Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 21 · verse 2402 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is this the mouth that opened wide like a cavern and spat out fire? Are these the eyes, wheels of flame? Is this the beauty that the Lord of the unwinking gods showed when He blazed forth as the Lion, fire surging all around?
Word by word
- pila vāy
- cavern-like mouth
- eri kāṉṟa
- that spat fire
- erivaṭṭak kaṇkaḷ
- eyes like wheels of fire
- imaiyōr perumāṉ
- Lord of the unwinking gods
- ari poṅkik kāṭṭum
- shown as the Lion surged forth
- aḻaku
- beauty
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 22 · verse 2403 of the four thousand
Meaning
He alone is the Beautiful One; He alone took the form of the Lion. Bow at the feet of Him who is close and familiar to us. As a child on the leaf, He is the very nature of the seven worlds and of all that they are; and He is the seed of all, who as a Fish saved life.
Word by word
- aḻakiyāṉ tāṉē
- He alone is the Beautiful One
- ari uruvaṉ
- He in the Lion's form
- paḻakiyāṉ tāḷē paṇimiṉ
- bow at the feet of the familiar One
- kuḻaviyāyt
- as a child
- mīṉ āy
- as a fish, Matsya
- vittu
- the seed, the cause
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 23 · verse 2404 of the four thousand
Meaning
In the old field of Him who tamed the bulls, the farmer who grows devotion, must anyone even sow a seed? Look: the rain-filled sky, with dark clouds massing and rising, shows us plainly the holy form of the dark Lord.
Word by word
- vittum iṭavēṇṭum kollō
- must a seed even be sown?
- viṭai aṭartta
- who subdued the bulls
- patti uḻavaṉ
- the farmer of devotion
- paḻam puṉattu
- in the old field
- kār mēkam aṉṉa
- like dark rain clouds
- nīr vāṉam
- the rain-filled sky
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 24 · verse 2405 of the four thousand
Meaning
You appeared in four colours across the ages: milk-white, gold, green and dark. You scorned the two so that they perished. You praised Sveta, fierce in battle, as commander of the host, as the way to end the war You had resolved upon in Your mind.
Word by word
- pāl poṉ pacuppuk kār vaṇṇam
- colours of milk, gold, green and dark
- ikaḻntāy
- You scorned
- vīya
- so that they perished
- cuvētaṉaic
- Sveta, a warrior
- cēṉāpatiyāy
- as commander of the army
- maṉap pōr
- the war resolved in Your mind
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 25 · verse 2406 of the four thousand
Meaning
Not caring how it looked, by a stratagem You took the earth: was there any other way it could have been won? By that same stratagem You ended the hardened claim of Mahabali, who thought himself strong enough to melt diamond and eat it.
Word by word
- vakaiyāl
- by a stratagem, a device
- matiyātu
- without regard
- maṇ koṇṭāy
- You took the earth
- vayiram kuḻaittu uṇṇum
- who would melt diamond and eat it
- māvali
- Mahabali
- vayira vaḻakku
- hard, obstinate claim
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 26 · verse 2407 of the four thousand
Meaning
That I worship no one else at all, the one with clustered matted hair is my witness. O You of the ocean's hue, see to it, for all time, that I may always be able to see You.
Word by word
- maṟṟut toḻuvār oruvaraiyum
- anyone else to worship
- kaṟṟaic caṭaiyāṉ
- the one with clustered matted hair, Shiva
- kari
- witness
- eṟṟaikkum
- for all time
- kaṭalvaṇṇā
- O You of the ocean's hue
- kaṇṭukoḷakiṟkumāṟu
- the way to be able to see You
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 27 · verse 2408 of the four thousand
Meaning
Mal Himself has entered my simple heart. Would I count anything else as gain, you foolish people? The ash-smeared one cannot see the red feet of Him whose broad chest bears the garland; I am able to see them. For me, what gain is there in anything else?
Word by word
- māl tāṉ pukunta
- which Mal Himself has entered
- maṭa neñcam
- simple, innocent heart
- pēṟākak koḷvaṉō
- would I count it a gain?
- pētaikāḷ
- O foolish ones
- nīṟāṭi
- the ash-smeared one, Shiva
- tār akalac cēvaṭiyai
- red feet of Him with garlanded broad chest
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 28 · verse 2409 of the four thousand
Meaning
This is the bridge that was built so that Lanka's strength would be ruined. This is what struck down Vali of the monkey race. This is the delight of Him who, while Lanka shrank in fear and His bow bent, shot Ravana of the cool garland till his very flesh shrivelled.
Word by word
- ilaṅkai īṭu aḻiyak
- so that Lanka's might was ruined
- kaṭṭiya cētu
- the bridge that was built
- vilaṅku vāliyai
- Vali of the monkey kind
- vil nuṭaṅka
- as the bow bent
- irāvaṇaṉai
- Ravana
- ūṉ oṭuṅka
- till his flesh shrivelled
- ukappu
- His delight
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 29 · verse 2410 of the four thousand
Meaning
He alone is the form of delight, He alone the form of radiance. Think on it: He is the One who, angered, shot down with a single arrow the giant whose two brows stood a league apart from each other.
Word by word
- ukappu uruvaṉ
- the form of delight
- oḷi uruvaṉ
- the form of radiance
- matikkil
- if one considers
- ōcaṉaiyāṉ
- one a league, a yojana, apart
- oru kaṇaiyāl
- with a single arrow
- aṉṟikkoṇṭu
- in anger
Naanmugan Tiruvandadi 30 · verse 2411 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is the One who rules me; at the hall of Srirangam, He guards me so that no harm can reach me. He has stood and sat within my heart. Having come here, will He still lie upon the serpent bed in the flood?
Word by word
- eṉṉai āḷi
- the One who rules me
- araṅkattu araṅkil
- in the hall of Srirangam
- eytāmal kāppāṉ
- guards so that nothing reaches me
- uḷḷattu niṉṟāṉ iruntāṉ
- stood and sat in my heart
- veḷḷattu aravu aṇaiyiṉmēl
- on the serpent bed in the flood
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.