Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O My dEvI! O Mother!
O Mother SrI mInAkshi – consciousness embodied – abiding in the prosperous town of madurai!
O Ruler of Worlds! O Mother! O My Mother! O Relisher of fresh betel leaves!
O ambA! O SankarI! O mRDAnI who slayed arrogant caNDa asura! O kalyANI who sports parrot! O Queen Consort of SrI sadA-Siva who remains as consciousness-bliss embodied! O Sweet voiced!
O umA! O ramA! O Daughter of Mountain, extolled by SyAma kRshNa! O kaumArI! O Witness of Universe! O mInAkshI! O Mother!

Only Your feet lotus are my refuge.
Who else is my refuge?

Isn’t the appellation of being protector of destitutes, eternal for You?
In this Earth, who is Ocean of Compassion more than You?
Please show grace towards me quickly.
This is the opportune moment for You to relieve my trivial sorrows and protect me.

Aren’t You indeed the peacock dancing in the kadamba grove?
Doesn’t Your empire of devotion belong to those who always meditate on You?

Who is equal to You?
Is it burdensome for You to protect me?
Is it fair for You to procrastinate?
Why these many tricks?
I came here so that I could attain darSana of Your holy feet aplenty and hear Your words.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
dEvI nI pada sArasamulE
dikku vErE gati-evaru-ammA nA (dEvI)

O My (nA) dEvI! Only Your (nI) feet (pada) lotus (sArasamulE) are my refuge (dikku). O Mother (ammA)! Who (evaru) else (vErE) is my refuge (gati) (gatiyevarammA)?

anupallavi
SrI velayu madhura nelakonna
cid-rUpiNI SrI mInAkshi-ammA (dEvI)

O Mother (ammA) SrI mInAkshi (mInAkshammA) – consciousness (cit) embodied (rUpiNI) (cidrUpiNI) – abiding (nelakonna) in the prosperous (SrI velayu) town of madurai (madhura)!
O dEvI! Only Your feet lotus are my refuge. O Mother! Who else is my refuge?

caraNam
caraNam 1
anAtha rakshaki anETi birudu
nIku-anAdi gadA lOka
nAyakI dharalO kRpA nidhi
nI kannA-evaru-ammA mA-ammA
kannAku latA lavitrI nApai
kaTAkshincavE vEgamE
cinnA vetalu nIvu dIrci nannu
rakshincuTaku-idi manci samayamu-ammA (dEvi)

O Ruler (nAyakI) of Worlds (lOka)! Isn’t (gadA) the appellation (birudu) of being (anETi) protector (rakshaki) of destitutes (anAtha), eternal (anAdi) (literally beginning-less) for You (nIku) (nIkanAdi)? O Mother (ammA)! In this Earth (dharalO) who (evaru) is Ocean (nidhi) of Compassion (kRpA) more than (kannA) (kannAyevarammA) You (nI)? O My (mA) Mother (ammA) (mAyammA)!
O Relisher of fresh betel leaves (kannAku latA lavitrI)! Please show grace (kaTAkshincavE) towards me (nApai) quickly (vEgamE). O Mother (ammA)! This (idi) is the opportune (manci) (literally good) moment (samayamu) (samayamammA) for You (nIvu) to relieve (dIrci) my trivial (cinnA) sorrows (vetalu) and protect (rakshincuTaku) (rakshincuTakidi) me (nannu).
O dEvI! Only Your feet lotus are my refuge. O Mother! Who else is my refuge?

caraNam 2
kadamba kAnana mayUrI nIvE
gada-ambA SankarI
caNDa dAnava mada khaNDitA
mRDAnI Suka pANI kalyANI
sadA nI dhyAnamu sEyuvAriki
gadA sAmrAjyamu
cid-Ananda rUpuDai-unna SrI
sadA-Sivuni rANI madhura vANI (dEvi)

O ambA! Aren’t (gada) (gadambA) You indeed (nIvE) the peacock (mayUrI) (literally peahen) dancing in the kadamba grove (kAnana)? O SankarI! O mRDAnI (literally wife of mRDa – Siva) who slayed (khaNDitA) arrogant (mada) caNDa asura (dAnava)! O kalyANI who sports (pANI) parrot (Suka)!
Doesn’t (gadA) Your empire (sAmrAjyamu) of devotion belong to those (vAriki) who always (sadA) meditate (dhyAnamu sEyu) (sEyuvAriki) on You (nI)? O Queen Consort (rANI) of SrI sadA-Siva (Sivuni) who remains (unna) as consciousness (cit) bliss (Ananda) (cidAnanda) embodied (rUpuDai) (rUpuDaiyunna)! O Sweet (madhura) voiced (vANI)!
O dEvI! Only Your feet lotus are my refuge. O Mother! Who else is my refuge?

caraNam 3
umA ramA SyAma kRshNa nutA giri
kumArI kaumArI nI
samAnamu-evaru brOva nIku
bhAramA jagat-sAkshI mInAkshI
tAmasamu jEsitE nIku-idi
nyAyamA inta jAgu-ElanE
vEmAru nI pAda darSanamu labhinci
nI mATalu vinaga vaccitini-ammA (dEvi)

O umA! O ramA! O Daughter (kumArI) of Mountain (giri), extolled (nutA) by SyAma kRshNa! O kaumArI! Who (evaru) is equal (samAnamu) (samAnamevaru) to You (nI)? O Witness (sAkshI) of Universe (jagat) (jagat-sAkshI)! Is it burdensome (bhAramA) for You (nIku) to protect (brOva) me? O mInAkshI!
Is it (idi) fair (nyAyamA) for You (nIku) (nIkidi) to procrastinate (tAmasamu jEsitE)? Why (ElanE) these many (inta) tricks (jAgu) (jAgElanE)? O Mother (ammA)! I came (vaccitini) (vaccitinammA) here so that I could attain (labhinci) darSana (darSanamu) of Your (nI) holy feet (pAda) aplenty (vEmAru) (literally thousand times) and hear (vinaga) Your (nI) words (mATalu).
O dEvI! Only Your feet lotus are my refuge. O Mother! Who else is my refuge?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ - nI pada sArasamulE - ninnE pada sArasamulE : In the present context, ‘ninnE’ is wrong.
³ - rakshincuTakidi manci samayamammA - rakshincuTakidi samayamammA.
Top

References
⁴ – kadamba kAnana – kadamba grove. Madurai is known as ‘kadamba vana’.

⁷ – ramA – One who is of the form of lakshmI. Please refer to lalitA sahasra nAma (313) – ‘ramA’.
Top

Comments
² - kannAku latA lavitrI – In the books, this has been translated as ‘one who delights in fresh betel leaves’. ‘kannAku’ means ‘betel leaf’. But ‘lavitrI’ means a ‘scythe’. Subbaraya Sastry (son of Syama Sastry) in his ‘rItigauLa’ kRti ‘janani ninnu vinA’, states ‘ghana pApa latA lavitrI’ which means ‘one who cuts asunder the creeper of heinous sins’. Similar is the meaning derived for ‘lavitri’ in some other stotras also.
‘kannAku’ also means ‘spoke of wheel’. But, then ‘latA’ does not seem to give appropriate meaning. Therefore, in keeping with traditional meaning, this epithet has been translated as ‘relisher of fresh betel leaves’.
Top

⁵ – sAmrAjyamu – In books, this word seems to have been translated as ‘liberation’ and ‘blessedness’. However, in my opinion, this would mean the ‘empire of devotion’, because, a true devotee seeks only a perpetual state of devotion and nothing more.

⁶ – cidAnanda rUpuDiayunna : The word ‘unna’ has been translated as ‘who remains’. But this, to my understanding, indicates the State of Existence – aka ‘sat’. Thus, the triple lakshaNa of brahman (sadA-Siva) - ‘sat-cit-Ananda’ is meant here.
Top

dEvI nI pada - rAga kAmbhOji