Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 11 · verse 2392 of the four thousand
Meaning
Let your mouths praise Him, let your eyes see Him, let your ears hear of Him. Bow your crowned heads and worship my ancient Mal, whose tall crown is wreathed with cool tulasi among the flowers; honour Him, joining your generous hands and never failing.
Word by word
- vāḻttuka vāy
- let the mouth praise
- kāṇka kaṇ
- let the eyes see
- kēṭka cevi
- let the ears hear
- makuṭam tāḻtti
- bowing your crowns
- tuḻāy maṉṉu nīḷ muṭi
- tall crown where tulasi abides
- tollai māl
- the ancient Lord
- vaṇ kai kūppi
- joining generous hands
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 12 · verse 2393 of the four thousand
Meaning
You resolved, and went forth, so that those who scorned You fell. You resolved, and freed the moon from the grip of its affliction. You resolved to free the great elephant from the grip of the mighty crocodile lying in the pool; and when You loosed Your discus, both of them, elephant and crocodile alike, gained their release.
Word by word
- matittāy
- You resolved
- matiyār
- those who disregard You
- mati kōḷ viṭuttāy
- You freed the moon from its affliction
- maṭuk kiṭanta
- lying in the pool
- mā mutalai
- the great crocodile
- āḻi
- the discus
- iraṇṭiṉ vīṭu
- release for both
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 13 · verse 2394 of the four thousand
Meaning
Not knowing the way that leads to release, you torment your bodies, wear yourselves to a shell, and wander about eating and killing. The true reality that grants release, the first reality the Vedas speak of, the good reality for the gods themselves, is Narayana alone.
Word by word
- vīṭu ākkum peṟṟi
- the way that brings release, moksha
- mey varuttik
- tormenting the body
- kūṭu ākki
- wasting it to a shell
- uḻalvīr
- you wander about
- vēta mutaṟporuḷ
- the first reality of the Vedas
- viṇṇavarkku naṟporuḷ
- the good reality for the celestials
- nārāyaṇaṉ
- Narayana, the word the verse turns on
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 14 · verse 2395 of the four thousand
Meaning
Narayana is the One who rules me; He is Tirumal, who guards me from falling into hell. There are lifeless creeds whose followers never come to speak His names; many, hearing them speak and drawn by desire, sink and are lost.
Word by word
- eṉṉai āḷi
- He who rules me
- narakattuc cērāmal kākkum
- guarding me from reaching hell
- taṉ pērāṉa
- His names
- piṇac camayar
- followers of lifeless, corpse-like creeds
- ācaippaṭṭu
- drawn by desire
- āḻvār palar
- many sink, drown
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 15 · verse 2396 of the four thousand
Meaning
Many gods praise Him who strode beyond the earth. If you can lay flowers on His feet, bow and praise Him, then good will come to you just as it came to Markandeya; and that is the very state which the blue-throated one himself saw.
Word by word
- pala tēvar ētta
- as many gods praise
- paṭi kaṭantāṉ
- He who strode beyond the earth, Trivikrama
- malar ēṟa iṭṭu
- laying flowers upon them
- mārkkaṇṭaṉ
- the sage Markandeya
- nīrkkaṇṭaṉ
- he whose throat holds the sea's poison, Shiva
- kaṇṭa nilai
- the state he saw
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 16 · verse 2397 of the four thousand
Meaning
My heart stands firm on Him who, on that day long ago, Himself the sovereign of the gods taking the field against the foe, so that many kings perished in battle, hid the burning sun with His discus and cast the whole land into shadow.
Word by word
- nilaimaṉṉum eṉ neñcam
- my heart stands firm
- tēvar talaimaṉṉar
- the sovereign of the gods
- pala maṉṉar pōr māḷa
- so that many kings died in battle
- vem katirōṉ
- the burning sun
- poḻil maṟaiya
- so that the land was hidden in shadow
- tēr āḻiyāl
- with the wheel, His discus
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 17 · verse 2398 of the four thousand
Meaning
Under the shade of the banyan tree, in an earlier age, the one of true penance taught the path of dharma to the four sages. What he taught them was the way he himself worships Him who measured the earth, who lies upon the ocean, who grew upon the banyan leaf.
Word by word
- āla niḻaṟkīḻ
- under the banyan's shade
- aṟaneṟiyai
- the path of dharma
- nālvarkku
- to the four sages
- meyt tavattōṉ
- the one of true penance, Shiva
- ñālam aḷantāṉai
- Him who measured the earth
- ālmēl vaḷarntāṉait
- Him who grew on the banyan leaf
- vaṇaṅkumāṟu
- the way of worshipping
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 18 · verse 2399 of the four thousand
Meaning
There are those who praise, as none other, the mighty Lion who with sharp claws split into two the chest of the hostile demon. And there are those who stay close to such devotees and serve them. Will not the penance of these second ones surpass even the first?
Word by word
- māṟu āya tāṉavaṉai
- the hostile demon, Hiranya
- vaḷ ukirāl
- with sharp claws
- kōḷariyai
- the mighty lion, Narasimha
- vēṟāka ēttiyiruppārai
- those who praise Him alone
- vellumē
- will it not surpass?
- cāttiyiruppār
- those who cling to and serve them
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 19 · verse 2400 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Lord of the discus, did You not long ago bring to nothing the boon that was won from Brahma, the four-faced, by penance? Gladly You protect us; You Yourself are also the means by which we are protected; and it is You who give Vaikuntham to every living being.
Word by word
- nāṉmukaṉāl peṟṟa varattai
- the boon gained from Brahma
- avam ceyta
- made futile
- āḻiyāy
- O You with the discus
- uvantu
- gladly
- kāppataṉai āvāy
- You become the very means of protection
- vaikuntam īppāyum
- You who give Vaikuntham
- ev uyirkkum nī
- to every living being, it is You
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 20 · verse 2401 of the four thousand
Meaning
You are all the worlds; it is by Your grace alone that whatever stands, stands. You are the God of gods whom all penance seeks. You are all these: the blazing fire, the great mountains, the eight directions, and the two lights, sun and moon, that shine in the universe.
Word by word
- nīyē ulakum ellām
- You are all the worlds
- niṉ aruḷē
- by Your grace alone
- niṟpaṉavum
- whatever stands
- tēva tēvaṉum
- the God of gods
- māl varaiyum
- great mountains
- iru cuṭarum
- the two lights, sun and moon
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.