Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.1 · verse 1982 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the great flood left no place to stand anywhere and covered even the rich lands of the gods, the immortals bowed their heads and cried, "We have no other refuge." Out of the grace that says "I will be your shelter," He came as the Fish: racing through the sea so that its waves were churned and its depths heaved, His back rubbing the wide sky, bearing mountains upon it. O my mind, never forget to worship the Lord, Mal, who became that Fish.
Word by word
- neṭu veḷḷam
- the great flood
- imaiyōr talai iṭa
- the immortals bowed their heads
- emakku ōr caraṇ illai
- we have no other refuge
- araṇ āvaṉ eṉṉum aruḷāl
- by the grace that says, I will be your shelter
- akal vāṉ uriñca
- rubbing against the wide sky
- varum mīṉai
- the Fish that came
- maṟavātu iṟaiñcu eṉ maṉaṉē
- O my mind, worship Him without forgetting
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.2 · verse 1983 of the four thousand
Meaning
A serpent with fierce, gleaming fangs was wound around the mountain, and as the immortals stood and churned, the whole white ocean was stirred up so that the directions, the earth and the sky all trembled with fear. A huge mountain stood spread upon His back, whirling, while He lay there asleep: the mighty Tortoise, vast as a great mountain. That Lord, Tirumal, is our one refuge.
Word by word
- vāḷ eyiṟṟa aravu
- serpent with gleaming fangs, Vasuki
- veḷḷai veḷḷam
- the white ocean, the sea of milk
- imaiyōrkaḷ niṉṟu kaṭaiya
- as the immortals stood and churned
- paru varai
- the huge mountain, Mandara
- kiṭantu tuyilum
- lay there asleep
- aṭal āmai
- the mighty Tortoise
- namakku ōr araṇē
- our one refuge
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.3 · verse 1984 of the four thousand
Meaning
The flawless moon, the blazing sun, the seven worlds above, the directions, the northern mountain that bears the earth, the other standing mountains and the seven seas: all of them shrank into one corner of the hollow of His hoof. He is the First One, who long ago grew into the Boar and became the world's shelter. That form is the King who rules us.
Word by word
- tītu aṟu tiṅkaḷ
- the flawless moon
- poṅku cuṭar
- the blazing sun
- vaṭa kuṉṟum
- the northern mountain, Meru
- ēḻu kaṭalum
- the seven seas
- kuḷampiṉ aka maṇṭalattiṉ
- within the hollow of His hoof
- ēṉam āki
- becoming the Boar, Varaha
- nammai āḷum aracē
- the King who rules us
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.4 · verse 1985 of the four thousand
Meaning
Garlands of opening buds swaying on both sides, His two fierce eyes spitting fire, He became that day a Lion of measureless fury. He strode up to the warrior who had the strength of a curved-clawed yali, paying no heed, and with a single claw tore open his chest so that the great one's rage was undone. The wound that one claw opened was three times deeper than the great waters that cover the earth.
Word by word
- taḷai aviḻ kōtai mālai
- garlands of opening buds
- eri kāṉṟu iraṇṭu taṟu kaṇ
- two fierce eyes spitting fire
- vemmai mikka ari āki
- becoming a Lion full of fury, Narasimha
- vaḷai ukir-āḷi
- the yali, a mythic beast with curved claws
- maṟavōṉatu ākam
- the warrior's chest, Hiranya's
- ōr ukirāl
- with a single claw
- mummai peritē
- three times greater
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.5 · verse 1986 of the four thousand
Meaning
He came to the sacrificial ground of the fiercely mighty king and became a small dwarf, a sage whose tongue spoke the Vedas and right action, so that all believed Him true. He begged for three steps of earth, and received them. Yet His foot then rose past Mandara, where the moon stood and bowed and Brahma of the lotus worshipped, and He sent it soaring through the seven spaces. That foot is the King who rules us.
Word by word
- vēḷviyiṭam eyti
- coming to the place of sacrifice
- ōr kuṟaḷ āki
- becoming a dwarf, Vamana
- vēta nāviṉ muṉi
- a sage whose tongue speaks the Vedas
- aṭi mūṉṟu irantu
- begging three steps
- malarōṉ vaṇaṅka
- as Brahma of the lotus bowed
- antaram ēḻiṉūṭu
- through the seven spaces
- atu nammai āḷum aracē
- that is the King who rules us
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.6 · verse 1987 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is the mighty one who, with his axe, went to the front of battle against the kings of the wide earth, twice four and eight and four and one times over, until their lives faded away. He is the Lord of the great Earth-goddess and Lord of Lakshmi, the lotus maiden; He has the great mouth that swallowed the glorious earth and brought it out again. He will rule us, and greatly.
Word by word
- iru nila maṉṉar-tammai
- the kings of the wide earth
- iru nālum eṭṭum oru nālum oṉṟum
- eight, eight, four and one: twenty-one times
- maḻuvāḷil veṉṟa tiṟalōṉ
- the mighty one who won with the axe, Parasurama
- malar-maṅkai nātar
- Lord of the lotus maiden, Lakshmi
- peru nilam uṇṭu umiḻnta
- swallowed the great earth and brought it out
- nammai āḷvar peritē
- will rule us greatly
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.7 · verse 1988 of the four thousand
Meaning
When He came to the leaf-thatched hut, the cruel one, to part Him from His lovely Sita with eyes like restless spears, made one take the form of a deer, a trick to draw her after a creature of her own kind, and sent it to its death. In the victorious battle our Tirumal let fly the red arrows from His bow until that cruel one's Lanka was dust. Tirumal is our one refuge.
Word by word
- ilai mali paḷḷi
- the leaf-thatched hut
- itu māyam
- this is a trick
- vēlkaṇāḷai
- the lady with spear-like eyes, Sita
- uru āya māṉai
- the one who took the form of a deer
- koṭiyōṉ ilaṅkai
- the cruel one's Lanka, Ravana's
- cilai mali ceñ caraṅkaḷ
- red arrows from the bow
- namakku ōr araṇē
- our one refuge
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.8 · verse 1989 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago darkness swept over and swallowed all seven worlds; none could tell the beginning from the end, and the immortals stood bewildered, crying, "What has come upon us?" as the beautiful Veda vanished. Then He gave it back to the gods and the sages; the darkness lifted and this world rejoiced. He became the Swan and taught the books of dharma there. That Swan is the King who rules us.
Word by word
- iruḷmaṇṭi uṇṇa
- darkness swept over and swallowed
- eṉ itu vantatu?
- what has come upon us?
- imaiyōr ticaippa
- as the immortals were bewildered
- eḻil vētam iṉṟi maṟaiya
- the beautiful Veda vanished
- aṉṉam-atu āy
- becoming the Swan, Hamsa
- aṟanūl uraitta
- taught the books of dharma
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.9 · verse 1990 of the four thousand
Meaning
Devotees, do not sit thinking you have some other support; worship Him, so that your karma ends. He drank out the life of the strong demoness who offered her breast to nurse Him; He loved butter; the cowherd women tied Him to a mortar, and He ran off dragging it until the mighty twin marudu trees broke and fell, while He was still learning to walk. That clever child is the sure way that cuts away the grip of karma.
Word by word
- tuṇainilai maṟṟu emakku ōr uḷatu
- we have some other support
- toḻumiṉkaḷ toṇṭar
- devotees, worship Him
- uravōḷatu āvi
- the strong demoness's life, Putana's
- uralōṭu kaṭṭa
- tied Him to the mortar
- iṇai marutu iṟṟu vīḻa
- the twin marudu trees broke and fell
- naṭaikaṟṟa teṟṟal
- the clever child just learning to walk
- viṉaip paṟṟu aṟukkum vitiyē
- the sure way that cuts the grip of karma
Periya Tirumozhi 11.4.10 · verse 1991 of the four thousand
Meaning
Our Tirumal killed the murderous red-faced elephant and let fly the red arrows from His bow until the cruel one's Lanka was dust. Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, who lives in Mangai of the fields, with its busy mansioned streets and the sea close by, sang this poem about Him. The devotees who go about singing these resounding songs will rule the world above.
Word by word
- kaḷiṟu oṉṟu koṉṟu
- killed the elephant, Kuvalayapida
- koṭiyōṉ ilaṅkai poṭiyā
- the cruel one's Lanka turned to dust
- kali keḻu māṭa vīti
- busy streets of mansions
- vayal maṅkai
- Mangai of the fields, Thirumangai
- kalikaṉṟi coṉṉa paṉuval
- the poem Kalikanri spoke
- āḷvar umpar ulakē
- will rule the world above
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.