Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.1 · verse 1952 of the four thousand
Meaning
(A girl parted from the Lord speaks of the night that torments her.) He is the Lord who once lifted a hill and held it up to shield the cowherds from the great rain, the Bowman who conquered the rakshasas. Is it His valour that makes the southern breeze come and blow fire on me? What shall I do?
Word by word
- kuṉṟam oṉṟu eṭuttu ēnti
- lifting and holding up a hill, Govardhana
- mā maḻai aṉṟu kātta
- who shielded them from the great rain that day
- veṉṟa villiyār
- the Bowman who conquered
- teṉṟal vantu tī vīcum
- the southern breeze comes and blows fire
- eṉ ceykēṉ
- what shall I do?
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.2 · verse 1953 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is like the rain cloud and like the wide, cool sea. Is this my punishment for having seen His garland and His chest, that the wet north wind comes through the drops of the drizzling great clouds and cuts me through?
Word by word
- kārum vār paṉik kaṭalum aṉṉavaṉ
- He who is like the rain cloud and the wide cool sea
- tārum mārvamum
- His garland and His chest
- taṇṭamō
- is it punishment?
- cōrum mā mukil tuḷi
- drops of the drizzling great clouds
- īra vāṭai
- the wet north wind
- īrum eṉṉaiyē
- cuts me through
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.3 · verse 1954 of the four thousand
Meaning
On my body, where my conch bangles slip and my dark glow is fading, the moon flares its hot rays. What shall I do? And the honeyed, blossoming garland of the Lord the colour of the sea of swelling white waves calls out to me.
Word by word
- caṅkum māmaiyum taḷarum
- conch bangles slipping, dark glow fading
- tiṅkaḷ vem katir cīṟum
- the moon flares its hot rays
- poṅku veṇ tiraip puṇari vaṇṇaṉār
- the Lord the colour of the sea of swelling white waves
- koṅku alarnta tār
- a honeyed, blossoming garland
- kūvum eṉṉaiyē
- calls out to me
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.4 · verse 1955 of the four thousand
Meaning
He grew up there in a cowherd clan, and drank the poison from the breasts of the woman who came to Him in a mother's form. Is it because there is no king to keep order that the moon now flares its hot rays at me?
Word by word
- āykkulattuḷ vaḷarntu
- growing up in a cowherd clan
- tāy uru āki vantavaḷ
- she who came in a mother's form, Putana
- koṅkai nañcu uṇṭa
- who drank the poison from her breasts
- kōyiṉmai kolō
- is it because there is no king to keep order?
- tiṅkaḷ vem katir
- the moon's hot rays
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.5 · verse 1956 of the four thousand
Meaning
There He became a man-lion and tore the asura in two, to his shame. Is it to snatch the great moon from the sky that the swelling great sea keeps wailing so?
Word by word
- āḷ ari āy
- as a man-lion, Narasimha
- avuṇaṉai
- the asura, Hiranya
- iru kūṟu ceytavaṉ
- who tore him in two
- maṅkul mā mati
- the great moon in the sky
- poṅku mā kaṭal pulampukiṉṟatē
- the swelling great sea keeps wailing
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.6 · verse 1957 of the four thousand
Meaning
He went, bent His long bow, and conquered Lanka. Is it the valour of that Bowman that makes the cry of the anril bird, in its nest of thorny twigs atop the palmyra in the front yard, crush me so?
Word by word
- vār cilai vaḷaittu
- bending the long bow
- muṉṟil peṇṇaimēl
- atop the palmyra in the front yard
- muḷarik kūṭṭakattu
- in its nest of thorny twigs
- aṉṟiliṉ kural
- the cry of the anril bird, whose mates call through the night
- aṭarum eṉṉaiyē
- crushes me
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.7 · verse 1958 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord the colour of the kaya flower came riding on His bird, and I stood there longing and saw Him. Is this my punishment for that, that the bowman with the five unfailing arrows fits an arrow to his bow and shoots, with my very life as his target?
Word by word
- pūvai vaṇṇaṉār
- the Lord the colour of the kaya flower
- puḷḷiṉmēl vara
- coming on His bird, Garuda
- taṇṭamō
- is it punishment?
- vīvu il aiṅkaṇai villi
- the bowman of five unfailing arrows, Kama
- āviyē ilakku āka
- with my very life as the target
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.8 · verse 1959 of the four thousand
Meaning
My heart, lost in longing, goes searching, so that the lovely tulasi of the dark Lord may come and enter into me. And now a shower of rain has come, bringing the lovely north wind along with it. It is hard to keep myself safe.
Word by word
- māl iṉam
- lost in longing
- māliṉ am tuḻāy
- the lovely tulasi of the dark Lord
- eṉ uḷpuka
- to enter into me
- kōla vāṭaiyum
- the lovely north wind too
- āli
- a shower of rain
- aritu kāvalē
- it is hard to keep myself safe
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.9 · verse 1960 of the four thousand
Meaning
My bright carp-like eyes would sleep again, and my colour would be just as it was long ago, if only a bee would bring and breathe on me the fragrance of the tulasi blossoms His glorious servants offered Him.
Word by word
- keṇṭai oṇ kaṇum tuyilum
- my bright carp-like eyes would sleep
- paṇṭu paṇṭu pōl okkum
- would be just as it was long ago
- mikka cīrt toṇṭar
- His glorious servants
- pūn tuḷaviṉ vācamē
- the fragrance of the tulasi blossoms
- vaṇṭu koṇṭuvantu ūtumākilē
- if only a bee would bring it and breathe on me
Periya Tirumozhi 11.1.10 · verse 1961 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago, in the Bharata war, He went as the messenger of the five Pandavas: the wondrous One, the dark Lord with red eyes. Those who master these words of Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, of Mangai, with his sword and his fame filling the assemblies, will have no sorrow.
Word by word
- pāratattu
- in the Bharata war
- aivar tūtaṉāyc
- as messenger of the five Pandavas
- ceṅ kaṇ māliṉai
- the dark Lord with red eyes
- maṉṟil ār pukaḻ
- fame filling the assemblies
- allal illaiyē
- will have no sorrow
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.