Verses of the Alwars - Nammalvar, Andal and more...

Verses of Nammalvar from Tiruviruttam

O my poor heart, you went alone
After the fiery bird that He rides-
He who wears the cool tulasi and the flaming discus.
Will you come back to me?
Or will you stand there gazing in wonder
At Lakshmi and the Goddess of the Earth,
And the lovely-haired maid of the cowherds,
A triple glory, clinging shadow-like to Him?



O Lord of the discus
That destroyed the asuras,
It is a wonder to me
How I got this human state:
Who knows how long
I did penance for it?
Having got it,
Through being Your slave
I thought I could reach You.
But that is not to be,
And the long, long time of waiting
Does not die.

(22 Tiruviruttam 90.)


O clouds, bright with lightning,
Starting towards the high strong-based peak
Of Venkatam lit with gems and gold,
Will you carry my message to Him?
"No" they say.
Will they do it If I pray to them
And ask them to place their feet
On my bowed head?

(27 Tiruviruttam 31.)

From SRIMATI ANDAL'S Nacchiyar Thirumoli

Tirteenth Thirumoli- Srimati Andal suffers in separation from Krishna


kaNNan ennum karum deyvam kAtcip pazhagik kiDappEnaip
puNNil puLi peydARpOlap puRa ninRu azhagu pESAdE
peNNin varuttam aRiyAda perumAn araiyil pIdaka
vaNNa ADai koNDu ennai vATTam taNiya vISIrE

A. From SrImAn SaDagOpan's tamizh treatise

I am deeply involved with the dark-hued, divine Kannan, and am used to visualizing the scenes of my prior association with Him. When you keep advising me that my behavior is not right and that I should direct my mind towards things other than Kannan, it is like pouring sour tamarind on a hurting wound. Even though Kannan is very hard-hearted and does not know what a woman goes through in pining for Him, please do bring the beautiful pitambaram that He has worn on His sacred waist and use it to blow some air over me. Even the contact with the air that has touched His pitAmbaram will remove my viraha tApam or the torture of separation from Him.

pAl Alilaiyil tuyil koNDa paraman valaip paTTu irundEnai
vElAl tunnam peydARpOl vENDiRRu ellAm pESAdE
kOlAl nirai mEittu AyanAik kuDandaik kiDanda kuDam ADi
nIlAr taNNam tuzhAi koNDu en neRi men-kuzhal mEl SUTTIrE

Sixth Tirumoli- Srimati Andal's Dream of Marrying Ranganatha



vAraNam Ayiram SUzha valam Seidu
nAraNan nambi naDakkinRAn enRedir
pUraNa poRkuDam vaittup puRam e~ngum
tOraNam nATTak kanAk kaNDEN tOzhi nAn


A. Translation from SrImAn SaDagOpan's tamizh treatise:


In the first pASuram of "vAraNam Ayiram", gOdai starts describing beautifully to her friend, the divine dream that she just had of her marriage with kaNNan.

"Oh my dear sakhi! I had this wonderful dream; I saw nAraNan (SrI ranganAthan), surrounded by thousands of elephants, going around SrI villiputtUr. My father, periyAzhvAr, and the citizens of the village are ready to extend a grand welcome to Him with pURNa kumbhams placed on their heads. The whole village is decorated with tOraNams (streamers) to mark the festive occasion."

nALai vaduvai maNam enRu nAL iTTu
pALai kamugu pariSuDaip pandaR kIzh
kOLari mAdhavan gOvindan enbAn Or
kALai pugudak kanAk kaNDEn tOzhi! nAn


A. Translation from SrImAn SaDagOpan's tamizh treatise:


gOdai continues describing the next scene in her dream: "Tomorrow is the day that has been fixed for the wedding; I saw a handsome young youth, who goes by the names narasimhan, mAdhavan & gOvindan, enter the wedding dais, decorated with betel-nut trees, in order to participate in the niScitArtha (finalization of the wedding between bride and groom) ceremony."

B. Additional thoughts from SrI PVP:

nALai vaduvai maNam enRu nAL iTTu: What is the reason why the wedding is tomorrow and not today or 4 days later? SrI PVP's aruLicceyal is that if it is today, gOdai will become too excited with happiness, and like a thirsty person who drinks water very fast and chokes and dies in the process, she cannot hold the excitement. If it is a few days later, it is too long a wait for her, and she cannot stand it either. Hence the day is fixed for tomorrow.

Here SrI PVP reminds us of the conversation between hanumAn and sItA pirATTi after Lord rAma's victory over rAvaNa: "praharshENAvaruddhA sA vyajahAra na ki~ncana" - rAmAyaNam yuddha kANDam 116-15,16). When hanumAn relays to pirATTi the news about rAma's great victory over rAvana, pirATTi is speechless and choking as a result of extreme happiness. In order to make her speak, hanumAn had to tactically try to lessen the extreme happiness in her and so asked her: "kim tvam cintayasE dEvi" (what are you thinking? Is the news not to your liking? Please say something". Immediately, sIta pirATTi's joy shrunk quite a bit, and she responded: "I started choking because of the happiness and could not talk". But, gOdai, on the other hand, is not speechless; she shares her happiness with her sakhi.

Sri Saptagiri Vasa Venkatesha Govinda

Nammalvar-
Moonram thirumozhi:

from Divya Prabandham

(translation by Sri Madhava Kannan, Singapore)

Nammalwar wished to be in Trivandrum and be His servant for ever in the last ten (verses). Since it did not immediately materialise, he gets terribly depressed again and gets suspicious and confused as to why Bhagawaan still has not taken him to His abode. Azhwar gets into the"Paranusa nayaki" role again and laments here! She has been with Kanan for one full night and now, is worried because the morning will come and Kannan will leave her, and go to graze the cows.

1. Kanna! With Your leaving me, my bamboo like shoulders become thin. Without caring about my pitiable state and my separtion from You, these peacocks are happily shouting. They are dancing in groups. Oh! No! You are starting off to go behind the cows to the forest. This one day time is going to be like thousand yugams for me. What can I do now? How can You torment me like that with Your attractive Lotus eyes? KaNNA! I think You HAVE NO MERCY AT ALL ON ME! You are not considerate at all to me! (NampiLLai says "When I am
with You now and having blissful happiness, still the time is ticking away and in the morning Your leaving me terrifies me! But these peahens are enjoying, shouting and dancing with their mates so happily and have no such fears." - what an anubhavam of NampiLLai!)

2. Kanna! You have no consideration for me; Are You merciful for me? NOT AT ALL. When You were with me and hugged my breasts and embraced me, such a hug of Yours brought me exquisite happiness which is beyond that of parama padam, and that drowns even my intellect. "Is it a dream?" I used to ask myself, and in such delerious state, the joy goes beyond my AthmA even and reaches all corners of my jivan. When I think of that joy, Kanna, and then realize You will be leaving me very soon... it pains my heart. Oh My Lord! Please don't leave me! Just for me, please don't go to the forest anymore to herd the cows!"

3. Since You go to the forest for taking care of cows, You are leaving me. Because of Your leaving me, my "uyir" jIvan will not stay with me and I will simply perish. There is NO ONE FOR ME AS A COMAPANION OR SUPPORT. And since You are going, even if I don't perish, I will not be able to see You dancing. The day will seem so long... it will be like a l....ong l.....ong time. Tears contnuously roll down from my beautiful large eyes. Such poor girls born in this low "cowherd" group, should get rid of their loneliness (of being away from their hearthrob Kannan) and get their sorrows and pangs of separation destroyed.

4. Govinda! You are not at all considering our loneliness and helplessness, though we are all Your servants. Have You ever thought of our plight by leaving us alone, when You are the Only Support for us? Kanna! You ARE READY TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE COWS, (AND ARE READY TO IMMEDIATELY LEAVE US!). And You are a glib talker, too! With Your sugar coated cajoling words, You are deceiving us. Though it is sweet, it is deceit. The air that accompanies Your word when spoken by You, reaches each corner of my mind, and squeezes me. KaNNA! Those cheating, sugar coated words of Yours, that come out of those Beautiful red lips, - when I think of them now, my whole body burns. Oh No! My jIvan is languishing terribly.

5. Oh Kanna! The One who has gone during the day with the cows! Thinking of Your "consolation"... Your deceitful words are simply burning my body.The evening, with the breeze filled with fragrance of jasmine, walks in like a proud elephant. In that fragrant breeze, I can smell the flower garland that You are wearing on Your chest (where kausthubham is shining brightly). You should bless this lowly servant of Yours- to give that fragrant smell of mullai flower (from Your chest) on my beautiful breasts- to give the nectar from Your mouth, and to keep Your Lotus palm on our heads. (adadaaa! What a beauty! What could have been AzhwAr's emotional suffering and request! Words fail to come to my rescue, dearest Sisters and Brothers.)

6. Oh Lord- The One who has the large eyes like the big Ocean! (karuNaik kadal!) You should place Your lovely palm on our heads as an ornament to our heads. But Yoy are going with the cows. There will be many girls, to gently squeeze Your Beautiful Lotus Feet. Even then, we are here suffering from the pangs of separation from You. (means: You don't miss anything by leaving us; Wherever You go, there will be servants to do kaimkaryam to You. Whereas, we miss You greatly.) Since we are suffering here so much, we are not with contented feminity. With our sharp, darting eyes, tears keep rolling down the cheeks. Tears do not stop. The heart also is NOT stable. Hence, leaving us, who can NOT even bear a single second of being separated from You, Your going to the forest with cows, is NOT proper and appropriate for You. It is a great pity for us that our AthmAs are melting and burning like a wax in the fire.

7. Oh My dearest Kanna! Manivanna! Exerting Your Lotus flower like Feet, Your going to the forest to take care of cows brings us tremendous pains in our heart (because You are suffering) and torments our body and bangles and waist band simply fall off by our getting thin due to "pasalai" disease (for being separated from You). From the eyes, that are like fresh pure Lotus flowers, like pearls dripping, the tears come down. The two breasts have become pale and the shoulders are longing (to be hugged by You). You, are exerting Your Lotus feet and are causing pains to Your legs by walking with the cows. Due to Your love for those cows, You are going to the forest with them. But we are worried as to what will happen to You, if some asuras come on the way and fight with You? When we even think of that, our AthmA is simply melting like a wax in the fire.

8. We get into terrible thinking and worries, when we think of asurAs coming on Your way to fight with You. Kanna! Hence, please do not go with the cows. My desire for You and the joy of joining with You makes me feel terribly pained (with viraha thaapam- languishing). Please do not leave me and do not go away. You are captivating the "Aayar" (cowherd) girls by waving Your Lotus Palms and by glancing at them with Your lovely Lotus Eyes. Your lion like gait (simha gathi) and Your smooth PeethAmbharam, (waist dress) and the exquisitely beautiful alankaaram are simply making them go crazy after You. Even let these girls (who are caught by Your beauty) be hanging around here to enjoy You; I don't mind. (rather I enjoy). But Don't go away to the forest. (at least You will be in my eyesight, even if You are with other girls.)

9. KaNNA! Even if You, willingly roam around with other girls, still we can bear that. Because we would like You to enjoy and that is all that we need. To please You is our objective. Hence, do not go away to the forest. Empreumaane! Kamsan's asuras take various forms and try to kill You. They always are waiting for You to come out. hence, listen to us and do not go away! Aiyo! I can NOT bear leaving You, Kanna!

10.Oh My Lord! The One who has red coral like lips! Oh Master of Cowherd Group! The cruel terrible asuras of Kamsan, who trouble the penances of Rishis, are wandering here and there. And You also always are going alone. You are not even going with Balaraman. We are all, hence, worried about Your safety and are burning with such fearsome thoughts. aiyO! You should not ignore my pleas. Please listen to me and do not go with the cows. But You are NOT listening. You think even staying at Paramapadham also is less grand than going to the forest behind these cows! (What a sowlabhyam!)

11. Our Lord of AAyar kulam (Cowherd group), The Red mouthed Lord - kaNNan. About Him Sri SadagOpar of Thirukkurugoor has sung 1000 pasurams. These ten pAsurams (out of his 1000 pAsurams) are about the lamenting words of Aayar Girl pleading KaNNAn not to leave her. Readers of these ten will get the same fruits of the readers of all other tens too.

Selected verses from Periya Tirumoli 2.8

Tirumangailalvar (now Parakala Nayaki) is speaking about the Lord in nayika bhava.

(I am editing the English for smoother reading)


6. I can't comprehend His deeds, even if I try. My ornaments, my bangles, my mind, my feminine shyness have all been snatched by Him as if they belong to Him. The dark crashing Ocean, the green leaves, the trees, the kayaampoo, the dark blue karuneydhal flower- and above all a group of dark black clouds, - Oh, these are all His colors!

I asked Him, "So graceful and beautiful- Who are You, of such Divine Beauty?" He said "I am Thiru Vattabhuyakaratthaan"

7. The tulasi garland and vanamala on His chest are dripping Honey, and buzzing bees hover around Him. The grace and gorgeousness of His chest, decorated with fragrant sandalwood paste... How can I explain His Beauty?! Those lovely large dark eyes which are like Lotus flowers! That broad chest, so bright and lustrous; those strong huge shoulders! Those curving bimba fruit like lips!

"Who are You so Beautiful and gorgeous - so Divinely graceful?". He said "I am Thiru Vattabhuyakaratthaan"

8. He is praised and worshipped by Nithyasooris at all times in all directions, reciting Veda manthras. Mahalaskshmi, is His Queen. The Divine Conch is in His left hand. The Chakra is in His right. His colour is like the karuneydhal flower, or like the dark blue ocean! His two eyes! His Form! One can SIMPLY NOT measure the Beauty of Them. They are so BEAUTIFUL! He is more than my life!

Such Exquisite Beauty! Who is He? He said "I am Thiru Vattabhuyakaratthaan"

9. My bangles, it appears, belong to Him. I am thin and wasting from separation, and they are slipping from my wrists. It seems my heart is His, too! This narrow creeper-like waist gets weaker and weaker when He comes nearer and nearer to whisper something in my ears opening His red coral mouth! What He told me is a secret (rahasyam). Is Parama rahasyam! The way He looks at me is a kind of torture for me. It torments me- and I long for Him more and more. His looks are deadly. I am afraid. I don't know who He is.

When I asked Him "Who are You?" He said "I am Thiru Vattabhuyakaratthaan"

Some Verses of Nammalvar:

Who can speak of them,
His color, beauty, His name, His form?
They would talk, however,
As though they know,
Those men who pursue jnana and dharma.
But however far they go,
Wherever they reach,
In the blaze of light that He is,
Maybe, they learn a little
But how could they ever attain to it,
My Lord's greatness

To be born, to die,
Age after age, age after age,
To die and to be born,
Those who can see
And laugh at this futility,
Surely, they will long to end it
By turning in love
To Him, the Origin,
Round whom the Immortals gather in worship,
How can there be any sleep for them?

The thief
He took my innocent daughter away.
This dark young boy called out to her
and she walked away
with Him
Gave Him her hand, adorned with silver bangles.
Left me here, alone.
This couple, walking away from me
staring intensely in each other's eyes-
Will they get lost on the path?
Will they reach tiruvAli at all?

Oh my neighbor, this mischevious child
is infamous for lechery in Braj.
He crept into my house at night
to befriend my young daughter
because he dreamed, night after night,
of the kiss
of her bimba-fruit lips.
Of course she saw Him, fell for Him, followed Him.
Oh, this young couple, with their fishlike eyes
glittering, shining so bright
chattering and prattling like two parrots
Will they reach tiruvAli at all?

It frightens me to see them walk
together
This is the same boy who cut off the nose and breasts
of sUrpanaka, in anger!
I cannot express this fear which posesses me.
My little girl does not know
the possible consequence
of what she does.
Will she reach the land she dreams of, tiruvAli
where gleeful bees drink honey from golden lotuses
and dance happily?

My lovely-shouldered girl never thinks of me.
She thinks Madhava is her only refuge.
She thinks she is His only.
So gracefully she walks away from me
leaving me alone.
Will this tender, creeperlike girl, and He
ever reach tiruvAli at all?

She does not remember her family.
She does not care
that I am left here weeping for my girl.
She only longs for the bliss of embracing
that strong-shouldered body that hugged rAdhA.
This girl
walks away from me and joins with Govinda
will they reach tiruvAli at all?

She has
absolutely
no care for me.
She desires only
the two strong arms of rAdhAnAth
This girl
whose narrow waist conquers lightning
walks away from me
will she reach tiruvAli, full of lovely swans and gardens?

This girl has left the tender games of youth
even her tiny parrot
that prattles in her voice from its cage.
Now she has walked too far away to see.
My girl, adorned by brightest golden ornaments
all over her golden body.
She has run after that one who has everyone
paying obeisances to Him
He who has no birth or death.
Will they reach tiruvAli at all?

Her eyes are huge, dark, blooming flowers.
She's radiant like lakshmi, has a gait like a swan.
Because she was born from the sinful womb
of a mahApApI like me,
she has no feminine shyness and has fallen in love
with Krishna and run away with Him.
I don't know
if they will ever reach tiruvAli at all.

This girl has run off all alone
leaving her mother weeping,
to join her lover
who loves her even more deeply
than she loves Him.
These ten verses sung by tirumangai ALvAr
sing of whether they will reach tiruvAli at all.
She who reads or recites these verses with her whole heart
Krishna will take care of her.