāḷāl
- her nose, with a sharp sword
- viḷaṅku cuṭar āḻi
- the shining, radiant discus
- kal oṉṟu ēnti
- lifting a hill
- iṉa niraikkāt
- guarding the herds
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.6 · verse 993 of the four thousand
Meaning
His mouth drank the life of the demoness who came as a mother, and ate the curds and the butter too. He went as a pure little dwarf, with the student's markings, to Mahabali and begged, "Give me three steps of land, today!", and then strode across all seven worlds: the Lord the colour of the kaya flower. O my heart, reach His Salagramam!
Word by word
- tāy āy vanta pēy
- the demoness who came as a mother, Putana
- tayirum viḻutum
- curds and butter
- tūya vari uruviṉ kuṟaḷāyc
- as a pure dwarf with the student's markings, Vamana
- mūvaṭi maṇ iṉṟē tā
- give me three steps of land, today
- ulaku ēḻum tāyāṉ
- who strode across the seven worlds
- kāyā malar vaṇṇaṉ
- the Lord the colour of the dark-blue kaya flower
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.7 · verse 994 of the four thousand
Meaning
While all others trembled, in a fierce battle He became a lion and tore open the fleshy chest of huge Hiranya. He alone became the two great lights, the sky, the fire, the wind, the mountains and the whole world with its waves and waters, and He is also Himself. O my heart, reach His Salagramam!
Word by word
- ēṉōr añca
- while all others trembled
- ari āy
- becoming a lion, Narasimha
- pariya iraṇiyaṉai
- the huge Hiranya
- ūṉ ār akalam piḷavu eṭutta
- who tore open his fleshy chest
- iru cuṭar āy
- becoming the two lights, sun and moon
- tāṉ āy tāṉum āṉāṉ
- who became all, and is also Himself
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.8 · verse 995 of the four thousand
Meaning
Shiva, the great one who smears his body with the bones and ashes of the burnt dead and roams all seven worlds holding a skull in his hand, came to Him and said, "My Lord, end my curse!" From His holy chest He gave bright nectar-like water. O my heart, reach Salagramam, ringed by sandalwood groves!
Word by word
- ventār eṉpum cuṭu nīṟum
- the bones and ashes of the burnt dead
- cantu ār talaikoṇṭu
- holding a skull
- tiriyum periyōṉ
- the great one who roams, Shiva
- entāy cāpam tīr
- my Lord, end my curse
- ilaṅku amutu nīr
- bright, nectar-like water
- cantu ār poḻil cūḻnta
- ringed by sandalwood groves
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.9 · verse 996 of the four thousand
Meaning
Bands of devotees, the gods, and Brahmins wearing the sacred thread across their chests come to the temple saying, "O Lord of the universe, show Your grace to us!" All around it, in the wet fields beside the groves full of bees, carp leap and cool lotuses open their faces. O my heart, reach Salagramam!
Word by word
- toṇṭu ām iṉamum
- bands of devotees
- tuṇai nūl mārviṉ antaṇarum
- Brahmins wearing the sacred thread
- aṇṭā emakkē aruḷāy
- O Lord of the universe, show us grace
- vaṇṭu ār poḻiliṉ
- of groves full of bees
- kayal pāyat
- as carp leap
- taṇ tāmaraikaḷ mukam alarttum
- cool lotuses open their faces
Periya Tirumozhi 1.5.10 · verse 997 of the four thousand
Meaning
This Tamil garland was sung aloud by Kaliyan, Thirumangai Alwar, king of Mangai with its cloud-dark woodlands, on the Lord of Salagramam, ringed by fields full of water birds. O you who are wise in this world: to rule the good land of the immortals, recite His thousand names, or else simply keep repeating these verses.
Word by word
- tārā ārum vayal cūḻnta
- ringed by fields full of water birds
- cāḷakkirāmattu aṭikaḷai
- the Lord of Salagramam
- kār ār puṟaviṉ
- with cloud-dark woodlands
- tamiḻmālai
- garland of Tamil verses
- amarar nal nāṭṭu aracu āḷap
- to rule the good land of the immortals
- pēr āyiramum ōtumiṉkaḷ
- recite His thousand names
- ivaiyē pitaṟṟumiṉē
- or keep repeating these verses
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.