shivathiruvempavaimanikkavacakarthiruvasagam

තිරුවේ̀ම්පාවෛ

Thiruvempavai (Opening Verse) in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Pre-dawn during the month of Margazhi (mid-December to mid-January); recited through the month, often one verse a day·📜 Thiruvasagam — Thiruvempavai of Manikkavacakar (Tamil, c. 9th century CE); 8th Tirumurai

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Englishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

Origin & Story

Thiruvasagam — Thiruvempavai of Manikkavacakar (Tamil, c. 9th century CE); 8th Tirumurai · Manikkavacakar · c. 9th century CE (Bhakti era)

Manikkavacakar was a learned minister of the Pandya king who, sent to buy horses, met Lord Shiva in the form of a guru at Thiruperunthurai and gave his whole heart and the king's gold to Him. Renouncing the world, he wandered the holy places of the Tamil land singing of Shiva, and at Thiruvannamalai (by tradition) composed the Thiruvempavai. Cast in the Margazhi Paavai form, its waking of the sleeping girls is the awakening of the soul to the Lord, and it remains among the most loved of all Saiva hymns.

✦ As told in scripture

It is said that the Thiruvasagam, of which the Thiruvempavai is part, is so charged with the saint's love that 'the heart that does not melt at the Thiruvasagam will melt at no other word'; even Lord Shiva, tradition holds, took the form of a scribe to write down Manikkavacakar's verses at Chidambaram.

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The Mantra

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ආතියුම් අන්තමුම් ඉල්ලා අරුම්පේ̀රුඤ් සෝතියෛ යාම්පාටක් කේට්ටේයුම් වාළ්තටඞ්කණ් මාතේ වළරුතියෝ වන්සේ̀වියෝ නින්සේ̀විතාන් මාතේවන් වාර්කඏඅල්කළ් වාඏත්තිය වාඏත්තෝ̀ලිපෝය් වීතිවාය්ක් කේට්ටලුමේ විම්මිවිම්මි මේ̀ය්ම්මරන්තු පෝතාර් අමළියින්මේල් නින්රුම් පුරණ්ටිඞ්ඞන් ඒතේනුම් ආකාළ් කිටන්තාළ් ඒ̀න්නේ ඒ̀න්නේ ඊතේ ඒ̀න්තෝඏඉ පරිසේලෝර් ඒ̀ම්පාවාය්

ādhiyum andhamum illā arumperuñ sōdhiyai yāmpāḍak kēṭṭēyum vāḷthaḍangaṇ mādhē vaḷaruthiyō vansseviyō ninsevithān mādhēvan vārkazhalgaḷ vāzhththiya vāzhththolipōy vīdhivāyk kēṭṭalumē vimmivimmi meymmaṟandhu pōdhār amaḷiyinmēl ninṟum puraṇḍingṅan ēdhēnum āgāḷ kiḍandhāḷ ennē ennē īdhē endhōzhi parisēlōr embāvāy

Meaning:The Thiruvempavai is a hymn of twenty verses by the great Tamil Saiva saint Manikkavacakar, part of the Thiruvasagam (the eighth book of the Tirumurai). Set in the cool month of Margazhi, it takes the form of girls observing the Paavai vow, going at dawn to bathe and to wake one another with the praise of Lord Shiva — so that the waking becomes an image of the soul rousing itself to God.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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ආතියුම් අන්තමුම් ඉල්ලා🔊ādhiyum andhamum illā(He) who has no beginning and no end — the eternal, infinite One (Shiva).

අරුම්පේ̀රුඤ් සෝතියෛ🔊arumperuñ sōdhiyaiThe rare, great Light (the supreme effulgence) — Lord Shiva as boundless radiance.

යාම් පාටක් කේට්ටේයුම්🔊yām pāḍak kēṭṭēyumEven after hearing us sing (His praise).

වාළ්තටඞ්කණ් මාතේ🔊vāḷthaḍangaṇ mādhēO girl with bright, wide (sword-like) eyes.

වළරුතියෝ🔊vaḷaruthiyōAre you still sleeping (lying abed)?

වන්සේ̀වියෝ🔊vansseviyōOr are your ears hardened (deaf to His praise)?

මාතේවන් වාර්කඏඅල්කළ්🔊mādhēvan vārkazhalgaḷThe long, anklet-adorned (holy) feet of Mahadeva (the great Lord Shiva).

වාඏත්තිය වාඏත්තෝ̀ලිපෝය්🔊vāzhththiya vāzhththolipōyThe sound of (our) praises extolling (those feet), going forth.

වීතිවාය්ක් කේට්ටලුමේ🔊vīdhivāyk kēṭṭalumēThe very moment (it) is heard along the street.

විම්මිවිම්මි මේ̀ය්ම්මරන්තු🔊vimmivimmi meymmaṟandhuSobbing and sobbing (with emotion), forgetting one's own body (self).

පෝතාර් අමළියින්මේල්🔊pōdhār amaḷiyinmēlUpon the flower-strewn bed.

නින්රුම් පුරණ්ටු ඉඞ්ඞන්🔊ninṟum puraṇḍu ingṅanTossing and rolling about thus.

ඒතේනුම් ආකාළ් කිටන්තාළ්🔊ēdhēnum āgāḷ kiḍandhāḷShe lies (overwhelmed), unable to do anything (beside herself).

ඒ̀න්නේ ඒ̀න්නේ🔊ennē ennēHow wondrous! How wondrous! (an exclamation of amazement at her devotion).

ඊතේ ඒ̀න්තෝඏඉ පරිසු🔊īdhē endhōzhi parisuIs this then, O my friend, your nature / state (of love for the Lord)?

ඒලෝර් ඒ̀ම්පාවාය්🔊ēlōr embāvāyThe refrain ending each verse — 'O take up (this) our vow, my girl!' (the Margazhi Paavai observance).

තිරුවේ̀ම්පාවෛ🔊thiruvempāvaiThiruvempavai — the sacred (thiru) 'em paavai' (our girl/vow) hymn, sung in Margazhi.

Benefits of Chanting Thiruvempavai (Opening Verse)

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A supreme hymn of Saiva devotion, sung above all in Margazhi as a call of the soul to wake toward Lord Shiva.

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Reciting it is held to kindle pure love (anbu) for the Lord and to bring peace, grace and inner awakening.

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Part of the Thiruvasagam, of which it is said 'one whose heart does not melt at the Thiruvasagam will not melt at any sacred word'.

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Recited in temples and homes during the Margazhi mornings, alongside Andal's Tiruppavai, as a daily devotional observance.

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Cherished across Tamil Nadu as one of the most tender and exalted expressions of the soul's longing for God.

How to Chant Thiruvempavai (Opening Verse)

Repetitions1times

Best TimePre-dawn during the month of Margazhi (mid-December to mid-January); recited through the month, often one verse a day

FaceFacing east or the deity of Shiva

Bathe in the early morning and sit before an image of Lord Shiva (Nataraja). Light a lamp and recite the verses with melody and feeling, entering the mood of the girls who wake one another with His praise. During Margazhi, sing one verse each day in order, or the opening verse and selected verses together; close with the refrain 'Elor Embavay'. Many recite it together with the Tiruppavai during the Margazhi observance.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Thiruvempavai (Opening Verse) written in the Sinhala script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is a Tamil Saiva hymn of 20 verses by Saint Manikkavacakar, part of the Thiruvasagam (eighth Tirumurai), in praise of Lord Shiva. Set in the month of Margazhi, it takes the form of young women observing the Paavai vow who wake one another at dawn with the Lord's praise.

Manikkavacakar ('he whose words are rubies') was a great Tamil Saiva saint and one of the four foremost Saiva acharyas. A minister who renounced the world after Lord Shiva appeared to him as a guru at Thiruperunthurai, he composed the Thiruvasagam and the Thirukkovaiyar, treasures of Tamil devotion.

Both are Margazhi hymns built on the Paavai (girls' dawn-vow) theme and both end each verse with 'Elor Embavay'. Andal's Tiruppavai is to Lord Vishnu-Krishna, while Manikkavacakar's Thiruvempavai is to Lord Shiva; together they are sung through the sacred month of Margazhi.

It is a girl waking her still-sleeping friend: even as they sing 'the rare great Light that has no beginning and no end' (Lord Shiva), how can she sleep? For the soul that truly hears His praise sobs, forgets the body, and rises overwhelmed with love — so the verse asks, in wonder, whether this melting devotion is her friend's true nature.