Ten verses waking Sri Ranganatha at dawn: the sun rising in the east, the bees stirring, the cool breeze, the devas and sages waiting at His gate. The Alwar asks to be accepted as the servant of His servants, and his very name, Thondaradippodi, means "the dust at the feet of the devotees".
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 1 · verse 917 of the four thousand
Meaning
The sun has come and reached the peak of the eastern hills. The thick darkness has gone, and it is the lovely hour of morning. All the great flowers have opened and their honey flows. The kings of the devas have come, crowding in, and fill the space before You. The great herds of tuskers that came with them, with their cow-elephants and their drums, make a roar everywhere like the wave-tossed sea. O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- katiravaṉ
- the sun
- kuṇaticaic cikaram
- the peak in the east
- kaṉai iruḷ akaṉṟatu
- the thick darkness has gone
- matu virintu oḻukiṉa
- opened and flowing with honey
- vāṉavar aracarkaḷ
- the kings of the devas
- iruṅ kaḷiṟṟu īṭṭamum
- the herds of great tuskers
- araṅkattammā
- O Lord of Srirangam
- paḷḷi eḻuntaruḷāyē
- graciously rise from Your bed
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 2 · verse 918 of the four thousand
Meaning
Here is the east wind, blowing strong, after brushing the rich blossoms of the lush jasmine creeper. The swans asleep on their beds of flowers have risen, shaking off their great wings soaked in the falling dew. You ended the bitter agony of the elephant that cried out in pain, faint from the poison, as the white teeth of the crocodile's cave-like gaping mouth sank into it. O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- koḻuṅkoṭi mullaiyiṉ
- of the lush jasmine creeper
- kuṇa-ticai mārutam
- the east wind
- malar aṇaip paḷḷikoḷ aṉṉam
- swans sleeping on beds of flowers
- īṉpaṇi naṉainta
- soaked in the falling dew
- mutalaiyiṉ
- of the crocodile
- pilam purai pēḻvāy
- gaping mouth like a cave
- āṉaiyiṉ aruntuyar keṭutta
- who ended the elephant Gajendra's bitter agony
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 3 · verse 919 of the four thousand
Meaning
Bright light has spread through all the directions around. The glitter of the crowded stars has faded, and the cool moon has paled its spreading light. The vast darkness has gone. The dawn wind has grown strong, carrying the scent of the rich spathes breaking out of the sheaths of the areca palms in the green groves. O Lord of Srirangam, in whose beautiful large hand shines the discus of mighty light, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- cūḻ ticai ellām
- in all the directions around
- tuṉṉiya tārakai
- the crowded stars
- paṉi mati
- the cool moon
- paim poḻiṟ kamukiṉ
- of the areca palms in the green groves
- vaṇ pāḷaikaḷ nāṟa
- the rich spathes giving out their scent
- vaikaṟai
- the dawn
- aṭal-oḷi tikaḻ taru tikiri
- the discus shining with mighty light
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 4 · verse 920 of the four thousand
Meaning
The cowherds set loose the young buffaloes to graze on the uplands, and the music of their bamboo flutes and the bells of the bulls has spread in every direction. In the fields the swarms of bees have flown up. O bull among the devas, whose banded bow withered the clan of Lanka! O our King of Ayodhya, of slaying strength, who guarded the great sage's sacrifice and saw it through to its closing bath! O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- mēṭṭu iḷa mētikaḷ
- young buffaloes grazing on the uplands
- vēyṅkuḻal ōcaiyum
- the sound of bamboo flutes
- viṭai maṇik kuralum
- and the ringing of the bulls' bells
- irintaṉa curumpiṉam
- the swarms of bees have flown up
- ilaṅkaiyar kulattai vāṭṭiya
- who withered the clan of Lanka
- vāṉavar ēṟē
- O bull, the foremost, among the devas
- avapiratam
- the closing bath that completes a sacrifice
- ayōtti em aracē
- O our King of Ayodhya
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 5 · verse 921 of the four thousand
Meaning
The birds are calling in the flowering groves. The night has gone and the dawn has come. The roar of the eastern sea rises everywhere. The devas have come in, carrying lovely garlands of mixed flowers around which happy bees hum, to bow at Your two feet. So, my Lord, our Lord of the temple where the king of Lanka offers worship, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- pulampiṉa puṭkaḷum
- the birds are calling
- pōyiṟṟuk kaṅkul
- the night has gone
- pukuntatu pulari
- the dawn has come
- kaṉaikaṭal aravam
- the roar of the sea
- kaḷi vaṇṭu miḻaṟṟiya
- around which happy bees hum
- kalampakam
- a garland of mixed flowers
- ilaṅkaiyarkōṉ vaḻipāṭu cey kōyil
- the temple where the king of Lanka, Vibhishana, worships
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 6 · verse 922 of the four thousand
Meaning
Are these the suns with their tall jewelled chariots? Are these the eleven lords who ride on bulls? Is this the six-faced one who rides the peacock? The Maruts and the Vasus have come, crowding in again and again. With horses, dancing, singing and chariots, a great flood of hosts has pressed in. Are they all here before Your temple, which stands like a great mountain? O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- iraviyar
- the suns, the Adityas
- maṇi neṭun tēroṭum
- with their tall jewelled chariots
- patiṉoru viṭaiyarum
- the eleven who ride bulls, the Rudras
- mayiliṉaṉ aṟumukaṉ
- the six-faced one, Skanda, who rides the peacock
- marutarum vacukkaḷum
- the Maruts and the Vasus
- īṇṭiya veḷḷam
- the crowding flood of hosts
- aruvarai aṉaiya niṉ kōyil
- Your temple, like a great mountain
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 7 · verse 923 of the four thousand
Meaning
Are these the throngs of the immortals of the sky? Are these the sages of hard penance, and the Maruts? Is this Indra, come with his elephant? My Lord, at the gate of Your temple the celestials press close, the vidyadharas push forward, and even the yakshas are bewildered, all eager to worship Your holy feet. There is no room left in the sky or on the earth, is that not so? O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- antarattu amararkaḷ
- the immortals of the sky
- aruntava muṉivarum
- the sages of hard penance
- intiraṉ āṉaiyum
- Indra with his elephant
- kōyiliṉ vācal
- the gate of the temple
- viccātarar nūkka
- the vidyadharas pushing forward
- iyakkarum mayaṅkiṉar
- even the yakshas are bewildered
- antaram pār iṭam illai
- no room in the sky or on the earth
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 8 · verse 924 of the four thousand
Meaning
The devas bring fresh, fragrant offerings, and the good sages Tumburu and Narada have come in, bringing all that is fit for You to see as You wake, beginning with the great treasures, the cow Kapila and a bright mirror. Is it they? The sun has appeared, spreading its clear light, and the darkness is leaving the sky. O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- vampaviḻ
- fresh and fragrant
- māniti
- the great treasures
- kapilai
- Kapila, the sacred cow
- oṇ kaṇṇāṭi
- a bright mirror
- paṭimakkalam kāṇṭaṟku
- for You to look upon as You wake
- tumpuru nāratar
- the sages Tumburu and Narada
- ampara talattiṉiṉṟu
- from the expanse of the sky
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 9 · verse 925 of the four thousand
Meaning
With faultless drums of many kinds, the lute, the flute and the muzhavu drum, their music filling every direction, the kinnaras, garudas and gandharvas have sung their songs all through the night. The great ascetics, the devas, the charanas, the yakshas and the siddhas are lost in eagerness to worship Your holy feet. So, to grant them Your morning audience, O Lord of Srirangam, graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- ētam il taṇṇumai
- faultless drums
- yāḻ kuḻal
- the lute and the flute
- icai ticai keḻumi
- music filling every direction
- kiṉṉarar keruṭarkaḷ kentaruvar
- kinnaras, garudas and gandharvas, the heavenly singers
- kaṅkuluḷ ellām
- all through the night
- mātavar
- the great ascetics
- nāḷ-ōlakkam aruḷa
- to grant Your morning audience
Tiruppalliyezhuchi 10 · verse 926 of the four thousand
Meaning
Are these the fragrant lotuses that have bloomed? Is this the sun, risen from the roaring sea? Women with waists slender as the tudi drum have wrung out and shaken their curling hair, put on their clothes and come up from the bath, O Arangan, ringed by waters! I am a servant called Thondaradippodi, whose shoulder shines with the well-strung tulasi and the flower basket. You graciously took me as one to be pitied and made me a servant of Your servants. Graciously rise from Your sleep!
Word by word
- kaṭi-malark kamalaṅkaḷ
- fragrant lotus flowers
- kaṉaikaṭal muḷaittaṉaṉ
- has risen from the roaring sea
- tuṭiyiṭaiyār
- women with waists slender like the tudi drum
- cūḻ puṉal araṅkā
- O Arangan, ringed by waters
- tuḷavamum kūṭaiyum
- the tulasi and the flower basket
- toṇṭaraṭippoṭi
- Thondaradippodi, "dust at the feet of the devotees"
- aḷiyaṉ eṉṟu aruḷi
- graciously deeming me one to be pitied
- uṉ aṭiyārkku āṭpaṭuttāy
- You made me a servant of Your servants
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.