தோடுடைய செவியன் விடையேறியோர் தூவெண் மதிசூடிக்
காடுடைய சுடலைப் பொடிபூசியென் உள்ளங் கவர்கள்வன்
ஏடுடைய மலரான் முனைநாட் பணிந்தேத்த அருள்செய்த
பீடுடைய பிரமாபுரம் மேவிய பெம்மான் இவனன்றே
तोडुडैय सॆवियऩ् विडैयेऱियोर् तूवॆण् मदिसूडिक्
काडुडैय सुडलैप् पॊडिबूसियॆऩ् उळ्ळङ् गवर्गळ्वऩ्
एडुडैय मलराऩ् मुऩैनाट् पणिन्देत्त अरुळ्सॆय्द
पीडुडैय पिरमापुरम् मेविय पॆम्माऩ् इवऩऩ्ऱे
tōḍuḍaiya seviyaṉ viḍaiyēṟiyōr tūveṇ madisūḍik
kāḍuḍaiya suḍalaip poḍibūsiyeṉ uḷḷaṅ gavargaḷvaṉ
ēḍuḍaiya malarāṉ muṉaināṭ paṇindētta aruḷseyda
pīḍuḍaiya piramāpuram mēviya pemmāṉ ivaṉaṉṟē
Meaning
He wears the thodu in his ear, he rides the bull, he wears the pure white crescent moon; smeared with the ash of the cremation ground in the forest, he is the thief who stole my heart. In an age long past he gave his grace to Brahma, seated on the many-petalled lotus, who bowed and praised him. He is the Lord who dwells in glorious Biramapuram: is it not he?
About this bhajan
The Periya Puranam tells that Sambandar, three years old, was left on the steps of the temple tank at Sirkazhi while his father bathed, and cried for his parents. Mata Parvati, with Shiva, came and fed him milk of divine wisdom from a golden cup. When his father came back and angrily asked who had fed him, the child pointed to the sky over the temple tower and sang this verse. Sirkazhi is Biramapuram, where Brahma worshipped. The hymn opens the first Tirumurai, and the first sound of the whole Shaiva canon is the word “thodu”.
Tevaram, Tirumurai 1.1.1 (Tirupiramapuram / Sirkazhi, pann Nattapadai), Project Madurai e-text pm0150