Siriya Tirumadal 21 · verse 2693 of the four thousand
Meaning
when He became the great Vamana, He begged, 'Give me three steps of land,' and by guile received the gift-water, then stood and measured out all the worlds from Mahabali. In the days of that endless war He, together with the asuras, set the dark mountain in the sea, made the serpent the rope, held it steady so it would not slip, and churned. He whose chest bears the tulasi
Word by word
- vāmaṉ ākiya kālattu
- when He became Vamana
- mūvaṭi maṇ
- three steps of land
- calattiṉāl
- by guile
- nīr ēṟṟu
- receiving the water that seals a gift
- māvaliyai
- Mahabali
- nākam kayiṟu āka
- with the serpent as the rope
- pērāmal tāṅkik
- holding it steady, unmoving
Siriya Tirumadal 22 · verse 2694 of the four thousand
Meaning
garland: when a war elephant, huge as a great mountain, was seized in a pond and stood crying out, holding up a lotus from the water in its long trunk, 'Narayana! O gem-hued One! O You who rest on the serpent! Come, take away my terrible distress!', He grew angry,
Word by word
- tār ārnta mārvaṉ
- He whose chest wears the garland
- pōr āṉai
- a war elephant, Gajendra
- kōṭpaṭṭu
- seized, caught
- neṭuṅ kaiyāl
- with its long trunk
- maṇivaṇṇā
- O gem-hued One
- nākaṇaiyāy
- O You who rest on the serpent
- ār iṭarai
- great distress
Siriya Tirumadal 23 · verse 2695 of the four thousand
Meaning
and in a fury that would not abate He went, split its captor in two, and ended its distress: our Lord, He who has a thousand names. O foolish women, it is He who has given your daughter this sickness that will not end.' So she firmly declared. And then,
Word by word
- tīrāta cīṟṟattāl
- in unabating fury
- iraṇṭu kūṟu āka
- into two pieces
- iṭar kaṭintāṉ
- He removed the distress
- pēyp peṇṭīr
- O foolish women
- tīrā nōy
- a sickness that will not end
Siriya Tirumadal 24 · verse 2696 of the four thousand
Meaning
hearing that it was no ordinary one, our mother too said: 'Women with eyes like warlike spears, if it is He, will He hold back His flowering tulasi? Is she not His own servant? And is He not beyond all others?' And she said no more. As for me, His
Word by word
- eṅkaḷ ammaṉaiyum
- our mother too
- pūn tuḻāy
- the flowering tulasi
- tārātu oḻiyumē
- will He fail to give it?
- taṉ aṭicci allaḷē
- is she not His own servant?
- eṉṟu oḻintāḷ
- she said, and said no more
Siriya Tirumadal 25 · verse 2697 of the four thousand
Meaning
dark and beautiful form I once saw, and that sight alone is the cause of all this. Ever since, I wander about without rest, babbling on and on like one who has lost her senses. And then, on top of that,
Word by word
- kār ār tirumēṉi
- the dark, beautiful form
- kaṇṭatuvē kāraṇamā
- having seen it, that being the cause
- pitaṟṟā
- babbling
- tiritaruvaṉ
- I wander about
Siriya Tirumadal 26 · verse 2698 of the four thousand
Meaning
when the cool north wind comes and enters, as if piercing this body through, I know of no way to keep it from wilting and fainting away. And I thought to myself that the women with curling hair, the girls of this town,
Word by word
- īrāp pukutalum
- as it comes in, piercing
- taṇ vāṭai
- the cool north wind
- vakai aṟiyēṉ
- I do not know the way
- cūḻ kuḻalār
- women with curling hair
Siriya Tirumadal 27 · verse 2699 of the four thousand
Meaning
would every one of them speak ill of me. To keep that reproach from ever falling on me, I did nothing at all; I simply stayed still and kept silent, hiding from them what I suffered.
Word by word
- ēcuvar
- they will blame
- paḻiyai
- the reproach
- vārāmal kāppataṟku
- to keep it from coming
- vāḷā iruntoḻintēṉ
- I simply stayed silent
Siriya Tirumadal 28 · verse 2700 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Then she sends her own heart as a messenger to the Lord.) 'Come here, O my simple, foolish heart! Come, do as I ask: go to Him, the gem-hued One, whose colour is like a dark sapphire, and there
Word by word
- vārāy
- come here
- maṭa neñcē
- O my simple heart
- vantu
- coming, going there
- maṇivaṇṇaṉ
- the gem-hued One
Siriya Tirumadal 29 · verse 2701 of the four thousand
Meaning
find out whether He will graciously give us His fine tulasi garland, or will not give it. Whichever of the two it is, tell it to me quietly, so that no enemy overhears. Even if He questions you, listen to what He bids; and even if the answer is no, do not linger there, but come back to me.' So I told it. But my heart, which went after Him whose colour is the dark sea, never came back; it forgot me altogether, sinner that I am.
Word by word
- tirut tuḻāy mālai
- the sacred tulasi garland
- tārāṉ tarum
- He will not give, or He will give
- oṉṉātār
- those who wish us ill
- ārāyumēlum
- even if He questions you
- pōntiṭu nī
- you must come back
- kār ār kaṭal vaṇṇaṉ
- He whose colour is the dark sea
- valviṉaiyēṉ
- I, of strong karma; sinner that I am
Siriya Tirumadal 30 · verse 2702 of the four thousand
Meaning
And so I have become something for the townsfolk to delight in, a thing they enjoy talking about. Left like this, deserted even by my own heart, I find that for me, here in this place,
Word by word
- ūrār
- the townsfolk
- ukappatē
- the very thing they delight in
- āyiṉēṉ
- I have become
- eṉakku iṅku
- for me, here
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.