Tirumalai 21 · verse 892 of the four thousand
Meaning
O my old heart, you who cannot live for coral-lipped Arangan with your mind made one in humility and firm in resolve, tell me: in His temple, like a rare mountain of red gold, lovely to behold, the Gem lies at rest. Can the way He lies there even be grasped by the mind?
Word by word
- paṇiviṉāl maṉamatu oṉṟip
- with the mind made one in humility
- pavaḷa-vāy araṅkaṉārkkut
- for coral-lipped Arangan
- tuṇiviṉāl
- with firm resolve
- tollai neñcē
- O my old heart
- cempoṉ āya aruvarai aṉaiya kōyil
- a temple like a rare mountain of red gold
- maṇi aṉār
- the Lord who is like a gem
- maṉattiṉāl niṉaikkal āmē
- can it be grasped by the mind?
Tirumalai 22 · verse 893 of the four thousand
Meaning
We can only repeat what has already been said; His greatness cannot be grasped at all. He cannot be known except by those free of every fault. Other than bowing to Him who dwells in the hearts of the spotless and staying so, is there anything we can say of Him? Tell me, my foolish heart.
Word by word
- pēciṟṟē pēcal allāl
- only repeating what has been said
- perumai oṉṟu uṇaral ākātu
- His greatness cannot be grasped
- ācaṟṟār taṅkaṭku allāl
- except to those free of fault
- mācaṟṟār maṉattuḷāṉai
- Him who dwells in the spotless hearts
- pēcattāṉ āvatu uṇṭō
- can anything be said?
- pētai neñcē
- O foolish heart
Tirumalai 23 · verse 894 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Kaveri, holier than the Ganga, spreads and flows with swelling waters on either side of Srirangam with its flowering gardens. There, I have seen the matchless way our loving Lord, our Master and Ruler, lies. Having seen it, how can I forget it and go on living? Poor me, poor me!
Word by word
- kaṅkaiyiṟ puṉitam āya
- holier than the Ganga
- kāviri naṭuvupāṭṭup
- in the midst of the Kaveri's arms
- pūmpoḻil araṅkan taṉṉuḷ
- in Srirangam of flowering gardens
- eṅkaḷ māl
- our loving Lord, Tirumal
- kiṭantatu ōr kiṭakkai
- the matchless way He lies
- eṅṅaṉam maṟantu vāḻkēṉ
- how can I forget and live?
- ēḻaiyēṉ
- wretched, helpless me
Tirumalai 24 · verse 895 of the four thousand
Meaning
In Srirangam with its wide groves, where the floodwaters spread and flow, you have seen how the Thief who steals hearts lies there, and His lovely lotus face. O heart, you must be very hard! Still you will not grasp that He is the One; loving only deceit, you pass your days in your own deceit.
Word by word
- veḷḷa-nīr parantu pāyum
- where floodwaters spread and flow
- kaḷvaṉār kiṭantavāṟum
- how the Thief, the stealer of hearts, lies
- kamala naṉ mukamum
- His lovely lotus face
- uḷḷamē valiyai pōlum
- O heart, you must be hard
- oruvaṉ eṉṟu uṇara māṭṭāy
- you will not grasp that He is the One
- kaḷḷamē kātal ceytu
- loving only deceit
Tirumalai 25 · verse 896 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Brahmin way of life, bathing and tending the three sacred fires with care: I have hidden it away; it is not in me. Nor am I a devotee of Yours. What have I to rejoice in? O Perfect One, O Lord the colour of the sea, I cry out to You: take me in Your care and show me grace, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- kuḷittu mūṉṟu aṉalai ōmpum
- bathing and tending the three sacred fires
- kuṟikoḷ antaṇamai
- the carefully kept Brahmin life
- oḷittiṭṭēṉ
- I have hidden it away
- niṉkaṇum pattaṉ allēṉ
- nor am I devoted to You
- kaṭalvaṇṇā
- O Lord the colour of the sea
- kataṟukiṉṟēṉ
- I cry out
- aḷittu eṉakku aruḷcey
- protect me and show me grace
Tirumalai 26 · verse 897 of the four thousand
Meaning
I do not adorn Your golden feet with flowers at every hour. I do not tell of Your holy qualities in faultless words. I have not let love mingle in my heart with longing. And so I have become a stranger to Arangan. Alas, why was I ever born?
Word by word
- pōtellām pōtu koṇṭu
- at every hour, with flowers
- poṉṉaṭi puṉaiya māṭṭēṉ
- I do not adorn Your golden feet
- tītilā moḻikaḷ
- faultless words
- tirukkuṇam ceppa māṭṭēṉ
- I do not tell of Your holy qualities
- ētilēṉ araṅkarkku
- a stranger to Arangan
- eṉ ceyvāṉ tōṉṟiṉēṉē
- why was I born?
Tirumalai 27 · verse 898 of the four thousand
Meaning
When the monkeys heaved the mountains into the sea, the guileless squirrel bathed, rolled itself in the sand and ran to help dam the waves. I am not even like that squirrel. A deceiver with a heart hard as a tree, because of that heart I do not serve Arangan, and I waste away, pitiable as I am.
Word by word
- kuraṅkukaḷ malaiyai nūkkak
- as the monkeys heaved the mountains
- kuḷittut tām puraṇṭiṭṭu ōṭit
- bathing, rolling in the sand and running
- taraṅka nīr aṭaikkal uṟṟa
- that set out to dam the waves
- calam ilā aṇilum pōlēṉ
- I am not even like the guileless squirrel
- maraṅkaḷ pōl valiya neñca
- with a heart hard as trees
- aḷiyattēṉ ayarkkiṉṟēṉē
- pitiable me, I waste away
Tirumalai 28 · verse 899 of the four thousand
Meaning
The radiant Lord, whom even the gods above cannot know, came in anger for the sake of an elephant, upon the crocodile that lived on red flesh. Then is any burden ours to bear? Our Lord does not weigh the smallness of us, who are lowly as dogs. Without serving Him, why was I ever born?
Word by word
- umparāl aṟiyal ākā
- whom the gods above cannot know
- oḷiyuḷār
- the radiant one
- āṉaikku ākic
- for the sake of the elephant, Gajendra
- mutalaimēl cīṟi vantār
- came in anger upon the crocodile
- nam param āyatu uṇṭē
- is any burden ours to bear?
- nāykaḷōm ciṟumai ōrā
- not weighing the smallness of us dogs
- eṉ ceyvāṉ tōṉṟiṉēṉē
- why was I born?
Tirumalai 29 · verse 900 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have no town and no land of my own. I have no kin, nor anyone else. And on this earth I have not held to the root of Your feet, O Supreme Form. O Lord with the glow of dark rain clouds, my Krishna, I cry out: who is there to shelter me? O my Master, Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- ūr ilēṉ kāṇi illai
- no town, no land of my own
- uṟavu maṟṟu oruvar illai
- no kin, nor anyone else
- niṉ pāta mūlam
- the root of Your feet
- parama mūrtti
- O Supreme Form
- kāroḷi vaṇṇaṉē
- O Lord with the glow of rain clouds
- ār uḷar kaḷaikaṇ
- who is there to shelter me?
Tirumalai 30 · verse 901 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is no purity in my mind, no sweet word on my lips. In anger I look on others with hatred and call them harsh names for nothing. O Lord with the garland of wild tulasi, O Lord of Srirangam ringed by the Kaveri, tell me, what refuge is left for me now, O King who rules over me?
Word by word
- maṉattil ōr tūymai illai
- no purity in my mind
- vāyil ōr iṉcol illai
- no sweet word on my lips
- tīviḷi viḷivaṉ vāḷā
- I call out cruel words for nothing
- puṉattuḻāy mālaiyāṉē
- O Lord with the garland of wild tulasi
- poṉṉi cūḻ tiruvaraṅkā
- O Lord of Srirangam ringed by the Kaveri
- eṉakku iṉik kati eṉ
- what refuge is there for me now?
- eṉṉai āḷuṭaiya kōvē
- O King who rules me
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.