Tiruppavai [Text]

Verse 1

According to the Indian calendar December-January is the month of maargazhi. On each day of maargazhi, one verse from Andal's divine poem, the Tiruppavai. is savored. Today's verse, "maargazhith thingaL", is the first one of the work.

What I have presented is the surface meaning. Each verse can actually be understood in many poetic and profoundly philosophical ways.

maargazhi thingaL

maargazhith thingaL madhi niRaindha nannaaLaal *
neeraadap pOdhuveer pOdhuminO nErizhaiyeer *
seer malgum aayppaadic celvac ciRumeergaaL *
koorvER kodunthozhilan nandhagOpan kumaran *
Eraarndha kaNNi yasOdhai iLaNYsingam *
kaar mEnic cengaN kadhir madhiyam pOl mugaththaan *
naaraayaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvaan *
paarOr pugazhap padindhElOr embaavaay.

Translation

The full moon day of Margazhi is here
What an auspicious day it is!

O dear ornamented girls
  who thrive in Brindavana,
    overflowing with prosperity

Come along, let us go bathe,
Come along if you so desire.

Narayana --
The son of Nandagopa,
  whose sharp spear is readily so cruel --
The young lion of Yashoda,
  whose eyes are so full of love --
With dark body
  red eyes
    face like the sun and moon

Narayana    alone 
will give   us
The drum!

So join us, so that the people
Of the world will celebrate.

Word for Word meaning

maargazhi thingaL        the month of maargazhi (december-january) 
madhi niRaindha          full moon
nal naaL                 auspicious day

neeraada                 to bathe
pOdhuveer                those of you who desire to go
pOdhumino                let us go
nEr izhaiyeer            you who are adorned with jewels

seer                     wealth, glory
malgum                   full of
aaypaadi                 Brindavana
celva                    prosperous
ciRumeergaaL             O young girls

koor vEl                 sharp spear
kodun thozhilan          cruel deed (to those who harm Krishna)
nandagOpan               Nandagopala, Krishna's father and
                         chief of the cowherds
kumaran                  son

Eraarndha kaNNi          eyes full of beauty
yasOdhai                 Yashoda, Krishna's mother
iLam singam              lion cub

kaar mEni                with a body that is dark
cen kaN                  red eyes
kadhir                   sun
madhiyam                 moon
pOl                      like
mugaththaan              with a face

naaraayaNanE             Narayana himself, Narayana alone
namakkE                  to us, indeed
paRai                    the drum
tharuvaan                will give 

paarOr                   (so that) the people of the world
pugazha                  will celebrate, praise 
padindhu                 follow, get involved (in our 'nOnbu' or vow)

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