Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.1 · verse 1992 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Two girls play a game of taunt and reply: one mocks, the other answers "Sazhal!") "Look, girl! With Sita, soft-eyed as a deer, as His sweet companion, He walked the stony forest paths and lived in the forest!" "Those golden feet that walked the stony forest paths and lived in the forest are the flowers worn on the heads of the gods, you know. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- māṉ amarum meṉ nōkki
- she with a soft, deer-like gaze
- vaitēvi iṉ tuṇaiyā
- with Vaidehi, Sita, as His sweet companion
- kal atar pōy
- walking the stony paths
- ēṭī
- hey, girl!
- vāṉavar-tam ceṉṉi malar
- the flowers on the heads of the gods
- cāḻalē
- Sazhal! the refrain of the girls' game
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.2 · verse 1993 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! He was born so that His father's fetters fell away, went off to Ayarpadi and grew up as a child of Nandagopa's clan!" "He who grew up as a child of Nandagopa's clan is the father of four-faced Brahma, you know; He is my Father, the Lord. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- tantai taḷai kaḻalat tōṉṟip
- born so that His father's fetters fell away
- āyppāṭi
- Ayarpadi, the cowherd village
- nantaṉ kula matalaiyāy
- as a child of Nandagopa's clan
- nāṉmukaṟkut tantai
- father of four-faced Brahma
- entai perumāṉ
- my Father, the Lord
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.3 · verse 1994 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! So that the people of the sea-girt world mock Him, He went to Ayarpadi and ate the curd set aside by the long-haired cowherd women!" "That golden belly which ate the curd still had room to spare even after swallowing all seven worlds. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- vaiyakattār ēcap
- so that the world mocks Him
- tāḻ kuḻalār
- the women with long, flowing hair
- vaitta tayir uṇṭāṉ
- ate the curd they had set aside
- poṉ vayiṟu
- golden belly
- iṭam uṭaittāl
- still had room to spare
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.4 · verse 1995 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! To those who do not know Him, He was just a cowherd tending cows; He went to Ayarpadi and ate with delight the fragrant butter from the hanging pots!" "For that golden belly which ate the butter with delight, the whole world with its dashing seas is not enough. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- aṟiyātārkku
- to those who do not know Him
- āṉ āyaṉ
- a cowherd tending cows
- uṟi ār naṟu veṇṇey
- fragrant butter from the hanging pots
- eṟi nīr ulaku aṉaittum
- the whole world with its dashing seas
- eytātāl
- is not enough
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.5 · verse 1996 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! He was beaten by the cowherd woman with lovely dark hair, and tied up with a short knotted rope!" "Even if He was tied up with a short knotted rope, He is beyond the thought even of the immortals. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- vaṇṇak karuṅ kuḻal āycciyāl
- by the cowherd woman with lovely dark hair, Yashoda
- mottuṇṭu
- was beaten
- kaṇṇik kuṟuṅ kayiṟṟāl
- with a short knotted rope
- eṇṇaṟku ariyaṉ
- beyond all thought
- imaiyōrkkum
- even for the immortals
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.6 · verse 1997 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! While the drums beat loudly and the eyes of all who watched were filled with delight, He danced the stilt dance in the village common!" "Even if He danced the stilt dance in the common, He is ever hard to reach even for the immortals. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- paṟai kaṟaṅka
- as the drums beat
- kaṇṭavar-tam kaṇ kaḷippa
- delighting the eyes of the watchers
- maṉṟil
- in the village common
- marakkāl kūttu
- the dance on wooden stilts
- eṉṟum ariyaṉ
- ever hard to reach
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.7 · verse 1998 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! For the five with garlanded spears, He went as a messenger to get their share of the wide earth, and was abused by the king!" "Even if He went as a messenger and was abused by the king, long ago He swallowed the earth with its surging waters and brought it out again. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- kōtai vēl aivarkku āy
- for the five with garlanded spears, the Pandavas
- maṇ akalam kūṟu iṭuvāṉ
- to win a share of the wide earth
- tūtaṉ āy
- as a messenger
- maṉṉavaṉāl colluṇṭāṉ
- was abused by the king, Duryodhana
- ōta nīr vaiyakam
- the earth with its surging waters
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.8 · verse 1999 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! In that fierce war where weapons were raised and the kings of the earth perished, He drove the chariot for the chariot-king that day!" "Even if He drove the chariot for the chariot-king, He stands above the heads of all garlanded kings. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- pār maṉṉar maṅka
- so that the kings of the earth perished
- vem camattut
- in the fierce war
- tēr maṉṉaṟku āy
- for the chariot-king, Arjuna
- tēr ūrntāṉ
- drove the chariot
- tār maṉṉar-taṅkaḷ talaimēlāṉ
- above the heads of garlanded kings
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.9 · verse 2000 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! He made Himself so very small that all who saw Him felt pity, and at the sacrifice of the generous, garlanded king He begged for land!" "Even if He begged for land at that king's sacrifice, He is Vishnu, greater than all seven worlds, you know. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- kaṇṭār iraṅka
- so that onlookers felt pity
- kaḻiyak kuṟaḷ uru āy
- becoming a very small dwarf
- vaṇ tārāṉ vēḷviyil
- at the sacrifice of the generous, garlanded king, Mahabali
- maṇ irantāṉ
- begged for land
- viṇṭu
- Vishnu
Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.10 · verse 2001 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Look, girl! By a trick He took three steps of land from Mahabali and measured it out, and they say He lives in the sea and on Thiruvenkatam!" "Even if He lives in the sea and on Thiruvenkatam, He is right here, within the heart of Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, you know. Sazhal!"
Word by word
- kaḷḷattāl
- by a trick
- mūvaṭi maṇ koṇṭu aḷantāṉ
- took three steps of land and measured it
- veḷḷattāṉ
- He who lies in the sea
- vēṅkaṭattāṉ
- He who stands on Thiruvenkatam
- kalikaṉṟi uḷḷattiṉ uḷḷē uḷaṉ
- He is within Kalikanri's heart
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.