Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.1 · verse 1218 of the four thousand
Meaning
"O Lamp that never goes out! O One beyond all measure! O Nara and Narayana! O my Father, like a great dark rain cloud! Show Your grace to us alone!" So the immortals stand and praise Him. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where on every side the bees sing the sweet gandhara melody, joyful bees hum alongside, and mandara trees in dense shade fill the air with fragrance. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- nantā viḷakkē
- O Lamp that never goes out
- aḷattaṟku ariyāy
- O One beyond all measure
- nara nāraṇaṉē
- O Nara and Narayana
- imaiyōr paravum
- praised by the immortals
- kantāram
- the gandhara melody
- mantāram
- mandara trees
- nāṅkūr maṇimāṭakkōyil
- Manimadakkoil in Thirunangur
- vaṇaṅku eṉ maṉaṉē
- worship, O my mind
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.2 · verse 1219 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago, to end the fierce strife of the lone great crocodile and save the red-eyed elephant in the old, deep pool, He hurried there trembling for it, helped it, and ended its plight: He is the Lord. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where on the brows of shining mansions that touch the sky, the green-legged dove with rich coral feet joins its soft mate on the top of the beams. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- mutalait taṉi mā muraṇ
- the fierce strife of the lone great crocodile
- ceṅ kaṇ vēḻam uyya
- so the red-eyed elephant might be saved
- vitalaittalaic ceṉṟu
- going in trembling haste
- viṉai tīrtta ammāṉ
- the Lord who ended its plight
- viṇ aṇavum
- touching the sky
- paiṅ kāl puṟavam
- the green-legged dove
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.3 · verse 1220 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago, to save the mountain-like elephant with its wounded head, He brought ruin on the cruel great crocodile; and with love He embraced the joy of Lakshmi of the fragrant, many-petalled lotus: He is the Lord. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where the Ponni pushes up on her waves the riches of the hills: tusks of elephants mauled by lions, agil wood, lovely pearls and white yak-tail whisks. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- kuṉṟam oṉṟu uyya
- to save the mountain-like elephant
- koṭu mā mutalaikku iṭarceytu
- bringing ruin on the cruel crocodile
- puṇṭarīkattavaḷ
- She of the lotus, Lakshmi
- āḷ ariyāl alaippuṇṭa yāṉai
- elephants mauled by lions
- veṇ cāmaraiyōṭu
- with white yak-tail whisks
- poṉṉi
- the Kaveri river
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.4 · verse 1221 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago, mounting Garuda, the bird of strong wings, He fought so that the rakshasas fled to all eight directions and died with their stained long spears, and He overcame sea-girt Lanka. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, which gains fame as Vedic scholars bow there: keepers of the three fires tended in due order, masters of the four Vedas, the five sacrifices, the six limbs and the seven notes. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- ciṟai ār uvaṇap puḷ
- Garuda, the bird of strong wings
- ticai nāṉkum nāṉkum iriya
- fleeing to all eight directions
- kaṭal cūḻ ilaṅkai kaṭantāṉ
- He who overcame sea-girt Lanka
- mut tīyar nāl vētar
- keepers of three fires, masters of four Vedas
- ēḻiṉ icaiyōr
- masters of the seven notes
- pukaḻ eytum
- which gains fame
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.5 · verse 1222 of the four thousand
Meaning
He drank the poison from the jewelled breast of the demoness; He took a young calf and flung it at the wood-apple; He broke the strong-stemmed kurundham tree till its leaves withered; He entered the wide lotus pool. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where tender leaves and creepers sway, cuckoos call close by, tall mansions with flags abound, and peacocks dance in rain-washed groves. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- koṅkait talai nañcam uṇṭiṭṭu
- drinking the poison from the breast
- iḷaṅ kaṉṟu koṇṭu viḷaṅkāy eṟintu
- flinging the calf at the wood-apple
- kuruntam ocittu
- breaking the kurundham tree
- tāmaraip poykai pukkāṉ
- He who entered the lotus pool
- kuyil kūva
- as cuckoos call
- mayil ālum
- where peacocks dance
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.6 · verse 1223 of the four thousand
Meaning
While the cowherd women, with voices like music, trembled, He showed no pity to the deceitful, wide-mouthed demoness, and sucked from her breast, which no child had ever drunk, her very life along with it. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where young buffaloes, having fed on the stalks of tall green sugarcane and rested, plunge among the red water lilies in the rich tanks and lie there, their backs heaped with mud. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- paṇ nēr moḻi āycciyar
- cowherd women with voices like music
- vañcap paku vāyk kaḻutukku
- to the deceitful wide-mouthed demoness, Putana
- āviyōṭum uṭaṉē cuvaittāṉ
- He sucked it along with her life
- karumpiṉ kaḻai
- sugarcane stalks
- kaḻunīril mūḻki
- plunging among red water lilies
- iḷa mētikaḷ
- young buffaloes
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.7 · verse 1224 of the four thousand
Meaning
He entered the wide pool where lotuses rest, freed from their buds, and frolicked until the serpent, breathing poison beyond containing, grew weak; then He set His feet upon its head: He is the Lord. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where in streets lined with flag-topped mansions in which the great moon plays, fisher girls with bangled hands go to the front yards and trade rich pearls for white paddy. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- taḷaik kaṭṭu aviḻ tāmarai
- lotuses freed from their buds
- aṭaṅkā viṭam kāl aravam
- the serpent breathing uncontainable poison, Kaliya
- ataṉ ucci-taṉmēl aṭi vaitta
- who set His feet on its head
- mā matiyam tiḷaikkum
- where the great moon plays
- ceḻu muttu veṇṇeṟku
- rich pearls for white paddy
- nuḷaip pāvaiyar
- fisher girls
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.8 · verse 1225 of the four thousand
Meaning
He snatched away the garments of the cowherd girls with soft dark tresses and scattered their little sand-houses, and with these games among the young girls He made a flood of love rise in them: He is the Lord. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where curved-beaked parrots, having listened to the words taught them by young women with long spear-like eyes and bright young teeth, sing the Veda in sweet, childlike speech. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- karu meṉ kuḻal āycciyar
- cowherd girls with soft dark tresses
- tukil vāriyum
- snatching their garments
- ciṟṟil citaittum
- scattering their sand-houses
- kātal veḷḷam
- a flood of love
- mutirāta iṉ col
- sweet, childlike speech
- vaḷai vāya kiḷḷai maṟai pāṭum
- curved-beaked parrots sing the Veda
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.9 · verse 1226 of the four thousand
Meaning
"O Wondrous One, who defeated the bulls and sent them running, and loved the soft shoulders of the cowherd girl! O You who hold the weapon called the shining radiant discus, and the one conch!" So the immortals stand and praise Him. His place is Manimadakkoil in Nangur, where in green tanks red-legged swans and their mates trample the crowded lotuses, red water lilies spill over the sluices, and honey wells up. Worship it, O my mind.
Word by word
- viṭai ōṭa veṉṟu
- defeating the bulls and sending them running
- āycci meṉ tōḷ nayanta
- who loved the cowherd girl's soft shoulders
- vikirtā
- O Wondrous One
- cuṭar āḻi
- radiant discus
- ceṅ kāla aṉṉam
- red-legged swans
- matu vimmum
- where honey wells up
Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.10 · verse 1227 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kaliyan, king of Mangai of ancient glory and rich fields, who is ever in service to the tall Lord of Manimadakkoil in Nangur, lovely amid bee-filled groves, sang this Tamil garland. Those who master it, while all who see them bow, will ride on joyful elephants as sole guardians of the sea-girt world, and beneath the shade of a tall white umbrella that touches the sky, rule the wide-watered world in delight.
Word by word
- vaṇṭu ār poḻil
- bee-filled groves
- neṭumālukku eṉṟum toṇṭu āya
- ever in service to the tall Lord
- maṅkaiyar-kōṉ kaliyaṉ
- Kaliyan, king of the Mangai people
- kaḷi yāṉai mītē
- on joyful elephants
- oru kāvalar āy
- as sole guardians
- neṭu veṇ kuṭai nīḻaliṉ kīḻ
- beneath the shade of a tall white umbrella
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.