Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,573

Date uploaded in London – 3 April 2026

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx 

When I went to the famous Uppliappan Vishnu temple near Kumbakonam on 12-3-2026, I had good and free darshan quickly. Since first two weeks in March are exam season in India, less crowd was seen in all the temples. I was very much impressed by the big wall paintings of 12 alvars, 10 Vishnu avatars and 108 Divya Kshetras of Vishnu. I took lot of pictures, yet I could not take all the shrines portrayed on the wall.

One of the 12 Alvars was Andal, the teenage poetess as well as a great saint. Her 30 Tamil verses known as Tiruppaavai used to echo in all the temple streets of Tamil Nadu in the month of Maarkazi (Margasirsa in Bhagavad Gita; Dec-January in English calendar) every year. As a person who lived Near Krishnan Kovil in North Masi Street, Madurai for quarter of a century, I knew most of the verses by heart, which were broadcast around 4-30 am. The pictures on the wall of Uppiliappan temple inspired me to go through the three different English translations of Tiruppaavai  by American Tamil Scholar Kausalya Hart, PR Ramachander and Dr Chenni Padmanabhan M D, a great devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I have collected the translations from the Project Madurai website and books. Please read them together with the Tamil original and enjoy!

Kausalya Harts’ Translation from Project Madurai

Aṇḍal.: Thiruppāvai (474 -503 of Divya Prabandham)

 

1.

மார்கழித் திங்கள் மதிநிறைந்த நன்னாளால்!

நீராடப் போதுவீர் போதுமினோ நேரிழையீர்!

சீர்மல்கும் ஆய்ப்பாடிச் செல்வச் சிறுமீர்காள்!

கூர்வேல் கொடுந்தொழிலன் நந்தகோபன் குமரன்

ஏரார்ந்த கண்ணி யசோதை இளம்சிங்கம்

கார்மேனிச் செங்கண் கதிர் மதியம் போல்முகத்தான்

நாராயணனே நமக்கே பறை தருவான்

பாரோர் புகழப் படிந்தேலோர் எம்பாவாய்

Girls waking up their friends.

474. The girls come and wake up their friends. They say,
“Today is the auspicious full moon day of Markazhi month.
O you adorned with beautiful ornaments,
let us go bathe. Come!
We are the beloved young girls of the flourishing cowherd village.
Nārāyaṇan, the son of Nandagopan,
who looks after the cows with a sharp spear,
the young lion of lovely-eyed Yashoda
with a dark body, beautiful eyes
and a face bright as the shining moon
will give us the Paṛai.
Come and let us bathe and worship our Pāvai
as the world praises him.”

***

Mr P R Ramachander’s Translation

1

In this month of Marghazhi^[1]
On this day filled with the light of moon,
Come for bathing,
Oh ladies who are richly dressed,
And Oh ladies in rich homes of cowherds,
For he with the sharp spear,
He who kills his enemies without mercy,
He who is the son of Nanda gopa^[2]
He who is the darling son of Yasodha^[3]
Who wore scented flower garlands,
He who is a lion cub,
He who is pretty in black colour,
He who has small red eyes,
He who has a face like the well-lit moon,
And He, who is our Lord Narayana^[4]
Is going to give us big drums,
So that we bathe and worship Our Goddess Pavai,
In a way that the whole world sings about.

***

Dr Chenni Padmanabhan’s Translation

It’s Margali month, moon replete and the day is proper

We shall bathe, girls of Ayarpadi prosperous

Will you move out? You wealthy adorned fine jewels,

Narayana, son of relentless Nandagopala,

Whose job wielding a spike ever alert and

The lion cub of Yasoda with eye gracious

And the lad with dark complexion, handsome eye

And face sunny bright pleasant as moon

Sure shall grant us the desire soon

To the esteem of this earth as a boon

Oblige, involve, listen and consider, our damsel.

***

2

வையத்து வாழ்வீர்காள்! நாமும் நம் பாவைக்குச்

செய்யும் கிரிசைகள் கேளீரோ!

பாற்கடலுள் பையத் துயின்ற பரமன் அடிபாடி,

நெய்யுண்ணோம்; பாலுண்ணோம்; நாட்காலை நீராடி

மையிட்டெழுதோம்; மலரிட்டு நாம் முடியோம்;

செய்யாதன செய்யோம்; தீக்குறளைச் சென்றோதோம்;

ஐயமும் பிச்சையும் ஆந்தனையும் கைகாட்டி

உய்யுமா றெண்ணி உகந்தேலோர் எம் பாவாய். (2)

475. The girls come to wake up their friends. They say,
“O people of the world!
Hear how we worship our pāvai.
We worship the feet of the highest lord
resting on the milky ocean.
We don’t eat ghee, we don’t drink milk,
we bathe early in the morning,
we don’t put kohl to darken our eyes,
we don’t decorate our hair with flowers,
we don’t do evil things, we don’t gossip.
We give alms to all beggars and sages.
Come and let us be happy and worship our Pāvai.”

***

2

Oh, people of this world,
Be pleased to hear of those penances,
That we daily do for the worship of Pavai,
We will sing of those holy feet,
Of Him who sleeps in the ocean of milk^[5]
We will not take the very tasty ghee,
We will avoid the health giving milk,
We will daily bathe before the dawn,
We will not wear any collyrium^[6]
We will not tie flowers in our hair,
We will not do Any act that is banned,
We will not talk ill of any to any one else,
We will give alms and do charity,
As much as we can,
And do all those acts to make others free of sorrow,
And worship our Goddess Pavai.

***

You who enjoy life on earth, listen!

The rituals for deity go through we duteous.

Chant the foot of the Supremo who had

Reposed in stealth on the ocean milky;

Bathe we early; relish not ghee or milk

Nor would kemp, nor adorn with flower beauteous;

Grace not with eyeliner; nor bids forbidden.

Nor go around ear kiss tale or malicious gossip

Help the worthy and poor utmost by giftd or alms tossed

With mind pleasant, study the chores engrossed

Listen and consider our damsel.

***

3

ஓங்கி உலகளந்த உத்தமன் பேர்பாடி

நாங்கள் நம் பாவைக்குச் சாற்றி நீர் ஆடினால்,

தீங்கின்றி நாடெல்லாம் திங்கள் மும்மாரி பெய்து

ஓங்கு பெருஞ்செந்நெநெல் ஊடு கயல் உகளப்

பூங்குவளைப் போதில் பொறிவண்டு கண் படுப்பத்,

தேங்காதே புக்கிருந்து சீர்த்த முலைபற்றி வாங்கக்

குடம் நிறைக்கும் வள்ளல் பெரும் பசுக்கள்

நீங்காத செல்வம் நிறைந்தேலோர் எம் பாவாய். (3)

476. The girls come to wake up their friends. They say,
“Let us sing and praise the name of the virtuous lord
who measured the world with his tall form
and let us decorate our Pāvai and bathe it.
If we do that, rain will fall three times a month
without fail all over our land,
paddy in the fields will flourish,
fish will frolic in the fields,
bees will sleep on the buds of the kuvaḷai blossoms
and the cows will not hide their milk
but yield generously to fill up the pots
when the cowherds milk them.
Let riches be abundant!
Come and let us bathe and worship our Pāvai.”

If we sing the praise of Him,
Who grew big and measured the world^[7]
And worship our Goddess Pavai,
Then would there be at least three rains a month,
And the red paddy plants would grow big,
And in their fields would the fish swim and play,
And the spotted bees after sipping honey,
To their hearts content,
Would sleep in the flower themselves
After having their fill,
And the cows with big udder
Would fill milk pots to the brim,
And healthy cows and never diminishing wealth,
Would fill the country,
And all this I assure by worship of our Goddess Pavai.

Should we sing the name of the magnanimous

Outgrown and meted the world and assent

To bathe for deity, rain it shall, pour country over

Thrice monthly with no despair;

Shall facilitate tall growth of paddy crop

Carp to jump amidst like aquatic feet,

Spotted bee to perch on lily fair and

Donor cows to stand still, with udders thick

Allow milking to fill vessels copious

To ordain never vanishing wealth bounteous;

Listen and consider our damsel.

To be continued…………………….

Tags- Andal, Tiruppavai, in Pictures, three English Translations, Kausalya Hart, PR Ramachander, Dr Chenni Padmanabhan, Project Madurai , Uppiliappan Temple, Part one