Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.1 · verse 1588 of the four thousand
Meaning
My Father, my Lord, came in the dead of night, and the great fetters on His father's legs fell open. The town He loves and stays in seems to be Azhundur of beautiful streets, where the sky pours its rain in good time and Vedic scholars of ageless form tend the sacred fire at all three twilights.
Word by word
- tantai kālil peru vilaṅku
- the great fetters on His father's legs
- tāḷ aviḻa
- so that the locks came open
- naḷ iruṭkaṇ
- in the dead of night
- mūvā uruviṉ maṟaiyāḷar
- Vedic scholars of ageless form
- anti mūṉṟum aṉal ōmpum
- tending the fire at the three twilights
- aḻuntūrē
- Thiruvazhundur
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.2 · verse 1589 of the four thousand
Meaning
So that the kings who rose up with their spreading armies perished, He drove the chariot as charioteer in the Bharata war: the God of gods. His town seems to be Azhundur, ringed by beautiful fields, where flocks of herons, frightened away by the long valai fish swelling in the water, come back close with aral fish in their beaks.
Word by word
- pārittu eḻunta paṭai maṉṉar
- kings who rose with spreading armies
- tēril pākaṉ āy
- as charioteer
- tēva-tēvaṉ
- the God of gods
- neṭu vāḷaikku añci
- frightened by the long valai fish
- kuruku iṉaṅkaḷ
- flocks of herons
- āral kavuḷōṭu
- with aral fish in their beaks
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.3 · verse 1590 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Mighty One made all ten heads of the king of southern Lanka, ringed by walls of red gold, fall as targets for His heavenly arrows. His town seems to be Azhundur, where swarms of bees that pecked and fed on the madhavi blossoms crowding the branches settle on the braided tresses of women whose eyes are like whetted arrows.
Word by word
- cem poṉ matiḷ
- walls of red gold
- ciraṅkaḷ ai iraṇṭum
- all ten heads
- uravōṉ
- the Mighty One
- mātavimēl
- on the madhavi (kurukkathi) creeper
- ampu arāvum kaṇ maṭavār
- women with eyes like whetted arrows
- aimpāl
- tresses braided in five ways
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.4 · verse 1591 of the four thousand
Meaning
He lay on a banyan leaf in the flood, then entered the mind of His servant, and He stands in my heart and in my eyes. The town where He stands seems to be Azhundur, ringed by beautiful fields, where a bird and its loving mate go out to find food for their young and search for kayal fish in the muddy fields.
Word by word
- veḷḷattuḷ ōr āl ilaimēl
- on a banyan leaf in the flood
- uḷḷattuḷḷum kaṇṇuḷḷum
- in my heart and in my eyes
- piḷḷaikku irai tēṭi
- seeking food for their young
- kātal peṭaiyōṭum
- with its loving mate
- aḷḷal ceṟuvil
- in the muddy fields
- kayal nāṭum
- searches for kayal fish
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.5 · verse 1592 of the four thousand
Meaning
He Himself became day and night, He Himself became earth and sky; He is the matchless light, and He became the darkness too. The town where He stands seems to be Azhundur of beautiful streets, where cloth banners and the dust of chariots crowd together, and the agil smoke rising from women's tresses looks like clouds.
Word by word
- pakalum iravum tāṉē āy
- Himself becoming day and night
- pārum viṇṇum
- earth and sky
- nikaril cuṭar āy
- being the matchless light
- tukiliṉ koṭiyum
- cloth banners
- tērt tukaḷum
- the dust of chariots
- akiliṉ pukaiyāl mukil ēykkum
- like clouds with agil smoke
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.6 · verse 1593 of the four thousand
Meaning
Smiling with red lips like a lotus with shining petals, He graciously came near, entered my heart, and stands there. The town where He stands seems to be Azhundur of beautiful streets, where the lone spires on the tall mansions pierce the clouds so they shower their drops, and the clamour of dancing never ceases.
Word by word
- ēṭu ilaṅku tāmaraipōl
- like a lotus with shining petals
- cevvāy muṟuval
- a smile of red lips
- māṭu vantu
- coming near
- taṉic cūlam
- the lone spire on top
- koṇṭal tuḷi tūva
- the clouds shower drops
- āṭal aravattu ārppu ōvā
- the clamour of dancing never ceasing
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.7 · verse 1594 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The Alwar speaks as a girl in love.) He came in the evening, lay on the flower bed, entered the mind of His servant, and stood there until my dark eyes brimmed with tears. The town where He stands seems to be Azhundur, whose long streets are like the wide sea, where the smoke of the cane presses rising from white-plastered, sky-touching mansions hides the blazing sun.
Word by word
- mālaip pukuntu
- coming in the evening
- malar-aṇaimēl vaiki
- lying on the flower bed
- nīlak kaṇkaḷ paṉi malka
- my dark eyes brimming with tears
- vēlaik kaṭalpōl
- like the wide sea
- cutai veṇ maṇi māṭattu
- of white-plastered, jewelled mansions
- ālaip pukaiyāl
- with smoke from the sugarcane presses
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.8 · verse 1595 of the four thousand
Meaning
In a dream He embraced me until my waist, slender as a creeper, ached; and He stood with folded hands until my heart was full. The town where He stands seems to be Azhundur of beautiful streets, where the jingle of lovely gold anklets on fine, doll-like girls with feet soft as cotton never ceases.
Word by word
- vañci maruṅkul
- waist slender as the vanji creeper
- kaṉavakattu
- in a dream
- neñcu niṟaiya
- filling my heart
- kaikūppi niṉṟār
- He stood with folded hands
- pañci aṉṉa mel aṭi
- feet soft as cotton
- am cilampiṉ ārppu
- the jingle of lovely anklets
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.9 · verse 1596 of the four thousand
Meaning
Yesterday He came here, took my five senses and my beauty, and left, so that my lovely golden girdle hangs loose on me: He is the Pure One. His town seems to be Azhundur, ringed by beautiful fields, where striped bees sing on the lotus blooms in the old, ever-full waters, and swans play together with their mates.
Word by word
- eṉ aimpulaṉum eḻilum koṇṭu
- taking my five senses and my beauty
- nerunal eḻuntaruḷi
- coming yesterday
- poṉ am kalaikaḷ melivu eyta
- so that my golden girdle grew loose
- puṉitar
- the Pure One
- aravinta malarmēl
- on the lotus flower
- aṉṉam peṭaiyōṭu uṭaṉ āṭum
- swans play with their mates
Periya Tirumozhi 7.5.10 · verse 1597 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the fields of Azhundur, kuvalai lilies among the paddy show eyes, red water lilies in the water show lips, and many-petalled lotuses show faces. On Him who stands there, Parakalan, king of Mangai where cuckoos call in the creeper bowers, made this Tamil garland shining with fine words. As you say it, sin will not stay.
Word by word
- nellil kuvaḷai kaṇ kāṭṭa
- kuvalai lilies among the paddy show eyes
- nīril kumutam vāy kāṭṭa
- red water lilies show lips
- allik kamalam
- many-petalled lotus
- vallip potumpil
- in the creeper bowers
- maṅkai vēntaṉ parakālaṉ
- Parakalan, king of Mangai
- pāvam nillāvē
- sin will not stay
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.