Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.1 · verse 1962 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl in love speaks through the night.) He lifted the hill and held off the rain, and in the village common He joined hands with the young girls in the kuravai dance. That Lord, Mal, has made me mad with love for Him. On the lone palmyra standing in our front yard lies a pair of anril birds, together, and their cries tear at me. Who is there who could part that pair?
Word by word
- kuṉṟam eṭuttu maḻai taṭuttu
- lifted the hill and held off the rain
- maṉṟil kuravai piṇainta
- joined hands in the kuravai dance on the village common
- māl eṉṉai mālceytāṉ
- Mal, the Lord, has made me mad with love
- muṉṟil taṉi niṉṟa peṇṇai
- the lone palmyra standing in the front yard
- aṉṟiliṉ kūṭṭaip
- the pair of anril birds, never apart, crying through the night
- pirikkakiṟpavar ārkolō?
- who could ever part them?
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.2 · verse 1963 of the four thousand
Meaning
He broke the flowering kurundu tree, raged against the elephant and slew the fierce beast, plucked the tusk of the elephant there, and drew out and drank the life of the cruel demoness with her breast. Let that cowherd stay away, if He will. But the bamboo flute sobbing at the lips of this cowherd here plays games with my youth.
Word by word
- pūṅ kuruntu ocittu
- broke the flowering kurundu tree
- vēḻattiṉ kompu koṇṭu
- took the tusk of the elephant
- vaṉ pēy mulai
- the breast of the cruel demoness, Putana
- av vāyaṉ niṟka
- let that cowherd, Krishna, stay away
- iv āyaṉ vāy
- at the lips of this cowherd here
- ēṅku vēyṅkuḻal
- the sobbing bamboo flute
- eṉṉōṭu āṭum iḷamaiyē
- toys with my youth
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.3 · verse 1964 of the four thousand
Meaning
The sapphire-hued Lord won so that the wrestlers and Kamsa fell into the sleep of death. I have stayed thinking only of His cool tulasi with its tender flowers. Then in the night the wind comes and strikes at me, and more than that, the bell on the strong bull in the pasture does me cruel wrong.
Word by word
- malloṭu kañcaṉum tuñca
- so that the wrestlers and Kamsa died
- maṇivaṇṇaṉ
- the Lord with the hue of a sapphire
- taṇ tuḻāy
- cool tulasi
- elliyil mārutam
- the wind at night
- kollai val ēṟṟiṉ maṇiyum
- the bell of the strong bull in the pasture
- kōyiṉmai ceyyumē
- does me cruel injustice
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.4 · verse 1965 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Pure One shot a single arrow through the seven great sal trees that stood together. Each time I think in my heart of His perfect red feet, the dark, cool, great sea roars all through the night, and more than that, the north wind comes to make me suffer. What shall I do now about this?
Word by word
- mā maram ēḻum eyta
- who shot through the seven great sal trees
- puṉitaṉār
- the Pure One
- tiruntu cēvaṭi
- perfect red feet
- kaṅkul ārkkum
- roars through the night
- varunta vāṭai varum
- the north wind comes to torment me
- eṉ ceykēṉ?
- what shall I do?
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.5 · verse 1966 of the four thousand
Meaning
My mother's anger, the anril bird's cry that tears at me, the roar of the ever-surging sea, my bangles slipping from my wrists: all these came only after I became His, the bridegroom of Nappinnai, the girl with the golden girdle, the gentle swan-like walk and the flowered hair.
Word by word
- aṉṉai muṉivatum
- mother's anger
- aṉṟiliṉ kural īrvatum
- the anril bird's cry tearing at me
- maṉṉu maṟi kaṭal ārppatum
- the roar of the ever-surging sea
- vaḷai cōrvatum
- bangles slipping off
- aṉṉa meṉ naṭai
- soft walk like a swan's
- piṉṉai maṇāḷartiṟattam āyiṉa piṉṉaiyē
- after I came to belong to Nappinnai's bridegroom
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.6 · verse 1967 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our Lord, who holds the discus and the conch, came in a dream and by His power made me speak out my love. Now, but for my friend and me, the whole world has fallen asleep. Not even a cock crows, and the darkness has grown thick.
Word by word
- āḻiyum caṅkum uṭaiya
- who holds the discus and the conch
- naṅkaḷ aṭikaḷ
- our Lord
- kaṉavil
- in a dream
- nammaip pakarvittār
- made me speak out
- vaiyam tuyiṉṟatu
- the world has fallen asleep
- kōḻiyum kūkiṉṟatu illai
- not even a cock crows
- kūr iruḷ
- thick darkness
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.7 · verse 1968 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kama, the god of love, has no right to trouble me. The sea-hued Lord is my great bridegroom, and Kama himself, if you think of it, is His son. Yet through every watch of the night my young breasts burn like fire; they grow only for Him, the Lord with the hue of a great sapphire.
Word by word
- kāmaṉ-taṉakku muṟai allēṉ
- I am not one Kama may rightly trouble
- kaṭal vaṇṇaṉār
- the sea-hued Lord
- mā maṇavāḷar
- great bridegroom
- tāṉum makaṉ
- Kama himself is His son
- yāmaṅkaḷ tōṟu eri vīcum
- burn like fire in every watch of the night
- mā maṇi vaṇṇartiṟattavāy
- belonging only to the great-sapphire-hued Lord
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.8 · verse 1969 of the four thousand
Meaning
The bridegroom who stands at Thirumaliruncholai, where the clouds come to rest, took my heart and my reserve and went away, and He does not think of me. Where has the hot sun gone and hidden, that the day will not dawn? If only this wretched body could sleep, it would be good for us now.
Word by word
- mañcu uṟu
- where the clouds rest
- māliruñcōlai
- Thirumaliruncholai, the hill shrine near Madurai
- neñcam niṟaikoṇṭu pōyiṉār
- took away my heart and my reserve
- niṉaikiṉṟilar
- He does not think of me
- vem cuṭar
- the hot sun
- viṭiyāmal
- so that it does not dawn
- nañcu uṭalam
- this wretched, poisoned body
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.9 · verse 1970 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our womanhood, our flower-like beauty rich in loveliness, has become a target for Kama's arrows, and He went away without a thought for it. Friend, if we take pure flowers and water and worship Him and praise Him, may we yet see with our own eyes the Lord who is dark as a rain cloud?
Word by word
- kāmaṉ kaṇaikku ōr ilakkam āy
- become a target for Kama's arrows
- pū maru kōlam
- flower-like beauty
- cintittu irātu pōy
- went away without a thought
- tū malar nīr koṭu
- taking pure flowers and water
- kār mukil vaṇṇaraik
- the Lord dark as a rain cloud
- kāṇal āmkolō?
- may we see Him?
Periya Tirumozhi 11.2.10 · verse 1971 of the four thousand
Meaning
These are the words of Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, king of Mangai, whose fame fills the assemblies, about the Lord who subdued the seven victorious bulls together. Those who recite these ten verses will find that no karma ever stays upon them, anywhere in the world.
Word by word
- veṉṟi viṭai uṭaṉ ēḻ aṭartta
- who subdued the seven victorious bulls together
- aṭikaḷai
- the Lord
- maṅkai maṉ kalikaṉṟi
- Kalikanri, king of Mangai, Thirumangai Alwar
- oṉṟu niṉṟa oṉpatum
- the one and the nine, these ten verses
- eṉṟum nillā viṉai
- karma will never stay
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.