Thiruchanda Virutham | 41-80

Thiruchanda Virutham by Thirumaḻisai Āḻvār.

Verses 41-80

41.

When you were a cowherd,
you loved the cowherd girl Nappinnai
who had round bamboo-like arms.
O cowherd, who can conquer you?
You are the sky and the earth.
O Māyā, you are the Māyaṉ who destroys illusions
yet you are the one who creates illusions.
Is all your magic an illusion?

42.

When Shiva was cursed by Nāṉmukaṉ
and Nāṉmukaṉ’s head stuck to Shiva’s hand,
you filled the head of Nāṉmukaṉ
with your blood and it fell from Shiva’s hand.
You must not be ashamed to tell about Shiva
who has a red body and a crescent moon on his Jaṭā
where the Ganges flows.
O lord, you have fought the seven bulls.
You should not be ashamed to tell about Shiva to others.

43.

You are the best of everything.
You broke the white tusks of an angry elephant.
You destroyed Kaṁsa who was angry with you.
You are the Māyaṉ who measured the world,
drank the milk of the deceiving devil Pūthanā and killed her.
You are the ancient god who has the dark colour of kohl.

44.

You are the sweetness in milk.
You are the brightness of precious gold.
You are the freshness of green moss.
You have the dark colour of bees
that drink honey and fly around ponds.
You are the four seasons.
Why does the world not understand the grace of the god Maal?

45.

Are you on the earth?
Are you in the sky?
You are mixed with the earth
and our minds do not know who you are.
What is this magic?
Are you with other gods in heaven?
Are you near? Are you far?
O Puṇṇiya, you sleep on the snake Ādiśeṣa.
You are pure and you wear a fresh Tulasī garland.

46.

Your hair is adorned with a fresh Tulasī garland
with beautiful petals.
You carry a conch and a discus
and you ride on Garuḍa who has beautiful wings.
I have not received your goodness like the other devotees.
I am like a dog. Give me your grace
so I will reach moksha and not be born again.

47.

O Kaṇṇā, you have the colour of a dark cloud.
You are the king of the sky.
People say that you sleep on a snake bed on the ocean,
and are everywhere. You are boundless.
I am like a dog.
I want to know where you are.
I beg you, please tell me.

48.

You stay on the hill of Tiruvēṅkaṭam.
You stay in the sky with the gods.
You sleep on the wide ocean on Ādiśeṣa.
You took the land from Mahābali and measured it.
You swallowed the earth.
You took the form of a boar, split the ground
and brought forth the earth goddess who was hidden.
You created all lives.
You are the ancient god
who gave godliness to the gods.
The god of Srirangam

49.

The Tirupati of the god
who threw a ball happily
at the hump on the back of Mandāra, the servant of Kaikeyi
who is decorated with garland on her hair where bees swarm,
is Srirangam surrounded by water
where keṇḍai fish swim about, valai fish jump
and cranes swallow crabs.

50.

The Tirupati of the god
who in ancient times, taking the form of heroic Rāma,
shot arrows from his bow with his strong hands
and made the dark ocean in Lanka with its white waves grow red,
is the famous Srirangam
that is surrounded by groves swarming with bees
where the divine water of the Kāverī flows
in all the eight directions.

51.

The Tirupati of our dear god
who bent his bow, shot his arrows
and cut down the ten heads of Rāvaṇa the king of Lanka
is Srirangam where the waves of Kāverī river roll everywhere
bringing gold to the shore
and where Nāṉmukaṉ worshipped the god.

52.

The Tirupati of the god
who fought the elephant Kuvalayabeeḍam
who came to attack him angrily,
and broke its tusks
is Srirangam surrounded by clear water
where the Brahmins who live there are without desire
and walk holding bamboo sticks that have small pearls.

53.

The Tirupati of the ancient god Maal
who cut the thousand arms of Bāṇāsura
and chased him away from the terrible battlefield
as the three-eyed Shiva and his escorts
who came to help the Asura also retreated with their army
is the famous Srirangam surrounded by water.

54.

The god who shot sharp arrows and destroyed Lanka,
stays in Srirangam where the Kāverī river
that was born in the summits of mountains
and descends from the hills
carries in its rolling waves
fragrant sandal and kungumam paste
as they break and dash on the banks.

55.

You are the husband of the everlasting earth goddess
who is as beautiful as a flower,
and you also married the cowherd girl Nappinnai.
You gave me your grace so that I keep your feet in my mind.
You are the god Puṇḍarigan and you stay in Srirangam
surrounded by the Ponni river.
The god of Kuṭantai

56.

You are the heroic god who went to Lanka
and conquered and killed the king Rāvaṇa,
making his ten heads decorated with garlands fall to the ground.
You are the god Maal who stays in Kuṭantai
where wise, faultless Brahmins who wear sacred threads
and recite the Vedas worship you.

57.

He carries a conch.
Beautiful Lakshmi stays on his chest.
He kills his enemies with his discus.
He is Puṇḍarigan who stays in Kuṭantai
where young women whose beautiful long hair
is decorated with kongu flowers
play in the cool abundant water.

58.

O Uthama!
You killed the Asuras who came in the form of marudam trees.
You fought and killed the elephant Kuvalayabeeḍam,
destroying its strength.
You split open the mouth of the Asura Keśi
who came in the form of a horse.
You measured the earth with your feet.
You are the god Maal who stays in Kuṭantai,
giving boons to Brahmins who know the Vedas.

59.

You are the cowherd who stays
in flourishing Kuḍandai with ponds and blooming groves
and rich fields protected by many fences.
You are the hero who bent your bow,
killed the Asuras Vakkaran, Karan and Muran
and sent their heads to Yama.

60.

O god, you stay in Tiruvēṅkaṭam
where cool rain falls abundantly
and bamboo plants grow tall and touch the sky.
Aren’t you Maal who sleeps on the ocean
in Kuḍandai surrounded by cool blooming groves
dripping with honey?

61.

Did your feet hurt when you walked with Sita in the forest?
Did your body shake when you took the form of a boar
and dug up the earth and brought out the trembling earth goddess?
You stay in the temple in Kuḍandai on the bank of the Kāverī
where the river spreads into many channels.
Get up, come and speak to us.
We praise you, O Keśava.
The god of Kuṟuṅkuṭi

62.

You are the mighty god who stays in Kuṟuṅkuṭi
where Valai fish leap
and make large palm fruits fall into the pond
so a cow bathing there is frightened.
You took the form of a lion
and split open the chest of the angry Hiraṇya
who had strong round arms.
The god of Paḍaham

63.

You are the god of gods
who removes the bad karma
of those who do yoga and approach you.
In Paḍaham, filled with beautiful palaces and hills,
you are in a seated form
and in Tiruvuraham, you stand,
but why are you lying down in Thiruvenkata?

64.

O father, you are in a standing form in Thiruvuraham,
and in Paḍaham you are seated,
and you recline in Thiruvenkata.
When you took those forms, I was not born,
and since I was born I have not forgotten any of your forms
because you really stand, sit and sleep in my heart.

65.

The god stands in Vēṅkaṭam hills.
He stays in heaven in the sky.
He sleeps on the great ocean with rolling waves.
He is a wonder.
He sleeps on the snake Ādiśeṣa.
He is the ancient god.
He, Mādhava, stands, sits and sleeps in my heart.

66.

Everyone knows that we will die
either today or shortly hereafter.
No one lives forever in this world.
You see this, O low people,
but you do not want to worship the feet
of the god who measured the world.
Don’t you want to go to heaven
and be with the gods?

67.

If you worship the lotus feet of the divine god
and listen to his praise,
you will go through the world of the sun
and reach moksha and find undiminished love and joy.
The virtuous god whose feet are as beautiful as lotuses
will listen to your prayers
and remove your bad karma and sorrow.

68.

When they leave this world,
those base people involved in worldly pleasures like wealth
will not achieve moksha.
There is no way for them to go to heaven.
If you want to survive,
you must praise the good god Maal
who is adorned with fresh Tulasī garlands.

69.

If you see some gods, they have terrible forms.
Their praise is not sweet to the ears.
Even if you praise them they do not have the power
to give the boons you ask for.
O ignorant ones!
You live thinking they are your refuge.
If you want to survive,
there is only one refuge for you, our Maal.
If you wish to release yourself from births,
worship our ancient god Maal.

70.

The gods in the sky,
carrying clubs, tridents, spears, drums, sticks and swords,
ran everywhere and hid
when Bāṇāsura came to fight with them.
On that day our god Maal fought with him
and cut off his thousand arms,
and took away all the troubles of the gods.

71.

When the god took Uṣā
without Bāṇāsura, her father knowing it,
Bāṇāsura came to fight with the god
and the god fought with him and cut off his thousand arms.
Shiva, Agni and the other gods
who had come to help Bāṇāsura in the battle retreated.
Our god decided to be compassionate to the Asura
and forgave him.

72.

The goddess Lakshmi stays on a lotus
and the earth goddess also stays with the god Maal.
Nāṉmukaṉ, the god’s son, sits on the lotus
on the navel of the god.
The śāstras say that Shiva who shares his body with his wife
became the vehicle of the god.
That is the truth and no one can deny it.

73.

Our god shot his arrows
and made holes in the seven mara trees.
As Rāma, he shot his arrow at Vali's chest and killed him.
Even those who rule in the sky
will not receive the endless joy of moksha
unless our god has given them his grace to receive it.

74.

If you really know that your refuge is the feet
of the god who took the form of Vāmaṉaṉ
and worship him
you will have great wealth and wonderful wisdom.
If you praise the god Maal
who sleeps on the ocean that has clear rolling waves,
you will not have the results of your bad karma.

75.

Only those who do good tapas thinking only of the god
and who think constantly of the nature of Maal
will go to heaven and stay with the other gods forever.
Except for those devotees no one can see the god Maal
who has beautiful eyes.

76.

They who control the feelings that arise from their senses
and they who light up their wisdom by following good paths
and they who melt in their bones and hearts for the god
and they who love the god who carries a discus,
only they can see him.

77.

God is the twenty-four things:
mouth, legs, hands, eruvaay, kazhivaay,
the senses, the body, mouth, eyes. nose, and ears,
the feelings, taste, light, touch, noise and smell,
the sky, earth, wind, fire and water,
and mind, man, munaippu and other things beyond understanding.
He is the lord of all the seven islands,
the seven mountains and seven seas.
He is the soul of the twelve suns.
The devotees who worship him with the eight letter mantra,
“Om namo Nārāyaṇāya,”
will go to heaven and rule there.

78.

Those who love the god tirelessly,
and those who think of him always in their minds
and those who worship the beautiful feet decorated with anklets
of the god who sleeps on the snake bed on the ocean,
and those who recite the eight-letter mantra with love
will go to heaven and rule there.

79.

God is the ten directions.
He is the soul of the ten guardians of the directions.
God is the nine notes of music.
God is the nine rasas of dance.
He came to this world in ten Avatāras.
He is the ancient lord, the most powerful one.
Only those devotees who worship him with devotion
will reach moksha.

80.

When the Asura Thenugam approached the god without love
pretending to be his friend,
the god cut off his arms
but then he gave his grace and the Asura achieved moksha.
No one can reach moksha except the devotees
who worship the anklet-decorated feet of the god with love.