Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.1 · verse 1858 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The rakshasas left alive in Lanka speak to Rama's army.) See, the evil our king did without mercy has fallen on us in this very life. What use is it now to say more? Ravana has fallen; to whom shall we speak now? O lords of the monkeys! O young prince Lakshmana! O Rama, Lord of the lovely, mighty bow! There is no rakshasa left to raise a cry of battle. We are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- irakkam iṉṟi
- without mercy
- immaiyē
- in this very life
- kurakku-nāyakarkāḷ
- O lords of the monkeys
- iḷaṅkōvē
- O young prince, Lakshmana
- kōla val vil
- the lovely, mighty bow
- añciṉōm
- we are afraid
- taṭam poṅkattam poṅkō
- a dance-song refrain, cried out by the defeated
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.2 · verse 1859 of the four thousand
Meaning
He had ten tall crowns and twice as many mighty shoulders, and he lost all his wealth by setting his heart on women. We servants, who knew nothing of what to do, never took the side of the One who has two matched shoulders and a single crown. O Master, our Lord, do not kill us! We are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- pattu nīḷ muṭiyum
- ten tall crowns
- avaṟṟu iraṭṭip pāḻit tōḷum
- twice as many mighty shoulders
- cittam maṅkaiyarpāl vaittuk keṭṭāṉ
- set his heart on women and was ruined
- otta tōḷ iraṇṭum oru muṭiyum
- two matched shoulders and one crown: Rama
- emmaik kollēl
- do not kill us
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.3 · verse 1860 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago our king, a man without decency, entered the Dandaka forest, carried off the lady, and was ruined. There is no fault of ours in this; do not kill us, O King of a noble line! What is there to say of this clan, destroyed through a woman? O son of Dasaratha, You have done just what pleases the dwellers of Your heavens. We are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- taṇṭakāraṇiyam
- the Dandaka forest
- taiyalai
- the lady, Sita
- takavili
- a man without decency
- kula vēntē
- O King of a noble line
- tācaratī
- O son of Dasaratha
- aṇṭavāṇar ukappatē
- what pleases the dwellers of heaven, the gods
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.4 · verse 1861 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago our king's own younger brother bowed before the lord of flawless Lanka and told him, before our very eyes, that this lady was poison to the rakshasa clan. We have suffered just what the wise gods wished. Take the lady with lovely dark tresses, like a great peacock in groves dripping with honey, and go! We are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- eñcal il ilaṅkaikku iṟai
- the lord of flawless Lanka, Ravana
- avaṉ tampiyē
- his own younger brother, Vibhishana
- nañcu-tāṉ arakkar kuṭikku
- poison to the rakshasa clan
- viñcai vāṉavar
- the wise gods
- mā mayil aṉṉa
- like a great peacock
- añcu al ōtiyaik
- the lady of lovely dark tresses
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.5 · verse 1862 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our Ravana, with his tall crown of red gold, brought a goddess called Sita and kept her captive in a fragrant, guarded grove. See, that has become our crime. Kumbha has fallen, and Nikumbha with him. Death itself has come, appearing in human form, and is killing us with its arrows. We are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- cempoṉ nīḷ muṭi
- tall crown of red gold
- cītai eṉpatu ōr teyvam
- a goddess called Sita
- kaṭi kāvil ciṟaiyā
- captive in a guarded grove
- kumpaṉōṭu nikumpaṉum
- Kumbha and Nikumbha, rakshasa warriors
- kūṟṟam māṉiṭamāy
- Death in human form
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.6 · verse 1863 of the four thousand
Meaning
A monkey crossed the great surging sea, climbed ashore, smashed the lofty guarded grove, killed beloved sons and kinsmen, and burned guarded Lanka till it reeled. Yet even to that monkey who came as a messenger, our chief would not give back the queen of your Lord. Alas, we fools now stand and suffer. We are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- ōta mā kaṭalaik kaṭantu
- crossing the great surging sea
- kaṭi kāvai iṟuttu
- smashing the guarded grove
- malaṅka erittu
- burning it till it reeled
- tūtu vanta kuraṅkukkē
- to the monkey who came as messenger, Hanuman
- uṅkaḷ tōṉṟal tēviyai
- the queen of your Lord
- ātar
- fools
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.7 · verse 1864 of the four thousand
Meaning
Even when he saw You dam the ocean without delay, that witless, wretched lord of Lanka could not bear to live without the doe-eyed lady with a waist slender as a vanji creeper, and would not let her go. Think of a way to kill him alone and spare us, O Lord the colour of a great sapphire. We have said it! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- munnīrai
- the ocean
- takaintatē
- that You dammed it
- vañci nuṇ maruṅkul
- waist slender as a vanji creeper
- māṉ maṭa nōkkiyai
- the lady with the gentle eyes of a doe
- mati il maṉattāṉai
- the witless one
- mā maṇi vaṇṇā
- O Lord the colour of a great sapphire
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.8 · verse 1865 of the four thousand
Meaning
Though Mandodari, who ruled his heart, and other women with lovely carp-like eyes were there, he turned from them, thought a few hermits easy prey, and imprisoned that tender peacock of the woodland. Rama, whose strong shoulders are lovely as Manmatha's, shot that base man through the heart. Before our Rama we are afraid! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- maṇṭōtari
- Mandodari, Ravana's queen
- am kayal kaṇṇiṉārkaḷ
- women with lovely carp-like eyes
- tañcamē cila tāpatar
- a few hermits, easy prey
- puṉamkoḷ meṉ mayilaic
- the tender peacock of the woodland, Sita
- puṉmaiyāḷaṉ
- the base man
- aṉaṅkaṉ aṉṉa
- lovely as Manmatha, the god of love
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.9 · verse 1866 of the four thousand
Meaning
The arrows that are destroying us are crueller even than the shaft of Shiva, who fed the three cities to blazing fire in a single moment. With Jambavan standing by, we bowed in worship. Have pity on us, our lord and master, O son of the blazing sun, king of the monkeys; do not kill us! We have spoken! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- puraṅkaḷ mūṉṟum
- the three cities
- ōr māttiraip pōtil
- in a single moment
- caraṅkaḷē koṭitu āy aṭukiṉṟa
- arrows that destroy more cruelly
- cāmpavāṉ
- Jambavan, the bear chief
- vem katirōṉ-taṉ ciṟuvā
- O son of the blazing sun, Sugriva
- kuraṅkukaṭku aracē
- O king of the monkeys
Periya Tirumozhi 10.2.10 · verse 1867 of the four thousand
Meaning
He destroyed beautiful Lanka there to end the distress of the gods. Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, the mighty one, sang this pongattam song about Him. O servants of the Lord, take it and sing it and dance everywhere in this world! In this life there will be no trouble, and when you die, the town you will dwell in is heaven itself. See it for yourselves. We have proclaimed it! Tadam pongattam pongo!
Word by word
- ākulam tīra
- to end the distress
- aṇi ilaṅkai aḻittavaṉ-taṉṉai
- Him who destroyed beautiful Lanka
- poṅku mā valavaṉ
- the mighty, overflowing hero
- poṅkattam
- the pongattam song
- taṅkum ūr aṇṭamē
- the town where you will dwell is heaven
- cāṟṟiṉōm
- we have proclaimed
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.