Tirumalai 1 · verse 872 of the four thousand
Meaning
We have put our senses under guard, leapt clear across the evils of this age, and now we roam about proclaiming aloud, over the very heads of Yama's messengers. O First One, who swallowed the three worlds and brought them forth again: see, this pride of ours comes only from having learnt Your name, O Lord of the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- kāvaliṟ pulaṉai vaittu
- keeping the senses under guard
- kalitaṉaik
- the age of Kali, with its evils
- nāvaliṭṭu
- proclaiming aloud
- namaṉ-tamar
- the messengers of Yama
- mūvulaku uṇṭu umiḻnta
- who swallowed the three worlds and brought them forth again
- mutalva
- O First One, the cause of all
- niṉ nāmam kaṟṟa
- having learnt Your name
- āvalippu
- pride, joyful confidence
- araṅka mā nakaruḷāṉē
- the great city of Srirangam
Tirumalai 2 · verse 873 of the four thousand
Meaning
"Your form is like a great green mountain, Your lips are coral, Your eyes red lotuses; O Achyuta, who never lets go of His own; bull among the immortals; tender shoot of the cowherds!" Leaving behind the sweetness of saying this, I would not want the sweetness of going off to rule the world of Indra, even if it were given to me, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- paccai mā malai pōl mēṉi
- a form like a great green mountain
- pavaḷavāy
- lips red as coral
- kamalac ceṅkaṇ
- red lotus eyes
- accutā
- O Achyuta, who never lets go of those who reach Him
- amarar ēṟē
- bull, the noble chief, among the immortals
- āyar tam koḻuntē
- tender shoot of the cowherds
- intira-lōkam āḷum
- ruling the world of Indra
- ac cuvai peṟiṉum vēṇṭēṉ
- even if I gained that pleasure, I would not want it
Tirumalai 3 · verse 874 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Vedas give a man a span of a hundred years, even if he lives them all. Half of it goes in sleep. Of what remains, fifteen years pass as a foolish child, and then come disease, hunger, old age and sorrow. And so I do not want to be born again, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- vēta nūṟ pirāyam nūṟu
- the hundred years of life the Vedas allot
- pātiyum uṟaṅkip pōkum
- half is lost in sleep
- patiṉaiyāṇṭu
- fifteen years
- pētai pālakaṉ
- an ignorant little child
- piṇi paci mūpput tuṉpam
- disease, hunger, old age and sorrow
- piṟavi vēṇṭēṉ
- I do not want birth
Tirumalai 4 · verse 875 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago Kshatrabandhu, standing in the midst of his crowding, heavy sins, reached the highest goal through a name of just three syllables. Our Arangan melts with pity for anyone who becomes His servant even that much; He is mad with love for His own. Alas, how is it that people who have such a Lord still struggle on in the round of births?
Word by word
- moytta valviṉaiyuḷ niṉṟu
- standing amid crowding, heavy sins
- mūṉṟu eḻuttu uṭaiya pērāl
- by a name of three syllables
- kattirapantum
- Kshatrabandhu, a sinful man saved by the Lord's name
- parāṅkati
- the highest goal
- iraṅkum nam araṅkaṉ
- our Arangan, who melts with pity
- pittaṉaip
- the one mad with love for His devotees
- piṟaviyuḷ piṇaṅkumāṟē
- how they struggle in the cycle of births
Tirumalai 5 · verse 876 of the four thousand
Meaning
To enjoy pleasures with women, men take on a great load of trouble; they eat, they lie down at night, and they waste and wear themselves away for the sake of the body alone. They do not become His own people, singing and dancing for Him whose chest bears the cool tulasi garland, nor take up His service and taste that nectar. How can such lowly men still relish their food?
Word by word
- peṇṭirāl cukaṅkaḷ uyppāṉ
- to enjoy pleasures through women
- periyatu ōr iṭumpai pūṇṭu
- taking on a great burden of trouble
- uṭalukkē karaintu naintu
- wasting away for the body alone
- taṇ tuḻāy-mālai mārpaṉ
- the Lord whose chest bears a cool tulasi garland
- tamarkaḷāyp pāṭi āṭi
- as His own people, singing and dancing
- toṇṭu pūṇṭu amutam
- taking up service, the true nectar
- toḻumparcōṟu ukakkumāṟē
- how these lowly ones still relish their rice
Tirumalai 6 · verse 877 of the four thousand
Meaning
You raise walls and ramparts of wrongdoing and gather nothing but emptiness for the life to come. You do not know when this house of outer walls full of holes will fall. Without serving Arangan, who stands as the very wall of righteousness, you only paint and adorn the outer wall, and you will lie there for the birds to peck at!
Word by word
- maṟam cuvar matil eṭuttu
- raising walls and ramparts of wrongdoing
- maṟumaikkē veṟumai pūṇṭu
- holding nothing for the life to come
- ōṭṭai māṭam
- a house full of holes, the body
- aṟam cuvar āki niṉṟa
- who stands as the protecting wall of dharma
- puṟañ cuvark kōlañ ceytu
- decorating the outer wall, adorning the body
- puḷ kauvak kiṭakkiṉṟīrē
- you lie there for birds to peck
Tirumalai 7 · verse 878 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Buddhist and Jain paths stand as low teachings; will those who have fully learnt the true scriptures even look at them or listen to them? Even if my head is cut off, I will die saying it: see the truth, sirs! The God who destroyed Lanka with His bow, He alone is God.
Word by word
- pulai-aṟam
- a low, unworthy dharma
- puttoṭu camaṇam
- Buddhism and Jainism
- kalai aṟak kaṟṟa māntar
- those who have fully learnt the scriptures
- talai aṟuppu uṇṭum cāvēṉ
- even with my head cut off, I will die saying it
- cattiyam kāṇmiṉ
- see the truth
- cilaiyiṉāl ilaṅkai ceṟṟa
- who destroyed Lanka with His bow
- tēvaṉē tēvaṉ āvāṉ
- He alone is God
Tirumalai 8 · verse 879 of the four thousand
Meaning
If the Jains, the shaven-headed ones and the Buddhists, who keep no Vedic rule, speak with hatred unbearable words about You, even to walk away in silence becomes a pain to me. If it lay in my power, and if it could be done, the fit deed would be to cut off their heads right there, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- veṟuppoṭu
- with hatred
- camaṇar muṇṭar
- Jains and shaven-headed ones
- viti il cākkiyarkaḷ
- Buddhists, who keep no Vedic rule
- poṟuppu ariyaṉakaḷ pēcil
- if they speak unbearable things
- pōvatē nōyatu āki
- even walking away becomes a pain
- aṟuppatē karumam
- cutting off is the fit deed
Tirumalai 9 · verse 880 of the four thousand
Meaning
Is there any other God? O people without understanding! Except when trouble comes upon you, you will not see that He is the One. You know nothing of the end that awaits you. There is no God but Him. Bow down to the twin anklet-bound feet of my Father, who grazed the herds of calves!
Word by word
- maṟṟum ōr teyvam uṇṭē
- is there any other God?
- mati ilā māṉiṭaṅkāḷ
- O people without understanding
- uṟṟapōtu aṉṟi
- except when trouble comes
- oruvaṉ eṉṟu uṇara māṭṭīr
- you will not realise He is the One
- avaṉ allāl teyvam illai
- there is no God but Him
- kaṟṟiṉam mēytta entai
- my Father who grazed the herds of calves
- kaḻaliṇai paṇimiṉ
- bow to His twin anklet-bound feet
Tirumalai 10 · verse 881 of the four thousand
Meaning
He set up gods in every place, to suit every kind of seeker. Then, by a grace beyond all others, He showed us Srirangam, so that those who wish to be saved can be saved. Listen, good sirs! While the Lord who rides on Garuda stands there for you, you sit waiting for wealth in the lap of the goddess of misfortune!
Word by word
- nāṭṭiṉāṉ teyvam eṅkum
- He set up gods everywhere
- nallatu ōr aruḷtaṉṉālē
- by a matchless, good grace
- kāṭṭiṉāṉ tiruvaraṅkam
- He showed us Srirangam
- uypavarkku uyyum vaṇṇam
- so that those who seek it may be saved
- nampimīrkāḷ
- O good sirs
- keruṭavā kaṉaṉum
- the Lord who rides on Garuda
- cēṭṭaitaṉ maṭiyakattuc
- in the lap of Jyeshtha, goddess of misfortune
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.