Tirumalai 31 · verse 902 of the four thousand
Meaning
I am not among those who do penance, nor among those who have wealth. Like brackish water, I am of no use at all to my own people. For women with lips red as coral I have become a sinner through and through. You have given me a birth that is wasted, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- tavattuḷār tammil allēṉ
- not among those who do penance
- taṉam paṭaittāril allēṉ
- not among the wealthy
- uvartta nīr pōla
- like brackish water
- tuvartta cevvāyiṉārkkē
- for women with coral-red lips
- turicaṉ
- a sinner
- avattamē piṟavi tantāy
- You gave me a wasted birth
Tirumalai 32 · verse 903 of the four thousand
Meaning
In lovely Srirangam, with groves where the bees hum loudly, O Krishna, with a form like a mass of dark clouds: not knowing a single way to see You, I, a fool and the worst sinner among men, have come and stood before You. A fool am I, a fool am I!
Word by word
- ārttu vaṇṭu alampum cōlai
- groves where the bees hum loudly
- kārt tiraḷ aṉaiya mēṉik
- a form like a mass of dark clouds
- mārkkam oṉṟu aṟiyamāṭṭā
- not knowing a single way
- maṉicaril turicaṉāya
- the worst sinner among men
- mūrkkaṉēṉ vantu niṉṟēṉ
- I, a fool, have come and stood
Tirumalai 33 · verse 904 of the four thousand
Meaning
Letting go of all that is true, falling for women with flowing hair, I, a wicked one bundled up with every falsehood, have come and stood before You. O Master, O Arangan, only in my longing for what is called Your grace, I, a false one, have come and stood here. False am I, false am I!
Word by word
- mey ellām pōka viṭṭu
- letting go of all that is true
- virikuḻalāriṟ paṭṭup
- falling for women with flowing hair
- poy ellām potintu koṇṭa
- bundled up with every falsehood
- pōḻkkaṉēṉ
- I, a wicked one
- aiyaṉē araṅkaṉē
- O Master, O Arangan
- aruḷ eṉṉum ācai taṉṉāl
- only through longing for Your grace
- poyyaṉēṉ
- I, a false one
Tirumalai 34 · verse 905 of the four thousand
Meaning
I am a deceiver with not a trace of the sense to think on the Lord who dwells within my heart. Yet I too put on the dress of a devotee, as if for service. Then I remembered that You live within all who think and know everything they think, and I shrank with shame inside myself and laughed till my sides ached.
Word by word
- uḷḷattē uṟaiyum mālai
- the Lord who dwells within the heart
- kaḷḷattēṉ
- I, a deceiver
- toṇṭukkē kōlam pūṇṭu
- putting on the dress of a servant
- uṭaṉ iruntu aṟiti
- You dwell within and know it all
- veḷkippōy
- shrinking with shame
- vilavu aṟac cirittiṭṭēṉē
- I laughed till my sides ached
Tirumalai 35 · verse 906 of the four thousand
Meaning
O my Father, who long ago strode across all the worlds and took them wholly as Your own! I will serve none but You, O red-eyed Lord, holding fast. My life, my nectar, my Father, dear to me as my own soul: I will think of none but You. And yet I am a sinner, a sinner indeed!
Word by word
- tāvi aṉṟu ulakam ellām
- striding long ago across all the worlds
- talaiviḷākkoṇṭa
- who took them wholly as His own
- cēviyēṉ uṉṉai allāl
- I will serve none but You
- ceṅkaṇ mālē
- O red-eyed loving Lord
- āviyē amutē
- my life, my nectar
- pāviyēṉ uṉṉai allāl
- I will think of none but You
- pāviyēṉ pāviyēṉē
- a sinner am I, a sinner (a play on the same word)
Tirumalai 36 · verse 907 of the four thousand
Meaning
O mighty youth, who once held up the mountain against the rain! O river of sweetness! I toil, caught in the net of women whose glances are like a young deer's. Is it right that You turn away and do not look at me? Is it not You alone that I am calling, O First Form, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam?
Word by word
- maḻaikku aṉṟu varai muṉ ēntum
- who once held up the mountain against the rain
- maintaṉē
- O mighty youth
- matura āṟē
- O river of sweetness
- uḻaik kaṉṟē pōla nōkkam
- glances like a young deer's
- valaiyuḷ paṭṭu
- caught in the net
- uṉṉai yaṉṟē aḻaikkiṉṟēṉ
- is it not You I am calling?
- ātimūrtti
- O First Form, cause of all
Tirumalai 37 · verse 908 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Radiant One who stands tall in Srirangam, ringed by the Kaveri's waters, never clear but always swirling with flood: is He not Himself my father and my mother? What I ask of Him is only a small grace, is it not? Yet my Lord will not say, "Poor thing, he is our boy." Alas, how cruel this is!
Word by word
- teḷivilāk kalaṅkal nīr cūḻ
- ringed by turbid floodwaters, never clear
- oḷiyuḷār
- the Radiant One
- tantaiyum tāyum āvār
- He is father and mother
- eḷiyatu ōr aruḷum aṉṟē
- is it not only a small grace?
- aḷiyaṉ nam paiyal
- poor thing, he is our boy
- ammavō koṭiyavāṟē
- alas, how cruel!
Tirumalai 38 · verse 909 of the four thousand
Meaning
Those who let go of what the world calls great wealth, who come to know the truth deeply and learn the way that is fitting, who restrain the five senses within, who shave their heads and cut away every tie, and who live idle at Your doorstep, doing nothing for themselves: these idle ones are the ones You love, it seems, O Lord of Srirangam ringed by waters. The elders read this idleness as leaving one's whole protection to Him.
Word by word
- mēm poruḷ pōka viṭṭu
- letting go of the world's prized wealth
- meymmaiyai mika uṇarntu
- knowing the truth deeply
- aimpulaṉ akattu aṭakkik
- restraining the five senses within
- kāmpu aṟat talai ciraittu
- shaving the head, cutting every tie
- kaṭaittalai iruntu vāḻum
- living at Your doorstep
- cōmparai ukatti pōlum
- You love the idle ones, it seems
Tirumalai 39 · verse 910 of the four thousand
Meaning
Rather than scholars of the four Vedas who stand as strangers, with no birthright in Your service, You love, it seems, those devotees who love the anklet-bound feet of You who wear tulasi on Your crown, even if they were born among the lowliest of all by birth, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- aṭimaiyiṟ kuṭimai illā
- with no birthright in Your service
- ayal catuppētimāriṟ
- rather than four-Veda scholars who are strangers
- kuṭimaiyiṟ kaṭaimai paṭṭa
- lowest in rank of birth
- muṭiyiṉil tuḷapam vaittāy
- You who wear tulasi on Your crown
- moy kaḻaṟku aṉpu ceyyum
- who love Your anklet-bound feet
- aṭiyarai ukatti pōlum
- You love such devotees, it seems
Tirumalai 40 · verse 911 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Lord whose chest bears Sri and the holy mark! If people keep You shining in their thoughts and hold minds joined to You, then even if they had gathered sins by terrifying, killing and burning every living being on this great earth, they would not have to taste the fruit of those grievous deeds, O Lord who dwells in the great city of Srirangam!
Word by word
- tirumaṟumārva
- O Lord whose chest bears Lakshmi and the Srivatsa mark
- cintaiyuḷ tikaḻa vaittu
- keeping You shining in their thoughts
- maruviya maṉattar ākil
- if their minds are joined to You
- veruvu uṟak koṉṟu cuṭṭiṭṭu
- terrifying, killing and burning
- aruviṉaip payaṉa tuyyār
- they will not taste the fruit of grievous sins
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.