Periya Thiruvandhadhi | Nammāḷvār | 3

The glowing stars spread over the spacious skies, look like flowers with a variety of bright coloured pollens thrown over the divine feet of the Lord of the universe when He measured the earth, by the various devas in their turn one by one as per the respective Vedic rites.

The Lord who came as Trivikrama and who grew high and measured the worlds like the central stick made of blue stone holding up the huge umbrella of the spacious skies, with the studded stars like the tips of the spokes and the moon, the king of the stars and the bright Venus forming the connecting hollow rods, the same Lord is our medicine for our ills, the samsāra.

In that bygone age of the incarnation of Śrī Rāma, the valiant and victorious Lord with the fiery red discus, chopped away the nose and the large ears of that terrible demoness Sūrpanakhā

and returned back to His abode in the ocean of milk with the surging waves similar to the water laden dark clouds moving away from the blowing winds, settle back in the sea with the powerful waves.

If only the devas realize in their hearts, that in the bygone age,

Śrī Rāma who threw the arrow piercing through the seven Sāla trees and Śrī Krishna who split the mouth of the demon Bakāsura who came in the form of a bird –

are in fact the same transcendental Lord, wouldn't their clasped hands worship Him thrice a day?

O' mind! He will destroy the effects of our unrighteous karmas preventing them from causing misery and chase them away.

Always deck that ancient and loving Lord, who is majestic and invincible like the mountain and who is known as Keśava, Nārāyana and Mādhava, with garlands of words

O' mind! Understand the Sovereign Lord, who carries the divine discus as an ornament,

He is the wondrous Lord, who vanquished the ancient demon Rāvaṇa staying close and causing havoc on his dear life and He wears the cool garland of Tulasī full of nice fragrance, who is glorified in the Vedas. I have taught this to you.

Understanding, that enjoying the Lord in the eternal world to be a good thing, if you wished for the same it would not be unobtainable.

(On the other hand) giving that up, if you preferred to stay in this world and enjoy all the worldly pleasures, it would still be possible.

O' my dear mind! Learn to sing benediction to the divine holy feet of the Lord Śrī Krishna.

The Lord who is great (with no compeers) and who has a beautiful dark hue entered me and will not leave my heart.

(Therefore), the Thirumalai, the chattering ocean of milk and the eternal abode Śrī Vaikuṇṭha all have become small for Him. What a pity!

The effects of all the terrible unrighteous actions appear like someone with sorrowful red eyes and grieving face.

Who can get near me and squeeze to cause any harm to me since my mind has engulfed the deep and the vast ocean of the auspicious guṇas of the great Lord, the consort of Lakshmi?

I have taken into my heart the Lord, who is adorned with the radiant golden crown, who is known by the thousand names and who carries the resplendent discus

which shines as though it has engulfed the splendour of all shining things, as the mother and the father who will drive away all (my) distress. It does not matter anymore whatever happens.

O'Lord, who remained all alone as the causeless cause at the end of dissolution! Śiva with the matted red locks soaked with the cool waters of Gangā resides in the right side of your body (while), - the four faced Brahmā has his origin in your navel lotus. How can I even begin to describe your greatness?

Some will state that the trinity of Brahmā, Vishnu and Śiva with the three beautiful forms are the first cause of the cosmos. Yet some others will state that only one is the cause of even the trinity.

O' Lord! The ancient cause, with the hue of the dark clouds! Did not the resplendent lotus (the splendour arising from being the origin of the creator and the creation), sprout from your divine body?

Whenever the Pūvāy flower, the Kāyām flower, the blue water lily and the fresh blossoms of Senkazhunīr flowers, were sighted, at that time, the soft mind and the body of this lowly self of mine, thinking that all of them are in fact my Lord's divine form, become very elated.

Although I have been begging all the time not even failing a single day, the Lord Gopāla, who protected the cows by lifting the Govardhana mountain, does not show His grace (to me).

O' mind! This place (where I am), appears to be high ground for the stream of His grace to reach.

O'Lord with the discus capable of engulfing blood of all adversaries! This world as well as the eternal realm is under your will.

Such as you are, you have come in through my ears and have stayed inside me uninterruptedly. Among us two, who can decidedly know whether I am the great one or you are the great one. Please think!

O' Lord who strode all the worlds! When I think of Thee, my mind expands (with joy). If Thy vision actualizes and the loads of my sins vanish with Thine grace, I feel as if that I also will pervade all the worlds. How is that? Please pray tell.

O' Lord who reclines (on the serpent bed) in the noisy ocean! If I were to state, what family or friend is there (for me) excepting You? Without You, I do not see any other so called relative or friend that represents the good for the self of mine, the unmatched word, support and all stated relationships.

O' my good mind! Even if friends, life, large clan of relatives, birth in renowned and old family and their associations provide some happiness, (do not get attached to them).

Always delight in the experience of the eternal auspicious attributes of the Lord (Śrī Rāma ), who incessantly carries the Śārṅga bow armed with the arrows ready for discharge (for the protection of the devotees), considering them as the best food for your eternal enjoyment.

In this earth, whoever it might be, from whatever class they may be from, even if they were engaged in the most degraded avocation, if they are the devoted servants of the sovereign Lord Krishna with the (Śrī Sudarśana) discus in His hands, they attain the brilliance shining ever more resplendent than that of the eternal realm.

Will they ever fear the unlimited accumulated karmas? Will they ever consider the heavens even as a worthy goal?

Giving up birth, death, aging, and disease and going beyond all these, even if I were to obtain limitless bliss in the form of kaivalya moksha, all of that time, being oblivious of the Lord and unaccompanied by worship of the divine feet of the Lord who measured the earth,

will I ever consider that as anything other than misery?

The thoughtful Lord, who reclines in the ocean of milk in meditative sleep (on the serpent bed), not noticing that this person (Āḻvār) is lowly and unfit for His grace, incapable and helpless to think of His auspicious attributes, and not even bothering to note whether it is day or night, has forcefully submerged me both times in His auspicious guṇas.

In the aeons gone by, I who had no true knowledge and full of unrighteous karmas, wasted all that time in ignorance, failing to worship Lord Śrī Rāma adorned by the beautiful ring in his hand, who followed the magical deer (deceitful demon in disguise).

O' my Mind! I fear that you indulge in things that should not be indulged in. Praise the Lord, who as Śrī Krishna got rid of the lives of the (demoniac) wrestlers. Note this is the only way for safe conduct in life.

O' Mind! Forgetting this advice of mine, destroy yourself or remembering the same, save yourself. I spoke to you (for your own good).

O' my Mind! You do not praise the divine feet of that Lord, offering flowers, with bent head and with your hands in worshipful clasp even when asked to do so. You do not lovingly glorify Him asking Him where He had gone. Stay put if you can still bear this.

Oh! Terrible indeed is the burden of the effects of karma.

Where did the clouds, with the beautiful colour of my Lord, who sleeps reposed on the cool beautiful ocean of milk with surging waves, wandering over the spacious skies go and observe what kind of austerities with such relentless efforts to obtain the colour?

The people of the world do not seem to get rid of the terrible distress arising from all the unrighteous actions,

meditating on the holy words glorifying all the auspicious attributes of the Lord, Who has the form with the hue of the dark clouds, with the arm adorned by the divine discus,

with the divine stomach strong and spacious to hold the worlds at the time of dissolution and Who reclines on Śrī Anantha, the serpent bed.

Thinking of what else, can they even spend the time?

O' my good mind! Always try to sing the glories of the beautiful lotus feet of the Lord whose divine arms never ever remain bare of the divine discus, in order to get rid of the effects of all our unrighteous actions.

Sing the glories of the auspicious names of the Lord, at the present time as well as in the future and also all times to come.