Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.1 · verse 1668 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl in love speaks.) Thirukkannapuram is ringed by waters that come lifting their waves, bringing curling conches up onto the banks, and sprays of coral rising. There dwells the Lord who lifted a mountain, His mighty, mountain-like shoulders, wearing a garland of fragrant tulasi, heaving with the effort. To Him I have lost my striped bangles.
Word by word
- curi caṅkum
- curling conches
- kaṉa pavaḷattu eḻu koṭiyum
- rising sprays of rich coral
- tirai eṭuttu varu puṉal
- waters that come lifting their waves
- virai eṭutta tuḻāy alaṅkal
- a garland of fragrant tulasi
- varai eṭutta perumāṉukku
- to the Lord who lifted the mountain
- iḻantēṉ-eṉ vari vaḷaiyē
- I have lost my striped bangles
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.2 · verse 1669 of the four thousand
Meaning
With the gathering clouds and the smoke of agil incense, its gem-studded mansions can hardly be told apart from mountains: there in Thirukkannapuram dwells the Lord who sleeps on the bed of the striped serpent, and who broke the tusk of the elephant, small fierce eyes and rut pouring like rain, so that it trembled. To Him I have lost my heavy bangles.
Word by word
- mukil kaṇattāl
- with the gathering clouds
- akil pukaiyāl
- with the smoke of agil incense
- varaiyōṭum terivu ariya
- hard to tell apart from mountains
- maṇi māṭat
- gem-studded mansions
- maḻai matatta ciṟu taṟu kaṇ kari
- the elephant with small fierce eyes, its rut pouring like rain
- maruppu ocittāṟku
- to Him who broke its tusk
- kaṉa vaḷaiyē
- my heavy bangles
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.3 · verse 1670 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Thirukkannapuram the spires on the high tops of its lofty gem-studded mansions pierce the moon and cut through the great clouds. There dwells the red-eyed Lord, Mal, who subdued the great bulls with their green eyes, and who gladly freed the cool moon from its affliction. To Him I have lost my close-set bangles.
Word by word
- tuṅka mā maṇi māṭa
- lofty mansions of great gems
- cūlikai
- the pointed spires
- mā mukil tuṇikkum
- cutting through the great clouds
- māl viṭai aṭarttu
- subduing the great bulls
- paṉi mati kōḷ viṭuttu
- freeing the cool moon from its affliction
- ceṅ kaṇ māl
- Mal with red eyes
- ceṟi vaḷaiyē
- my close-set bangles
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.4 · verse 1671 of the four thousand
Meaning
Thirukkannapuram has long streets ringed by fragrant groves where flocks of peacocks call, and is girdled by strong, massive walls. There dwells the One who, when the cowherd woman with fragrant shoulders tied Him up, crawled off dragging the mortar and went between the twin maruthu trees so that they broke. To Him I have lost my golden bangles.
Word by word
- kaṇam maruvum mayil akavu
- where flocks of peacocks call
- tiṇam maruvu kaṉa matiḷ
- strong, massive walls
- āycci ārkka
- when the cowherd woman tied Him
- uralōṭum
- with the mortar
- puṇar marutam iṟa naṭantāṟku
- to Him who went so that the twin maruthu trees broke
- poṉ vaḷaiyē
- my golden bangles
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.5 · verse 1672 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Thirukkannapuram brahmins perform their rites with the mantras on their lips, tend the sacred fire and keep the Vedas growing. There dwells the young One who, afraid of the little stick His mother raised, ran off, wiping the mouth that had eaten the curd. To Him I have lost my striped bangles.
Word by word
- vāy eṭutta mantirattāl
- with mantras on their lips
- tī eṭuttu maṟai vaḷarkkum
- tending the fire, keeping the Vedas growing
- tāy eṭutta ciṟu kōlukku
- at the little stick His mother raised
- uḷaintu ōṭi
- running off in fear
- vāy tuṭaitta maintaṉukku
- to the young One who wiped His mouth
- vari vaḷaiyē
- my striped bangles
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.6 · verse 1673 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Thirukkannapuram tall screwpines lift their petals, and all around them coral grows up in mounds and glints with light. There dwells the Lord who long ago crushed the might of Hiranya, destroyed his enmity, and lifted up his body on His beautiful claws. To Him I have lost my shining bangles.
Word by word
- maṭal eṭutta neṭun tāḻai
- tall screwpines lifting their petals
- vaḷar pavaḷam
- growing coral
- cuṭar imaikkum
- glinting with light
- muraṇ aḻiya
- destroying his enmity
- aṇi ukirāl
- with His beautiful claws
- oḷi vaḷaiyē
- my shining bangles
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.7 · verse 1674 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Thirukkannapuram the clear waves come in and heap up lovely pearls in the dappled shade of the punnai trees, whose flowers the bees settle on. There dwells the Lord who swallowed the eight directions, the seven seas, the wide earth and the great sky, and brought them out again. To Him I have lost my shining bangles.
Word by word
- malarp puṉṉai
- the flowering punnai trees
- vari nīḻal
- the dappled shade
- aṇi muttam
- lovely pearls
- teṇ tiraikaḷ
- clear waves
- eṇ ticaiyum eḻu kaṭalum
- the eight directions and the seven seas
- uṇṭu umiḻnta perumāṉukku
- to the Lord who swallowed and brought them out
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.8 · verse 1675 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Thirukkannapuram the clear ponds open dark kuvalai flowers rich with honey for eyes and red lotuses for faces. There dwells the Lord with a red lotus at His navel, who slept on the striped serpent in the wide sea full of ships. To Him I have lost my close-set bangles.
Word by word
- koṅku mali karuṅ kuvaḷai
- dark kuvalai lilies rich with honey
- kaṇ ākat
- as eyes
- teṇ kayaṅkaḷ
- clear ponds
- ceṅ kamalam mukam alarttum
- open red lotuses as faces
- vaṅkam mali taṭaṅ kaṭaluḷ
- in the wide sea full of ships
- ceṅkamalanāpaṉukku
- to the Lord with a red lotus at His navel
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.9 · verse 1676 of the four thousand
Meaning
His mountain-like chest is ruled by the beauty of Lakshmi, the young doll-like maiden with long, bamboo-smooth arms. He is the Great One of a thousand names who dwells in Thirukkannapuram, the Lord of the great ones, lying on the thousand-mouthed serpent bed. To Him I have lost the bangles I wore.
Word by word
- neṭum paṇait tōḷ
- long arms smooth as bamboo
- maṭap pāvai
- the young doll-like maiden, Lakshmi
- cīr āḷum varai mārvaṉ
- He whose mountain-like chest her beauty rules
- pērāḷaṉ āyiram pēr
- the Great One with a thousand names
- āyira vāy aravu-aṇaimēl
- on the thousand-mouthed serpent bed
- pērāḷar perumāṉukku
- to the Lord of the great ones
- pey vaḷaiyē
- the bangles I wore
Periya Tirumozhi 8.3.10 · verse 1677 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kalikanri, Thirumangai Alwar, of lovely glory, lord of the rich Ali country whose fields are girdled by the rolling sea, saw Vamana, who dwells in Thirukkannapuram ringed by honey-filled groves, and spoke this Tamil garland. When the tongue dwells on these verses and sings them, karma will not come near.
Word by word
- tē maruvu poḻil
- honey-filled groves
- vāmaṉaṉai
- Vamana, the dwarf Lord
- maṟi kaṭal
- the rolling sea
- kāmaru cīrk kalikaṉṟi
- Kalikanri of lovely glory
- nā maruvi
- the tongue dwelling on them
- viṉai āya naṇṇāvē
- karma will not come near
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.