cciyr Tirumo
icciyr TirumoilThe Song to K
madeva
Tai Oru Ti
ka
In the Month of Tai
1.1
In the month of Tai
I swept the ground and drew sacred man
alas.
In the beginning of Mci
I decorated the street with fine sand.
After all this adornment for beauty’s sake, O Ana
ga
I asked you and your brother:
“Is it still possible to live?”
Unite me
with the lord of V
ka
am
the one who holds in his hand
the discus tipped with fire.
1.2
I adorned the street with fine white sand.
I bathed at the crack of dawn.
I fed the fire with tender thornless twigs.
I have completed my vow to you, O Kmadeva.
Now take up your bow.
String up a honey-drenched flower
write the name of the only one
dark as the ocean
who ripped open the beak of the bird
aim it at him and unite me.
1.3
Three times a day I worship your feet
with fragrant blossoms of dtura and marukai.
My heart is on fire and
if I must refrain from saying:
“You are without honor”
then ready your arrows woven with flowers
write the name of my beloved
the matchless Govinda
the essence of all knowing
the master of Vkaam
Aim it at him, pierce him
and let me enter that glorious light.
1.4
O ancient Kmadeva,
I painted the walls with your names,
your banner bearing the shark,
horses, attendants waving their fly-whisks, your black bow.
Have you even noticed?
From childhood,
I pledged my broad, swelling breasts
to the lord of Dvrak
Quickly, unite me with him.
1.5
O Manmatha! My voluptuous breasts swell
for that lord alone
who holds aloft the flaming discus and conch.
If there is even talk of offering my body
to mortal men, then I cannot live.
It is equal in violence to a forest jackal
stealthily entering and sniffing at the sacrificial food
the learned Brahmins, the holders of the Vedas,
offer the gods in heaven.
1.6
Even through the month of Paku
i
I kept my vow to you, O Kmadeva.
I follow the beautiful, young people
who excel in the arts of love.
All day, I watch the streets for my lord
dark as the rain clouds,
lustrous as the dusky ky blossoms,
resplendent as the black karuvilai blooms.
Coax his glance toward me.
Persuade his face tender as a lotus to consider me.
Make him shower his grace upon me.
1.7
O Manmatha!
I cooked fresh newly harvested grain.
I offered you sugarcane, sweet rice, and flattened paddy.
And learned men praise you with great words!
Coax Tiruvikrama
who long ago measured the worlds,
to caress this delicate waist and these broad breasts
and great will be your glory in this world.
1.8
My body is filthy, my hair unkempt
my lips are pale and I eat but once a day.
O radiant and mighty Kmadeva,
take note of my vow!
Now there is only one thing left to say:
Grant me the pleasure
of clasping the feet of Ke
ava
who claimed my womanhood.
Let such glory be mine.
1.9
O Kmadeva
I worship you three times a day.
I offer fresh flowers at your feet.
If I cannot serve the perfect lord
dark as the ocean
my endless tears, my unfulfilled love,
my pitiful cries—“Mother! Mother!”
will taint you:
I am like an ox laboring under a yoke
beaten and left to starve.
1.10
K
tai of Vi
ucitta
king of Putuvai
city of towering mansions that rise like mountains
sang this garland of sweet Tami
to plead with Kmadeva
with his sugarcane bow and five-flower arrows
to unite her with the lord
who broke the tusk of the elephant
as it screamed in agony,
who ripped apart the beak of the bird
that one dark and lustrous as a gem.
Those who sing this soft song of plea
will remain forever at the feet
of the supreme king of the gods.
The Song of the Sandcastles
Nmam 
yiram
Praised with a Thousand Names
2.1
O Nryaa! Praised with a thousand names!
O Nara! Raised as Yaod’s son!
We are unable to escape the troubles
you inflict upon us.
The time of Pakui is here
and we have adorned the streets for Kmadeva.
Do not be wicked now, O 
r
dhara!
Do not break our sandcastles!
2.2
Our backs aching, we toiled
over these sandcastles all day.
Allow us to enjoy our efforts;
let us gaze upon them fully.
O lord, who is the beginning of everything!
That time, long ago
you slept as an infant upon a banyan leaf.
Can you show us no compassion?
Is this the result of our transgressions?
2.3
O fierce lion slumbering upon the boundless ocean!
You who delivered that wild elephant
from his anguish.
Merely seeing you makes our heart ache.
Do not torment us with your teasing sidelong glances.
We have toiled so hard,
sifting fine sands with our wrists
thick with bangles.
You who recline upon the brimming ocean
Do not break our sandcastles!
2.4
Lord, dark as the rain clouds
your charming words hold us in a thrall,
your endearing ways captivate us
your face bewitches us like an incantation.
We are but innocent children
and never speak harshly to you.
O dearest one, with eyes bright and long as the lotus
Do not break our sandcastles!
2.5
We built these lovely sandcastles with fine white sand,
to decorate every threshold.
Even when you destroy them
even when our hearts break
even when we melt
we cannot be angry with you.
O Keava! Duplicitous Mdhava
are you blind to our pain?
2.6
We are still young
our breasts have not yet ripened.
All day, you eye our sandcastles
but we do not understand your clever schemes.
O lord, who tamed the ocean
crossed it and vanquished the clan of demons.
O victorious lord, who wrecked Laka,
Torment us no more!
2.7
To those who understand,
your clever words are sweet.
But what use are they to simple children like us,
who know nothing?
Lord, dark as the boundless ocean,
lord who spanned the sea
upon your love for your many wives
Do not break our sandcastles!
2.8
We gathered sand in a broad pot,
scattered it in a winnowing fan and built our sandcastles.
What is your pleasure in ruining our play?
You touch them, you kick them,
O how you torment us!
You hold the flaming discus in your hand
Lord, dark as the ocean
do you not know that even sweetness is bitter
to a sorrowful heart?
2.9
You enter our courtyard
show us your lovely face, your sweet smile
do you intend to break our sandcastles
and our hearts as well?
O Govinda, who leaped and stretched
to span the earth and the sky
if you embrace us like this
what will our neighbors say?
2.10
“O lord who tasted the sweetness of St’s lips
do not break our sandcastles!”
pleaded the young girls of 
yarpi
in their child-like words, while playing on the streets.
So sang Ktai of Viucitta,
master of Villiputuvai,
city resounding with learned men chanting the Vedas,
Those who master these verses of Tami,
will certainly attain Vaikuha!
The Song for the Clothes
K
i Aaippata
Muam
Even Before the Rooster Crowed
3.1
Even before the rooster crowed
we set out to bathe.
Now the glorious sun has risen.
Lord, who slumbers upon the serpent
you have shamed us
and we will never return to this pond again.
My friend and I each will raise a hand
and bow to you.
Please return our clothes to us.
3.2
Why have you come here?
What path brought you to this pond?
O lord, whose lustrous curls are entwined
with honey-drenched tulas
!
O elusive lord
sweeter than nectar!
Alas, our fate binds us,
we cannot do that.
O clever boy, do not hurry.
You who leaped from the kuruntai tree
and danced upon the serpent’s crest,
Please return our clothes to us.
3.3
What is this childishness?
If our mothers caught us, they would not approve.
Lord, perched upon the blossoming kuruntai tree
do you not think that this is cruel?
O you who destroyed Laka with your bow
we will give you whatever you desire,
we will even slink away unseen
Please return our clothes to us.
Look around you—this is a pond
where so many come to bathe.
See how our eyes brim with tears
that fall unheeded.
O, you are without any compassion
lord who destroyed Laka.
We know that you are the king of monkeys.
Now, please return our clothes to us.
3.5
The kayal and the v are biting our legs.
Will it still be any fun
if our brothers chase you away with their spears?
O beautiful dark lord
climb no higher on the kuruntai tree
with our lovely clothes.
Please return our clothes to us.
3.6
The thorny stems of the broad lotus blooms
clustered in this pond cut our legs
and it burns like poison from a scorpion’s sting.
Our suffering is terrible,
O wily master,
skilled in the dance of the water-pots
abandon your shameful mischief.
Please return our clothes to us.
3.7
We stand in the water and suffer
your behavior is unjust.
O no! Our homes in the village are far away.
O lord who knows the world,
We are bound only to you.
If our mothers hear of this, they will not approve.
Do not climb that kuruntai any further.
Please return our clothes to us.
3.8
We are unmarried girls.
Moreover, everyone gathers here.
O lord with eyes lovely as fresh flowers
you sleep without a care through the ancient night.
We tell you this in no uncertain terms
this is just not right.
O perfect prince, lord of the cowherds
perched upon that kuruntai tree
Please return our clothes to us.
3.9
You escaped Ka
sa’s savage net
in the midst of that deep dark night
only to torture the hearts of hapless maidens
stranded here.
Yaod lets you stray, bold and unpunished.
O you who suckled the milk
from the breast of the deceitful demoness
Shameless one
Please return our clothes to us.
3.10
Ktai
of that priest,
chief of Putuvai,
city of towering mansions embellished with gold
strung a garland of a sweet song,
of the dark lord and his game with the maidens.
Those who master these two sets of five
will enter Vaikuha
and forever reside beside Mdhava.
The Song of Divination
Teiyr Palar
Scholar and Gods
4.1
Scholars and gods bow before you
noble bridegroom, lord of Tirumliruñclai.
If I should remain forever in that place where he reclines
to press and caress his holy feet,
Fall together, O k
al!
4.2
My lord, who came as a dwarf
lives happily and without concern
in the forests of Vkaam and the city of Kaapuram.
If he should come quickly and clasp my hand,
Fall together, O kal!
4.3
Lord extolled by Brahm and praised by the gods
peerless son of Devak, she of the radiant brow
incomparable son of virtuous Vasudeva.
If that one, my prince should come to me,
Fall together, O kal!
4.4
When yarpi’s men and women trembled in fear
he climbed the tall flowering katampa tree,
leapt down and danced upon the crest of the conquered Kliya
If that dancer should come to me,
Fall together, O kal!
4.5
The lord of Mathur, city of lofty mansions
the one who killed the wild elephant with a single kick
If he should walk through these streets
and make me his,
Fall together, O kal!
Desireless lord, who crawled between the twin maruta trees
O clever one, who surpassed Kasa in cunning
Great master of flourishing Mathur
If he should come here,
Fall together, O kal!
4.7
At that time, my valiant lord vanquished
depraved iupla, the tall maruta trees, the seven bulls,
the bird, and Kasa who wields a terrible spear.
If that lord should come to me,
Fall together, O kal!
4.8
Elusive lord, who abides in the hearts of those who love him,
protector of Dvrak, city surrounded by fragrant groves,
playful prince, who gently tends his cows
If he should come here,
Fall together, O kal!
4.9
Long ago, as a beautiful dwarf at Mahbali’s great sacrifice
he spanned the earth and the sky
in a single great stride.
If only that lord should come here,
Fall together, O kal!
4.10
The lord who is the essence of the four Vedas
the beautiful lord who saved the wild elephant
lord who abides in the hearts of the lovely women of yarpi
If he should come here,
Fall together, O kal!
4.11
Ktai of Viucitta
sang a song about the lovely maidens of yarpi
of their quarrels and friendships, their intimacy and bickering
of long waits and a kal game.
Those who master this song of ten
will be released from all their transgressions.
The Song to the Kuyil
Mau Perum Puka Mtava
The Greatly Famed Mdhava
5.1
Is it fair that my love
for the eternal Mdhava
dark as the sapphire
greatly famed and beautiful
adorned with his jeweled crown
should cause me to lose my bangles of conch?
O you kuyil that resides in the hollows
of the grove abounding
in puai, kurukai, ñal and cerunti
sing a litany of his name
so my lord with lips red as coral
will return quickly to me.
5.2
My perfect lord
who holds the spotless white conch in his left hand
refuses to reveal himself to me.
Instead he enters me, tortures me all day,
toys with my life,
and leads me on a merry dance:
O kuyil singing drunkenly
having sipped the honey
of the bursting campaka blossoms
don’t evade me.
Murmur a summons
to the Lord of Vkaam
and make him come to me.
5.3
Charioted by Mtali
my lord of mystery
showered his arrows upon Rvaa
and again and again severed his many heads
Why cannot I see that lord anywhere?
O kuyil you live with your beloved
in this grove
fragrant with blossoming flowers
and murmuring bees, small and beautiful
Sing and summon my lord
dark as a blue sapphire.
Make him return to me.
5.4
My bones melt and my eyes
long as spears
resist even blinking.
For days now, I am plunged into a sea of distress
and I ache to attain
that great boat, Vaikuha
but I cannot see it.
O kuyil, you too know
the anguish of separation
from a beloved.
Summon the immaculate lord
whose body is like gold
whose banner bears Garu
a
to me.
5.5
Because I ache
to gaze upon the golden feet
of the lord of Villiputt
r,
where graceful swans flit about and play,
my eyes fight sleep
like two sparring kayal fish.
O kuyil, I will make my pretty parrot
pampered with sweet treats,
your companion,
if only you will sing and summon
the lord who measured the worlds
to me.
5.6
Tormented by that H
ikea
who is exalted by the gods of every direction
I lost the luster of my pearly white smile
the redness of my full lips,
and my young breasts surrendered their beauty.
O tender kuyil who sleeps
in the flower groves bursting with blossoms
If you sing to summon my lord,
who is the sole reason for this life
I will forever bow to you.
5.7
Because I yearn to unite with the lord
who reclines upon the surging ocean of milk.
my breasts swell in excitement
they rise and fall and torture my very soul.
O lovely kuyil why do you persist
in hiding from me?
If only you call to him
my lord who holds the conch and discus
and bears the mace,
and entreat him to return to me,
what great virtue will be yours!
5.8
My clever and perfect lord
whose mighty arms easily wield the 
rga bow
between him and me
a secret has passed
that only he and I know.
O delicate kuyil living in this grove
amid these trees laden with sweet ripe mangoes
sing your sweet song of summons
to my beautiful lord.
Make him return to me quickly
Then you will witness what I do to him.
5.9
I am caught in the net of desire
that is rdhara,
lustrous as the green-hued parrot.
O kuyil that lives in the grove of flowers
buzzing with the murmurs of bees
listen to this and mark it well:
If you want to live here
you must do one of two things:
either, sing to summon the lord of discus and conch
or make him give his gold bracelet to me.
5.10
Unable to love and serve the lord
who measured the worlds,
I suffer. The hot southern breeze
and the cool bright moon heighten my anguish
Where is the justice in this?
And you too kuyil linger here.
Do not increase my pain further.
If you don’t sing your song of summons
to Nryaa, at least today
I will have to drive you away.
5.11
Desiring the lord whose
long strides spanned the worlds,
the maiden with eyes long as spears
sang this message to the dark kuyil—
“bring my lord dark as the ocean to me.”
Those who master
this garland of words
strung by Ktai of Viucitta
chief among priests
and king of Putuvai
city where the four Vedas are sung—
will always chant,
“Namo Nryaa”
The Song of the Wedding Dream
Vraam yiram
Surrounded by a Thousand Elephants
6.1
Surrounded by a thousand elephants, Nraa
my great lord strode through the festive streets.
Every threshold was decked
with bright banners and auspicious golden pots.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.2
They decreed, “Tomorrow is the auspicious day of your wedding!”
The proud young lion Mdhava,
that Govinda of bull-like power entered the green canopy
decorated with palm fronds and areca nut.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.3
Indra and the entire clan of gods arrived,
approved me as his bride and chanted sacred verses.
Antar draped me in the bridal garment
and placed the bridal garland about my neck.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.4
A host of sages and seers sprinkled water from the four directions,
chanted sacred verses, and tied a thread
smeared with turmeric around our wrists
I stood beside the purest one, adorned in garlands of fresh flowers.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.5
Beautiful young maidens carrying bright golden pots
danced and greeted the lord of Mathur,
who wore lovely sandals on his feet.
And as he strode, the earth trembled.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
The drums throbbed and great white conches resounded
beneath a canopy heavy with strings of pearls
Madhusdhana my beloved lord
took my hand in his.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.7
Virtuous Brahmins sang the Vedas and chanted sacred verses
they kindled the sacrificial fire with perfect dry twigs and encircled it
with grass
My lord of great prowess, that mighty elephant
clasped my hand and circled the fire.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.8
Nryaa is my lord for this birth
and every birth that follows.
He clasped my foot in his perfect lustrous hand
and placed it upon the ammi.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.9
My brothers with their bright faces and brows arched like bows
stoked the brilliant flames of the sacrificial fire.
They drew me forward and placed my hand over the lotus hand
of Acyuta, grand and prideful as a lion.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.10
We were smeared with vermilion and cool sandalwood
then he and I together rode on the elephants
and circled the festive streets
They drenched us in fragrant waters.
Such a vision I dreamed, my friend.
6.11
Ktai of the king of Villiputtr
city of Vaiava fame
wove this garland of pure Tami
of her dream for the lord of cowherds.
Those who perfect these two times five verses
will find joy in their noble and fine children.
The Song to the White Conch
Karuppram N
um
Are They Fragrant as Camphor
7.1
Are they fragrant as camphor? Are they fragrant as the lotus?
Or do those coral red lips taste sweet?
I ache to know the taste, the fragrance of the lips
of Mdhava, who broke the tusk of the elephant.
Tell me, O white conch from the deep sea.
7.2
O fine virtuous conch!
You were born in the sea and nurtured in Pñcajanya’s body.
Yet you claim as your home
the hand of the lord, supreme in the deluge
and now your great sound stills the deeds of wicked demons.
7.3
O beautiful great conch!
Like a full autumn moon rising high above the broad mountains
you have claimed as your home the hand
of Vsudeva,
king of Mathur of the North.
7.4
O Valampuri!
Glowing like the moon
you rest forever in Dmodhara’s hand
and seem to whisper secrets in his ear.
Even Indra cannot compete with your fortune.
7.5
O Pñcajanya!
So many others lived in that ocean with you
they remain unknown and unsung.
But you revel in the sweet nectar of the lips
of the great lord, Madhusdhana.
O Valampuri!
You don’t need to travel to far away sacred streams.
You climbed into the hand
of the one who split the twin maruta trees
and bathe in the unsullied nectar of the lips of the lotus-eyed one.
7.7
O king of conches!
You are like a swan sipping honey from a fresh red lotus
nestled into Vsudeva’s lovely broad hand
that dark lord, whose eyes are like lotuses.
Your fortune is glorious indeed!
7.8
O Pñcajanya!
Your food is the nectar from the lips of the one who measured the worlds.
Your bed is the hand of the one dark as the ocean.
Women everywhere scold you soundly
What you do is unfair.
7.9
O great and glorious conch!
Sixteen thousand women watch you
sip the nectar of Mdhava’s lips.
If you do not share that which belongs to all
Why should they not quarrel with you?
7.10
Ktai of Viucitta
lord of the priests of beautiful Putuvai
city of renown and fame
sang these ten Tami verses
extolling the intimacy of Padmanbha and his Pñcajanya.
All who excel in this recitation will always be near him.
The Song to the Dark Rain Clouds
Vi Nla M
lppu
O Clouds Spread Like Blue Cloth
8.1
O clouds spread like blue cloth
across the vast sky
Has Tiruml my beautiful lord
of Vkaam, where cool streams leap
come with you?
My tears gather and spill between my breasts
like waterfalls.
He has destroyed my womanhood.
How does this bring him pride?
8.2
O clouds that spill lovely pearls
What message has the dark-hued lord
of Vkaam
sent through you?
The fire of desire has invaded my body
I suffer.
I lie awake here in the thick of night,
a helpless target for the cool southern breeze.
8.3
So easily they left me
my luster, my bangles, thought, sleep
and I am destroyed.
O compassionate clouds!
I sing of Govinda’s virtues
lord of Vkaam,
where cool waterfalls leap.
How long can this alone guard my life?
8.4
O clouds bright with lightning
Tell the lord of Vkaam
upon whose lovely chest r resides
that my supple young breasts
yearn everyday
for his resplendent body.
8.5
O great clouds, rising into the sky.
Climb high, rain hard on Vkaam
and scatter the flowers brimming with honey.
Ask the one who tore the body of Hiraya
with his long nails flecked with blood
to return the conch bangles
he has taken from me.
8.6
O cool clouds heavy with water
rise high and pour down on Vkaam,
home of the one who took the world from Mahbali.
Tell that Nraa
he entered me, consumed me and stole my well-being
like a worm that feasts on a wood-apple
of my terrible disease.
8.7
O cool clouds, place the plea of this servant
at the feet of the one with the beautiful lotus eyes
that one who churned the ocean filled with conch.
Beseech him to enter me for a single day
and wipe away the vermilion smeared upon my breasts.
Only then can I survive.
8.8
Dark clouds ready for the season of rains
chant the name of the lord of Vkaam
that one who is valiant in battle.
Tell him, like the lovely leaves that fall in the season of rains
I waste away through the long endless years
waiting for the day when he finally sends word.
8.9
Rain clouds rising like great war elephants over Vkaam
What word has that one
who sleeps upon the serpent
sent for me?
The world will say: “heedless that he was her only refuge
he killed this young girl.”
What honor is there in this?
8.10
Ktai of the king of Putuvai,
the peerless city,
desired the one reclining upon the serpent
and sent the clouds as her messengers
to the king of Vkaam.
Those who place in their hearts these verses of Tami
sung by her of a lustrous forehead,
those who sing these words of Tami
will forever abide by him.
The Song in the Groves of Tirumliruñclai
Cintra Cempo
i
Crimson Ladybirds
9.1
Crimson ladybirds flutter everywhere
in the groves of Tirumliruñclai
scattering like a fine vermilion powder.
Once long ago, he used the mighty Mandara,
churned the ocean and made it yield its nectar.
Now I am caught in the net of the lord with beautiful shoulders.
Can I escape it alive?
9.2
In the lovely flower gardens of Tirumliruñclai
mighty war elephants tussle in play,
creepers of jasmine display their bright white smiles,
the dark flowering creepers laugh at me mockingly.
My dear friend, to whom can I divulge the
torment his garland inflicts upon me?
9.3
O bright karuvai blooms and dark ky flowers,
you have assumed the brilliant form of my Tiruml.
Show me how to endure my agony.
The master of Tirumliruñclai,
whose broad shoulders are for r’s pleasure
entered my home and wrested my beautiful bangles.
Is this right?
9.4
O you hosts of kuyil and crowds of peacocks,
clusters of bright karuvai blooms, fresh kalakai fruit
and fragrant flowers
all of you that that live in this vast grove.
You are five great sinners:
Why have you assumed the splendid dark color
of my lovely dark lord who dwells in Tirumliruñclai?
The bees that hover over the red lotus blooms
remind me of the one
whose eyes are like lotuses,
whose body is dark as the rain clouds
that one who stands amid the tall groves of Tirumliruñclai.
O cool ponds dense with flowers
O red lotuses floating in those ponds
please guide me to a place of refuge.
9.6
For the lord
of the sweet fragrant groves of Mliruñclai
I offered a hundred pots of butter
and yet another hundred brimming with sweet rice
Will the beautiful lord who rides on Garua
not come to claim my offering?
9.7
If only he will claim my offerings
I would offer yet another hundred thousand pots.
If only the lord who abides
in the groves of Tirumliruñclai
fragrant with the breeze from the South
would take me into his heart:
I, who have always been his slave.
9.8
With the awakening dawn
hosts of black sparrows sing sweetly
and call out the arrival of the dark lord.
Do they repeat the words
of the lord of Tirumliruñclai,
the king of Dvrak,
the one who floats upon a banyan leaf.
Can it be true?
9.9
I wait in vain
in the Mliruñclai groves
bursting with ripe kokai fruit
withering like the garlands of golden korai blooms.
When will he place the conch to his beautiful lips
and release its great sound?
When will I hear the majestic sound of his rga bow?
9.10
Ktai,
over whose fragrant hair bees hover
wove this garland of ten verses
and sang the praise of the lord of Mliruñclai,
where the Cilampu river bearing sandalwood and akil
rushes down washing away its banks.
Those who repeat her ten verses of perfect Tami
will be forever united with Tiruml’s feet.
The Song of Lament
Karkal Pkk
O Dark Flowers
10.1
O dark flowers
where is the lord, dark as the ocean
who has unfairly sent you to wage battle with me?
Alas, now whom can I beg?
My heart clamors after his cool tulas garland.
10.2
O flowers climbing high into the sky
stretch past the high heavens
and place me beside those dear to him
who do not scorch
just like the blazing flame he holds aloft in his right hand
that one, the light who is the essence of the Vedas.
10.3
O kvai vine you flaunt your luscious red fruit
and remind me of the one with the beautiful lips.
Please do not drag my life from me. I fear you now.
I am a sinner, born again for all my past offenses
Still, I feel no shame.
But his tongue is forked
like the serpent he has chosen as his bed.
10.4
Fair jasmine, do not torment me
with your bright smiles.
O you who are graceful as woman
I surrender to you.
If the words of the lord
who slashed the nose of the terrible demoness
are false,
is my birth a falsehood as well?
10.5
O singing kuyil, what song is this?
Sing, only if the lord of immaculate Vkaam
If the one with Garua on his fluttering banner
shows me compassion and unites with me,
sing your songs and we will both listen.
10.6
O you crowds of excellent peacocks
as lovely of form as Kaa
you with your graceful gait and skilled dance
I fall at your feet.
See how my beloved
who for aeons has reclined
upon his serpent with its swaying hood
has brought me to such a state.
10.7
Incomparable peacocks dancing with your feathers unfurled!
Deprived and unfortunate, I have nothing left for you.
Govinda who danced with the pots
plundered me and took everything.
Is it fair that you torment me?
10.8
Rain, O rain! Rain down on Vkaam
where my beautiful lord lives
like hot wax poured into a clay mold.
Show him how to enter my heart and melt me.
Make him caress me and hold me tight
so that my beautiful lord lodges in my heart.
Can you rain down in this way?
10.9
O oceans! He entered you, churned you
and stole your nectar from your depths.
Just so, the cunning one entered me
and deprived me of my life.
Can you go to his serpent
and convey my terrible suffering?
10.10
My dear friend, what defense do we simple mortals have
against the great and splendid lord
stretched upon the serpent?
If Villiputuvai’s lord Viucitta
of immaculate virtue
prevails upon his lord to reveal himself
we will behold him then.
The Song for the Conch Bangles
Tm Ukakkum
What Is Dear to Him
11.1
The conch he holds in his hand is dear to him.
Aren’t my conch bangles as dear to me?
Then O my mothers, richly adorned
why does the lord of Tiruvarakam
reclining upon the serpent spitting fire
not even glance at me?
11.2
O lovely mothers, my sweet lord of Tiruvarakam
is beautiful and peerless of form.
His hair is beautiful, his mouth is beautiful.
His lotus eyes are beautiful, the lotus rising from his navel is beautiful.
He loosened my already loose bangles
I have lost them to him forever.
11.3
My lord faultlessly rules all that he owns
this earth embraced by crashing oceans
and the heavenly worlds.
How has the lord of Tiruvarakam
who reigns with a perfect scepter
added to his wealth
with my simple conch bangles?
11.4
The lord living in Tiruvarakam
city famed for its stately palaces,
its richly ornamented mansions
perhaps still feels a lack
after he begged alms as a dwarf so long ago.
If he desires my conch bangles as well
why does he not just walk by this street?
My lord came as a cunning dwarf
stretched out his lovely hand, meekly plead for alms
and then measured the worlds.
My lord who is stretched upon the serpent
and reclines in Tiruvarakam,
that sacred city where only the virtuous live
has deprived me of my bangles.
He has stolen my smallest wealth.
11.6
Long ago he usurped the petty wealth of my hands
the splendid lord of Tiruvarakam
where the lovely Kviri waters fertile fields
the one palpable everywhere yet still intangible
he who is the embodiment of the four Vedas.
Now he claims my very life.
11.7
Forgoing both food and sleep,
he ripped apart the crashing ocean
all for the love of his woman.
Now ensconced within the strong walls of Tiruvarakam,
the lord, wealthy and magnificent
has forgotten his long-ago madness and instead
revels only in his virtues.
11.8
Along time ago for the maiden of the earth
covered in moss,
he took the shameful form of a boar
dripping water from its filthy body.
The lord of Tiruvarakam, that lustrous one
beguiled me with his words.
Now they can never be dislodged from my heart.
11.9
iupla was certain
that he would grasp the maiden’s hand and make her his.
He grew pale, when at that very moment
that enchanter of women
clasped the maiden’s hand.
Now that lord resides in Tiruvarakam,
his chosen abode.
11.10
Viucitta has heard
these words of truth spoken
by the mighty and righteous king
of Tiruvarakam:
“Those who love me
I will love in return.”
If even his words are proved false
what is there left to believe?
The Song of Sacred Places
Mau Iruntr
All of You Do Not Understand
12.1
All of you do not understand
my love for Mdhava.
You say meaningless things
like the deaf speaking to the mute.
My lord left the mother who bore him
to be nurtured in the home of another.
He reached Mathur before the wrestlers
and vanquished them.
I implore you to take me to that city.
12.2
There is no need for shame
since everyone knows.
If I am to return to what I once was,
do not delay.
I must see that lord of mystery,
who long ago spanned the worlds
in the guise of a youthful dwarf.
If you truly desire to protect me
take me to yarpi.
12.3
When word gets out that I abandoned
my father, my mother, my relatives
to seek my own path,
it will be impossible to protect me from censure.
That lord of mystery has come
and revealed his form to me.
In the dead of night,
take me to the doorstep of Nandagopla
whose mischievous son
delights in scandal and blame.
My breasts seek the gaze of the one
whose beautiful hand lifts the discus.
Bound tightly in a red cloth, their eyes
shy away from the gaze of mere mortals
desiring none other than Govinda.
I cannot live here a moment longer.
Please take me to the shores of the Yamun.
12.5
O dear mothers no one understands
this disease. But do not fret.
The one dark as the deep blue ocean
can soothe away my sickness
with a simple caress of his hand.
He is that very one,
who climbed the katampa tree on the river bank
leapt and danced upon the crest of Kliya
and created such a battle scene.
Please take me to the shores of that river.
12.6
The dark cool clouds, the karuvilai blossoms
the ky blooms, the lotus flowers urge me
“Go to him! Go to him!”
to that H
ikea
who sweating, hungry and fatigued
asked for his share of sacrificial rice
and waited for a long time
at Bhaktilocana.
Please take me there.
12.7
I am ashen, my heart is despondent.
I have lost all shame. My lips are pale
I cannot eat, my mind is weak
I have grown frail.
There is only one, dark and beautiful
as the deep blue ocean,
bring his garland of cool beautiful tulas,
drape it around me and cool me.
Please take me to the banyan tree in Bram
where his brother Balarma
broke the bones of Pralamba
and destroyed him.
12.8
O you delinquents, who whisper and gossip
“He is that simple cowherd, who herds his host of cows!”
“He was born into a clan that roams the forests!”
“He was bound to the mortar!”
do not repeat all that you have simply heard.
and make me condemn you.
Triumphant, he held aloft the mountain as an umbrella
shielded his herd of cows from the relentless rains.
Now, take me there to that Govardhana.
12.9
The parrot in its cage ceaselessly screeches
“Govinda! Govinda!”
If I punish it and withhold its food
“He measured the worlds!” it shrieks.
O friends, do not earn the city’s disregard,
lose your fair reputations and hang your heads in shame.
Take me to Dvrak
that city surrounded by tall mansions.
12.10
The maiden of long and curly tresses
Ktai of Viucitta
king of Putuvai,
city of glittering mansions
entreated her relatives, boldly demanded
to be taken everywhere
from Mathur to Dvrak
the lands of her lord.
Those who master her sweet words
will reach Vaikuha, where he abides.
The Song of Desire
Kaa Eum
Kaa, My Dark Lord
13.1
I lie here yearning for the familiar sight
of Kaa, my dark lord.
Do not just stand there, mocking me
It is like pouring sour juice upon a raw and open wound.
Instead, bring the golden silk
wrapped around the waist of my great lord
who does not know
the agony of a woman’s heart.
Fan me with it and cool my burning fever.
13.1
I am snared in the nets of the supreme lord
who sleeps on the banyan leaf
its stem seeping milk.
Do not speak reckless words
they pierce me like spears.
The Ydhava, lord of the cowherds,
staff in hand tenderly grazed his cows.
That very one also danced with the pots in Kuantai.
Bring me his beautiful blue tulas
and place it in my soft, tangled curls.
13.3
The lord who destroyed Kasa,
the one with dark brows and
a treacherous sidelong glance
his gaze enters me like an arrow
My heart burns. My sanity slips.
I suffer, but he says nothing,
not even “Fear not!”
If he should relinquish it
bring me the garland adorning his chest
and gently rub it on my chest.
In this world who can console me?
After all, he has enchanted all yarpi.
That black bull harasses me,
tortures me and I lie here weak and broken.
His sweet lips are soaked in the nectar
that never sates. Let me not wilt.
Bring that sweetness to me.
feed it to me and end my fatigue.
13.5
I weep for him. I worship him.
Yet he does not show himself.
He does not say, “Do not fear.”
He does not consume me with his caress,
nor does he envelop me in his embrace.
The lofty lord follows his cows
into the groves thick with tender leaves
and plays his flute.
Bring me the nectar from the lips of that flute
spread it over my face and cool me.
13.6
In this unscrupulous world
Tiruml
the harsh and cruel son of Nandagopla
inflicts such agony that I cannot move
or even turn on my side.
Quickly bring me the dust from his footsteps
smear it on me and prevent my life from fleeing.
13.7
The world exalts the one
who hoists the banner of victory imprinted with Garua.
His mother raised him to bow to no one
and he is as bitter to me as the margosa tree.
Press my flawless breasts
to the youthful one’s beautiful shoulders
broad as palm trees
bind them tightly to him
and end the sorrow of my separation.
I melt. I fray. But he does not care
if I live or die.
If that stealthy thief, that duplicitous Govardhana
should even glance at me
I shall pluck these useless breasts of mine
from their roots
I will fling them at his chest
and staunch the fire scorching me.
13.9
What is the purpose of future penance
if in this life, I cannot serve my Govinda
in small familiar ways and end the anguish
of my swollen and tender breasts?
Let him enfold me to his perfect chest
or let him stand before me,
face me and bid me farewell.
I will accept even that.
13.10
Proud Ktai of Viucitta,
master of Villiputuvai
maiden with dark arching brows
that surpass the curve of his bow,
sang of her intense yearning and love
for the radiant beacon of yarpi,
the great lord who made her suffer.
Those who expertly sing these words of praise
will never flail in the ocean of sorrows.
The Song of Questions and Answers
Pai Myntu
Have You Seen Him Here?
14.1
Have you seen him here
that mischievous lord, the dark bull
younger to Baladeva
that one who roams at will, causing mischief?
We glimpsed him playing in Vndvana
grazing his dear cows,
calling them by name and
tending them carefully.
14.2
Have you seen him
stinking of butter, enchanting all in yarpi,
that Govardhana, the young bull
who has made me suffer in separation?
We glimpsed him playing in Vndvana
with his friends,
his vanaml sparkling
like lightning around a dark cloud.
14.3
Have you seen him here
that lord who is love
love itself born as a bridegroom
that one who speaks intolerable lies?
We glimpsed him coming to Vndvana
flying high above
shaded from the sun by noble Vinat’s son
whose wings were spread like a canopy.
14.4
Have you seen him
my lord who caught me
in the unbreakable leash of his cool lotus eyes,
drags me everywhere, and toys with me?
We glimpsed him playing in Vndvana
a mighty elephant calf
beaded with sweat
as if draped in a garment of pearls.
14.5
Have you seen him
that Mdhava, my dark jewel
who has escaped from a net like a pig,
the lord who relents nothing?
We glimpsed him in Vndvana
trailing his yellow silk
like a great dark cloud, like a calf frolicking
he overwhelmed the streets.
14.6
Have you seen him
that deceitful wretch without virtue
whose beautiful brows arch
like the rga he bears in his cool hand.
We glimpsed him in Vndvana
dark bodied and bright faced
like the sun spreading dawn
above the mountains.
14.7
Have you seen him
that great intangible dark cloud,
the lord whose blackness of skin
equals the darkness of his soul?
We glimpsed him around Vndvana
with his great group of friends
like the night sky thick
with clusters of glittering stars.
Have you seen him
the one who owns the white conch,
the one draped in yellow silk, that Tiruml,
lord of boundless compassion, who holds the fiery discus?
We glimpsed him playing in Vndvana.
he whose fragrant hair, entwined with flowers
brushes his broad shoulders
like intoxicated bees.
14.9
Have you seen him
that immaculate lord who created
from his lovely navel, a grand lotus as home for Aya
and commanded him in play, to make the worlds?
We glimpsed him in Vndvana.
going toward the forest
to hunt and slay
Dhenuka, the elephant and the bird.
14.10
Those who live considering
the words of Ktai of Viucitta
as balm for the pains of the world,
will never be separated
from the splendid feet of the lord
who graced the great elephant.
that supreme lord
who is glimpsed on this earth in Vndvana.