Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.1 · verse 1972 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl speaks.) He drove the chariot in the great Bharata war; He set Mahabali in strong, shining bonds; He destroyed the might of southern Lanka ringed by the pounding sea. Look at this: to that God I have lost my bright conch bangles and my beauty.
Word by word
- pāratattut tēr ūrntu
- drove the chariot in the Bharata war
- māvaliyaip
- Mahabali
- tiṇ vilaṅkil vaittu
- set in strong bonds
- teṉ ilaṅkai īṭu aḻitta
- destroyed the might of southern Lanka
- itu kāṇīr
- look at this
- eḻil tōṟṟiruntēṉē
- I have lost my beauty
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.2 · verse 1973 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord has come to stay in my heart. He showed grace to the elephant with the great, stout legs; He is the tall Lord, Nedumal, with red eyes and broad shoulders. When I sing His names and dance, O mother, the glow of my breasts stays bright and does not fade.
Word by word
- iruntāṉ eṉ uḷḷattu iṟaivaṉ
- the Lord has come to stay in my heart
- kaḷiṟṟukku aruḷ ceyta
- showed grace to the elephant, Gajendra
- neṭumālaip
- Nedumal, the tall Lord
- pēr pāṭi āṭa
- singing His names and dancing
- varuntātu
- without fading
- aṉṉē
- O mother
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.3 · verse 1974 of the four thousand
Meaning
Mother, I know Him. He is the sage who spoke the four Vedas long ago. He came here and entered my heart, and He will not leave without carrying off my golden bangles. What is it He has in mind? We do not know.
Word by word
- aṟivaṉ
- I know Him
- maṟai nāṉkum muṉṉē uraitta
- who spoke the four Vedas long ago
- poṉ ēy vaḷai kavarntu
- carrying off my golden bangles
- maṉam pukuntu
- entering my heart
- eṇṇum eṇṇam
- the thought in His mind
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.4 · verse 1975 of the four thousand
Meaning
Yet can we really say "we do not know" of Him? He dwells at vast Thirukkudanthai, ringed by fragrant groves; as a little child He toddled slowly and ate, with delight, the fragrant white butter from the hanging pots. We know Him well.
Word by word
- aṟiyōmē eṉṟu uraikkal āmē
- can we say we do not know?
- veṟi ār poḻil cūḻ
- ringed by fragrant groves
- viyaṉ kuṭantai
- vast Thirukkudanthai
- meḷḷa naṭantiṭṭu
- toddling slowly
- uṟi ār naṟu veṇṇey
- fragrant white butter in the hanging pots
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.5 · verse 1976 of the four thousand
Meaning
To those who bow and worship Him every day, He gives grace that makes them like Himself. So we bow to Him every day, worship Him and fall before Him, and we have kept Him alone in our hearts for ever as our only refuge.
Word by word
- nāḷum vaṇaṅkit toḻuvārkkut
- to those who bow and worship daily
- tammaiyē okka aruḷ ceyvar
- gives grace that makes them like Himself
- toḻutu iṟaiñci
- worshipping and falling before Him
- tammaiyē paṟṟā
- holding Him alone as refuge
- maṉattu eṉṟum vaittōmē
- we have kept Him in our hearts for ever
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.6 · verse 1977 of the four thousand
Meaning
He has placed Himself in the hearts of His devotees and filled them with joy. He set one foot in the shining sky, and for His other foot the earth was not enough; then the immortals worshipped and praised Him, folding their lotus hands. That Kannan is my Kannan.
Word by word
- aṭiyār maṉattiṉil vaittu
- placing Himself in His devotees' hearts
- iṉpam uyttār
- filled them with joy
- oḷi vicumpil ōr aṭi vaittu
- setting one foot in the shining sky
- eyttātu maṇ
- the earth was not enough
- kaittāmarai kuvikkum
- fold their lotus hands
- kaṇṇaṉ eṉ kaṇṇaṉaiyē
- Kannan, my own Kannan
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.7 · verse 1978 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kannan stands within my heart, so why have the bangles slipped from my hands? What strange tricks are these? We were born women and we have a woman's reserve; let that be. Shall we not sing of the Lord's hill and of Srirangam, where He dwells?
Word by word
- kaṇṇaṉ maṉattuḷḷē niṟkavum
- even while Kannan stands in my heart
- kai vaḷaikaḷ eṉṉō kaḻaṉṟa?
- why have my bangles slipped off?
- eṉṉa māyaṅkaḷ?
- what strange tricks?
- peṇmaiyōm niṟka
- let our womanly reserve be
- aṇṇal malaiyum
- the Lord's hill
- araṅkamum
- Srirangam
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.8 · verse 1979 of the four thousand
Meaning
Shall we not sing of my Father, the Lord? Shall we not sing and then dance for Him of a thousand names? Thinking on His names, shall we not wear the tulasi garland that He wears? And having worn it, shall we not be united with Him, if there is a sign that we shall meet? O my good heart!
Word by word
- entai perumāṉai
- my Father, the Lord
- āyiram pērāṉai
- Him of a thousand names
- cūṭum tuḻāy alaṅkal
- the tulasi garland He wears
- kūṭak kuṟippu ākil
- if there is a sign of union
- nal neñcē
- O my good heart
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.9 · verse 1980 of the four thousand
Meaning
O my good heart, our Lord dwells happily every day at beautiful Thiruvali, with its shore groves where swans gather. We worshipped Him there with folded hands, so that the strong deeds gathered from the past fell away, and we have won the joy of laying flowers on the golden red feet of the cloud-hued Lord.
Word by word
- iṉitu amarum
- dwells happily
- aṉṉam cēr kāṉal
- shore groves where swans gather
- aṇi āli
- beautiful Thiruvali
- muṉṉam cēr valviṉaikaḷ pōka
- so that strong past deeds fall away
- mukil vaṇṇaṉ
- the cloud-hued Lord
- pōtu aṇiyappeṟṟōmē
- we have won the joy of laying flowers
Periya Tirumozhi 11.3.10 · verse 1981 of the four thousand
Meaning
Who else has gained such a gift? Kaliyan, Thirumangai Alwar, gained the gift of singing the names of the Lord of a thousand names, and made this resounding garland of Tamil. Those who learn it will rule the whole world, and those who come to hear these verses will know no great sorrow in this world.
Word by word
- peṟṟu ārār
- who else has gained this?
- āyiram pērāṉaip pēr pāṭa
- to sing the names of Him of a thousand names
- kaliyaṉ
- Kaliyan, Thirumangai Alwar
- olicey tamiḻ-mālai
- resounding garland of Tamil
- muṟṟu ulaku āḷvar
- will rule the whole world
- uṟu tuyar illai
- no great 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.