Verse 1
Tamil Lyrics
திருவாவி நன்குடி பங்காள ரெண்முது சீருரைசை
திருவாவி நன்குடி வானார் பரங்குன்று சீரலைவாய்
திருவாவி நன்குடி யேரகங் குன்றுதோ றாடல்சென்ற
திருவாவி நன்குடி கொண்டதண் காவரை செப்புமினே.
English Meaning
Muruka, you are highly regarded by God Tirumal who holds the beloved Goddess Lakshmi close to his heart and by God Sivan who keeps the cultured Uma Devi permanently on his side. They were thankful to you for explaining the meaning of the highly respected Vedas.
Men, you should go on a pilgrimage to the following holy places where the famous young Kanthan resides permanently and worship Him: Tirupparankunram in which there are plenty of sky scrapers, Tiruchendur, Pazhani, Tirucheeralai, and Kunruthoradal, where large number of wild elephants roam in herds and low hanging cold clouds can be seen all the year around.
Verse 2
Tamil Lyrics
செப்புங் கவசங் கரபா லகதெய்வ வாவியம்பு
செப்புங் கவசங் கரிமரு காவெனச் சின்னமுன்னே
செப்புங் கவசம் பெறுவார் கணுந்தெய்வ யானைதனச்
செப்புங் கவசம் புனைபுயன் பாதமென் சென்னியதே.
English Meaning
Great Kantha, you are the child of God Sankaran who rides the bull. You appeared in the water of the divine pond, Saravana Poikai. You are the son-in-law of God Tirumal who carries the conch in his hands the sound of which forewarns the arrival of Vishnu and captivates the girls coming around in procession hailing your glory. In turn you are captivated by their eyesight that serves as your armor. The cup-like breasts of your wife, the divine Deiva Yanai, also serve as your armor. Kantha, I bow my head to the holy feet of such an illustrious God like you.
Verse 3
Tamil Lyrics
செந்நிய மோகந் தவிராமு தோகந் திகிரிவெண்ணெய்ச்
செந்நிய மோகம் படவூ தெனத்தோனி செய்யபஞ்ச
செந்நிய மோகந் தரம்புனத் தேன்புணர் தெய்வத்தேயவச்
செந்நிய மோகம் பணிபணி யேரகத் தேமொழிக்கே.
English Meaning
The divine Chola king devotedly worshipped God Kanthan in the holy place, Tiruverakam, where he saw him embracing Valli, the hunter girl. The King could also not help noticing that the eyes of this local girl were very sharp and were insatiable like nectar. They were dark and needed the poison, Alakalam, swallowed by God Sivan who wears on his head the river Ganges flowing continuously making noise. The girl's neck was so well shaped and beautiful that it resembled the conch (Pancha Sanniyam) played by Tirumal who carries the disc and loves to eat butter. It is not surprising that the beauty of this girl captivated the King.
Verse 4
Tamil Lyrics
தேமொழி யத்தம் பெறவோந் தனக்கன்று செந்நுலகத்
தேமொழி யத்தம் சினங்காட் டவுண்ணரைச் சேமகரத்
தேமொழி யத்தம் புயமவர் சூடிகை சிந்தவென்ற
தேமொழி யத்தம் பதினா லுலகுமந் தித்ததொன்றே.
English Meaning
By their frequent attacks the ferocious asuras were distracting the celestial residents from enjoying the benefits of the teachings of the meaning of Ohm, the Pranava Manthiram, taught to God Sivan, who keeps Parvathi having a pleasant speech, in one half of his body. Kantha, with your strong shoulders you beheaded the angry asuras and scattered their heads into the ocean as food for the sharks. The meaning of Pranava Manthiram then reverberated through all the fourteen worlds. (How brave you are!)
Verse 5
Tamil Lyrics
தித்தவித் தார மனித்தரைத் தேவர் வணங்க முன்போ
தித்தவித் தாரகை மைந்தார்செந் தூர்க்கந்தர் சிந்துரவா
தித்தவித் தார முடைய ருளவெள்ளை தேக்கியன்பு
தித்தவித் தாரந் தனிவீ டுறத்துக்குச் செவ்வனலே.
English Meaning
Kantha, you are the son of God Sivan who is famous for his highly skilled dances in which he uses elaborate rhythmic beats and incredible footwork. Once you served as the guru and taught God Sivan the meaning of Pranava Manthiram with all the celestial residents listening devotedly with awe and respect. God Sivan was responsible for your appearing in the world as the son of the famous Tharakai girls. You reside peacefully in Tiruchendur. You are the Kumaran, who has two spouses, Deiva Yanai and Valli, who are extremely virtuous and bright as the sun. Kumara, thanks to your profusion of grace on me, my mind is filled with extreme devotion that helped me reach the unique state of eternal happiness and put out the fire of birth that is responsible for unhappiness. (I thank you for your blessings)
Verse 6
Tamil Lyrics
செவ்வந்தி நீலப் புயமுரு காபசெவ் வேலகைவேல்
செவ்வந்தி நீலத்தை யுற்றருள் வாயதிங்கட் சேயுபுனைந்த
செவ்வந்தி நீலத் தொருபாகர் போன்ற திணிச்சிந்தியார்
செவ்வந்தி நீலத்தி நீடுமுற் றாத திமிரமுமே.
English Meaning
Muruka, you wear beautiful garlands made of sevvanthi and karungkuvalai flowers on your shoulders. You remain firmly in the minds of those sincere devotees who always meditate on you. Those ardent devotees won't be born again in this world. The twilight sky and the crescent moon on the head of God Sivan, who keeps the blue-complexioned Parvathi as part of his own body, are slowly descending on those devotees who do not meditate on you. Soon they will be plunged in the darkness of ignorance and repeated births would set in like the dark ocean. Therefore I beg you to bless me with the flowers donned by you and save me from repeated births.
(The request of specific flowers by the devotee or lover to God or hero is an accepted genre in Tamil literature. A positive response is taken as an indication of acceptance of his or her request.)
Verse 7
Tamil Lyrics
திமிரத் திமிரக் கதரங்க கோபசெவ் வேலகைவேல்
திமிரத் திமிரக் ககுலான் தகவரைத் தேன்பெருகுஞ்
திமிரத் திமிரத் தனையாவி யாளுமென் சேயவனே
திமிரத் திமிரத் தனலாய சந்தன சீதளமே.
English Meaning
Muruka, you were so angry at the sea (for harboring and protecting the asuras) that you threw your spear at them so ferociously that even the spear was trembling. The final result was that you proved to be the Yama (God of death) for the entire asura clan. You are the husband of the deer-like hunter girl, Valli, who lives in the little millet fields of Valli hill forest where small rivers run in heavy floods periodically. You are also married to Deiva Yanai who was raised by the elephant, Iravatham. You were so submissive to these two girls that you went to the extent of begging them to accept you. When they can be sympathetic towards me? Here I am pining for your love. All the fragrances and the cold sandal paste are burning my body instead of cooling it. I beg you to come and embrace me.
(In this poem the plight of a girl who is madly in love with God Murukan is described. In religious literature it is customary to consider the soul as a girl who is pining and is trying to reach the Primal Being depicted as her lover.)
Verse 8
Tamil Lyrics
சீதங் கோடு புயங்கைகொண் டார்த்து திருமருக
சீதங் கோடு முடியாளர் செய்தனக் கேதுலதோ
சீதங் கோடு நிதருமென் பார்தொழுந் தேவிபெறுஞ்
சீதங் கோடு கொடிவேன் மயூரஞ் சிலையரசே.
English Meaning
Muruka, you are the son-in-law of God Tirumal who carries the famous conch on his shoulders and who embraces the breasts of his wife, Lakshmi. You are the son of God Sivan, who wears the crescent moon on his crown. Your wife, the hunter girl, Valli, who remains in the minds of sincere devotees despises excessive wealth that would only cause mental perturbations. Therefore the only wedding gifts from Valli are the blow horn, the flag in which the figure of cock is inscribed, the peacock on which Murukan rides, the spear and the reign of the kurinchi landscape where hunters live.
(Whereas Deiva Yanai's wedding gifts included Indiran's thunderbolt weapon, the elephant Iravatham, and the beautiful celestial world, Valli's wedding gifts were very inexpensive items. This is not surprising because Valli despised wealth.)
Verse 9
Tamil Lyrics
சிலைமத நம்படு மாறேழுஞ் சேய்மயி லுஞ்சிட்டவேச்
சிலைமத நம்படு சிந்துவை யிந்துவைச் செய்வதென்யான்
சிலைமத நம்படு காட்டுவர் கேளிருஞ் செங்கழுநீர்ச்
சிலைமத நம்படு தாமரை வாவி திரள்சங்கமே.
English Meaning
Oh conch shells, you live in groups in the ponds of Tiruttani hills where one finds lotus flowers, mountain honey and swans. Don't you see me suffering from the pangs of love induced by manmathan's flower arrows that are coming very fast towards me? His other weapons include the sweetness that arises from the saliva of the snake eaten by the peacock, the sea churned by Gods and the cool rays of the moon. How am I going to overcome the effects of all these factors that would only enhance my pangs of love for my hero? My relatives and friends are also openly criticizing me for my peculiar behavior of keeping aloof from others.
(I don't know when or how I am going to overcome my temptations to see my hero!)
Verse 10
Tamil Lyrics
திரளக் கரக்கரை வெண்கண்ட வேலன் நிசைமுகன்மால்
திரளக் கரக்கரை யான்பாட நாடுவல் செய்யசங்க
திரளக் கரக்கரை காண்பான்கைந் தீத்திசை வார்பனிக்க
திரளக் கரக்கரை வானீட்டு மைந்தர்புந் திக்கொக்குமே.
English Meaning
Velayutha, you are the one whom Piraman, Tirumal and even your own father, God Sivan wearing the sacred beads made from the nuts of the rudraksha tree, were unable to understand properly. You are the one who fought with your powerful spear against lakhs of very determined asuras and made them run back for their lives. How is it possible for me to sing the praise of such a hero befitting his stature in an appropriate manner? If anyone thinks I could do this properly, it is like the wisdom of someone trying to go to the other side of the ocean by swimming. It would also resemble the wisdom of small boys trying to touch the cool radiant moon by stretching out their hands.
(My attempts to sing the praise of Kumaran are just a valiant effort on my part to express my sincere devotion to him and nothing more.)