(viRanmiNdar nAyanAr purANam - Periyapuranam as English poetry)

 
        "I am a serviteur of Viran Mindar 
        Of Kunroor girt with spreading gardens." 
 
                        - The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai 
 
1.     It is a country gained by Parasi Rama 
    The tapaswi great who hailed the ankleted feet 
    Of the Lord, the wearer of konrai chapleted fragrant 
    On His matted hair, and gained for a boon the battle-axe. 
    It is Malai Nadu rich with the wealth 
    Of the billowy sea, arable lands and mountains.            (491) 
 
2.     Bright pearls of sea, pearls from sugarcanes 
    That grow in the fields, cool pearls of bamboos, 
    And lustrous pearls that fall from the tusks of tuskers: 
    These were cunningly threaded into garlands 
    By damsels whose white teeth were rows of pearls. 
    With these throve Sengkunroor, the first 
    Amongst the divine cities of Kerala.                (492) 
 
3.     The glory of this city pervades the whole world; 
    With the wealth yielded by fields where teem swans, 
    The Brahmins throve thither poised in the way of the Vedas, 
    Pure and unsullied as leaders; this city indeed is 
    The dwelling place of such great families.            (493) 
 
4.     From this city, to illumine the clan of Velalas 
    Hailed he, who clung to the ineffably glorious feet 
    Of Lord Siva, and scorned away all other desires; 
    He, our deity Viran Mindar was devoted to 
    The true servitors, whose greatness is bourneless.        (494) 
 
5.     Impelled by a spiraling love to adore the shrines 
    Where the Lord who sports on His matted hair 
    The crescent and the Ganga, willingly abides, 
    He took to pilgrimage; he would, wherever he went, 
    First hail the holy company ripe in devotion rich 
    And then only the Lord Himself; this was 
    The beatitude which he was blessed with.            (495) 
 
6.     He passed Malai Nadu of golden cascades 
    And went through orbis terrarum, pursuing 
    And strengthening the path of devotion firm; 
    He, the peerless one eventually arrived at Tiruvaroor 
    Where the Lord who bent the firm-based Mt.Meru into a bow 
    And smote the triple cities, is enthroned on the Car 
    Whose steeds are the four Vedas, and hailed Him.        (496) 
 

 
 
7.     He declared Van-tondar to be anathema 
    As he coursed into the temple without first 
    Hailing the holy devotees of Siva who lustrously thronged 
    In the Devasiriyan, rich in grace divine. 
    It was thus he was by Siva blessed; 
    Eke was he to be blessed by Him still further.            (497) 
 
8.     “Arooran who went straight without hailing 
    The holy devotees of Siva who bent 
    The sky-high Meru into a  bow, 
    And also his ruling Lord who wears the crescent 
    On His crest and lakes as His jewels, 
    Are both taboo for us.” Thus he declared. 
    Yet it is even from them he received grace pure. 
    Who can ever like unto him hail devotees thus?            (498) 
 
9.     For the world to thrive, for our own flourishing 
    And for the prospering of the goodly ways of Saivism 
    Aroorar composed and hymned (before Devasiriyan) 
    The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai; the Lord who was not to be 
    Comprehended by the Vedas rich in chhandas 
    Declared: “We abide where devotees are.” 
    Who can hymn the glory of the Lord who devoured 
    Poison which into nectar He transformed?            (499) 
 
10.     Viran Mindar who for many many days 
    Served on earth the cause of Saivism, sublime and lofty, 
    By the grace of our Lord, fittingly reached the shade 
    Of His feet and for ever thrives as a Gana-Natha.        (500)     
 
11.     Why expatiate further? The world is enlightened by 
    The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai and it is to Viran Mindar we owe it. 
    Is it given to me to hail him in full? 
    We wear on our crown his feet and proceed to 
    Narrate the service of the merchant Amar-Niti of Arai.        (501) 
 
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Stanza     Line 
 
  1     1     Parasi Rama    :    He was the son of Jamadagni who was murdered by  
                    the Kshatriya Karthaveeryarjuna, the thousand-armed.   
                    To avenge the death of his father, he performed  
                    extra-ordinary askesis with which Siva was pleased.   
                    The Lord gave him for a boon, Parasu, a battle-axe.   
                    Thereafter he came to be known as Parasu Rama. In  
                    his violent dislike for kshatriyas he did away with,  
                    not only Karthaveeryarjuna, but many others too. To  
                    rid himself of the sin of regicide, he desired to gift  
                    a whole country to pious Brahmins.  He threw into the  
                    southern sea his battle-axe and implored Varuna (Sea)  
                    to recede.  The sea receded and land appeared.  This  
                    land is known as Parasu-Rama-Kshe-tra.  This is called  
                    Malai Nadu as it is dight with multitudinous ranges of  
                    hills.  This realm goes by the name Kerala, in modern  
                    times. 
 
  2        Cunningly    :     Skillfully. 

Sincere thanks to Sri. T N Ramachandran of thanjavur, for permitting his English rendering of the holy text periyapurANam be published here.

See Also: 

1.  viRanmiNda nAyanAr purANam in English prose 

2.  விறன்மிண்ட நாயனார் புராணம் (தமிழ் மூலம்) 

3.  thiruththoNDar purANam main page

4.  12 shaivite thirumuRais