Nānmugan Tiruvandādi taniyan

Srīrāmap piḷḷai aruḷic ceydadu

nārāyaṇan paḍaittān nānmuganai * nānmuganukku 

 ērār sivan piṛandān ennum sol * - sīrār 

 moḻi seppi vāḻalām neñjamē! * moypū 

 maḻisaip paran aḍiyē vāḻttu 

“Tirumaḻisaip piṛan has rendered this divine Prabandham starting with the words, ‘Lord Nārāyaṇa created the four-headed Brahmā; Śiva, a pure Vaiṣṇava, was born to Brahmā’ for us to chant and get delivered; o my heart! Glorify the lotus feet of Tirumaḻisaip piṛan offering flowers.”      

2382 * nānmuganai * nārāyaṇan paḍaittān * nānmuganum 

 tān mugamāyc * saṅkaranait tān paḍaittān ** - yān mugamāy 

 andādi mēliṭṭu * aṛivittēn āḻporuḷai * 

 sindāmal koṇminīr tērndu      1 

“Lord Nārāyaṇa created the four-headed Brahmā; that Brahmā, as a (secondary) creator, created Śiva; (thus), I have declared the deep truth (that Lord Nārāyaṇa is the original creator) through this Tiruvandādi (divine song); please learn and assimilate this truth without any distortion.”    

2383 tēruṅgkāl devan * oruvanē enṛu uraippar * 

 ārum aṛiyār avan perumai ** - ōrum 

 poruḷ muḍivum ittanaiyē * ettavam seydārkkum *

 aruḷ muḍivadu āḻiyān pāl      2 

“It is told (by Vedic scholars like Vyāsa Muni) that there is only one Lord (Nārāyaṇa); nobody knows His incredible qualities and activities; this is the conclusion of the Vedas too; whatever austerities one undergoes, the fruit is obtained only by the mercy of the wielder of the disc.”  

2384 pālil kiḍandaduvum * paṇḍaraṅgam mēyaduvum * 

 ālil tuyinṛaduvum ār aṛivār? ** - jñālattu 

 oru poruḷai * vānavar tam meypporuḷai * appil 

 aruporuḷai yān aṛindavāṛu      3 

“Who knows the beauty of the Lord reclining in the Ocean of Milk, residing eternally in Śrīraṅgam, and once reclining on a tender banyan leaf? How fortunate I have been (by His causeless mercy) to realise the pastime of (the Lord) appearing as a human being (Kaṇṇan) on this earth; that He is the ever-present Lord of the nitya-muktas; and that He reclines in the Kāraṇa Ocean (as Kāraṇa-abdhi-śāyī).”  

2385 āṛu saḍaik karandān * aṇḍar kōn tannōḍum * 

kūṛuḍaiyan enbaduvum koḷkaittē ** - vēṛoruvar 

 illāmai * ninṛānai emmānai * epporuṭkum 

 sollānaic connēn tohuttu         4 

“Can the claim that Rudra, who has captured the river Ganges in his matted hair, is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead be accepted? (Definitely not). I have thus briefly described the Lord who has no one equal to Him or greater than Him and who is indicated by any word describing any object (Sarva-śabda-vācya).”

2386 tohutta varattanāyt * tōlādān mārvam * 

 vagirtta vaḷaiyugir tōḷ mālē! ** - ugattil 

 oru nānṛu nī uyartti * uḷ vāṅgi nīyē * 

arunāngum ānāy aṛi                    5 

“O Supreme Lord who has curved nails in Your hands with which You split the chest of the undefeatable Hiraṇyakaśipu who had obtained well-thought-of boons! You swallow all the planetary systems and bring them out again, and You are the Supersoul of the four types of living beings (demigods, human beings, animals, and plants); this is the truth.”   

2387 aṛiyār samaṇar * ayarttār pavuttar * 

 siṛiyār śivap baṭṭār seppil ** - veṛiyāya 

 māyavanai mālavanai * mādhavanai ēttār * 

 īnavarē ādalāl inṛu                 6 

“The Jains are ignorant, the Buddhists are confused, and the Śaivites are small-minded; in fact, they never worship Mādhava who is the purest, who has incredible qualities and activities, and who is affectionate to His devotees; so, they are despicable.”   

2388 inṛāha * nāḷaiyē āha * inic ciṛidum

 ninṛāha * nin aruḷ en pāladē ** - nanṛāha 

 nān unnai * anṛi ilēn kaṇḍāy * nāraṇanē! 

 nī ennai anṛi ilai                   7 

“O Nārāyaṇa! I am sure I will obtain Your mercy today, tomorrow, or after some time; (because) I do not have any shelter other than You and You can not find anyone lowly than me.”   

2389 ilai tuṇai matṛṛu en neñjē! * īsanai venṛa * 

 silai koṇḍa seṅgkaṇ māl sērā ** - kulai koṇḍa 

 īraintalaiyān * ilaṅgaiyai īḍaḻitta * 

 kūramban allāl kuṛai                  8 

“O my heart! There is no unfailing protector other than Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Rāma) who took the bow (from Paraśurāma) which defeated Rudra; who destroyed Laṅkā and the ten-headed Rāvaṇa, who did not respect Him, with His sharp arrows.”    

Note:Once Viśvakarmā, the celestial architect, made two excellent bows; Viṣṇu took one and Śiva the other. To know which bow is the best, Brahmā instigated a fight between Viṣṇu and Śiva. In the fight, Śiva’s bow was damaged and later, he gave it to the king Devarāta of Janaka-vamśa, and it finally came to king Janaka. This was the bow that Rāma broke during mother Sītā’s marriage selection assembly.

Viṣṇu gave His bow to Ṛcīka Muni. Through his son Jamadagni it came to Paraśurāma. Rāma defeated Paraśurāma and took the bow from him.  

2390 kuṛai koṇḍu nānmugan * kuṇḍigai nīr peydu * 

 maṛai koṇḍa mandirattāl vāḻtti ** - kaṛai koṇḍa 

 kaṇḍattān * cenni mēl ēṛak kaḻuvinān * 

 aṇḍattān sēvaḍiyai āṅgu             9 

“Brahmā purified himself and washed the lotus feet of Trivikrama (when He extended and measured the planetary systems) with water from his kamaṇḍalū, chanted Vedic mantras like Puruṣa-sūkta, and glorified Him; that holy water fell on the matted hair of Rudra, whose neck is blue in colour because of the poison he swallowed (and emerged as river Ganges).”    

2391 āṅgāravāram * adu kēṭṭu * aḻal umiḻum 

 pūṅgār aravaṇaiyān ponmēni ** - yām kāṇa 

 vallamē allamē? * māmalarān vārsaḍaiyān * 

 vallarē allarē? vāḻttu           10 

“Aren’t we qualified to see the beautiful form of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha reclining on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa who is angry and spitting fire mistaking the loud sound of chanting of Vedic mantras (by the nitya-muktas as the tumultuous noise raised by the asuras who have managed to come there)? (Yes, the pure devotees of the Lord can see). (Whereas) Brahmā and the matted-haired Rudra cannot glorify the Lord properly.”    

2392 vāḻttuha vāy * kāṇga kaṇ kēṭka sevi * maguḍam 

 tāḻtti * vaṇaṅgumiṅgaḷ taṇmalarāl ** - sūḻtta 

 tuḻāy mannu nīḷmuḍi * en tollai māl tannai * 

 vaḻā vaṇkai kūppi madittu          11 

“The Lord whose long hair is adorned with plenty of garlands of tulasī leaves is always affectionate to His devotees like me; worship Him with folded hands, bow down to Him offering fresh flowers and meditate on Him continuously; let your mouth glorify Him, let your eyes enjoy His form, and let your ears hear His wonderful pastimes.”  

2393 madittāypōy nāṅgin * madiyār pōy vīḻa * 

 madittāy madikōḷ viḍuttāy ** - madittāy 

 maḍuk kiḍanda * māmudalai kōḷ viḍuppān * āḻi 

 viḍaṛkiraṇḍum pōy iraṇḍin vīḍu        12 

“O my Lord! Those who do not think of You are forced to continue in the birth-death cycle in the four types of bodies for a long time; You relieved the distress of the moon; when the king elephant was in distress, You threw the disc on the crocodile and delivered both of them.” 

Note: The story of Gajendra and the crocodile is given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.2-4    

2394 vīḍākkum * petṛṛi aṛiyādu * mey varuttik 

kūḍākki * ninṛuṇḍu koṇḍuḻalvīr! ** - vīḍākkum 

 meypporuḷ tān * veda mudaṛporuḷ tān * viṇṇavarkku

 naṛporuḷ tān nārāyaṇan               13 

“O you people who undergo severe austerities for a long time and eat very little turning the body into a skeleton without knowing the proper way to attain mokṣa! (Know that) Lord Nārāyaṇa is the true deliverer, the Absolute Truth revealed in the Vedas, and, the Lord of the nitya-muktas.”   

2395 nārāyaṇan ennai āḷi * naragattuc

 cērāmal * kākkum tirumāl ** tan - pērāna 

 pēsap peṛāda * piṇac camayar pēsak kēṭṭu * 

 āsaippaṭṭu āḻvār palar               14 

“The Buddhists and the Jains, who are not fortunate enough to chant the holy names of the most munificent Lord Nārāyaṇa, my master, and who protects one from falling into hell, speak meaningless philosophy; some, who listen to that, follow them and get ruined.”    

2396 pala devar ēttap * paḍi kaḍandān pādam * 

 malar ēṛa viṭṭiṛaiñji vāḻtta - valarāhil ** 

 mārkkaṇḍan kaṇḍa vahaiyē * varum kaṇḍīr * 

 nīrkkaṇḍan kaṇḍa nilai                15

“If one can glorify and offer flowers to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord who measured the planetary systems while the demigods worshipped Him, one can get protected like Mārkaṇḍeya who was directed to worship the Lord by the blue-necked Rudra.”  

Note: Some Purāṇas mention that Rudra delivered Mārkaṇḍeya; but, in Mahābhārata, Vana-parva, chapter 192, Mārkaṇḍeya tells Yudhiṣṭhira that he worshipped Nārāyaṇa for his protection; in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.8 it is confirmed that Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi worshiped the Supreme Lord Hari for six lifetimes of Manu.

2397 nilai mannum en neñjam * annānṛu * devar 

 talai mannar * tāmē mātṛṛāha ** - pala mannar 

 pōr māḷa * veṅgkadirōn māyap poḻil maṛaiya * 

 tērāḻiyāl maṛaittārāl           16 

“During Mahābhārata war, the Supreme Personality of Godhead considered the Kauravas and their associate kings as His enemies and helped the Pāṇḍavas, Arjuna in particular, wipe them out; (to help Arjuna fulfill his vow of killing Jayadratha before sunset on the thirteenth day of the war for having killed his son Abhimanyu) Kṛṣṇa blocked the sun with His disc to deceive the Kauravas and Jayadratha and think that the sun has set; (thinking of this kind act of Kṛṣṇa to protect His devotee’s vow) my restless mind has become peaceful (and taken refuge of the benevolent Lord).”      

2398 āla niḻaṛkīḻ * aṛa neṛiyai * nālvarkku 

 mēlai yugatturaittān * meyttavattōn ** - jñālam

 aḷandānai * āḻik kiḍandānai * āl mēl 

 vaḷarndānait tān vaṇaṅgumāṛu      17 

“In one yuga, the truly austere Rudra instructed Agastya Muni, sage Pulastya, Dakṣa, and Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi under a banyan tree the devotional path followed by him to worship the Lord who measured the planetary systems, reclines in Kṣīrodaka ocean, and reclined on a tender banyan leaf.” 

2399 māṛāya dānavanai * vaḷḷugirāl * mārviraṇḍu 

 kūṛāhak * kīṛiya kōḷ ariyai ** - vēṛāha 

 ētti iruppārai * vellumē * matṛṛavaraic 

 cārtti iruppār tavam             18 

“Worship of the devotees who are pure devotees of the mighty Nṛsiṁhadeva who split the chest of the arrogant Hiraṇyakaśipu with His sharp nails is better than worshipping the Lord.”    

2400 tavam seydu * nānmuganāl petṛṛa varattai * 

 avam seyda āḻiyāy anṛē ** - uvandu emmaik 

 kāppāy nī * kāppadanai āvāy nī * vaikuntam 

 īppāyum evvuyirkkum nī               19 

“O disc-wielding Lord! You circumvented the boons obtained from Brahmā by demons like Hiraṇyakaśipu by performing austerities (and killed them); You are the one who mercifully protects Your devotees; and, You are the one who awards Vaikuṇṭha to any living being who takes shelter of You.”   

2401 nīyē ulagellām * nin aruḷē niṛpanavum * 

 nīyē tavat deva devanum ** - nīyē 

 eri suḍarum māl varaiyum * eṇtisaiyum * aṇḍattu

 irusuḍarum āya ivai                 20 

“You are the maintainer of the planetary systems; they are protected by Your mercy alone; You are the Supreme Personality for the demigods; You are the fire, the mountains, all the objects in the eight directions, the sun, and the moon.”  

2402 ivaiyā! pilavāy * tiṛanderi kānṛa * 

 ivaiyā! eri vaṭṭak kaṇgaḷ ** - ivaiyā! 

 eri poṅgik kāṭṭum * imaiyōr perumān * 

 ari poṅgik kāṭṭum aḻahu           21 

“A huge gaping mouth spitting fire! Huge fireballs like eyes! Blazing fire-like body! How wonderful is the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva of the Supreme Personality of Godhead!   

2403 aḻahiyān tānē * ariyuruvan tānē * 

 paḻahiyān tāḷē paṇimin ** - kuḻaviyāyt 

 tān ēḻulagukkum * tanmaikkum tanmaiyanē * 

 mīnāy uyiraḷikkum vittu            22 

“(O worldly people!) He is the cause of all the planetary systems; He took up the incredible form of a baby (on a banyan leaf) and a fish; He is the protector of the living beings; He is the material qualities like form, taste, etc; He appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva; He is the most beautiful; He is the most ancient; surrender to His lotus feet.”    

2404 vittu miḍa vēṇḍuṅgkollō? * viḍai aḍartta * 

 patti uḻavan paḻampunattu ** - moytteḻunda 

 kārmēham anna * karumāl tirumēni * 

 nīr vānam kāṭṭum nigaḻndu        23 

“The Lord who tamed the seven demoniac bulls (for the sake of Nappinnai) is the transcendental farmer who tills the land, the heart of a person, who has the desire to attain Him and causes the seed of bhakti to sprout; the rain clouds remind the devotee of the fresh rain cloud-hue of the Lord.”  

2405 nihaḻndāy * pāl pon pasuppuk * kārvaṇṇam nāṅgum 

 ihaḻndāy * iruvaraiyum vīyap - puhaḻndāy ** 

 sinap pōrc cuvēdanaic * sēnāpatiyāy * 

 manap pōr muḍikkum vahai              24 

“You appeared in four different body hues in the four yugas (white, red, green, and black); You killed Madhu and Kaiṭabha; You became the protector of the Pāṇḍavas’ army in Mahābhārata war and helped Arjuna fight valiantly and fulfill his vow (that the hair of Draupadī to be tied back).”   

2406 vahaiyāl madiyādu * maṇ koṇḍāy * matṛṛum 

 vahaiyāl * varuvadu onṛuṇḍē ** - vahaiyāl 

 vayiram kuḻaittuṇṇum * māvali tān ennum * 

 vayira vaḻakkoḻittāy matṛṛu            25 

“You begged land from Bali ignoring Your exalted position; further, You curbed the pride of Bali who was consuming gemstones treated with herbal extracts for strengthening the body and delivered him; did You benefit from these actions? (No, You did so for delivering devotees).” 

2407 matṛṛut toḻuvār * oruvaraiyum yān inmai * 

 katṛṛaic caḍaiyān karik kaṇḍāy ** - etṛṛaikkum

 kaṇḍu koḷ kaṇḍāy * kaḍal vaṇṇā! * yān unnaik 

 kaṇḍu koḷhiṛkumāṛu                  26 

“O ocean-hued Lord! Matted-haired Rudra is the witness to my unwavering devotion to You; kindly grant that I worship You always.”

Note: Once Śiva and Pārvatī observed Tirumaḻisai Āḻvār in trance. After understanding about his unwavering devotion to Lord Nārāyaṇa, Pārvatī told Śiva that they should go and bless him with some boons. The Āḻvār ignored them and when Śiva asked him why, he said that he didn’t have anything to do with him. Then Śiva told him to ask for a boon. When the Āḻvār asked him to grant him Vaikuntha, he replied that only Nārāyaṇa could grant that; then the Āḻvār asked him to grant long life so that he could engage in devotion and attain Vaikuntha which also could not be given by Śiva; then the Āḻvār sarcastically asked for a simple boon that the thread should go through the hole of the needle; angered by the sarcasm, Śiva spit fire from his third eye to burn the Āḻvār who in turn opened an eye on his big toe of the right foot from which a bigger fire arose engulfing the fire created by Śiva. Then Śiva caused torrential rains to drown the Āḻvār but couldn’t. Accepting his defeat, Śiva appreciated the devotion of the Āḻvār and named him ‘Bhaktisārar.’         

2408 māl tān puhunda * maḍa neñjam * matṛṛaduvum 

 pēṛāhak * koḷvanō? pēdaihāḷ! ** - nīṛāḍi 

 tān kāṇa māṭṭāda * tārahalac cēvaḍiyai * 

 yān kāṇa vallēṛku idu                 27 

“O foolish people! Will I desire for anything (material) with my heart that the Lord has occupied? (Never); I am fortunate to worship the incredible lotus feet of the Lord which are worshipped by offering flowers and could not be seen by Rudra whose body is smeared with ash.”   

2409 idu ilaṅgai īḍaḻiyak * kaṭṭiya sētu * 

 idu vilaṅgu vāliyai vīḻttaduvum ** - idu ilaṅgai

 tān oḍuṅga vil nuḍaṅgat * taṇtār irāvaṇanai * 

 ūn oḍuṅga eydān uhappu            28 

Āḻvār visualises some of the pastimes of Rāma: “Look at this bridge (on the ocean) built to destroy Laṅkā; see Rāma shooting arrows to kill the monkey king Vāli; see this happy occasion of Rāma bending His bow to shoot arrows destroying Laṅkā and killing Rāvaṇa decorated with fresh garlands.”     

2410 uhappuruvan tānē * oḷi uruvan tānē * 

 mahappuruvan tānē madikkil ** - mihappuruvam 

 onṛukku onṛu * ōsanaiyān vīḻa * oru kaṇaiyāl 

 anṛikkoṇḍu eydān avan               29 

“Meditate on Rāma—who shot a single arrow to kill the colossal bodied Kumbhakarṇa - the distance between the two eyebrows on his face was eight miles—who has a beautiful, effulgent, and wonderful form.”     

2411 avan ennai āḷi * araṅgattu araṅgil * 

 avan ennai eydāmal kāppān ** - avan ennadu 

 uḷḷattu * ninṛān irundān kiḍakkumē * 

 veḷḷattaravaṇaiyin mēl           30 

“Śrīraṅgan, my master, will keep me out of the cycle of birth (in various bodies akin to donning different roles in theatrical plays) and death; He is standing and sitting in my heart; (further on) will he recline on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa in the ocean of milk? (No, He will recline in my heart).                                                           

2412 mēl nānmugan * aranai iṭṭa viḍu sābam * 

 tān nāraṇan oḻittān tāragaiyuḷ ** - vānōr 

 perumānai * ēttāda pēyhāḷ! * piṛakkum 

 karumāyam pēsin kadai               31 

“That Lord Nārāyaṇa relieved the curse on Śiva because of (cutting off a head of) Brahmā is known to all in this world; O wretched people who (still) do not sing the praises of that Lord of nitya-muktas! Your tale of woes due to repeated births in various types of wombs will be endless.”   

2413 kadaip poruḷ tān * kaṇṇan tiruvayitṛṛin uḷḷa * 

 udaippaḷavu pōdu pōkkinṛi ** - vadaip poruḷ tān 

 vāynda guṇattup * paḍādadu aḍaiminō * 

 āynda guṇattān aḍi                32 

“All the objects in this world retain their characteristics because of the will of Kaṇṇan who kept all the planetary systems in His stomach; those who do not engage in praising His auspicious qualities are wretched beings; (so) take shelter of the lotus feet of that Lord who possesses divine qualities.” 

2414 aḍic cagaḍam cāḍi * aravāṭṭi * yānai 

 piḍittosittup * pēy mulai nañjuṇḍu ** - vaḍip pavaḷa 

 vāyp pinnai tōḷikkā * vallētṛṛu eruttiṛuttu * 

 kōppinnumānān kuṛippu                                      33 

“The Lord enacted various pastimes like kicking and shattering Śakaṭāsura; catching the tail and dancing on the hoods of the serpent Kālīya and taming him; breaking the tusk and killing of the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa; taming the seven demoniac bulls for the sake of Nappinnai who has coral-like lips and elegant shoulders; and, sucking the poison-laced nipple and killing of the demon Pūtanā and thus established His divinity.”  

2415 kuṛippu enakkuk * kōṭṭiyūr mēyānai ētta * 

 kuṛippu enakku nanmai payakka ** - veṛuppanō? 

 veṅkaṭattu mēyānai * meyvinai nōy eydāmal * 

 tān kaḍattum tanmaiyān tāḷ      34 

“I long to worship the Lord who eternally resides in Tirukkōṭṭiyūr and on Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills; I relish engaging in His devotional service; how can I forget the lotus feet of the Lord who mercifully helps us in avoiding material activities and diseases?”  

2416 * tāḷāl ulagam * aḷanda asaivē kol? * 

 vāḷā kiḍandaruḷum vāytiṛavān ** - nīḷōdam 

 vandalaikkum māmayilai * māvallikkēṇiyān * 

 aindalaivāy nāgattaṇai                  35 

“The Lord who eternally resides in Tiruvallikkēṇi, near Mayilai (Mylāpore, Chennai), on the stormy seashore, and who reclines on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa remains silent; is it because He is tired after measuring the planetary systems?”    

2417 nāgattaṇaik kuḍandai * veqkā tiruvevvuḷ * 

 nāgattaṇai araṅgam pēranbil ** - nāgat 

 taṇaip pāṛkaḍal kiḍakkum * ādi neḍumāl * 

 aṇaippār karuttanāvān                                 36 

“The Lord reclines on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa in Tirukkuḍandai, Tiruveqkā, Tiruevvuḷ, and, the Milk Ocean; the cause of all causes reclines on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa in Śrīraṅgam, Tiruppēr, and also in Tiruanbil waiting to get into the heart of His devotee who surrenders to Him.”    

2418 vānulavu tīvaḷi * mākaḍal māporuppu * 

 tān ulavu veṅgkadirum taṇmadiyum ** - mēl nilavu 

 koṇḍal peyarum * tisai eṭṭum sūḻcciyum * 

 aṇḍantirumālahaippu                                     37 

“The sky, the fire, the wind, the oceans, the mountains, the sun, the moon, the clouds, the living beings, the eight directions, and the universe with its coverings are all various manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

2419 ahaippil manisarai * āṛu samayam

 pugaittān * porukaḍal nīr vaṇṇan ** - uhaikku mēl 

 ettevar vālāṭṭum * evvāṛu seyhaiyum * 

 appōdoḻiyum aḻaippu                                    38 

“If the ocean-hued Supreme Lord—who forces those who do not have faith in Him to adopt the six unauthorised religions – Buddhism (Buddha), godless Sāṅkhya (Kapila), Nyāya (Gautama), Jainism, Vaiśeṣika (Kaṇāda), and Yoga, or mysticism (Patañjali)—does not will, the demigods, yajñas, and rituals lose their power.”

2420 aḻaippan * tiruveṅkaṭattānaik kāṇa * 

 iḻaippan * tirukkūḍal kūḍa ** - maḻaippēr 

 aruvi * maṇi varanṛi vandiḻiya * yānai 

veruvi aravoḍuṅgum veṛpu                                39 

“I call out to the Lord of Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills with the desire to worship Him; I check my fortune to find out if I would go to Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills where the torrential waterfalls gather bright ruby stones and scatter them here and there; the elephants stand stunned in fear thinking that the light from the ruby stones are fire streaks and the snakes crawl fast and hide in holes thinking the bright light to be lightning streaks.”  

2421 veṛpenṛu * veṅkaṭam pāḍinēn * vīḍākki 

 niṛkinṛēn * ninṛu ninaikkinṛēn ** - kaṛkinṛa 

 nūl valaiyil paṭṭirunda * nūlāṭṭi kēḷvanār * 

 kāl valaiyil paṭṭirundēn kāṇ                           40 

“I am speechless, just because I casually uttered the names of Veṅkaṭa Hills and other hills, the Lord was merciful to assure me ‘mokṣa;’ the Lord of mother Lakṣmī is the subject of the Vedas to say that He is caught in the web of the Vedas, I am also caught in the web of the lotus feet of the Lord.”     

2422 kāṇaluṛuhinṛēn * kallaruvi muttudira * 

 ōṇa viḻavil oli adira ** - pēṇi 

 varuveṅkaṭavā! * en uḷḷam puhundāy * 

 tiruveṅkaṭam adanaic cenṛu                          41 

“O Lord of Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills! You have (left the Hills and) entered my heart; but I long to go to Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills where the stormy waterfalls scatter pearls and there is the resounding chanting of Your names and glories by the loving devotees who gather on the day of Tiruvōṇam (birth-star of Lord Viṣṇu).” 

2423 senṛu vaṇaṅguminō * sēṇuyar veṅkaṭattai * 

 ninṛu vinai keḍukkum nīrmaiyāl ** - enṛum 

 kaḍikkamala nānmuganum * kaṇ mūnṛattānum * 

 aḍikkamalam iṭṭu ēttum aṅgu                            42 

“Go and worship the tall Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills which certainly removes the sinful reactions; on that Hills, the fragrant lotus-born Brahmā and the three-eyed Śiva always worship the lotus feet of the Lord offering lotus flowers.” 

2424 maṅgul tōy cenni * vaḍaveṅkaṭattānai * 

 kaṅgul puhundārhaḷ * kāppaṇivān ** - tiṅgaḷ 

 saḍaiyēṛa vaittānum * tāmarai mēlānum * 

 kuḍaiyēṛat tām kuvittuk koṇḍu                      43 

“To perform the daily evening worship of the Lord, who resides in the sky-high tall Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills, Śiva, who keeps the crescent moon in his matted hair, and the lotus-born Brahmā go taking the pearl-studded umbrella and other paraphernalia.” 

2425 koṇḍu kuḍaṅgāl * mēl vaitta kuḻaviyāy * 

 taṇḍa arakkan talai tāḷāl - paṇḍeṇṇi ** 

 pōm kumaran niṛkum * poḻil veṅkaṭa malaikkē * 

 pōm kumararuḷḷīr! purindu                            44 

“O young people! Go with devotion to Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills where the eternally youthful Lord who lay on the lap of Brahmā as a baby and counted ten with His toes to identify the disguised Rāvaṇa to him (so that he can deny a boon him) resides.”   

2426 purindu malar iṭṭup * puṇḍarīkap pādam * 

 parindu paḍukāḍu niṛpa ** - terindeṅgum 

 tān ōṅgi niṛkinṛān * taṇṇaruvi veṅkaṭamē * 

 vānōrkkum maṇṇōrkkum vaippu                         45 

“Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills with many cool waterfalls, the abode of the Lord whose auspicious qualities are glorified everywhere is a divine place for both the Vaikuṇṭha-residing nitya-muktas and the earth-bound devotees who offer flowers with love to the lotus feet of the Lord, glorify Him, and stand like cut-down trees (unwilling to leave the presence of the Lord).”    

2427 vaippan maṇi viḷakkā * māmadiyai * mālukkenṛu 

 eppoḻudum * kai nīṭṭum yānaiyai ** - eppāḍum 

 vēḍu vaḷaikkak * kuṛavar vil eḍukkum veṅkaṭamē * 

 nāḍu vaḷaittāḍudu mēl nanṛu                      46 

“Everyone should dance happily and worship Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills where while an elephant stretches its trunk to catch the bright moon and offer it as a lamp to the Lord, hunters surround the elephant to catch it but the gypsies come with their bows to drive away the hunters.”     

2428 nanmaṇi vaṇṇanūr * āḷiyum kōḷariyum * 

 ponmaṇiyum muttamum pūmaramum ** - panmaṇi nī 

  rōḍu poruduruḷum * kānamum vānaramum * 

 vēḍumuḍai veṅkaṭam       47 

“Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills where there are yāḷis (a creature that has the head and the body of a lion, the trunk and the tusks of an elephant, and sometimes bearing equine features), powerful lions, gold, sapphire gemstones, pearls, flowering trees, forests where rubies are scattered by the waterfalls, monkeys, and, hunters are the abode of the blue-sapphire gemstone-hued Lord.”     

2429 veṅkaṭamē * viṇṇōr toḻuvaduvum * meymmaiyāl 

 veṅkaṭamē * meyvinai nōy tīrppaduvum ** - veṅkaṭamē

 dānavarai vīḻat * tan āḻip paḍai toṭṭu * 

vānavaraik kāppān malai                           48 

“Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills is worshipped with loving devotion by the nitya-muktas; Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills removes the sinful reactions and intractable diseases; Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills is the abode of the Lord who kills the demons with His disc weapon and protects the demigods.”

Note: Vempāvam means tough sinful reactions, kaṭam means to burn; so, Venkaṭa means ‘removes tough sinful reactions.’ 

2430 malaiyāmai mēl vaittu * vāsukīyaic cutṛṛi * 

 talaiyāmai tān oru kai patṛṛi ** - alaiyāmal 

 pīṛak kaḍainda * perumān tirunāmam * 

 kūṛuvadē yāvarkkum kūtṛṛu                       49 

“The Lord took the form of a tortoise, kept Mandara Mountain on His back, coiled Vāsuki around, held the mountain with one hand, and helped in churning; chanting His holy names should be the important function of our mouths.”

Note: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.7.16-17: When nectar did not come from the Ocean of Milk, despite so much endeavor by the best of the demigods and demons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ajita, personally began to churn the ocean.   The Lord appeared like a blackish cloud. He was dressed with yellow garments, His earrings shone on His ears like lightning, and His hair spread over His shoulders. He wore a garland of flowers, and His eyes were pinkish. With His strong, glorious arms, which award fearlessness throughout the universe, He took hold of Vāsuki and began churning the ocean, using Mandara Mountain as a churning rod. When engaged in this way, the Lord appeared like a beautifully situated mountain named Indranīla.   

2431 kūtṛṛamum sārā * koḍuvinaiyum sārā * tī 

 mātṛṛamum sārā vahai aṛindēn ** - ātṛṛaṅg 

 karaik kiḍakkum * kaṇṇan kaḍal kiḍakkum * māyan 

 uraik kiḍakkum uḷḷattu enakku                      50 

“I have found out the way which removes the fear of death, prevents tough sinful reactions, and, protects from evil effects. (That is) The carama-śloka of Bhagavad-gītā spoken by Kaṇṇan—the incredible Lord who reclines in the Milk Ocean and Kabisthalam (Pāpanāsam, Tanjore)—is engraved in my heart.”

Note: Bg 18.66 

sarva-dharmān parityajya    mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo   mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.    

2432 enakkāvār ār oruvarē? * emperumān 

 tanakkāvān * tānē matṛṛallāl ** - punakkāyā 

 vaṇṇanē! * unnaip piṛar aṛiyār * en madikku 

 viṇ ellām uṇḍō vilai?                             51 

“O ironwood flower-hued Lord! Who is a match for me? (No one because I am fortunate to have received Your causeless mercy). You, the Supreme Lord too are without any equal or superior, but You are not equal to me (because as Your surrendered servant I am superior to You); no one knows You as I do; so, can the celestial worlds be equal to my consciousness? (Not at all).   

2433 vilaikku āṭpaḍuvar * visādi ētṛṛuṇbar * 

 talaikkāṭpali tirivar takkōr ** - mulaik kāl 

 viḍam uṇḍa vēndanaiyē * vēṛā ēttādār * 

 kaḍamuṇḍār  kallādavar                          52 

“Those who are lowest among mankind are proud of their (material) intelligence, fame, etc., sell themselves for livelihood, indulge in mystic rituals and sacrifices; they will not worship the Lord who sucked the poison-laced nipple; their knowledge is stolen by illusion and they partake of the atheistic nature of demons.”     

2434 kallādavar ilaṅgai kaṭṭaḻitta * kāguttan 

 allāl * oru deyvam yānilēn ** - pollāda 

 devarait * devar allārai * tiruvillāt 

 devarait tēṛēlmin tēvu                         53 

“I will not worship anyone other than Rāma who devastated Laṅkā of the arrogant asuras as the Supreme Lord; do not worship evil powers, demoniac demigods, and demigods who are inauspicious.”

Note: Kakutstha - The son of Manu was Ikṣvāku, who had one hundred sons, of whom Vikukṣi, Nimi and Daṇḍakā were the eldest. Vikukṣi’s son fought with the demons for the sake of the demigods, and because of his valuable service he became famous as Purañjaya, Indravāha and Kakutstha. Purañjaya got up on the back of the bull [Indra] and sat on its hump. Thus he is known as Kakutstha.   

2435 devarāy * niṛkum attevum * attevaril

 mūvarāy niṛkum * mudu puṇarppum ** - yāvarāy 

 niṛkinṛadellām * neḍumāl enṛu ōrādār * 

 kaṛkinṛadellām kaḍai                           54 

“The knowledge of those who do not analyse and realise that all the demigods, the living beings, and all other objects are the transformations of the original Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa who is the chief of the Trinity (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva) is rubbish.” 

2436 kaḍai ninṛamarar kaḻal toḻudu * nāḷum 

 iḍai ninṛa * inbattarāvar ** - puḍai ninṛa 

 nīrōda mēni * neḍumālē! * nin aḍiyai 

 yār ōda vallār avar?                            55 

“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship and obtain temporary benefits like living in heaven; O Supreme Lord of dark ocean-hue! Is there anyone who worships Your lotus feet? (Nobody).” 

2437 avar ivar enṛillai * anaṅga vēḷ tādaikku * 

 evarum edir illai kaṇḍīr ** - uvarik 

 kaḍal nañjamuṇḍān kaḍan enṛu * vāṇaṛku 

 uḍan ninṛu tōtṛṛān oruṅgu                       56 

“All, whether younger or older are no match to Kaṇṇan, father of Cupid; (even) Śiva who drank the poison from the ocean and who came to fight with Kaṇṇan in support of Bāṇāsura was defeated and ran away with his family.”       

Note: Since Śiva burned Cupid, he doesn’t have a body, hence the name Anaṅga. 

2438 oruṅgirunda nalvinaiyum * tīvinaiyum āvān * 

 peruṅgkurundam sāyttavanē pēsil ** - maruṅgirunda

 vānavar tām dānavar tām * tāragai tān * enneñjam 

ānavar tām allādaden?                        57

“The truth is that Kaṇṇan, who brought down the Indian frankincense tree, sanctions both the evil and good deeds; He who is in my heart is the demigods, asuras, and, this material creation; is there any object which is not the transformation of that Supreme Lord? (Nothing).”    

2439 enneñja mēyān * iruḷ nīkki empirān * 

 mannañja munnoru nāḷ maṇ aḷandān ** - enneñja 

 mēyānai * illā viḍai ētṛṛān * vevvinai tīrttu 

 āyanukku ākkinēn anbu                           58 

“The Lord who eternally resides in my heart has dispelled ignorance; He, who measured the earth resides in that form in my heart; He relieved the curse of Śiva, the rider of a bull; I am His loving servant.”    

2440 anbāvāy * āramudam āvāy * aḍiyēnukku 

 inbāvāy * ellāmum nīyāvāy ** - ponpāvai 

 kēḷvā! * kiḷaroḷi en keśavanē! * kēḍinṛi 

 āḷvāykku aḍiyēn nānāḷ                         59 

“O my Keśavā! O form of love! O ambrosial Lord! One who has given me all enjoyment! You are everything to me! O husband of mother Lakṣmī! O effulgent light! O Lord who gives total protection without any difficulties! I am Your surrendered servant.”      

2441 āṭpārttu uḻi taruvāy * kaṇḍu koḷ enṛum * nin 

 tāṭpārttu uḻi taruvēn tanmaiyai ** - kēṭpārkku

 arumporuḷāy * ninṛa araṅganē! * unnai 

 virumbuvadē viḷḷēn manam                          60 

“O Lord Araṅgā! You are the most precious for those who desire to hear about You! You are the most benevolent as You search for one who can surrender to You; I run around looking for the opportunity to serve Your lotus feet; my heart always longs for You; kindly note this and grant me this devotional attitude forever.”

2442 manakkēdam sārā * madhusūdan tannai * 

 tanakkē tān tañjamāk koḷḷil **- enakkē tān 

 inṛonṛi ninṛu ulagai * ēḻ āṇai ōṭṭinān * 

 senṛonṛi ninṛa tiru                           61 

“If one fixes his mind on Lord Madhusūdana, the master of all the worlds, and surrenders to Him as the only refuge, he will not suffer from material miseries; the Lord who has come to me on His own is my own.” 

2443 tiru ninṛa pakkam * tiṛavidenṛu ōrār * 

 karu ninṛa kallārkku uraippar ** - tiruvirunda

 mārvan * sirīdaran tan vaṇḍulavu taṇ tuḻāy * 

 tār tannaic cūḍit tarittu                62 

“Those who do not realise that the right side of the Lord, where mother Lakṣmī resides eternally, is the most auspicious side and do not revere, and decorate their head with the tulasī garland offered to the Lord called ‘Śrīdhara’ because of the eternal presence of mother Lakṣmī on His chest, will preach to the ignorant mass to worship a person caught in the birth-death cycle as a god.”    

2444 tarittirundēnāhavē * tārā kaṇap pōr * 

 viritturaitta vennāhattunnai ** - teritteḻudi 

 vāsittum kēṭṭum * vaṇaṅgi vaḻipaṭṭum * 

 pūsittum pōkkinēn pōdu                      63 

“(O Lord!) You are the Supersoul of Ananta Śeṣa who revealed the knowledge of Astrology; I spend my life reading, writing, and hearing about Your glories, bowing down to You, serving Your devotees, and worshipping You; these activities make my life spiritual.”    

2445 pōdāna * iṭṭiṛaiñji ēttuminō * pon makarak 

 kādānai * ādipperumānai ** - nādānai 

 nallānai nāraṇanai * nam ēḻ piṛappu aṛukkum 

 sollānai * solluvadē sūdu                    64 

“Offer any flower and worship the Supreme Lord adorned with shark-shaped earrings; He is the original, glorious Lord of all living beings; He, lovingly known as Nārāyaṇa, is merciful to His devotees; His holy names can cut off our seven births; engaging in His devotional service is the only purpose of our life.” 

Note: Seven Births – miseries of encagement in the womb, painful birth, diseases, old age, death, and hell; or seven types of hells – circles of huge elephants, vast sand, lake, smoke, darkness, vast netherworld, and pride of lions.   

2446 sūdāvadu en neñjattu eṇṇinēn * sol mālai 

 mādhāya * māyavanai mādhavanai ** - yādānum 

 vallavā * sindittiruppēṛku * vaikuṇṭattu 

 illaiyō sollīr iḍam?                           65 

 “According to my ability, I compose garlands of words glorifying the beauty and benevolent nature of Mādhava; please tell me if I will get a place in Vaikuṇṭa; I think I qualify.” 

2447 iḍamāvadu * en neñjam inṛellām * paṇḍu 

 paḍa nāhaṇai * neḍiya māṛku ** - diḍamāha 

vaiyēn * madi sūḍi tannōḍu * ayanai nān 

 vaiyēn āṭceyyēn valam                        66

“The Lord who was reclining on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa has occupied my heart now (after it has been cleansed); I will not consider Rudra, who holds the crescent moon in his matted hair, or Brahmā as a god; since I know they are demigods, I will not worship them; I am clear about this because of my devotion to the Lord.”  

2448 valamāha * māṭṭāmai tānāha * vaigal 

 kulamāha * kutṛṛam tānāha ** - nalamāha 

 nāraṇanai nāpatiyai * jñānap perumānai * 

 sīraṇanai ēttum tiṛam                      67 

“Always glorifying Lord Nārāyaṇa, the master of the tongue (words), and, the most knowledgeable is very auspicious; even if glorifying the Lord who possesses all auspicious qualities did not provide any benefits or birth in a good family but on the contrary, caused ill effects, I will not stop chanting His glories.”  

2449 tiṛambēnmin kaṇḍīr * tiruvaḍi tan nāmam * 

 maṛandum puṛantoḻā māndar ** - iṛaiñjiyum 

 sāduvarāyp * pōdumiṅgaḷ enṛān * namanum tan 

 tūduvaraik kūvic cevikku                   68 

“Yamarāja called the Yamadūtas and advised them confidentially, ‘Even if the devotees of the Lord forgot to chant His holy names and glories, they would never worship any demigods; remember my instruction that if you see them, bow down to them, act courteously and leave.’”     

2450 sevikku inbam āvaduvum * seṅgkaṇmāl nāmam * 

 puvikkum puvi aduvē kaṇḍīr ** - kavikku 

 niṛai poruḷāy * ninṛānai nērpaṭṭēn * pārkkil 

 maṛaip poruḷum attanaiyē tān                69 

“The holy name of the red-lotus-eyed Lord is very sweet to the ears and is the shelter for all on this earth; I am fortunate to have attained Him who is the subject of my renditions; in fact, He is the Absolute Truth revealed by the Vedas.” 

2451 tān oruvanāhit * taraṇi iḍandu eḍuttu * 

 ēnoruvanāy eyitṛṛil tāṅgiyadum ** - yān oruvan * 

 inṛā aṛihinṛēn allēn * irunilattaic 

 cenṛāṅgaḍippaḍutta sēy                    70 

“I am not the only one but the whole world knew long before that the Supreme Personality of Godhead went as a dwarf brāhmaṇa (to Bali’s sacrificial arena) and measured the vast earth and retrieved all; and, He appeared as a huge boar and brought up the earth from the depths of the ocean on His feline tooth.”    

2452 sēyan aṇiyan * siṛiyan mihap periyan * 

 āyan tuvaraik kōnāy ninṛa - māyan ** anṛu 

 ōdiya * vākkadanaik kallār * ulagattil 

 ēdilarām meyñjñānamil                     71 

“Those who do not study and realise the teachings (of Bhagavad-gītā) spoken by the incredible Lord—who was a small boy (as Kaṇṇan), was mighty, easy to approach (as Bhaktavatsala), far away to reach (in Vaikuṇṭha), simple as a cowherd boy, and very opulent as king of Dwārakā—are ignorant and are His enemies.  

2453 illaṛam illēl * tuṛavaṛam illennum * 

 sollaṛam allanavum sollalla ** - nallaṛam 

 āvanavum * nālveda māttavamum * nāraṇanē 

 āvadu īdanṛu enbārār?                       72 

“Karma-yoga, Jñāna-yoga, or Aṣṭāṅga-yoga or other yogic processes are not the right paths; severe austerities as prescribed in the Vedas may be beneficial to some extent; can anyone deny the fact that chanting of the holy names and surrender to Nārāyaṇa are the most successful paths? (No).”    

2454 ārē aṛivār? * anaittulagum uṇḍu umiḻnda * 

 pērāḻiyān tan perumaiyai ** - kār seṛinda 

 kaṇḍattān * eṇkaṇṇān kāṇān * avan vaitta 

 panḍait tānattin pati                     73 

“Who can understand the glories of the Lord who swallows and later brings out the planetary systems and who wields the mighty disc weapon in His hand? (No one); even the blue-necked Śiva and the four-headed Brahmā do not know the path (devotional service with total surrender to Him) to attain Vaikuṇṭha (then how the earthly people will know?)   

2455 padip pagaiñjaṛku ātṛṛādu * pāy tirai nīrp pāḻi * 

 madittaḍainda vāḷaravantannai ** - madittavan tan 

 vallāhat tētṛṛiya * māmēni māyavanai * 

 alladu onṛu ēttādu en nā                     74

“My tongue will not glorify anyone other than the incredible Lord who has a beautiful form and who made Garuḍa carry in his paws the snake Sumukha who surrendered to Ananta Śeṣa in fear of Garuḍa.” 

Note: Madali, the charioteer for Indra wished to get his daughter Guṇakeśī married to Sumukha, a snake prince from the netherworld. But Sumukha’s parents said that they weren’t lucky to take her as their daughter-in-law, as Garuḍa had pledged to kill Sumukha and his father. Madali took them to Indra. Indra assured them that he would talk to Garuḍa and conducted the wedding of Sumukha and Guṇakeśī. When Garuḍa heard about the wedding he immediately went to kill Sumukha. Sumukha sought refuge with Ananta Śeṣa . Garuḍa arrived there and told Ananta Śeṣa not to give shelter to Sumukha. Ananta Śeṣa told Garuḍa not to harm Sumukha as it didn’t befit his status to do such a heinous crime.

Livid with rage, Garuḍa said that he was the vehicle of Viṣṇu and was greater than the two. Ananta Śeṣa told him they should go to Viṣṇu and seek a solution. Viṣṇu said that he would test their strength and then decide. Garuḍa was the first to take the test. Viṣṇu said, “If you can carry my right arm effortlessly you would be considered greater of the two.” He placed his right arm on Garuḍa’s shoulder. Unable to bear the weight of the Lord’s arm, Garuḍa fainted. Soon he awakened to the Lord’s touch and fell at his feet begging for forgiveness. Viṣṇu asked Garuḍa to make friends with the Nāgās in the Netherworld. He also told him to carry Sumukha in his paws always to show that he would not harm the snakes of the netherworld. Thus, Sumukha’s life was saved.   

2456 nākkoṇḍu * māniḍam pāḍēn * nalamāhat 

 tīkkoṇḍa * señjaḍaiyān senṛu ** enṛum - pūkkoṇḍu

 vallavāṛu * ētta mahiḻāda * vaikuṇṭhac 

 celvanār sēvaḍi mēl pāṭṭu                     75 

“I will not sing about any man with my tongue which will only sing the glories of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha who accepts, without any pride, the worship of and glorification by Rudra who has fire-like reddish matted hair.”  

2457 pāṭṭum muṛaiyum * paḍukadaiyum palporuḷum * 

 īṭṭiya tīyum iruvisumbum ** -  kēṭṭa 

 manuvum * suruti maṛai nāṅgum * māyan 

 tana māyaiyil paṭṭadaṛpu                     76 

“Poetry, music, itihāsa-purāṇas, the sacred fire, the vast sky (and other elements), Manu-dharma, and the Vedas are created by the incredible Lord’s wonderful powers.

2458 taṛpennait * tān aṛiyānēlum * taḍaṅgkaḍalaik

 kaṛkoṇḍu tūrtta kaḍal vaṇṇan ** - eṛkoṇḍa 

 vevvinaiyum nīṅga * vilaṅgā manam vaittān * 

 evvinaiyum māyumāl kaṇḍu                     77 

“The dark ocean-hued Lord who built a bridge on the vast southern ocean ignored all my bad qualities, kindly removed my tough sinful reactions, and was merciful to me; so, all my karmic sinful reactions have disappeared.”       

2459 kaṇḍu vaṇaṅginārkku * ennāṅgol? * kāman uḍal 

 koṇḍa * tavattāṛku umai uṇartta ** - vaṇḍalambum

 tāralaṅgal nīḷmuḍiyān * tan peyarē kēṭṭirundu * aṅ 

 kāralaṅgal ānamaiyāl āyndu              78 

“Considering that the austere Śiva who burnt the Cupid was stunned when he heard his wife Pārvatī sing the glories of the Lord, it is not possible to tell what would be the reaction of a pure devotee, who always sees the wonderful form of the Lord, when he hears the holy names of the Lord whose long hair is decorated with a garland swarmed by bumblebees.”     

2460 āyndu koṇḍu * ādip perumānai * anbināl 

 vāynda * manattu irutta vallārhaḷ ** - ēynda tam 

 meykundamāha * virumbuvarē * tāmum tam 

 vaikuṇṭham kāṇbār viraindu                79 

“The pure devotees who can meditate on the original cause with love and keep Him in their hearts consider their bodies as disease-riddled bags holding back the ātmā due to their desire to attain Vaikuṇṭha quickly.”  

2461 viraindu aḍaimin mēloru nāḷ * veḷḷam parakka * 

 karandulagam kāttaḷitta kaṇṇan ** - parandulagam * 

 pāḍina āḍina kēṭṭu * paḍu naraham 

 vīḍina vāsaṛkadavu                           80 

“Bow down to Kaṇṇan who protected all the worlds during pralaya by swallowing and keeping them in His stomach; if you listen to the songs of pure devotees who roamed everywhere, sang those songs, and danced, the doors to the cruel hells will shut down.”   

2462 kadavu manam enṛum * kāṇalām enṛum * 

 kudaiyum vinai āvi tīrndēn ** - vidaiyāha 

 naltamiḻai vitti * en uḷḷattai nī viḷaittāy * 

 katṛṛa moḻiyāhik kalandu                     81 

“(O Lord!) Knowledge about You enriched my learning, mixed (as water) with my consciousness, and with the sowing of the seed of the sweet Tamiḻ Prabhandam songs You cultivated the plant of Bhakti in my heart; my heart shall not vacillate anymore between attachment to the material pleasure and detachment (it is fixed on You firmly now).”

2463 kalandān en uḷḷattuk * kāmavēḷ tādai * 

 nalantānum īdoppaduṇḍē? ** - alarndalarhaḷ 

 iṭṭēttum * īsanum nānmuganum * enṛivarhaḷ 

 viṭṭētta māṭṭāda  vēndu                 82 

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the father of Cupid, who could not be glorified properly even by the best of the demigods like Śiva, who worships the Lord with fragrant flowers, and Brahmā has entered my heart; could there be anything more auspicious than this? (No).”

2464 vēndarāy viṇṇavarāy * viṇṇāhit taṇṇaḷiyāy * 

 māndarāy mādhāy matṛṛellāmāy ** - sārndavarkkut 

 tannāl tān nēmiyān * mālvaṇṇan tān koḍukkum * 

 pinnāl tān seyyum pidir                     83 

“The disc-wielding Lord is very benevolent to those who surrender to Him; He favours them with benefits through the kings, the demigods, the mother, friends, and relatives, and many more things; (not satisfied) He gives them the heavenly pleasures and ultimately Himself; He is the most incredible Lord!”     

2465 pidirum manamilēn * piñjñagan tannōḍu 

edirvan * avan enakku nērān ** - adirum 

 kaḻaṛkāla mannanaiyē * kaṇṇanaiyē * nāḷum 

 kādal pūṇḍēn toḻil                 84 

“My daily routine is to lovingly worship the king of kings Kaṇṇan whose legs are decorated with resounding anklets; my heart does not desire any sense gratification; though my knowledge is as good as that of Rudra, he is no match to me (in devotional service).”       

2466 toḻil enakkut * tollai māl tan nāmam ētta * 

 poḻudu enakku matṛṛaduvē pōdum ** - kaḻisinatta

 vallāḷan * vānarak kōn vāli madanaḻitta * 

 villāḷan neñjattuḷan                     85 

“Rāma, the wielder of Śārṅga bow, who curbed the pride of the arrogant and mighty Vāli is residing in my heart; daily I glorify that original Supreme Personality; I am not interested in any other activity.” 

2467 uḷan kaṇḍāy nanneñjē! * uttamanenṛum 

 uḷan kaṇḍāy * uḷḷuvār uḷḷattu - uḷan kaṇḍāy **

 tannoppān tānāy * uḷan kāṇ tamiyēṛku * 

 ennoppārkku īsanimai                           86 

“O my good heart! The Supreme Personality of Godhead is keen to protect us; there is no one above or equal to Him; He is determined to protect devotees like us who are helpless; He resides eternally in their hearts; know this well.”

2468 imaiyap perumalai pōl * indiranārkku iṭṭa * 

 samaya virunduṇḍu ār kāppār? ** - samayaṅgaḷ 

 kaṇḍān avai kāppān * kārkkaṇḍan nānmuganōḍu * 

 uṇḍān ulagōḍu uyir                              87 

“(O heart!) Who protected (the cows and cowherds) when Kaṇṇan ate the Himālaya Mountain-sized offering prepared for Indra (and angered him)? Who protects Śiva and Brahma? Who created the religions? Who protects dharma? Who swallowed and protected the worlds (during pralaya)? (The Supreme Lord).”    

2469 uyir koṇḍu uḍal oḻiya * ōḍum pōdōḍi * 

 ayarvenṛa tīrppān pēr pāḍi ** - seyal tīrac 

 cindittu * vāḻvārē vāḻvār * siṛu samayap 

 pandanaiyār vāḻvēl paḻudu               88 

“We should sing the glories of the Lord who goes fast and relieves the sufferings when the Yamadutas catch the ātmā, leaving the body, and go fast; those who realise that they are servants of the Lord and engage in devotional service are on the right path; and, those who are bound to the temporary material profits and pleasures waste their lives.”      

2470 paḻudāhādu onṛaṛindēn * pāṛkaḍalān pādam * 

 vaḻuvā vahai ninaindu vaigal - toḻuvārai ** 

 kaṇḍiṛaiñji vāḻvār * kalanda vinai keḍuttu * 

 viṇ tiṛandu vītṛṛiruppār mikku                89 

“I have learned the unfailing right process; (which is) those who worship and serve those pure devotees who are fully surrendered to and always engaged in serving the lotus feet of the Lord reclining in the Milk Ocean will rid of their past sinful reactions and the doors of Vaikuṇṭha will be opened to them.”      

2471 vītṛṛirundu * viṇṇāḷa vēṇḍuvār * veṅkaṭattān 

 pāltirunda vaittārē palmalarhaḷ ** - mēl tirunda 

 vāḻvār * varumadhi pārttu anbinarāy * matṛṛavarkkē

 tāḻvāy iruppār tamar                       90 

“Those who lovingly worship the Lord of Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills, offering various flowers, attain Vaikuṇṭha; those who realise and carry out the teaching of the Lord that one should surrender to those who are surrendered to the Lord (servant of the servant) are glorious.”    

2472 tamar āvar yāvarkkum * tāmarai mēlārkkum * 

 amararkkum āḍaravattārkkum ** - amararhaḷ 

 tāḷ tāmarai * malarhaḷ iṭṭu iṛaiñji * māl vaṇṇan

 tāḷ tāmarai aḍaivōm enṛu                     91 

 “The devotees who desire to attain the lotus feet of the dark-hued Lord worship Him offering flowers are superior to the lotus born-Brahmā, Śiva adorned with serpents, and other demigods.”

Note: Once Śiva to curb the pride of the sages in Dārukavana who disrespected him, took the form of an attractive man and went to their homes on the pretext of begging; he defiled those wives of the sages who were attracted to him. The angered sages performed a yajna to bring out serpents, ghosts, deer, tigers, rabbit demon (Muyalagan), and a skull from the fire and ordered them to kill Śiva. But the powerful Śiva tamed the serpents and wore them as ornaments, made the ghosts his servants, kept the deer as a symbol in his hand, killed the tiger and wore its skin, stood on the back of the rabbit demon, and, wore the skull as a cap.            

2473 enṛum maṛandaṛiyēn * en neñjattē vaittu * 

 ninṛum irundum neḍumālai ** - enṛum 

 tiruvirunda mārban * sirīdaranukku āḷāy * 

karuvirunda nāḷ mudalāk kāppu            92 

“Since I have been protected (by the Lord) right from my time in the womb, I am a servant to that Lord on whose chest mother Lakṣmī eternally resides; I have fixed that Supreme Lord in my heart and while I stand or sit or engage in any activity, I don’t forget to meditate on Him.”   

2474 kāppu maṛandaṛiyēn * kaṇṇanē enṛiruppan * 

 āppu aṅgoḻiyavum palluyirkkum ** - ākkai 

 koḍuttaḷitta * kōnē! guṇap paranē! * unnai 

 viḍat tuṇiyār mey teḷindār tām          93 

O Lord! You provide appropriate bodies to all the ātmās who lose their bodies during pralaya; I will never forget Your protection; I am certain that You are everything to me; O Lord with unlimited auspicious qualities! Those who realise their swarupa will never forget You.”   

2475 mey teḷindār en seyyār? * vēṛānār nīṛāha * 

 kai teḷindu kāṭṭik kaḷappaḍuttu ** - pai teḷinda

 pāmbin aṇaiyāy! * aruḷāy aḍiyēṛku * 

 vēmbum kaṛiyāhumēnṛu                         94 

“O Lord who reclines on the bed of Ananta Śeṣa! You provided all help to the Pāṇḍavas and on the battlefield, You enlightened them (Arjuna) that killing enemies like the Kauravas is dharma and thus eliminated the Kauravas; a self-realised person can achieve anything. Please be merciful to me (though I have many shortcomings); if need be, even neem leaves could be cooked as a vegetable (similarly I could also be a good devotee).”

2476 * ēnṛēn aḍimai * iḻindēn piṛappu iḍumbai * 

 ānṛēn amararkku amarāmai ** - ānṛēn 

 kaḍan nāḍum maṇṇāḍum * kaiviṭṭu * mēlai 

 iḍa nāḍu kāṇa ini                             95 

“(O Lord!) I have surrendered to You; I have renounced the material life; I uplifted myself with knowledge (of You) and engaging in devotional service (to You) and not to Brahmā and other demigods; I have renounced this material world and heaven; I desire only to continue to engage in Your devotional service and attain Vaikuṇṭha.”   

2477 * ini aṛindēn * īsaṛkum nānmugaṛkum deyvam * 

 ini aṛindēn emperumān! unnai ** - ini aṛindēn 

 kāraṇan nī katṛṛavai nī * kaṛpavai nī * naṛkirisai

 nāraṇan nī naṅaṛindēn nān              96 

“O my Lord! I understand without any doubt that You are the Lord of Rudra and Brahmā; You are the cause of all causes; all that is known is You; all that remains to be known is You; You are Nārāyaṇa, the most benevolent Lord; I have understood all these very clearly.”   

Tirumaḻisai Āḻvār tiruvaḍihaḷē śaraṇam