Siriya Tirumadal 1 · verse 2673 of the four thousand
Meaning
(The Alwar speaks as a girl in love with the Lord.) This earth is a lady. The mountains heavy with dark clouds are her breasts, the wide ocean is her garment, the bright sun is the shining jewel on her forehead, the great rivers running red in flood are the long necklace on her bosom, the great dark rain-clouds are her hair, and the waters are the fence around her. The people of this earth, the Earth-lady, speak of three goals of life, do they not? And those three,
Word by word
- kār ār varaik koṅkai
- mountains dark with clouds as her breasts
- kaṇ ār kaṭal uṭukkai
- the wide ocean as her garment
- cuṭarc cuṭṭi
- the sun as her forehead jewel
- ceṅkaluḻip pēr āṟṟup
- of the great rivers in red flood
- peru mā maḻaik kūntal
- hair of great dark rain-clouds
- nilamaṅkai
- the Earth seen as a lady, Bhumi
- mūṉṟu
- the three goals of human life
Siriya Tirumadal 2 · verse 2674 of the four thousand
Meaning
when you look into them, are simply dharma, wealth and pleasure. Whoever among men wins that one of these surely wins the other two as well, in all their fullness. And yet,
Word by word
- aṟam poruḷ iṉpam
- dharma (right conduct), wealth and pleasure
- ivaṟṟiṉiṭai ataṉai
- that one among these
- iru kalaiyum
- both the other parts
- cikkeṉa
- surely, firmly
Siriya Tirumadal 3 · verse 2675 of the four thousand
Meaning
if some say there is yet another goal beyond these, that too is only the talk of worldly people who have not thought it through. Listen, and I will tell you how it is thoughtless. They say that one pierces the orb of the sun, whose single-wheeled chariot is yoked with seven horses and who is full of rays, enters it, and reaches the nectar there that one can never have enough of; and that from it
Word by word
- ōrāmai
- want of thought, not having examined
- ulakattār collum col
- the talk of worldly people
- puravi ēḻ pūṇṭa
- yoked with seven horses
- taṉi āḻi
- the single wheel
- katirōṉ maṇṭalattaik kīṇṭu
- piercing the orb of the sun
- ārā amutam
- nectar that never satiates
Siriya Tirumadal 4 · verse 2676 of the four thousand
Meaning
one never comes back: is there truly any such thing? Let that be. Would anyone let go of a fine hare to run after a crow? O girls with lovely young breasts, listen to what befell me. I gathered up my dark hair and tied it, and my shining breasts
Word by word
- vārātu oḻivatu
- never returning
- atu niṟka
- let that be
- ēr ār muyal viṭṭuk
- letting go of a fine hare
- kākkaip piṉ pōvatē
- to go running after a crow?
- ēr ār iḷamulaiyīr
- O girls with lovely young breasts
- kār ār kuḻal
- dark tresses
Siriya Tirumadal 5 · verse 2677 of the four thousand
Meaning
I bound tight with a band; I set right my jewelled girdle, put the fine powder of collyrium on my eyes, sharp as a spear, and was playing with a pretty ball. Then One known as the red-eyed Mal, His eyes like a lotus in the water, came down the rich street holding up two fine pots, while drums beat and all the people of the world rejoiced,
Word by word
- maṇi mēkalai
- jewelled girdle
- ayil vēl kaṇ
- eyes sharp as a spear
- añcaṉattiṉ nīṟu
- the powder of collyrium
- ceḻum pantu
- a pretty ball
- ceṅkaṇ māl
- Mal, the red-eyed Lord
- paṟai kaṟaṅka
- as the drums sounded
- kuṭam iraṇṭu ēnti
- holding up two pots, in the pot-dance
Siriya Tirumadal 6 · verse 2678 of the four thousand
Meaning
and danced. Seeing it, the girls with lovely young breasts, the mothers and everyone called to me, 'Won't you come?', and I went. Because of my strong karma, I no longer see the dark gem-like sheen of my skin, nor the bangles on my hands. I take in nothing that anyone says to me; my mind is undone,
Word by word
- vārāyō
- won't you come?
- valviṉaiyāl
- because of my strong karma
- kār ār maṇi niṟamum
- my sheen, dark like a gem
- kai vaḷaiyum kāṇēṉ
- I see no bangles on my hands; they have slipped off
- aṟivu aḻintu
- my mind undone
Siriya Tirumadal 7 · verse 2679 of the four thousand
Meaning
and with a body that will not heal I am lost in a daze. Seeing this and taking pity, my mother, whose speech is sweet as a parrot's, came and protected me with a charm of fine dust; and of red kurinji flowers
Word by word
- tīrā uṭampoṭu
- with a body that does not heal
- pētuṟuvēṉ
- I am bewildered
- kiḷik kiḷavi
- speech like a parrot's
- em aṉai
- my mother
- puḻutik kāppiṭṭu
- putting a protective charm of dust on me
- ceṅ kuṟiñcit
- of red kurinji flowers
Siriya Tirumadal 8 · verse 2680 of the four thousand
Meaning
a fragrant garland to be offered; and then she went further and vowed an offering that ought never to have been vowed. Yet even with that,
Word by word
- naṟu mālaic
- a fragrant garland
- nērātaṉa oṉṟu
- a thing that should not be vowed
- nērntāḷ
- she vowed
- ataṉālum
- even by that
Siriya Tirumadal 9 · verse 2681 of the four thousand
Meaning
the sickness of my heart did not end, my bewilderment did not end, and the dark sheen of my skin did not come back. Seeing that, the mothers there, old women who knew the ancient ways, said: 'If you have a soothsaying done, the kind the world speaks of, the truth of who it is will come out.' Hearing that,
Word by word
- cintai nōy
- the sickness of the heart
- māmai
- the dark sheen of a young girl's skin
- mūtu aṟiyum
- who know the old ways
- ammaṉaimār
- the mothers, the elder women
- kaṭṭuppaṭuttirēl
- if you have a soothsaying done
- meyppaṭuvaṉ
- will be revealed truly
Siriya Tirumadal 10 · verse 2682 of the four thousand
Meaning
the soothsayer woman, her dark hair tied in a knot, went into her trance. She took a few grains of paddy in a fine winnowing fan and cast them, and sweating, trembling all over, her body thrilling, sniffing at her hands, she said, 'He who has a thousand names.' And again
Word by word
- kaṭṭuvicci
- the soothsayer woman
- kaṭṭēṟi
- going into a trance
- cuḷakil cila nel
- a few grains of paddy in a winnowing fan
- vitirvitirā
- trembling all over
- kai mōvā
- sniffing at her hands
- pēr āyiram uṭaiyāṉ
- He who has a thousand names
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.