Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.1 · verse 1898 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is there anywhere a wonder to match this? Our Lord, as Nara and Narayana, spread the books of dharma through the world so that they would not decline. More than that, He once opened His golden throat wide for a moment, and the red sun, the earth, the swelling sea, the mountains and fire crowded in. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- māyam
- wonder
- nara nāraṇaṉ āy
- as Nara and Narayana
- aṟanūl
- the books of dharma
- ciṅkāmai virittavaṉ
- who spread them so they would not decline
- poṉ miṭaṟu
- golden throat
- aḷai veṇṇey
- churned butter
- āppuṇṭiruntavaṉē
- the One who stayed tied up
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.2 · verse 1899 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our Lord once made a mountain the churning rod, wound the serpent round it, and churned the great roaring sea. He once stood and shot a pellet, meaning to straighten a stubborn hump. More than that, the noble One long ago swallowed the seven seas full of makara fish, the seven mountains and the seven worlds, leaving nothing out. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- kuṉṟu oṉṟu mattā
- a mountain as the churning rod
- aravam aḷavi
- winding the serpent round it
- uṇṭai koṇṭu ōṭṭi
- shooting a pellet
- vaṉ kūṉ nimira
- to straighten a stubborn hump
- makarak kaṭal ēḻ
- the seven seas full of makara fish
- oḻiyāmai
- leaving nothing out
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.3 · verse 1900 of the four thousand
Meaning
Madhu and Kaitabha rose in fury, demons of endless strength. Seeing that enmity had ripened in them, the Lord ended their days as the gods sang His praise. He is the Bowman who bent His bow long ago; and with His sharp nails He tore through the body of the mountain-like asura with strong, sword-sharp fangs. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- matu-kaiṭavarkaḷ
- Madhu and Kaitabha, demons
- ulappu il valiyār
- of endless strength
- avar nāḷ oḻitta
- who ended their days
- vaḷaintiṭṭa villāḷi
- the Bowman who bent His bow
- val vāḷ eyiṟṟu
- with strong, sword-sharp fangs
- vaḷ ukirāl
- with sharp nails, as Narasimha
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.4 · verse 1901 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the weary immortals cried, "Give us refuge!", He became their refuge, tore apart with His nails the one who opposed Him, and gladly gave the gods His grace: our Lord, Thirumal. And when the mighty Mahabali of ancient fame had grown to rule the wide, sea-girt world, He became a fine little brahmin boy, beguiled him to win the earth, and measured it. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- caraṇ tā
- give us refuge
- muraṇ āyavaṉai
- the one who opposed Him, Hiranya
- tirumāl
- Thirumal, the Lord of Sri
- viṟal māvaliyai
- the mighty Mahabali
- māṇ kuṟaḷ āy
- as a fine little brahmin boy, Vamana
- aḷantiṭṭavaṉ
- He who measured it
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.5 · verse 1902 of the four thousand
Meaning
As a dwarf, He grew tall, right up to the high sky. Our Lord resolved that none of the deep sorrows His devotees suffer should touch them, and set them on the way to the realm of the immortals. More than that, He rules the seven worlds, having declared that Yama's messengers may not even question His own people. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- nīṇṭāṉ kuṟaḷ āy
- a dwarf who grew tall
- aṭiyār paṭum āḻ tuyar
- the deep sorrows His devotees suffer
- tīṇṭāmai
- so that they do not touch them
- namaṉ-tamar
- the messengers of Yama
- viṉavap peṟuvār alar
- may not even question them
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.6 · verse 1903 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those who cut away their clinging to pleasures the wise despise, and can bow and praise Him: our Lord Thirumal can end all their sorrows and make them His own. More than that, long ago, when a king rose up roaring and stood against Him, He destroyed those thousand angry arms with His axe. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- paḻittiṭṭa iṉpap payaṉ
- the fruit of pleasures that the wise despise
- paṟṟu aṟuttu
- cutting away attachment
- taṉakku ākkavalla
- who can make them His own
- teḻittiṭṭu
- roaring
- ciṉattōḷ-avai āyiramum
- those thousand angry arms, of Kartavirya
- maḻuvāl
- with the axe, as Parasurama
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.7 · verse 1904 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago He created this world so that it might be saved, to wipe away all the sorrows of those who can bow and praise Him and make them His own. The rakshasas could not see this; to quench their might, He made an army of the monkeys who rose up thronging, had them hurl in mountains, and dammed the sobbing sea. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- iv vaiyam uyya
- so that this world might be saved
- teḷiyā arakkar
- the rakshasas who could not see it
- tiṟal pōy aviya
- so their might would be quenched
- kuraṅkaip paṭaiyā
- making the monkeys His army
- vilaṅkal pukap pāycci
- having them hurl in mountains
- vimma kaṭalai aṭaittiṭṭavaṉ
- He who dammed the sobbing sea
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.8 · verse 1905 of the four thousand
Meaning
He broke the mighty bow that was bound up with winning the finely jewelled girl of soft, wavy tresses, and embraced her with love and joy. As a young conquering prince He hemmed in the unshaken ocean, made Lanka reel, and cut off the rakshasa's rich tall crowns, his shoulders and his legs. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- neṟittiṭṭa meṉ kūḻai
- soft, wavy tresses
- nal nēr-iḻaiyōṭu
- with the finely jewelled girl, Sita
- iṟuttiṭṭu
- breaking it
- iḷaṅ koṟṟavaṉ āy
- as a young conquering prince
- tuḷaṅkāta munnīr
- the unshaken ocean
- ilaṅkai malaṅka
- making Lanka reel
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.9 · verse 1906 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the raging beast with a curled red mane came at Him, never letting up, darting in and falling back, He split its mouth in two and destroyed it: our Lord. Long ago, with His bound bow He shot through the seven trees, and cut off the nose of a rakshasi with a body like a mountain. See, today He is the One the cowherd women have tied up for eating the churned butter!
Word by word
- ceṅ kēḻ uḷai
- a red mane
- poṅku arimā
- the raging beast, the horse-demon Kesi
- iru kūṟu ceyta
- who split in two
- maram ēḻum eytu
- shooting through the seven trees
- irākkati mūkku
- the rakshasi's nose, Surpanakha's
Periya Tirumozhi 10.6.10 · verse 1907 of the four thousand
Meaning
Not caring at all for the people standing before Him, to fill His belly He swallowed the milk, curd and ghee in the hanging pots, and the cowherd women's butter, and was tied to the mortar that day. At the feet of that Lord, Kaliyan, Thirumangai Alwar, king of Mangai with its fields of good, ancient fame, made this garland of Tamil. Those who master it will never meet trouble; finding joy, they will go beyond even the immortals.
Word by word
- niṉṟār mukappuc ciṟitum niṉaiyāṉ
- not caring at all for those standing before Him
- uṟip pāl tayir ney
- milk, curd and ghee in the hanging pots
- uralōṭu āppuṇṭirunta
- tied to the mortar
- vayal maṅkaiyar-kōṉ
- king of Mangai with its fields
- tamiḻ-mālai
- garland of Tamil
- imaiyōrkkum appāl
- beyond even the immortals
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.