Transliteration Scheme

samukhAna nilva - rAga kOkila varALi

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
samukhAna nilva kalgunA kamal(A)nana

anupallavi
1kshama kalgu bhU tanaya lakshmaN-
(A)di mahAtmulakE kAni(y)anyulaku (samukhAna)

caraNam
kamal(A)san(A)d(y)amara dik-patulu
kalaSa vAridhilO jUDa nEraka
gumi kUDi moral(i)Da 2kAryamulu
kona-sAgen(a)Ta
tyAgarAja 3vinuta (samukhAna)


Meaning - Gist
O Lotus Faced! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!

Excepting for great personages like sItA and lakshmaNa who are endowed with forbearance, is it attainable for others to stand in Your august presence?

It is said that, as brahmA, celestials, Lords of directions and others, could not happen to behold You in the Ocean of Milk, their jobs could be accomplished only when they, assembling together, entreated You.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
samukhAna nilva kalgunA kamala-Anana

O Lotus (kamala) Faced (Anana) (kamalAnana)! Is it attainable (kalgunA) to stand (nilva) in Your august presence (samukhAna)?


anupallavi
kshama kalgu bhU tanaya lakshmaNa-
Adi mahAtmulakE kAni-anyulaku (samukhAna)

Excepting (kAni) for great personages (mahAtmulu) (mahAtmulakE) like (Adi) sItA – daughter (tanaya) of the Earth (bhU) - and lakshmaNa (lakshmaNAdi) who are endowed (kalgu) with forbearance (kshama),
is it attainable for others (anyulaku) (kAniyanyulaku) to stand in Your august presence?


caraNam
kamala-Asana-Adi-amara dik-patulu
kalaSa vAridhilO jUDa nEraka
gumi kUDi moralu-iDa kAryamulu
kona-sAgenu-aTa tyAgarAja vinuta (samukhAna)

O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja! It is said (aTa) that, as brahmA – seated (Asana) in Lotus (kamala) - and other (Adi) celestials (amara) (kamalAsanAdyamara) and the Lords (patulu) of directions (dik),
could not happen (nEraka) to behold (jUDa) You in the Ocean (vAridhilO) of Milk (kalaSa) (literally pitcher of nectar),
their jobs (kAryamulu) could be accomplished (kona-sAgenu) (kona-sAgenaTa) only when they, assembling (kUDi) together (gumi), entreated (moraliDa) You;


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
3vinuta –nuta.

References
2kAryamulu kona-sAgenaTa – This, probably, refers to pleading of brahmA and others for incarnation of the Lord vishNu in order to kill rAvaNa – SrImad-vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, bAla kANDa, Chapter 15.

Comments
1kshama kalgu – this may apply not only to sItA but also to lakshmaNa and other great personalities whom SrI tyAgarAja refers.

1kshama kalgu – rAma wages a war in order to obtain release of sItA and then coolly says to her ‘to go wherever she feels like’; sIta undergoes fire ordeal and then calmly goes with rAma to ayOdhyA with no remorse or anger; this is the epitome of ‘kshama’.

After abduction of sITa, when asked by rAma to identify the jewels dropped by sItA, lakshmaNa replies ‘I recognise only the anklet because of my bowing at her feet every day’. Such a person is castigated by sItA of having evil intent because lakshmaNa was unwilling to leave sItA alone when rAma went after mArIca – the golden stag.
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