Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.1 · verse 1768 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The girl, parted from the Lord, speaks to her friend.) Wretched as I am, I cannot make Him pine as He made me pine; come, let us go and worship Him. In the fragrant shade of that flowering serundhi, whose blossoms put gold to shame, He made me waste away, took my beauty, and went. The great Lord's place is lovely Pullani, ringed by punnai trees, pearls and groves.
Word by word
- taṉṉai naivikkilēṉ
- I cannot make Him pine
- toḻutum eḻu
- come, let us go and worship
- poṉṉai naivikkum
- putting gold to shame
- pūñ cerunti
- the flowering serundhi tree
- eḻil koṇṭu akaṉṟa
- took my beauty and went away
- pullāṇiyē
- Thiruppullani, by the sea
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.2 · verse 1769 of the four thousand
Meaning
O heart, what use is it to melt and brood here? Come, let us go and worship. One day long ago, in the shade of the screwpine whose flowers the bees hum over, He left me just as my love for Him swelled and filled my heart. His place is Pullani, where the pounding sea pushes gems up onto the shore.
Word by word
- uruki neñcē
- O heart, melting
- malark kaitaiyiṉ nīḻalil
- in the shade of the flowering screwpine
- peruku kātaṉmai
- swelling love
- pirintāṉ iṭam
- the place of Him who left me
- porutu munnīr
- the pounding sea
- maṇi untu
- pushes up gems
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.3 · verse 1770 of the four thousand
Meaning
What could I ever do to forget Him? O mind, come, let us go and worship. In the groves around the pools thick with pollen, He followed close behind me and said, "Simple girl, I will never leave you again," and then He went away. His place is Pullani, ringed by groves fragrant with blossoms every day.
Word by word
- ētu ceytāl maṟakkēṉ?
- what could I do to forget?
- tātu malku taṭam
- pools thick with pollen
- toṭarntu piṉ
- following close behind
- pētai niṉṉaip piriyēṉ
- simple girl, I will not leave you
- akaṉṟāṉ iṭam
- the place of Him who went away
- pōtu nāḷum kamaḻum
- fragrant with blossoms every day
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.4 · verse 1771 of the four thousand
Meaning
With the honey-drinking bee as His witness, He came to me, ill-fated one, long ago. Our Lord has not done what He promised us. O good lady, come, let us go and worship; let us go to the town where He stays, Pullani, where the surging sea pushes gems up onto the shore.
Word by word
- koṅku uṇ vaṇṭē kariyāka
- with the honey-drinking bee as witness
- koṭiyēṟku
- to me, ill-fated one
- namakkē paṇitta moḻi
- the word He gave us
- ceytilaṉ
- He has not kept
- maṅkai nallāy
- O good lady, my friend
- avaṉ maṉṉum ūr
- the town where He stays
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.5 · verse 1772 of the four thousand
Meaning
When I remember, my heart burns, wretched as I am. Come, let us go and worship. He set clustered, fragrant nazhal blossoms in our curling hair, and then gave me such love that if He parted from me my very life would fail. His place is Pullani, where the sea's tide pushes conches and gems ashore.
Word by word
- uṇaril uḷḷam cuṭumāl
- when I remember, my heart burns
- nāḻal naṟum pōtu
- fragrant nazhal blossoms
- cūḻ kuḻal peytu
- set in our curling hair
- taṇaril āvi taḷarum
- if He parted, my life would fail
- aṉpu tantāṉ
- He gave such love
- paṇila maṇi untu
- pushes conches and gems ashore
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.6 · verse 1773 of the four thousand
Meaning
O heart, what use is it to waste away and brood here? Come, let us go and worship. The place where my Lord dwells, the generous One, the Wondrous One, the gem-coloured One, is Pullani, ringed by honey-dripping blue lilies, screwpines with clean white petals, birds, and wet, miry fields.
Word by word
- eḷki neñcē
- O heart, wasting away
- vaḷḷal māyaṉ
- the generous One, the Wondrous One
- maṇivaṇṇaṉ
- the gem-coloured One
- malark kāviyum
- blue lily flowers
- tū maṭal kaitaiyum
- screwpines with clean petals
- aḷḷal paḻaṉaṅkaḷum
- wet, miry fields
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.7 · verse 1774 of the four thousand
Meaning
O heart, come, let us praise Him, worship and rise, and go to Him. What do we gain by lying awake now, night and day, with eyes that never close? His place is Pullani, where the white waves gather pearls onto the long white sands and come rushing in like galloping horses.
Word by word
- paravi neñcē
- O heart, praising Him
- iravum nāḷum
- night and day
- kaṇ tuyilātu
- with eyes that never sleep
- eṉ payaṉ?
- what do we gain?
- neṭu veṇ maṇal
- long white sands
- puravi eṉṉap
- like horses
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.8 · verse 1775 of the four thousand
Meaning
He who bears the plough and the discus as weapons became our lover; then He turned false, and has no kindness at all. Still, come, let us go and worship. His place is Pullani, where the breezes roam over the good backwaters, and in the cool green groves rising there and in the fish-scented seaside thickets, swarms of happy bees sing.
Word by word
- alamum āḻip paṭaiyum
- the plough and the discus as weapons
- aṉpar āy
- became our lover
- calam atu āki
- turned false
- takavu oṉṟu ilar
- has no kindness at all
- nal kaḻi
- good backwaters
- pulavu kāṉal
- fish-scented seaside thickets
- kaḷi vaṇṭu iṉam
- swarms of happy bees
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.9 · verse 1776 of the four thousand
Meaning
Reciting His names, bathing, we will bow our heads every day to His feet, those bright great flowers, for that alone is our good. Even if He seems not to grant us what we long for, He will grant it; and He is our lover besides. Come, my lady, let us go and worship at Pullani where He dwells.
Word by word
- ōti nāmam
- reciting His names
- ucci taṉṉāl
- with our heads
- oḷi mā malarp pātam
- feet that are bright great flowers
- namakkē nalam
- our own good
- tārāṉ eṉilum tarum
- even if He seems not to give, He will give
- pōtum mātē
- come, my lady
Periya Tirumozhi 9.3.10 · verse 1777 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kaliyan, Thirumangai Alwar, of unblemished fame, sang these garlands of sound on lovely Pullani, ringed by groves, where shining pearls, tender shoots of coral and fields of beautiful lotuses fill every place. For devotees who make these songs their strength, the place to dwell is Vaikuntha, which never declines.
Word by word
- ilaṅku muttum
- shining pearls
- pavaḷak koḻuntum
- tender shoots of coral
- kalaṅkal illāp pukaḻāṉ
- one of unblemished fame
- olimālaikaḷ
- garlands of sound
- valamkoḷ toṇṭarkku
- for devotees who make them their strength
- pāṭu il vaikuntamē
- Vaikuntha that never declines
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.