Periyāḻvār Tirumoḷi | 51-100

51.

O Acyuta! The earth goddess sent a dress,
a small golden sword with a handle, golden bangles,
a diamond ornament for your forehead
and a shining golden flower on a stalk for you.
You drank the poison
from the breast of Puthana, thalelo.
O Nārāyaṇa! Do not cry, thalelo.

52.

Durga, the goddess who rides on a heroic deer
sent you fragrant powder to put on your body,
turmeric for your bath,
kohl for your beautiful large eyes
and red kumkum to decorate your forehead.
O dear child, do not cry, do not cry.,
Thalelo, you sleep on a snake bed in Srirangam, thalelo.

53.

The Paṭṭan of Puduvai composed lullaby songs
that Yaśodā sang for kohl-coloured Kaṇṇaṉ
who drank milk from the breast of the cunning Pūthanā
when she came to kill him.
The lives of the devotees
who learn these poems well and recite them
will be free of all difficulties.

5. Yaśodā calls the moon to come and play with Kaṇṇaṉ

54.

As he crawls and plays in the sand making himself dirty,
the chuṭṭi ornament on his forehead swings around
and the golden kiṇgiṇi bells on his feet ring loudly.
O young beautiful moon! If you have eyes on your face,
come here and see the mischievous play of my son Govinda.

55.

He is my small child!
He is my dear child and he is sweet nectar for me.
He calls you with his small hands
pointing to you again and again.
If you really want to play with the dark-coloured one
do not hid in the clouds.
O lovely moon, come running happily to play with him.

56.

Even though you are surrounded by a shining wheel of light
and you spread light everywhere,
whatever you do, you cannot match the beauty of my son’s face.
He is clever.
The god of Vēṅkaṭam hills calls you.
O lovely moon, come quickly.
Don’t make him keep pointing at you and hurt his hands.
O lovely moon, come running happily to play with him.

57.

As I hold him on my waist,
my son opens his flower-like eyes wide
and calls you as he points to you with his sweet fingers.
O bright moon,
if you know what is good for you, don’t try to fool us.
You aren’t someone who doesn’t know
how precious a child is. Come and see him.

58.

He calls you loudly with his prattling words
that come from his beautiful nectar-filled mouth.
You move without stopping,
even when the beautiful one, Śrīdhara,
the god who is in all, calls you again and again.
Does that mean that your ears are stopped up
and you cannot hear if someone calls you?
Tell me, O wonderful shining moon.

59.

He is the god who carries a club, a discus
and a conch in his strong hands.
He wants to sleep and yawns.
If he does not sleep
he cannot digest the milk that he drank.
O lovely moon, you are merely wandering in the sky.
Run and come quickly to him.

60.

Don’t ignore him thinking that he is just a little boy.
He is the same crazy one who slept on a banyan leaf
in an ancient time.
If he gets mad at you, he will jump on you and catch you.
Don’t disrespect him. He is the god Maal.
O lovely moon, run and quickly come happily.

61.

Don’t ignore him thinking that he is a small child.
See, he is like a young lion.
Go and ask the king Mahābali
about the few words that the god has spoken to him.
If you make a mistake and think
that he is not strong,
you will soon be needing his help.
O full moon, Neṭumāl calls you to come to him soon.

62.

He is our god who took butter
from the pots with his small hands
and swallowed as much as he wanted.
His stomach is full and looks like a pot.
He is calling you loudly.
If you don’t come
he will throw his discus at you,
there is no doubt about it.
O lovely moon, if you want to survive,
run and come happily.

63.

Yaśodā's large eyes are decorated with kohl.
She called the moon to come to play with her son.
Viṣṇu-Citta, the poet of flourishing Villiputtur
composed these Tamil poems
that describe what Yaśodā said.
No trouble will come to those
who recite all these poems.

6. Yaśodā describes how Kaṇṇaṉ crawls.

64.

You have created the world
and swallowed it into your beautiful stomach.
You are the highest god
and you sleep gently on a banyan leave
that floats on the ocean
whenever the world ends and begins again.
Your eyes are long and beautiful like lotus flowers.
You have a dark body like kohl.
Your ears are decorated with precious shining emeralds.
O dear one, crawl gently.
Do not shake the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi,
who stays on your chest.
You should think of her safety.
Shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds.
Crawl, crawl.

65.

You wanted to prove
what Hiraṇya’s son Prahlāda said was true
and took the form of a man-lion
and split Hiraṇya’s body with your sharp nails
as the Rākṣasa’s blood flowed out and spread everywhere.
When Indra the king of gods was angry with you
because you ate the food that the cowherds had kept for him
and he made the dark clouds pour stones as rain
and the winds blow wildly,
you carried Govardhana mountain as an umbrella
and protected the cows.
Shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds.
Crawl, crawl.

66.

You are our chief.
You are the meaning of all the four Vedas.
You are the mother of Nāṉmukaṉ
who stays on a beautiful lotus on your navel.
You grew tall, crossing all the earth,
the world of the stars and anything above them for Mahābali.
You conquered the elephant Kuvalayabeeḍam
and the seven bulls that came to fight with you.
O dear one, shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds.
Crawl, crawl.

67.

You fought with Śakaṭāsura and killed him
and the gods in the sky rejoiced.
You drank the poison from the breasts
of the cunning demon Pūthanā and killed her.
You threw Vatsāsura who came in the form of a calf
on Kabithasuran who stood disguised as a wood-apple tree
and killed both of them.
You are the elephant who fought
with the strong Rākṣasas Thenahan, Muran
and cruel Vennarahan in a terrible battle and killed them.
O dear one, shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds.
Crawl, crawl.

68.

You stole and swallowed yogurt and ghee
kept by the beautiful cowherd women
who have beautiful long curly hair.
You, the strong god, kicked with your legs
and fought with your hands the two Asuras
who came in the form of marudam trees.
You do not know how to smile
with your pearl-like small teeth yet.
You crawl and dance
as your beautiful thick hair sways.
O dear one, shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds. Crawl, crawl.

69.

You have the colour of a dark kayam flower.
Your body is in the colour of the dark cloud.
O my little child! You are the beautiful god
who danced on the top of the snake Kālinga
who lived in a deep pool in the forest.
You took away the tusks of
the strong rutting elephant Kuvalayabeeḍam.
You fought and killed the wrestlers
who came to fight with you, looking for the right time,
and then danced with your two feet.
O dear cowherd!
Shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds.
Crawl, crawl.

70.

You listened to the words of the strong cowherds,
fought and controlled seven strong bulls
and married Nappinnai, lovely as a peacock,
who has beautiful dark hair.
You went on a bright shining chariot,
searched for the children who were lost,
found them and brought them back to their mother.
O dear one, shake your head and crawl for me once.
You are the bull who fights for the cowherds.
Crawl, crawl.

71.

The cowherd women carry you on their waists,
take you to their homes,
do whatever they like to do with you
and take care of you with love.
Young girls who see you become happy.
You give your grace to the learned ones who praise you.
You stay in the eternal Thirukkurunguḍi.
You are the god of Thiruveḷḷaṛai.
You are the king of Solaimalai surrounded with forts.
You are the nectar that stays in Kaṇṇapuram
Give me your grace and remove my sorrows.
O dear one, shake your head and crawl.
You are the god of all the seven worlds.
Crawl, crawl.

72.

When you crawl,
the fragrance of milk, ghee, yogurt,
pure sandalwood, shenbaga flowers, lotuses
and good camphor spreads everywhere.
The tiny teeth in your lovely mouth that is red as coral
shine like beautiful small silver stars.
The nectar that is as sweet as a fruit
drips slowly from your mouth and runs through
the lovely aimbaḍaithali on your blue chest.
You are the perfect meaning of the four Vedas.
Shake your head and crawl.
You are the god of all the seven worlds.
Crawl, crawl.

73.

Small silver rings decorate the tiny soft petal-like toes
on your red lotus feet.
Your feet are decorated with kiṇgiṇis.
Your waist is decorated with a golden chain
mingled with beautiful pomegranate flowers.
Your arms are decorated with rings and bracelets.
An auspicious aimpaḍaithali beautifies your chest.
Your ears are decorated with emerald ear rings,
and vali ornaments.
A chuṭṭi ornament shines on your forehead.
O king of our tribe,
shake your head and crawl.
You are the god of all the seven worlds.
Crawl, crawl.

74.

Yaśodā, the beautiful one
who walks like a swan praised her divine child, saying,
“O chief of cowherds!
You took the form of a swan, a fish, a man lion, a dwarf and a turtle.
Remove my sorrows. Shake your head and crawl.
You are the lord of all the seven worlds. Crawl, crawl.”
The famous Paṭṭan of Puduvai composed
ten Tamil poems that describe how Yaśodā told of her son crawling.
Those who recite these ten Tamil poems
will become famous in all the eight directions
and be happy.

7. Yaśodā asks Kaṇṇaṉ to clap his hands.

75.

The ruby kinginis on your feet jingle.
Your waist is decorated with a precious golden chain.
In your coral mouth, your pearl-like teeth shine.
Clap your hands
that took the land from the king Mahābali.
O little one with dark curly hair,
clap your hands.

76.

The bells tied on the golden chain on your waist,
and the kingini bells decorated with rubies
that are tied on your waist jingle.
The chuṭṭi ornament on your forehead swings.
O magical one! Come down from my lap
and go sit on the lap of the chief of cowherds Nandagopa,
your father, and clap your hands.
Clap your hands.

77.

O my child coloured like a blue sapphire!
Your shining golden earrings are studded
with many diamonds, pearls and precious corals.
You smile with your jewel-like mouth
that makes your face lovely.
Come to your mother’s lap and clap your hands.
You carry the discus in your beautiful hand,
clap your hands.

78.

Your father, the chief of the cowherds,
called the moon, saying,
“O bright moon! You crawl in the sky!
Come to our porch, shine with your white rays
and play with my child.”
Clap your hands so that your father,
the chief of the cowherds
who praises you, will be happy.
You sleep on the water in Thirukuḍandai,
clap your hands.

79.

You filled your hands with mud and dirt
from the cowherd village and threw them at me.
You entered our house when I was not there
and stole yogurt and butter from large pots.
You are like a loose calf that is not tied.
Clap your hands,
O Padmanābha! Clap your hands.

80.

A hundred Kaurāvas did not
listen to their father’s advice
and came to fight with the Pāṇḍavas.
You became the charioteer for Arjuna in the battle
and destroyed the Kaurāvas who wanted to rule the land.
Clap your hands that drove the chariot.
O lion-like son of Devakī, clap your hands.

81.

When Varuṇa hid and sent arrows to stop you
from building a bridge to Lanka,
as Rāma, you shot arrows to calm the waves of the ocean
and the ocean allowed you to go to Lanka.
Clap with the hands that carry the bow Śārṅga
that shot those arrows. Clap your hands.

82.

When you came as Rāma to the earth,
the monkeys, your helpers, built a strong bridge
on the roaring ocean.
You shot your arrows on the battlefield
and destroyed the Rākṣasas
who ruled Lanka surrounded with wide oceans.
Clap your hands that shot those arrows.
You who carry the discus in your hands, clap your hands.

83.

You came out of the tall pillar
in the form of a huge man-lion
when Hiraṇya broke it and you split open his strong chest
with your shining fingernails.
Clap with the hands that did that heroic deed.
You drank the milk from the breasts
of the female demon Pūthanā and killed her.
Clap your hands.

84.

When the gods churned the deep milky ocean,
you joined them and helped them
using the mountain Manthara as a churning stick
and the snake Vāsuki as the strong rope.
Clap with the hands that churned the milky ocean.
You are as beautiful as dark clouds,
clap your hands.

85.

Vishnu Paṭṭan of Villiputtur
that is surrounded by blooming groves
that spread fragrance all day
composed with love ten Tamil poems praising Kaṇṇaṉ,
the king of the cowherds, born to protect the cowherds.
The karma of the devotees who recite these ten poems
about the god clapping his hands
will disappear.

8. Toddling.
Yaśodā describes how Kaṇṇaṉ walks as a toddler.

86.

An elephant tied to a chain on his feet,
dripping with ichor,
walks slowly as his chain makes the noise, “chalar, pilar,”
and the golden bells hanging on both side of him ring.
Just like that won’t my child
who carries the Śārṅga bow
walk as the bells of the kinginis
that decorate his feet ring loudly?
Won’t he toddle with his lovely feet?

87.

The sapphire-coloured god who sleeps on Ādiśeṣa,
was born to Vasudeva.
He is decorated with a chain made of shell on his waist
and a pendant in the form of a turtle.
Won’t he toddle as his small white teeth
in his coral mouth shine
like the crescent moon in the red sky?

88.

He, Hrishīkesa, the bright one,
wears a chain that shines like lightning.
His hair is decorated with an arasilai ornament
that shines like the white moon.
He wears a silk dress.
His dark cloud-like neck is decorated
with the bright golden Karai ornament
that shines like lightning.
He is like a bright light.
Won’t he toddle?

89.

As the dark cloud-coloured god
who holds Lakshmi on his chest
laughs with the sound “gaṇa, gaṇa,”
it sounds like sugarcane juice
pouring through the hole of a pot.
He delights his parents
as he comes and kisses them with his sweet nectar-like mouth.
Won’t he toddle on his enemies’ heads and conquer them?

90.

As the little Kaṇṇaṉ runs fast behind his elder brother,
Baladeva who is praised by the whole world,
he looks like a dark baby mountain
running quickly behind a large silver mountain.
Won't the little child who runs behind his good brother toddle?

91.

He has on his right foot the sign of a conch
and on his left foot the sign of a wheel.
When he walks with his two feet
he makes the marks of the wheel and conch on the ground.
He toddles and gives me a flood of the joy again and again.
Won’t the one who has the colour of the dark ocean,
the father of Kāma, toddle?

92.

He walks as the saliva from his red lotus mouth
continually drips slowly like small cool drops of dew.
The bells that decorate his dress ring “gaṇa gaṇa”
like the bells that are tied on the neck of a strong bull.
Won’t he who carries the bow Śārṅga
toddle with his soft feet?

93.

When Vāsudeva, the sapphire-coloured one
came to the world in the form of a child,
people had never seen such a marvellous child before.
He toddles as his shining chain made of shells
that decorates his waist sways like a white waterfall
falling on a black hill. Won’t he toddle?

94.

Trivikrama plays throwing mud on himself
like a dark elephant calf
playing in the sand and pouring white dirt on his body.
Won’t he toddle on the cool soft flower-covered earth
without hurting his small feet that are like freshly blooming lotuses
as his body sweats with small drops of water?
Won’t he toddle?

95.

When Keśava who has beautiful eyes
on his moon-like face toddles,
his chuṭṭi ornament shines and swings
like the shadow of the moon in rippling water.
The small drops of saliva dripping from his mouth
give boons to his devotees even more than the water
of the Ganges that sprinkles drops from its rolling waves.
Won’t he toddle?

96.

The famous poet Viṣṇu-Citta of the Veyar clan
described how the dark-coloured god
who was born in the cowherd tribe
toddled giving joy to his mother
and making his enemies tremble.
Those who recite the poems of Viṣṇu-Citta
will get children who will worship the feet
of that Māyaṉ who has the colour of a dark jewel.

9. Yaśodā Embraces Kaṇṇaṉ.
Acho - Acho, what a wonderful thing it is? How sweet it is?

97.

O dear one, you run fast and come in front of me
like a cloud with lightning
as the golden kinginis that adorn your feet
make the sound “chalan, chalan.”
Come and stay on my waist. acho! acho!
O dear one, come and embrace me, acho, acho.

98.

As your dark hair falls on your coral mouth
it looks as if bees were coming to drink nectar on a red lotus.
Come and embrace me with your beautiful hands
that carry a conch, bow, sword, club and discus.
Come and stay on my waist. acho! acho!
Come and embrace me tightly. acho, acho.

99.

O dear one, You went as a messenger
for the Pāṇḍavas and fought for them in the Bhārata war.
You entered the pond where the snake Kālinga lived
and killed him and gave your grace to the cowherds.
O you have the dark colour of kohl, acho, acho.
O dear child of the cowherds,
come and embrace me, acho, acho.

100.

You asked a hunch-backed woman
who was a servant of king Kaṁsa
to give you the fragrant sandal paste
that she was carrying for the king.
She took it and smeared it on your body
without being afraid of the king
and you straightened her back.
Come and embrace me, acho! acho!
O dear one, come and embrace me, acho, acho.