Tiruchanda Viruttam 11 · verse 762 of the four thousand
Meaning
You are the chain of words, the Vedas; You are the meaning the words point to; You are the light that shines beyond the reach of words. Those whom You brought forth by Your word came into being when You willed to create. Can even they tell of Your qualities in words, even in brief?
Word by word
- colliṉāl toṭarcci nī
- You are the sequence of words, the Vedas
- colappaṭum poruḷum nī
- You are what the words mean
- colliṉāl colappaṭātu
- beyond the reach of words
- tōṉṟukiṉṟa cōti nī
- You are the light that shines
- paṭaikka vantu tōṉṟiṉār
- those who came forth when You created
- curuṅka
- even in brief
Tiruchanda Viruttam 12 · verse 763 of the four thousand
Meaning
You create the world, You draw it back and keep it within You, and then You are born again within that same world. You are not confined to any one place. The world stands as one with You, and yet You stand apart from it. So who in this world can grasp the ways of Your being?
Word by word
- ulakutaṉṉai nī paṭaitti
- You create the world
- uḷ oṭukki vaitti
- You draw it in and keep it within You
- ulakutaṉṉuḷē piṟatti
- You are born within the world
- ōriṭattai allaiyāl
- You are not confined to one place
- vēṟu niṟṟi
- You stand apart
- uḷḷa cūḻal
- the ways of Your being
Tiruchanda Viruttam 13 · verse 764 of the four thousand
Meaning
No one can say of You, "He is such and such." Yet those who have weighed every dispute about You declare that You are the beloved of Pinnai, the cowherd girl of slender waist. Your form as Pinnai's beloved, Your names, Your dwelling places, Your origin: who could ever think of these, unless You, in Your gracious nature, let them?
Word by word
- iṉṉai eṉṟu collal āvatu illai
- no one can say You are such and such
- iṭṭiṭaip
- of slender waist
- piṉṉai kēḷvaṉ
- the beloved of Pinnai (Nappinnai)
- uṉ piṇakku uṇarnta peṟṟiyōr
- those who have understood the disputes about You
- pērum ūrum
- names and dwelling places
- nīrmaiyāl
- by Your gracious nature
Tiruchanda Viruttam 14 · verse 765 of the four thousand
Meaning
You became the pure path of yoga; You wear the garland of tulasi; O first God, You became a tortoise and rested in the deep sea. Though we cannot say what Your name truly is, are You not the Discus-bearer whose praise is sung in the Sama Veda?
Word by word
- tūymai yōkam
- the pure path of yoga
- tuḻāy-alaṅkal mālaiyāy
- You who wear the tulasi garland
- āmai āki
- becoming a tortoise
- nāmatēyam
- name
- cāma vēta kītaṉāya
- sung in the Sama Veda
- cakrapāṇi
- the One who holds the discus
Tiruchanda Viruttam 15 · verse 766 of the four thousand
Meaning
You stand as the six limbs of learning and the four Vedas, and You dwell within them as their meaning. On the wide sea You lie on the red-eyed serpent whose hoods spread above You, rich in glory and splendour. With a form the colour of the conch, are You not the bearer of the Sarnga bow?
Word by word
- aṅkam āṟum vētam nāṉkum
- the six limbs of learning and the four Vedas
- taṅkukiṉṟa taṉmaiyāy
- dwelling within them
- paṇattalai
- hooded heads
- ceṅkaṇ nākaṇaik kiṭanta
- lying on the red-eyed serpent couch
- caṅka vaṇṇam aṉṉa mēṉi
- a form the colour of the conch
- cārṅkapāṇi
- bearer of the Sarnga bow
Tiruchanda Viruttam 16 · verse 767 of the four thousand
Meaning
You appear as a light among beings of every kind, the highest, the lowly, and those between, and You come and stand where all who dwell on earth can see You. Even so, the vast host of scriptures cannot conceive You by word, by meaning or by thought. And yet Your greatness makes itself known as plainly as a range of mountains. Such is Your greatness.
Word by word
- talaik kaṇam
- the highest kinds of beings
- cāti cōti tōṟṟamāy
- appearing as a light in every kind of birth
- kāṇa vantu niṟṟiyēlum
- though You come and stand to be seen
- kalaik kaṇaṅkaḷ
- the host of scriptures
- niṉaikkoṇā
- cannot conceive
- malaik kaṇaṅkaḷ pōl
- like a range of mountains
- māṭci
- greatness
Tiruchanda Viruttam 17 · verse 768 of the four thousand
Meaning
You are the One form, the three forms, the four forms; the form of joy filled with every good, the form of all merit, the form of countless forms. You lie upon the serpent on the beautiful sea, and beyond that You take bodies of every kind. O first God, what is this way You have of becoming all these forms?
Word by word
- ēka mūrtti
- the One form
- nālu mūrtti
- the four forms
- pōka mūrtti
- the form of joy
- eṇ il mūrttiyāy
- countless forms
- nāka mūrtti cayaṉamāy
- with the serpent for Your bed
- eṉ kol? ātitēvaṉē
- what is this, O first God?
Tiruchanda Viruttam 18 · verse 769 of the four thousand
Meaning
A thousand mouths full of venom, two thousand eyes pouring out hot flame, joy that never fails, a gathered radiance of glory: the serpent spreads his hoods above You as a canopy, and on him, in the ocean waters, You lie upon Your bed. O Lord coloured like the sea, why do You lie there resting?
Word by word
- viṭatta vāy or āyiram
- a thousand venomous mouths
- irāyiram kaṇ
- two thousand eyes
- ventaḻal
- hot flame
- mēl vitāṉamāya
- spread above as a canopy
- pauva-nīr arāvaṇaip
- the serpent bed on the ocean waters
- vēlaivaṇṇaṉē
- O Lord coloured like the sea
Tiruchanda Viruttam 19 · verse 770 of the four thousand
Meaning
As a bird, the swan, You taught the four Vedas. Besides that, You tore apart the beak of a bird demon; You hold the bird Garuda on Your banner; and You ride upon a bird. O bearer of the lightning-bright discus, why then did You love to lie in the sea upon the bird's own true enemy, the serpent?
Word by word
- puḷḷatu āki
- becoming a bird, the swan
- puḷḷiṉvāy piḷantu
- tearing apart the bird demon's beak
- puṭ koṭi
- the bird banner, Garuda
- puḷḷai ūrti
- You ride the bird
- miṉ koḷ nēmiyāy
- O bearer of the lightning-bright discus
- meyp pakai
- true enemy, the serpent
Tiruchanda Viruttam 20 · verse 771 of the four thousand
Meaning
Without the least unease You lay upon the serpent in the waters of the sea, while the praiseworthy gods came and sang before You. O Kesava, who became the tortoise living in the moss-covered waters, tell me, so that I may understand, why You lay there that day, heedless of all that might be said of You.
Word by word
- kūcam oṉṟum iṉṟi
- without the least unease
- mācuṇam paṭuttu
- lying on the serpent
- pēca niṉṟa tēvar
- the gods worthy of praise
- pācam niṉṟa nīril
- in the moss-covered waters
- āmaiyāṉa kēcavā
- O Kesava who became the tortoise
- kūṟu tēṟavē
- tell me, so that I understand
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.