Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.1 · verse 1578 of the four thousand
Meaning
They say: "O great Child, who drank at the breast of the demoness with hair like fierce fire until her eyes drooped, hot blood streamed down and she fell to the earth; O King of the gods!" and worship the feet of my Lord of cool Thirucherai, rich in wealth and full of jewelled mansions whose middles brush the young moon in the sky. Look: such people are the ones I bear upon my head.
Word by word
- vem taḻalpōl kūntalāḷai
- her with hair like fierce fire, Putana
- maṇ cēra
- so that she fell to the earth
- mā matalāy
- O great Child
- vāṉavar-tam kōvē
- O King of the gods
- iḷan tiṅkaḷ akaṭu uriñcu
- brushing the young moon's middle
- taṇ cēṟai
- cool Thirucherai
- eṉ talaimēlārē
- are the ones I bear on my head, my masters
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.2 · verse 1579 of the four thousand
Meaning
He seated the Lady born of the flower, with lovely brows and long, lined eyes, on His mountain-like chest; and, they say, this Dancer took a young calf and hurled it at the wood-apple fruit on the strong branch. He is my Lord who dwells in the sky-reaching temple of rich Thirucherai, ringed by cool groves where fragrance blooms. Those who worship His feet are always in my mind.
Word by word
- am puruva vari neṭuṅ kaṇ
- lovely brows and long, lined eyes
- alar-makaḷai
- the Lady born of the flower, Lakshmi
- varai akalattu amarntu
- seated on His mountain-like chest
- viḷaṅkaṉimēl iḷaṅ kaṉṟu
- the young calf, at the wood-apple fruit
- kūttar
- the Dancer
- vāṉ untu kōyil
- a temple that pushes up into the sky
- eṉ maṉattē irukkiṉṟārē
- they dwell in my mind
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.3 · verse 1580 of the four thousand
Meaning
They stand and say: "O You whose hand once cut off, together with her ears, the long nose of the one who came rushing at You, her bright fangs flashing like lightning!" and they praise the feet of my Lord of cool Thirucherai, where bees stir among the pollen, and scatter water with flowers. Those holy ones shine brighter than the gods.
Word by word
- vāḷ eyiṟu miṉ ilaka
- bright fangs flashing like lightning
- muṉ vilakum uruviṉāḷaik
- her who came at Him, Surpanakha
- kātōṭu koṭi mūkku
- her long nose together with the ears
- tātōṭu vaṇṭu alampum
- bees stirring among the pollen
- pōtōṭu puṉal tūvum
- who scatter water with flowers
- puṇṇiyarē
- the holy ones
- viṇṇavariṉ polikiṉṟārē
- shine more than the gods
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.4 · verse 1581 of the four thousand
Meaning
Every day they say: "With Your battle-ruling bow You sent forth fighting arrows, until the sword-bearing rakshasa, lord of chariots in southern Lanka, perished and fell in fierce battle!" They recite the name of the Great One who rules the heavens, my Lord of cool Thirucherai, whose mountain-like chest wears the garland. From such great souls I will never be parted.
Word by word
- tēr āḷum vāḷ arakkaṉ
- the sword-bearing rakshasa, lord of chariots
- vem camattup poṉṟi vīḻa
- perishing and falling in fierce battle
- pōr āḷum cilai
- the bow that rules the battle
- tār āḷum varai mārpaṉ
- He whose mountain-like chest wears the garland
- pēr ōtum periyōrai
- the great ones who recite His name
- orukālum pirikilēṉē
- I will never part from them
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.5 · verse 1582 of the four thousand
Meaning
I do not belong to those who bow before others, nor to the stern Jains with unwashed bodies; I belong to none but the First One who went ahead as a lion and broke the defiance of Hiranya. For those who think every day of the feet of my Lord of cool Thirucherai, with its groves of fragrant blossoms, my heart wells up with honey and is sweet at every moment.
Word by word
- mācu uṭampiṉ val amaṇar
- the stern Jains with unwashed bodies
- allēṉ
- I do not belong to them
- ari uru āy
- in the form of a lion
- muraṇ aḻitta mutalvarkku
- to the First One who broke his defiance
- cintippārkku
- for those who think of Him
- tēṉ ūṟi
- welling up with honey
- tittikkumē
- is sweet
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.6 · verse 1583 of the four thousand
Meaning
I stand and say: "O Gracious One, who long ago became a boar and dug up the world!" I have become Your servant, and I declare it: I have no support but Your sacred feet. Now that I have seen the devotees of my Lord of rich Thirucherai, with its meadows of flowers that bees bear up, look how my heart and my two eyes rejoice!
Word by word
- ēṉam āy ulakai aṉṟu iṭanta
- who as a boar long ago dug up the world
- paṇpāḷā
- O Gracious One
- toṇṭu āṉēṉ
- I have become Your servant
- tiruvaṭiyē tuṇai
- Your sacred feet alone are my support
- aṭiyār-tammaik kaṇṭēṉukku
- for me who has seen His devotees
- kaḷikkum āṟē
- how they rejoice
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.7 · verse 1584 of the four thousand
Meaning
I keep saying: "O Gracious One, who rests in sleep in the deep ocean on the striped serpent with spreading hoods! O Wondrous One, like a gem mountain spreading its dark lustre!" and I think on the sacred form of my Lord of cool Thirucherai, where bee-filled blue lilies spread across the fields. He has taken all five of my senses; and my love is the servant of those who are His servants.
Word by word
- pai viriyum vari aravil
- on the striped serpent with spreading hoods
- mai viriyum maṇi varaipōl
- like a gem mountain spreading dark lustre
- māyavaṉē
- O Wondrous One
- vaṇṭu ār nīlam
- bee-filled blue lilies
- ai aṟivum koṇṭāṉukku
- to Him who took my five senses
- āḷ āṉārkku āḷ ām
- is servant to His servants
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.8 · verse 1585 of the four thousand
Meaning
His feet are soft as tender shoots, and the gods above and the people of the earth come and bow to them. He is the Lord of cool Thirucherai, ringed by green groves where bees hum full melodies. When I think of those who see Him to their eyes' fill, melt, and worship Him with folded hands, cruel death cannot devour me, and the endless sins cannot reach me.
Word by word
- uṇṇātu vem kūṟṟam
- cruel death will not devour
- ōvāta pāvaṅkaḷ cērā
- the endless sins will not reach
- viṇṇōrum maṇṇōrum
- the gods above and the people of earth
- meṉ taḷirpōl aṭiyiṉāṉai
- Him whose feet are like soft shoots
- kaṇ ārak kaṇṭu uruki
- seeing Him to their eyes' fill and melting
- karutuṅkālē
- when I think of them
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.9 · verse 1586 of the four thousand
Meaning
I am a thief with a false heart, and so I am caught every moment in a flood called worry: what will become of me? Yet look how my heart melts for those who keep in their hearts, every day, the feet of my Lord of cool Thirucherai, where in the ripening fields the scent of honey rises as the weeders push aside the dark blue lilies with their feet.
Word by word
- kaḷḷattēṉ
- I who am a thief
- poy akattēṉ
- I with a false heart
- kavalai eṉṉum veḷḷattēṟku
- for me caught in a flood called worry
- kaḷaiñar tāḷāl
- by the feet of the weeders
- tēṉ maṇam nāṟum
- the scent of honey rises
- uḷḷam urukum āṟē
- how my heart melts
Periya Tirumozhi 7.4.10 · verse 1587 of the four thousand
Meaning
At cool Thirucherai, swans walk like women with dark tresses decked in fine flowers, then stand in the fields with their mates and sleep in the sweet shade of the mango. O devotees, take this garland of sound by Parakalan, Kalikanri, whose chariot has leaping horses, and standing in worship with your two hands joined, lay it upon the pure and glorious golden feet of that Lord.
Word by word
- karuṅ kuḻalārpōl naṭantu
- walking like women with dark tresses
- tēmāviṉ iṉ niḻalil
- in the sweet shade of the mango
- vā māṉ tērp parakālaṉ
- Parakalan, whose chariot has leaping horses
- oli mālai
- garland of sound
- poṉ aṭimēl cūṭṭumiṉ
- lay it on His golden feet
- tuṇaik kaiyāl toḻutu
- worshipping with your two hands
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.