Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.1 · verse 1368 of the four thousand
Meaning
O God who once raised the great victorious axe and slew the kings of the earth thrice seven times! Grant me some way to worship Your feet with their ringing anklets. You stand at Thiruvellarai, where the southern breeze slips into the great groves by the open commons, opens the buds of jasmine and wild jasmine, and comes wafting their rich fragrance.
Word by word
- veṉṟi mā maḻu
- the great victorious axe, Parasurama's weapon
- mūveḻukāl
- thrice seven times, twenty-one times
- kurai kaḻal
- feet with ringing anklets
- aruḷpuriyē
- be gracious to me, grant it
- mauvaliṉ pōtu
- buds of the wild jasmine
- teṉṟal
- the gentle southern breeze
- veḷḷaṟai niṉṟāṉē
- O You who stand at Thiruvellarai
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.2 · verse 1369 of the four thousand
Meaning
O You who once took the form of the Horse-faced One and gave back to Brahma, born on the lotus, the faultless four Vedas he had lost, and brought forth the Vedas and sacred texts full of music: be gracious to me! You stand at Thiruvellarai, ringed by groves, where the breeze that has played among the tall madhavi blossoms sweeps down the streets and makes every direction fragrant.
Word by word
- vacai il nāṉmaṟai
- the four flawless Vedas
- malar ayaṟku
- to Brahma, born on the lotus
- pari mukamāy
- taking the horse-faced form, Hayagriva
- icai koḷ vēta-nūl
- the Vedas and scriptures, full of music
- mātavip pōtoṭu
- with the blossoms of the madhavi creeper
- mārutam
- the breeze
- ticai elām kamaḻum
- making every direction fragrant
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.3 · verse 1370 of the four thousand
Meaning
O You who had, in Your very hands, a weapon of long claws that tore in two the body of the cruel one who tormented all seven worlds together: be gracious to me! You stand at Thiruvellarai, encircled by bright ponds, where shoals of dark varal fish leap in the rich waters and the lotuses breathe a divine fragrance.
Word by word
- veyyaṉ āy
- being cruel; Hiranya
- ulaku ēḻ uṭaṉ nalintavaṉ
- he who tormented all seven worlds together
- iru piḷavāk
- into two halves
- nīḷ ukirp paṭai
- the weapon of long claws, Narasimha's nails
- varāl iṉam
- shoals of varal fish
- teyvam nāṟum
- giving off a divine fragrance
- oṇ poykaikaḷ
- bright ponds
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.4 · verse 1371 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Lord of the Thiruvenkatam hill, thick with bamboo, who gave the kingdom to the five brothers, so that the leaping horses fell and the kings lost their lives! Grant me love for You. You stand at Thiruvellarai, where the young cuckoo, its beak gone bitter from pecking the tender shoots of the mango groves, sips the honey of the sweet jackfruit.
Word by word
- vām pari
- the leaping war-horses
- aivarkaṭku aracu aḷitta
- who gave the kingdom to the five, the Pandavas
- kāmpiṉ ār
- full of bamboo
- vēṅkaṭap poruppa
- O Lord of the Thiruvenkatam hill
- niṉ kātalai aruḷ eṉakku
- grant me love for You
- maṭak kuyil
- the young cuckoo
- tīm palaṅkaṉit tēṉ
- the honey of the sweet jackfruit
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.5 · verse 1372 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the Earth-lady, the young woman with eyes bright as a fine lance, was in distress, You once became a boar and lifted the broad earth out of the wide ocean. O You who did this, be gracious to me! You stand at Thiruvellarai, where the great forest mullai climbs the sugar-cane and blossoms as if smiling white, and flowers with honey at their lips spill their fragrance.
Word by word
- māṉa vēl oṇ kaṇ
- bright eyes like a noble lance
- maṇ-makaḷ
- the Earth-lady, Bhumi Devi
- munnīrp parappil
- in the expanse of the ocean
- ēṉam āki
- becoming a boar, Varaha
- iru nilam
- the broad earth
- veṇ muṟuval ceytu
- smiling white, the jasmine in bloom
- muruku ukukkum
- spill out fragrance
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.6 · verse 1373 of the four thousand
Meaning
O First One, who there became a tortoise so that You could give the nectar to the gods with tall shining crowns, who worshipped You and rose! Grant me the gift of serving You. You stand at Thiruvellarai, where the bee that has quarrelled with its mate, seeking the tresses of young women, flies up to the tops of mansions that touch the moon.
Word by word
- poṅku nīḷ muṭi amararkaḷ
- the gods with tall, gleaming crowns
- amutiṉaik
- the nectar of immortality
- āmai-atu ākiya āti
- O First One who became the tortoise, Kurma
- niṉ aṭimaiyai aruḷ eṉakku
- grant me service to You
- ūṭiya matukaram
- the honey-bee that has sulked
- taiyalār kuḻal
- the tresses of young women
- tiṅkaḷ tōy ceṉṉi māṭam
- mansions whose tops touch the moon
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.7 · verse 1374 of the four thousand
Meaning
O You who bent Your bow so that every one of the heads of the rakshasa with ten tall crowns fell away, one by one: be gracious to me! You stand at Thiruvellarai, where bees drink the honey flowing from lotus blossoms among green leaves of matchless, emerald brightness, and hum their sweet music.
Word by word
- āṟiṉōṭu oru nāṉku
- six and four, ten
- arakkaṉ-taṉ ciram ellām
- all the heads of the rakshasa, Ravana
- vēṟu vēṟu uka
- falling away one by one
- marakatap pācaṭait
- with emerald-green leaves
- tēṟal mānti
- drinking the honey
- iṉ icai mural
- hum sweet music
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.8 · verse 1375 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago, when these seven worlds lay deep in darkness with no knowledge, and the gods worshipped and praised You, You became a swan and gave the rare Vedas. O You who did this, be gracious to me! You stand at Thiruvellarai, where in the woods, among the screwpine and the other flowering trees, swarms of bees go humming 'thenna, thenna' in sweet tunes.
Word by word
- uṇarvu iṉṟi iruḷ mika
- without knowledge, the darkness deep
- umparkaḷ
- the gods
- aṉṉam āki
- becoming a swan, Hamsa
- aru maṟai
- the rare Vedas
- kētakai
- the screwpine flower
- curumpu iṉaṅkaḷ
- swarms of bees
- teṉṉa eṉṉa
- humming 'thenna, thenna'
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.9 · verse 1376 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Supreme One, who went there to Mahabali's sacrifice, begged, and by Your skill took the whole wide earth! Grant that I may bow to You and rise. You stand at Thiruvellarai, set in gardens where bees roam over the red blossoms of the tall asoka, and the sweet cuckoo climbs the mango tree and warbles.
Word by word
- māvali vēḷviyil
- at Mahabali's sacrifice
- irantu
- begging, as Vamana
- akal-iṭam muḻutiṉaiyum
- the whole wide earth
- pāṅkiṉāl
- by Your skill, Your clever way
- parama
- O Supreme One
- piṇṭiyiṉ cem malar
- red blossoms of the asoka tree
- tīm kuyil miḻaṟṟum
- the sweet cuckoo warbles
Periya Tirumozhi 5.3.10 · verse 1377 of the four thousand
Meaning
He dwells at Thiruvellarai, ringed by jewelled mansions where the clouds drift; His beautiful form is like dark collyrium; He is the First One and the nectar. Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, master of the spear, sang these ten verses on Him. Those who can stand and praise Him with them, leaving nothing out, will become kings of the immortals.
Word by word
- mañcu ulām
- where clouds drift
- añcaṉam puraiyum
- like dark collyrium
- ātiyai amutattai
- the First One, the nectar
- nañcu ulāviya vēl
- the spear smeared with poison
- kali kaṉṟi
- Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar
- eñcal iṉṟi
- leaving nothing out
- aracu āvarkaḷē
- will become kings
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.