Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation

by S. Satyamurthi Ayyangar | 388,514 words

This is the English translation of the Tiruvaymoli (or, Thiruvaimozhi): An ancient Tamil text consisting of 1102 verses which were sung by the poet-saint Nammalvar as an expression of his devotion to Vishnu. Hence, it is an important devotional book in Vaishnavism. Nammalvar is one of the twelve traditional saints of Tamil Nadu (Southern India), kn...

Tamil text and transliteration:

ஊழிதோறு ஊழி உலகுக்கு நீர்கொண்டு,
தோழியரும் யாமும் போல் நீராய் நெகிழ்கின்ற,
வாழிய வானமே நீயும் மதுசூதன்,
பாழிமையில் பட்டு அவன்கண் பாசத்தால் நைவாயே.

ūḻitōṟu ūḻi ulakukku nīrkoṇṭu,
tōḻiyarum yāmum pōl nīrāy nekiḻkiṉṟa,
vāḻiya vāṉamē nīyum matucūtaṉ,
pāḻimaiyil paṭṭu avaṉkaṇ pācattāl naivāyē.

English translation of verse 2.1.5:

Ye clouds, into tears you break for ever
And flood the worlds; do you in sorrow dwindle
Like me and my comrades, under the spell irresistible
Of Matucūtaṉ, coveting Him heart and soul?
May you from misery be free and prosper!

Notes

(i) It is clear from this, that Parāṅkuśa Nāyakī and comrades of her ilk are grief-stricken to such an extent that their profuse tears flood the worlds like the rain-water unleashed by the clouds.

(ii) Matucūtaṉ (Madhusūdha)–Lord Mahā Viṣṇu, Who slew Madhu, the demon. The Āḻvār queries whether the clouds did also come under the spell of the Lord, attracted by His glorious trait of vanquishing the evil forces, in the same way as he and others of his ilk did.

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