Tiruchanda Viruttam 31 · verse 782 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Death to Kalanemi, Lord of countless fame! O gracious One who long ago, as a little child, swallowed all seven worlds! O hero of conquering wrath, who bent the bow until the sea itself burned! You are the One who gives release to the hearts of the devotees who belong to You as Your own children.
Word by word
- kālanēmi kālaṉē
- O Death to the demon Kalanemi
- kaṇakku ilāta kīrttiyāy
- Lord of countless fame
- vēlai vēva vil vaḷaitta
- who bent the bow until the sea burned
- vel ciṉatta vīra
- O hero of conquering wrath
- pālar āya pattar
- devotees who are as Your own children
- mutti ceyyum
- who grants release
Tiruchanda Viruttam 32 · verse 783 of the four thousand
Meaning
Leading the army of monkeys, You went across the roaring sea and loosed Your fierce arrows so that the demons there were destroyed, O First One. And when Mahabali gave You land at Your asking, without the least pity You spread Yourself out and measured it all. Are You not the One with lotus feet?
Word by word
- kurakkiṉap paṭai
- the army of monkeys
- kurai kaṭaliṉ mītu pōy
- crossing the roaring sea
- veñcaram turanta
- who loosed fierce arrows
- irakka maṇ koṭuttavaṟku
- to the one who gave land when You asked, Mahabali
- parakka vaittu aḷantu
- spreading out and measuring
- paṟpapātaṉ
- the One with lotus feet
Tiruchanda Viruttam 33 · verse 784 of the four thousand
Meaning
You loosed Your fierce arrows so that the demon with lightning-bright fangs fell, and You graciously gave the kingdom to his younger brother. O beloved of Pinnai, the gentle one of fair colour and sweet words! Of lasting glory, coloured like gold, are You not the lotus-eyed Lord?
Word by word
- miṉ niṟattu eyiṟṟu arakkaṉ
- the demon with lightning-bright fangs, Ravana
- piṉṉavaṟku
- to his younger brother, Vibhishana
- aracu-aḷitta
- who gave the kingdom
- iṉcol ēḻai
- the gentle one of sweet words
- piṉṉai kēḷva
- O beloved of Pinnai
- poṉ niṟatta vaṇṇaṉ
- the One coloured like gold
Tiruchanda Viruttam 34 · verse 785 of the four thousand
Meaning
You are the First, the First, the First, for You are the origin of this whole universe. You are the light that needs no proving, and You have shone forth in truth. You became the Vedas and the sacrifices, the heavens and the earth; the First of all became a cowherd. What a wonder this wonder is!
Word by word
- āti āti āti nī
- You are the First, the First, the First
- aṇṭam āti
- origin of the universe
- cōtiyāta cōti
- the light that needs no proving
- vētam āki vēḷvi āki
- becoming the Vedas and the sacrifices
- āyaṉ āya
- who became a cowherd
- māyam eṉṉa māyamē
- what a wonder this wonder is!
Tiruchanda Viruttam 35 · verse 786 of the four thousand
Meaning
You became the fish darting through the waters, and the tortoise, and the Master who stood in the ocean; and, overflowing with love, more than that, You became the child of the cowherd women whose waists are slender as a twig, and became my own Lord. O my Ruler, what is this way of Yours?
Word by word
- ampu ulāvu mīṉum āki
- becoming the fish moving in the waters
- āmai āki
- becoming the tortoise
- aṉpu mikku
- overflowing with love
- nuṇmaruṅkul
- slender waist
- āyar-mātar piḷḷaiyāy
- a child of the cowherd women
- empirāṉum āya vaṇṇam
- the way You became my Lord
Tiruchanda Viruttam 36 · verse 787 of the four thousand
Meaning
As the child of the cowherd woman Yashoda, whose breasts were hung with gold ornaments, You kicked the cart apart and took the life of a bird demon. O Lord, You drank as milk the life from the cruel breast the deceitful demoness offered to kill You. How is it, then, that You drank the nectar of the lips of the cowherd girls with gold-bangled hands?
Word by word
- yacōtai āycci piḷḷaiyāy
- as the child of the cowherd woman Yashoda
- cāṭu utaittu
- kicking the cart demon apart
- puḷḷatu āvi
- the life of the bird demon
- kaḷḷa tāya pēymakaḷ
- the deceitful demoness, Putana
- veyya koṅkai
- cruel breast
- vāy-amutam
- the nectar of their lips
Tiruchanda Viruttam 37 · verse 788 of the four thousand
Meaning
They say He is Kannan, whose hands shook down the ripe wood-apple fruit, toppled the flowering kurundam tree that stood against Him, and tore apart the horse. You drank the cowherd mother's milk, ate earth, ate butter, and then drank the demoness's milk too; and long ago You became a boar. O Vamana!
Word by word
- viḷaṅkaṉi utirttu
- shaking down the wood-apple fruit
- pūṅ kuruntam cāyttu
- toppling the flowering kurundam tree
- mā piḷanta
- who tore apart the horse demon
- maṇṇai uṇṭu veṇṇey uṇṭu
- eating earth, eating butter
- pēycci pālai
- the demoness's milk
- ēṉam āya vāmaṉā
- O Vamana, who became a boar
Tiruchanda Viruttam 38 · verse 789 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Lord who broke the tusk of the strong elephant in rut, and danced upon the venomous serpent in a pool! O dancer of the pot dance, coloured like the rain cloud, whose chest bears the cool tulasi garland in strands! O Death to Kalanemi!
Word by word
- kaṭam kalanta vaṉkari
- the strong elephant in rut
- maruppu ocittu
- breaking the tusk
- viṭam kalanta pāmpiṉ mēl
- upon the venomous serpent, Kaliya
- naṭam payiṉṟa nātaṉē
- O Lord who danced
- kuṭam kalanta kūttaṉ
- the dancer of the pot dance
- koṇṭalvaṇṇa
- O One coloured like the rain cloud
Tiruchanda Viruttam 39 · verse 790 of the four thousand
Meaning
You lifted a mountain and churned the waters of the sea. More than that, You lifted mountains to build a dam across the sea, and You destroyed the defences of Lanka, ringed by the sea and by walls high as mountains. Are You not the cloud-coloured Lord who lifted a mountain and guarded the cattle from the rain?
Word by word
- veṟpu eṭuttu
- lifting a mountain
- vēlai-nīr kalakkiṉāy
- You churned the waters of the sea
- varampu kaṭṭi
- building a dam
- iñci cūḻ ilaṅkai
- Lanka ringed by walls
- kaṭṭaḻitta
- who destroyed its defences
- māri kātta
- who guarded them from the rain
- mēkavaṇṇaṉ
- the cloud-coloured Lord
Tiruchanda Viruttam 40 · verse 791 of the four thousand
Meaning
You saved an elephant, and You killed an elephant. More than that, as a cowherd boy You grazed the cattle and ate the ghee of the cows; long ago You held up a hill and saved the herds; and for the sake of the girl with dark, lined eyes You went and fought down the bulls. What a wonder this wonder is!
Word by word
- āṉai kāttu
- saving the elephant, Gajendra
- or āṉai koṉṟu
- killing an elephant, Kuvalayapida
- āṉai mēytti
- You grazed the cattle
- āṉey uṇṭi
- You ate the ghee of the cows
- mai-arik kaṇ mātarār
- the girl with dark, lined eyes, Nappinnai
- ceṉṟu aṭartta
- went and fought down
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.