Tiruppavai

Verse 6

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, "puLLum silambina kaaN", is the sixth 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.

puLLum silambina kaaN

puLLum silambina kaaN puLLaraiyan kOyilil *
veLLai viLisangin pEraravam kEttilaiyO *
piLLaay ezhundhiraay pEy mulai nancundu *
kaLLac cakatam kalakkazhiyak kaalOcci *
veLLaththaravil thuyilamarndha viththinai *
uLLaththuk kondu munivargaLum yOgigaLum *
meLLa ezhundhu "ari" enRa pEraravam *
uLLam pugundhu kuLindhElOr embaavaay.

Translation

Word for Word meaning

puLLum            the birds too
silambina         are calling
kaaN              look!
puL araiyan       the king of the birds (Garuda, Lord Vishnu's vehicle)
kOyilil           in (Garuda's) palace

veLLai            white
viLi              calling
sangin            conch's
pEr aravam        great noise
kEttilaiyO        didn't you hear?

piLLaay           O girl!
ezhundhiraay      get up!
pEy               demon 
                  (Putana, the female rAkshasi sent by Kamsa to kill
                   the baby Krishna by having him drink from her poisoned 
                   breasts)
mulai             breast  
nancu             poison
undu              ate

kaLLa             evil  
cakatam           SakaTAsura (lit. wheel), an asura who came in the 
                  form of a cart to kill Krishna 
kalakku azhiya    destroy
kaal              feet
Occi              kicked

veLLaththu        in the waters (the milk ocean)
aravil            on the snake
thuyil            asleep
amarndha          resting, seated
viththinai        the cause, seed (of the universe)

uLLaththu         in the heart
kondu             keeping
munivargaLum      sages, those who think about the Lord all the time
                  (Sanskrit: muni)
yOgigaLum         ascetics, those adept in meditation (Sanskrit: yOgi)

meLLa             gently
ezhundhu          getting up
ari               Hari, a name of Lord Vishnu
enRa              saying
pEr aravam        great noise

uLLam             our hearts
pugundhu          entering
kuLirndhu         cool

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