Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O dEvI mInAkshi! O Mother!
O dEvI mInAkshi who remains as wish yielding gem for all those who worship You!
O bAlA! O Divine Mother! O kAlA! O Queen of heaven! O Virtuous by nature! O Sweet voiced like parrot! O dEvI! O Mother whose tresses are dark like rain-cloud! O Mother of three Worlds! O dEvI! O mahESvarI! O bhavAnI!
O ambA! O Mother whose face excels the radiance of moon! O Mother! O Mother supplicated by own sons – subrahmaNya and vinAyaka! O Mother SyAmaLA! O Mother whose lips are red like bimba fruit! O gaurI! O Resident of kadamba vana! O ambA! O Conch necked! O Protector of trees of Snow Mountain! O dEvI bAlAmbikA! O ambA!
O rudrANI worshipped by sarasvatI and lakshmI! O kalyANI! O Mother extolled by SyAma kRshNa! O Sweet voiced like parrot! O SarvANI! O Mother who enjoys music of vINA! O Resident of triangle(s) of SrI cakra! O Mother whose feet-lotus are worshipped by celestials! O SivA! O dEvI kAtyAyanI! O ambA!

Please come to protect me.
Please be kind enough; come to protect.

Why indifference towards me, who has trusted You very much, that You alone are my refuge?
Please show compassion.
Does it behove You?
You are munificent in protecting celestials!
Who is equal to You?

Please come to protect me.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
dEvI mIna nEtrI brOva
rAvE daya cEyavE brOva rA-ammA

O dEvI mInAkshi – Fish (mIna) Eyed (nEtrI)! Please come (rAvE) to protect (brOva) me. O Mother (ammA)! Please be kind enough (daya cEyavE); come (rA) (rAvammA) to protect (brOva).

anupallavi
sEvincE vAriki-ellanu
cintA maNi-ai-unna rA (dEvI)

O dEvI mInAkshi who remains (unna) as (ai) wish yielding gem (cintA maNi) (maNiyaiyunna) for all (ellanu) those (vAriki) (vArikellanu) who worship (sEvincE) You!
O dEvI mInAkshi ! Please come to protect me. O Mother! Please be kind enough; come to protect.

caraNam
caraNam 1
bAlA nIvE gati-ani ninnE
cAlA nammina nApai
parAku-ElA daya cEyu nIku-idi
mElA divya-ambA
kAlA divi rANI sadguNa
SIlA kIra vANI dEvI
nIla nIrada vENI trilOka
jananI dEvI mahA-ISvarI bhavAnI (dEvI)

O bAlA! Why (ElA) indifference (parAku) (parAkElA) towards me (nApai) who has trusted (nammina) You (ninnE) very much (cAlA) that (ani) You alone (nIvE) are my refuge (gati) (gatiyani)? Please show compassion (daya cEyu). Does it (idi) behove (mELA) You (nIku) (nIkidi), O Divine (divya) Mother (ambA) (divyAmbA)?
O kAlA (literally black or destroyer)! O Queen (rANI) of heaven (divi)! O Virtuous (sadguNa) by nature (SIlA)! O Sweet voiced (vANI) like parrot (kIra)! O dEvI! O Mother whose tresses (vENI) are dark (nIla) like rain-cloud (nIrada)! O Mother (jananI) of three Worlds (trilOka)! O dEvI! O mahESvarI (mahA ISvarI) (OR O Consort of Siva – mahESvara)! O bhavAnI (OR O Consort of Siva – bhava)!
O dEvI mInAkshi ! Please come to protect me. O Mother! Please be kind enough; come to protect.

caraNam 2
ambA mukha nirjita Sata dhara
bimbA rakshita dEva
dAtavu-ammA nata nija suta guha
hEramba-ambA SyAmaLA-ambA
bimba-adhari gaurI
kAdamba vihArI ambA
kambu kaNThI hima Saila vRksha
pAlikA dEvI bAlA-ambikA ambA (dEvI)

O ambA! O Mother whose face (mukha) excels (nirjita) the radiance (bimbA) (literally disk) of moon (Sata dhara)! O Mother (ammA)! You are munificent (dAtavu) (dAtavammA) in protecting (rakshita) celestials (dEva)! O Mother (ambA) supplicated (nata) by own (nija) sons (suta) – subrahmaNya (guha) and vinAyaka (hEramba) (hErambAmbA)! O Mother (ambA) SyAmaLA (SyAmaLAmbA)!
O Mother whose lips (adhari) are red like bimba (bimbAdhari) fruit! O gaurI! O Resident (vihArI) of kadamba vana (kAdamba)! O ambA! O Conch (kambu) necked (kaNThI)! O Protector (pAlikA) of trees (vRksha) of snow (hima) mountain (Saila)! O dEvI bAlAmbikA (OR O bAlA! O ambikA!) O ambA!
O dEvI mInAkshi ! Please come to protect me. O Mother! Please be kind enough; come to protect.

caraNam 3
vANI ramA vandita
rudrANI nI sATi-evaru
kalyANI SyAma kRshNa nutA
kIra vANI SarvANI
vINA vinOdinI SrI cakra
kONa nivAsinI
gIrvANa vandita pada-aravindA
SivA dEvI kAtyAyanI ambA (dEvI)

O rudrANI (literally Consort of Siva – rudra) worshipped (vandita) by sarasvatI (vANI) and lakshmI (ramA)! Who (evaru) is equal (sATi) (sATevaru) to You (nI)? O kalyANI! O Mother extolled (nutA) by SyAma kRshNa! O Sweet voiced (vANI) like parrot (kIra)! O SarvANI (OR O Consort of Siva – Sarva)!
O Mother who enjoys (vinOdinI) music of vINA! O Resident (nivAsinI) of triangle(s) (kONa) of SrI cakra! O Mother whose feet (pada) lotus (aravaindA) (padAravindA) are worshipped (vandita) by celestials (gIrvANa)! O SivA (OR O Consort of Siva)! O dEvI kAtyAyanI! O ambA!
O dEvI mInAkshi ! Please come to protect me. O Mother! Please be kind enough; come to protect.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ - daya cEyavE brOva rAvammA - daya cEyavE.

² – cintA maNiyaiyunna rA – cintA maNiyaiyunnArA. The meaning derived in the books is ‘You are the wish-yielding gem’. The ending syllable ‘rA’ confuses the meaning. If it ends with ‘cintA maNiyaiyunna’ or if it is ‘cintA maNiyaiyuNDagA’, then, it could be connected to pallavi and meaning derived as ‘dEvi who is cintA maNi’. Alternatively, if it is ‘cintA maNiyaiyunnAvu’ or ‘cintA maNiyaiyunnAvu gadA’, then anupallavi itself will give complete meaning. The syllable ‘rA’ also means ‘come’. But such a usage is not only very discourteous but also, does not complete the meaning of anupallavi. Therefore, ‘rA’ seems to be error.

³ - daya cEyu - daya cEya : In the present context ‘cEya’ does not seem to be appropriate.
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⁴ – divyAmbA – idi vELa.
⁵ - kAlA divi rANI – kAlAdiki rANI. If the latter version is correct, then it will be interpreted as ‘Queen of Siva (kAla) and others’ – Siva is known as ‘kAla’.

⁶ - sadguNa SIlA kIravANI dEvI nIla nIrada - sadguNa SIla nIrada.

⁷ - Sata dhara bimbA – This is how it is given in all books. The meaning derived therein for ‘Sata dhara’ is ‘moon’. However, no such reference is available. In my opinion, this should be ‘SaSi dhara’ or ‘SaSa dhara’ and not ‘Sata dhara’.
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References
⁵ – kAlA – In the books, this seems to have been translated as ‘pArvati’. ‘kAla’ also means ‘black’. However, in lalitA sahasra nAma (557), one of the names of Mother is ‘kAla hantrI’ – Destroyer of kAla. Accordingly, She Herself is the Ultimate kAla, the feminine form of which is ‘kAlI’.

⁸ - hima Saila vRksha pAlikA – One who protects trees in Himalaya. Please refer to ‘sapta SatI’ (dEvI mAhAtmya) (Chapter 11) wherein Mother is called ‘SAkambharI’ (who nourishes herbs).
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⁹ – bAlAmbikA – name of Mother at Vaidheesvaran koil.

¹⁰ - SrI cakra kONa nivAsinI – Please refer to lalitA sahasra nAma (597) – ‘trikONAntara dIpikA’.

¹¹ – kAtyAyanI – Madurai is known as ‘ODyANa pITha’ (refer to dIkshitar kRti ‘SrI madhurA puri vihAriNi’ - rAga bilahari). ‘kAtyAyani’ is considered as ‘abhimAna dEvatA’ of ODyANa pITha (Please refer to lalitA sahasra nAma (556) – ‘kAtyAyanI’.
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dEvI mIna nEtrI - rAga SankarAbharaNam