Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation
by S. Satyamurthi Ayyangar | 388,514 words
This is the English translation of the Tiruvaymoli (or, Thiruvaimozhi): An ancient Tamil text consisting of 1102 verses which were sung by the poet-saint Nammalvar as an expression of his devotion to Vishnu. Hence, it is an important devotional book in Vaishnavism. Nammalvar is one of the twelve traditional saints of Tamil Nadu (Southern India), kn...
Pasuram 5.4.2
Tamil text and transliteration:
ஆவி காப்பார் இனி யார்? ஆழ் கடல் மண் விண் மூடி
மா விகாரம் ஆய் ஓர் வல் இரவு ஆய் நீண்டதால்
காவி சேர் வண்ணன் என் கண்ணனும் வாரானால்
பாவியேன் நெஞ்சமே! நீயும் பாங்கு அல்லையே?.
āvi kāppār iṉi yār? āḻ kaṭal maṇ viṇ mūṭi
mā vikāram āy ōr val iravu āy nīṇṭatāl
kāvi cēr vaṇṇaṉ eṉ kaṇṇaṉum vārāṉāl
pāviyēṉ neñcamē! nīyum pāṅku allaiyē?.
English translation of verse 5.4.2:
Who will save my life hereafter?
You, this sinner’s mind, aren’t friendly either;
Alas! tis one long, grim night that hides
The deep sea, the land and the sky; Kaṇṇaṉ, my Lord
Of blue tint, my sole Refuge doesn’t unto me come.
Note
In the middle of the famous ‘Rāsa Krīḍa’, when Kṛṣṇa danced with the Gopīs, the damsels of Vrindāvan, He disappeared for a while, and the Gopīs were thrown on tenter hooks. But then, Kṛṣṇa reappeared and made amends for His sudden withdrawal by assuming the form, par excellence, far more exquisite than in the earlier session. The Nāyakī too probably expected the Lord to present Himself before her likewise, but this expectation didn’t materialise. Hence, this lamentation.