Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.1 · verse 1798 of the four thousand
Meaning
This, it seems, is the town of the gracious Lord who let another, the one who wears bone beads and a tiger's skin, stand at His side. It is Kurungudi, where the stork's chick, perched on the low branch of a fitting tree, eats white shrimp from its mother's beak.
Word by word
- akkum puliyiṉ ataḷum
- bone beads and a tiger's skin, the marks of Shiva
- pakkam niṟka niṉṟa paṇpar
- the gracious One who let him stand at His side
- ūrpōlum
- seems to be the town of
- tāḻ ciṉai ēṟi
- perched on a low branch
- kokkiṉ piḷḷai
- the stork's chick
- veḷ iṟavu uṇṇum
- eats white shrimp
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.2 · verse 1799 of the four thousand
Meaning
This, it seems, is the town of the Pure One who sleeps on the swelling serpent in the deep ocean, where high, roaring waves roll in and roam. It is Kurungudi, where red-footed swans in the cool, bright fields go with their mates to rest on the honey-filled lotus blooms.
Word by word
- tuṅka ār aravat tirai
- high, roaring waves
- toṭu kaṭaluḷ
- in the deep ocean
- poṅku ār aravil tuyilum
- who sleeps on the swelling serpent
- puṉitar
- the Pure One
- ceṅ kāl aṉṉam
- red-footed swans
- peṭaiyōṭum
- with their mates
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.3 · verse 1800 of the four thousand
Meaning
We have found the way to live; come and see, O devotees! This is the town where He dwells, who became the boar, the red-eyed One, coloured like a great dark cloud. It is Kurungudi, where the gentle red-legged heron, seeking food for its sweet mate, wanders through the dark fields with a peering gaze.
Word by word
- vāḻak kaṇṭōm
- we have found the way to live
- toṇṭīrkāḷ!
- O devotees
- kēḻal
- the boar, Varaha
- mā mukil vaṇṇar
- coloured like a great dark cloud
- iṉ tuṇai nāraikku
- for its sweet mate, the heron
- kār vayal mēyum
- wanders through the dark fields
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.4 · verse 1801 of the four thousand
Meaning
This, it seems, is the town of the Mighty One who went to Lanka and made the demon's heads, five and five, fall, and cut away his strength and his arms. It is Kurungudi, where night and day the honey bees hum, and every common ground is fragrant with nothing but kuravu blossoms.
Word by word
- ciram muṉ aintum aintum
- the heads, five and five
- arakkaṉ
- the demon, Ravana
- uramum karamum tuṇitta
- cut away his strength and his arms
- uravōṉ
- the Mighty One
- maṉṟu ellām
- every common ground
- kuraviṉ pūvē
- only kuravu blossoms
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.5 · verse 1802 of the four thousand
Meaning
This, it seems, is the town of Him who long ago, in battle, drove the chariot with its roaring great horses for the five brothers, so that kings with their clamorous elephants perished. It is Kurungudi, where the parrot, its beak red as a kovvai fruit, talks just like the women whose eyes shine with kohl.
Word by word
- kavvaik kaḷiṟṟu maṉṉar
- kings with clamorous elephants
- kali māt tēr
- the chariot with roaring great horses
- aivarkku āy
- for the five, the Pandavas
- mai vaittu ilaṅku kaṇṇār
- women whose eyes shine with kohl
- kovvaik kaṉi vāyk kiḷḷai
- the parrot with a beak red as kovvai fruit
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.6 · verse 1803 of the four thousand
Meaning
Take great flowers, the colour of fire and of water, carry fragrant offerings, pour pure water, praise Him and worship; rise, O devotees! The place where He, coloured like the great ocean, lovingly dwells is Kurungudi, where the mansions touch the curved moon in the sky.
Word by word
- tī nīr vaṇṇa mā malar
- great flowers coloured like fire and water
- virai ēnti
- carrying fragrant offerings
- tū nīr paravit
- pouring pure water in praise
- mā nīr vaṇṇar
- He coloured like the great ocean
- kūṉ nīr matiyai
- the curved moon
- māṭam tīṇṭum
- the mansions touch
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.7 · verse 1804 of the four thousand
Meaning
O devotees, so that the troubled thoughts you set upon women with tiny waists slender as creepers may end, go to Kurungudi, where the mullai in the back gardens puts out soft buds like the teeth in the fruit-red mouths of women who, one would say, are like Sri herself.
Word by word
- vallic ciṟu nuṇ iṭaiyāriṭai
- upon women with waists slender as creepers
- allal cintai
- troubled thoughts
- aṭaimiṉ aṭiyīrkāḷ!
- go there, O devotees
- tiruvē aṉaiyār
- women like Sri herself
- kaṉi vāy eyiṟu oppāṉ
- like the teeth in fruit-red mouths
- mel arumpu īṉum
- puts out soft buds
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.8 · verse 1805 of the four thousand
Meaning
O our own people, take garlands of fresh flowers strung on fibre, and with love that is never satisfied, go to the town of our Lord: Kurungudi, where the sharp-beaked heron that lives in the fields, having fed in the long streams full of waterfowl, plays with its mate.
Word by word
- nār ār iṇṭai
- garlands strung on fibre
- nam tamarkāḷ
- O our own people
- ārā aṉpōṭu
- with love never satisfied
- tārā ārum
- full of waterfowl
- kūr vāy nārai
- the sharp-beaked heron
- pēṭaiyoṭu āṭum
- plays with its mate
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.9 · verse 1806 of the four thousand
Meaning
So that the deeds that cling to you and your sorrows may perish, carry great flowers, go and bow down; rise and worship, O devotees, at Kurungudi, where always, night and day, striped bees sing their music and the mullai of the hills spreads its fragrance over the common grounds.
Word by word
- niṉṟa viṉaiyum tuyarum
- the deeds that cling and the sorrows
- keṭa
- so that they perish
- ceṉṟu paṇimiṉ
- go and bow down
- vari vaṇṭu icai pāṭa
- striped bees singing
- kuṉṟiṉ mullai
- the mullai of the hills
- maṉṟiṭai nāṟum
- spreads fragrance over the common grounds
Periya Tirumozhi 9.6.10 · verse 1807 of the four thousand
Meaning
Kaliyan, Thirumangai Alwar, master of learned verse, made this garland of sound on Kurungudi, where dwells the Lord who destroyed Lanka with His bow and who also took the deadly tusk of a raging elephant. When one sings these lasting songs, sins will not remain.
Word by word
- cilaiyāl ilaṅkai ceṟṟāṉ
- who destroyed Lanka with His bow
- ciṉa vēḻam
- a raging elephant
- kolai ār kompu koṇṭāṉ
- who took its deadly tusk
- kalai ār paṉuval vallāṉ
- master of learned verse
- nilai ār pāṭal
- lasting songs
- pāvam nillāvē
- sins will not remain
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.