Tiruchanda Viruttam 111 · verse 862 of the four thousand
Meaning
They say that even those who reviled You and blamed You all they could, and those who fought You in matchless battle and were burned in the fire of Your wrath, came in the end to reach You. So, my wondrous Lord, Lord of the world, take the faults that I, a cur, have committed as if they were virtues.
Word by word
- vaitu niṉṉai
- reviling You
- vallavā paḻittavarkkum
- even for those who blamed You all they could
- ceṟṟat tīyil ventavarkkum
- even for those burned in the fire of Your wrath
- eytal ākum
- it is possible to reach
- kuṟṟam naṟṟamākavē koḷ
- take my faults as virtues
- ñāla-nātaṉē
- O Lord of the world
Tiruchanda Viruttam 112 · verse 863 of the four thousand
Meaning
The days go by like swords cutting away life; worn down by sickness, one reaches old age, and then comes the day of death. So, my heart, bow down and praise Him. Understand well that being His servant is the true good. And more than that: O Mal, Your feet must grant me the joy from which there is no return.
Word by word
- vāḷkaḷ āki nāḷkaḷ cella
- the days going by like swords
- mūppu eyti
- reaching old age
- māḷum nāḷ
- the day of death
- vaṇaṅki vāḻttu eṉ neñcamē
- bow and praise, my heart
- āḷatu ākum naṉmai
- the good of being His servant
- mīḷvu ilāta pōkam
- joy from which there is no return
Tiruchanda Viruttam 113 · verse 864 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is one with red matted locks that hold the waters, whose throat is dark, who fell into sin over the white skull, his senses shaken. To end his grievous sorrow, the Lord gave him fragrant water from His garlanded chest. O my heart, long may you live: think how to reach that good Mal, whose glory is so near to us.
Word by word
- calam kalanta ceñcaṭai
- red matted locks that hold the waters
- kaṟutta kaṇṭaṉ
- the one with the dark throat, Shiva
- veṇtalai
- the white skull
- pātakattaṉ
- one who fell into sin
- alaṅkal mārvil vāca nīr
- fragrant water from His garlanded chest
- naṇṇum vaṇṇam eṇṇu
- think how to reach
Tiruchanda Viruttam 114 · verse 865 of the four thousand
Meaning
O my heart, if you would rid yourself of the eight that drag you low, rise up free of every fault, and rule in heaven, then bow and praise Him, thinking always of the feet of my Father: He who is knowledge, who is the sun, and who as a boar with a single tusk dug up the whole earth.
Word by word
- īṉamāya eṭṭum nīkki
- ridding yourself of the eight that drag you low
- ētam iṉṟi
- free of every fault
- vāṉam āḷa
- to rule in heaven
- ñāyiṟu āki
- being the sun
- ōr eyiṟṟu ēṉamāy
- as a boar with a single tusk
- entai pātam eṇṇiyē
- thinking of my Father's feet
Tiruchanda Viruttam 115 · verse 866 of the four thousand
Meaning
He is our father and our mother, and our Lord who rules us. He is the One who will end our many births, high and low alike, and take us into His service. That free and perfect One, Mukunda, the giver of release, has entered and made His home within us. Then why, my poor heart, do you lie in the sea of sorrow?
Word by word
- attaṉ āki aṉṉai āki
- being father and mother
- ottu ovvāta pal piṟappu
- many births, high and low alike
- āṭkoḷvāṉ
- who will take into His service
- muttaṉār mukuntaṉār
- the free One, Mukunda, giver of release
- iṭarkkaṭaṟ kiṭatti
- you lie in the sea of sorrow
- ēḻai neñcamē
- my poor heart
Tiruchanda Viruttam 116 · verse 867 of the four thousand
Meaning
The hero who that day went to Lanka, reduced it to ash, slew the sword-bearing demon who had wronged Him so that his days were ended, and won the victory, has not set me apart, but has kept me within Himself. So can Yama now reckon up the faults of the past, the ones he had sorted out and laid to my account?
Word by word
- māṟu ceyta vāḷ-arakkaṉ
- the sword-bearing demon who did wrong, Ravana
- ilaṅkai nīṟu ceytu
- reducing Lanka to ash
- veṉṟi koṇṭa vīraṉār
- the hero who won the victory
- tammuḷ eṉṉai vaittiṭāmaiyāl
- keeping me within Himself, not apart
- namaṉ
- Yama, the lord of death
- kuṟṟam eṇṇa vallaṉē
- can he reckon up the faults?
Tiruchanda Viruttam 117 · verse 868 of the four thousand
Meaning
Fear, disease, distress, many births, craving and old age: He will change the mind that holds these and the body that bears them, and raise me up to heaven. He is Achyuta, the One who never fails, of endless fame, without beginning or end, the Lord who lies on the venomous serpent, sung by the Vedas.
Word by word
- accam nōyoṭu allal
- fear, disease and distress
- avāya mūppu
- craving and old age
- vaitta ākkai māṟṟi
- changing the body that bears them
- vāṉil ēṟṟuvāṉ
- He will raise me to heaven
- accutaṉ
- Achyuta, the One who never fails
- āti antam illavaṉ
- without beginning or end
- vēta kītaṉē
- He who is sung by the Vedas
Tiruchanda Viruttam 118 · verse 869 of the four thousand
Meaning
In word and in deed, with a love whose bond never breaks, by night and by bright day, at evening and at morning, my heart has clasped the flower feet of the Lord of the lady of the fresh-petalled lotus, held them fast and never let go; it has never turned back.
Word by word
- colliṉum toḻiṟkaṇum
- in word and in deed
- toṭakku aṟāta aṉpiṉum
- with a love whose bond never breaks
- allum naṉ pakaliṉōṭum
- by night and by bright day
- alli nāḷ-malark kiḻatti
- the lady of the fresh-petalled lotus, Lakshmi
- pulli
- clasping
- mīṇṭatu illaiyē
- it has never turned back
Tiruchanda Viruttam 119 · verse 870 of the four thousand
Meaning
Listen, O wondrous One, coloured like the kaya flower, who dwells at Srirangam encircled by the Ponni! From within the strong karma that I call my soul, a tender shoot sprang up and grew. Then the bright, radiant, full-blown flower that is Your feet came to rest there firmly, bloomed upon it, and stands everywhere, never fading.
Word by word
- poṉṉi cūḻ araṅkam
- Srirangam encircled by the Ponni, the Kaveri
- pūvai-vaṇṇa
- coloured like the kaya flower
- valviṉaiyiṉuṭ
- within the strong karma
- koḻuntu eḻuntu
- a tender shoot sprang up
- oṇcuṭark koḻumalar
- a bright, radiant, full-blown flower
- vāṭṭam iṉṟi
- never fading
Tiruchanda Viruttam 120 · verse 871 of the four thousand
Meaning
He has turned me away from the many births that never cease, and today the cloud-coloured Lord came to save me. He drew near, and within Himself, who dwells in me, He mingled me with His own lasting light. And so my soul has cut away all its restless wandering and gained the home of joy that never ends.
Word by word
- iyakku aṟāta pal piṟappil
- from the many births that never cease
- uyakkoḷ mēkavaṇṇaṉ
- the cloud-coloured Lord who came to save me
- eṉṉilāya taṉṉuḷē
- within Himself, who dwells in me
- maṉṉu cōti
- lasting light
- iyakku elām aṟuttu
- cutting away all restless wandering
- aṟāta iṉpa vīṭu
- the home of joy that never ends
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.