Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.1 · verse 1888 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The mother asks the child Krishna to clap His hands, sappani.) You crept in and ate the churned butter of the cowherd woman with flowers in her hair. There she tied You up and beat You; You took the beating, sat sobbing and whimpering, and then went back to Your play. O You the colour of the high, surging sea, clap Your hands! O You of the colour of a shining sapphire, clap!
Word by word
- pūṅ kōtai āycci
- the cowherd woman with flowers in her hair
- kaṭai veṇṇey
- churned butter
- ārttup puṭaikka
- tied You and beat You
- ciṇuṅki
- whimpering
- ōṅku ōta vaṇṇaṉē
- You the colour of the high, surging sea
- cappāṇi
- clap Your hands, a nursery game
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.2 · verse 1889 of the four thousand
Meaning
You eat the curd and ghee till the mothers' hearts swell with anger. O our darling lords, beautiful One of our cowherds on this wide earth, my Master, You with a mouth like a lotus, clap Your hands! O dark One, clap Your hands!
Word by word
- tāyar maṉaṅkaḷ taṭippa
- till the mothers' hearts swell with anger
- tayir ney
- curd and ghee
- āyar aḻaka
- O beautiful One of the cowherds
- aravinta vāyavaṉē
- You with a mouth like a lotus
- māl vaṇṇaṉē
- O dark One
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.3 · verse 1890 of the four thousand
Meaning
"He rolls the buttermilk pots about, gulps down curd and ghee, and then just crawls away, does he?" said the cowherd women, and they tied You with a rope, striking You with their own hands. O Damodara, You who still bear the scar of that rope, clap Your hands! O lotus-eyed One, clap!
Word by word
- tām mōr uruṭṭi
- rolling the buttermilk pots about
- tāmō tavaḻvar
- and then just crawls away?
- tāmpiṉāl
- with a rope
- taḻumpu irunta
- who bears the scar
- tāmōtarā
- O Damodara, the One bound with a rope at the waist
- tāmaraik kaṇṇaṉē
- O lotus-eyed One
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.4 · verse 1891 of the four thousand
Meaning
You were born, and Your parents' fetters fell loose. You moved away to another place, with none of Your own kin there, and while everyone in the world was afraid, You went and drank the poison of the deceitful woman. O cowherd of the calves, clap Your hands! O You the colour of the rain cloud, clap Your hands!
Word by word
- peṟṟār taḷai kaḻala
- Your parents' fetters fell loose
- ayal iṭattu
- in another place, Gokulam
- uṟṟār oruvarum iṉṟi
- with none of Your kin
- vañcap peṇ nañcu uṇṭa
- who drank the deceitful woman's poison
- kaṟṟāyaṉē
- O cowherd of the calves
- kār vaṇṇaṉē
- O You the colour of the rain cloud
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.5 · verse 1892 of the four thousand
Meaning
Crying "Hail!", I worship You, that You may grant me a boon, O child who drank the demoness's breast! The cowherd women will give You big sweet cakes. For their sake, call out and clap a thousand times; clap with Your broad hands!
Word by word
- cōttu
- hail, a cry of homage
- varam tara
- to grant a boon
- pēycci mulai uṇṭa piḷḷāy
- O child who drank the demoness's breast
- appam
- sweet cakes
- taṭaṅ kaikaḷāl
- with Your broad hands
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.6 · verse 1893 of the four thousand
Meaning
Your belly is no ordinary belly; for that belly I will give You beaten rice and sweet cakes. O fighting bull of Nanda, whose tall crown blooms with karuvilai flowers! O cowherd, clap Your hands! You who dance with the pots, clap Your hands!
Word by word
- kēvalam aṉṟu uṉ vayiṟu
- Your belly is no ordinary belly
- aval appam
- beaten rice and sweet cakes
- karuviḷaip pū
- karuvilai flowers, dark blue blossoms
- nantaṉ-taṉ pōr ēṟē
- O fighting bull of Nanda
- kuṭam āṭī
- You who dance with the pots
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.7 · verse 1894 of the four thousand
Meaning
You split the beak of the bird, felled the flowering kurundam tree, played leaping about, and with the hand that scooped butter from the hanging pot, You fondle my breast, the breast of Your servant. O child Lord, clap Your hands! You who drank the demoness's breast, clap!
Word by word
- puḷḷiṉai vāy piḷantu
- splitting the beak of the bird, the demon Baka
- pūṅ kuruntam cāyttu
- felling the flowering kurundam tree
- tūṅku uṟi
- the hanging pot
- mulai neruṭum
- who fondles my breast
- piḷḷaip pirāṉ
- O child Lord
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.8 · verse 1895 of the four thousand
Meaning
At midnight, when neither Your mother nor anyone else knew, the deceitful demoness came and gave You her breast. You knew her for a demoness, seized her and drank her life. You with that mouth, clap Your hands! O dark One, clap Your hands!
Word by word
- yāmattu
- at midnight
- māya valavaip peṇ
- the deceitful demoness
- pēy eṉṟu
- knowing her for a demoness
- uyir uṇṭa
- who drank her life
- mālvaṇṇaṉē
- O dark One
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.9 · verse 1896 of the four thousand
Meaning
As a cunning baby You kicked the cart with Your foot and sent it flying; and the one who came to You as a mother, You gently drew close, seized, and drank her precious life. O generous One, clap Your hands! O dark One, clap Your hands!
Word by word
- kaḷḷak kuḻavi āy
- as a cunning baby
- cakaṭattait
- the cart, a demon in disguise
- tāy āy varuvāḷai
- her who came as a mother, Putana
- ār uyir uṇṭa
- who drank her precious life
- vaḷḷalē
- O generous One
Periya Tirumozhi 10.5.10 · verse 1897 of the four thousand
Meaning
Glorious One, who has made His home, never to leave, in the heart of the great Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, king of Mangai, whose hand gives like the dark rain cloud! Red lotus-eyed One, wearer of the cool tulasi garland, clap Your hands! You of the broad chest, clap Your hands!
Word by word
- kār ār puyal kaik
- whose hand gives like the dark rain cloud
- maṅkaiyar-kōṉ
- king of Mangai, Thirumangai Alwar
- neñcil piriyātu iṭamkoṇṭa
- who made His home in the heart, never to leave
- centāmaraik kaṇṇā
- O red lotus-eyed One
- taṇ tuḻāyt tār āḷā
- wearer of the cool tulasi garland
- taṭa mārvā
- O You of the broad chest
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.