Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Mother! O Creeper of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent people! O Our Mother!
O Emerald bodied! O Queen Consort of Siva (praNatArti hara) at tiruvaiyAru! O Sweet voiced! O Mother dharma saMvardhani (name of Mother at tiruvaiyAru)!
O Brilliant faced! O Daughter of Lord of Mountains!
O umA! O Mother of subrahmaNya!
O Mother extolled through recitation sAma vEda! O Consort of sadA-Siva! O Mother on whom humble people are dependent!

Please show compassion.
Please listen.

Aren’t You the Honourable One?
Aren’t You magnanimous!
Who is equal to You in this Earth?
Taking a noble form, You bring delight to this Universe like the moon.

In this Earth, extolling the meanest of men as great kings, I became fatigued wandering with false hopes.

Is it because You do not have affection (towards me) that it is difficult for protecting me?
Am I not Your son?
Won’t You listen to the pleas of this devotee who, extolling You always, reached Your feet lotus?

Please give me now refuge.
Please protect me gracefully and quickly grant me boons.
This indeed is the opportune moment.

It is indeed the great fortune of this SyAma kRshNa who has always trusted Your feet lotus and performed Your bhajana only.

Please show compassion.
Please listen.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
karuNa jUDu-ammA vinu-ammA
ASrita jana kalpa vallI mA tallI

O Mother (ammA)! Please show (jUDu) (jUDavammA) compassion (karuNa). O Mother (ammA)! Please listen (vinu) (vinammA). O Creeper (vallI) of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent (ASrita) people (jana)! O Our (mA) Mother (tallI)!

anupallavi
marakata-angi panca nada-ISu rANi
madhura vANi dharma saMvardhani (karuNa)

O Emerald (marakata) bodied (angi) (marakatAngi)! O Queen Consort (rANi) of Siva (praNatArti hara) at tiruvaiyAru – Lord (ISu) of five (panca) rivers (nada) (nadESu)!
O Sweet (madhura) voiced (vANi)! O Mother dharma saMvardhani (name of Mother at tiruvaiyAru)!
O Mother! Please show compassion. O Mother! Please listen. O Creeper of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent people! O Our Mother!

caraNam
caraNam 1
nara-adhamulanu mahA rAjulu-ani pogaDi
durAsacE tirigi vEsAri ilalO
virAja mukhi nIvu dayatO kApADi
birAna varamu-IyavE giri rAja sutA nIvu (karuNa)

In this Earth (ilalO), extolling (pogaDi) the meanest (adhamulanu) of men (nara) (narAdhamulanu) as (ani) great (mahA) kings (rAjulu) (rAjulani), I became fatigued (vEsAri) wandering (tirigi) with false hopes (dur-AsacE).
O Brilliant (virAja) faced (mukhi)! You (nIvu) please protect (kApADi) me gracefully (dayatO) and quickly (birAna) grant (IyavE) me boons (varamu) (varamIyavE). O Daughter (sutA) of Lord (rAja) of Mountains (giri)!
O Mother! You (nIvu) please show compassion. O Mother! Please listen. O Creeper of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent people! O Our Mother!

caraNam 2
umA bhuvini nIku samAnamu-evaru
bhAramA rakshincuTaku abhimAnamu lEdu-ani
kumAruDu gadA nAku-ipuDu abhayamu-IyavE
kumAra janani nIvu mAnava-atIta gadA (karuNa)

O umA! Who (evaru) is equal (samAnamu) (samAnamevaru) to You (nIku) in this Earth (bhuvini)? Is it because (ani) You do not have (lEdu) (lEdani) affection (abhimAnamu) (towards me) that it is difficult (bhAramA) for protecting (rakshincuTaku) me?
Am I not (gadA) Your son (kumAruDu)? Please give (IyavE) me (nAku) now (ipuDu) (nAkipuDu) refuge (abhayamu) (abhayamIyavE). O Mother (janani) of subrahmaNya (kumAra)! Aren’t (gadA) You the Honourable One (mAnavati) (mAnava atIta) (mAnavAtIta)?
O Mother! Please show compassion. O Mother! Please listen. O Creeper of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent people! O Our Mother!

caraNam 3
udAra guNavati gadA sAma gAna nutA
sadA nuti jEri nI pada-ambujamulanu
dAsuni mora vinavA samayamu-idE
sadA-Sivuni ramaNI dIna jana-ASritE (karuNa)

Aren’t (gadA) You magnanimous (udAra guNavati)! O Mother extolled (nutA) through recitation (gAna) sAma vEda! Won’t You listen (vinavA) to the pleas (mora) of this devotee (dAsuni) who extolling (nuti) You always (sadA), reached (jEri) Your (nI) feet (pada) lotus (ambujamulanu) (padAmbujamulanu)?
This indeed (iDE) is the opportune moment (samayamu) samayamidE). O Consort (ramaNI) (literally delighter) of sadA-Siva! O Mother on whom humble (dIna) people (jana) are dependent (ASritE) (janASritE)!
O Mother! Please show compassion. O Mother! Please listen. O Creeper of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent people! O Our Mother!

caraNam 4
udAramuganu avatAramu-etti jagamunu
sudhA-karuni vale ranjimpa jEyu nI
pada-ambujamunu nammi ninnE bhajinci
sadA SyAma kRshNa jEsina bhAgyamE (karuNa)

Taking (etti) a noble (udAramuganu) form (avatAramu) (avatArametti), You bring delight (ranjimpa jEyu) to this Universe (jagamunu) like (vale) the moon (sudhA-karuni).
It is indeed the great fortune (jEsina bhAgyamE) of this SyAma kRshNa who has always (sadA) trusted (nammi) Your (nI) feet (pada) lotus (ambujamulanu) (padAmbujamulanu) and performed Your (ninnE) (literally You) bhajana only (bhajinci).
O Mother! Please show compassion. O Mother! Please listen. O Creeper of kalpa tree (which grants wishes) for dependent people! O Our Mother!

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – vinammA ASrita jana – vinammA Srita jana - vinavammA ASrita jana. There is no material difference in the meaning of these versions.
² - mA tallI - mA tallI mA tallI.
³ – durAsacE – durASacE : ‘durAsacE’ seems to be appropriate.
⁴ - kumAruDu gadA nAkipuDu abhayamIyavE - kumAruDu gadA nEnu ipuDu abhayamIyavE : If the latter version is correct, then ‘nEnu’ will be added to ‘kumAruDu gadA’.
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⁵ - mAnavAtIta gadA – This is how it is given in all books. In the books, this seems to have been translated as ‘are You not of exalted honour’. This could be correct if it is ‘mAnavati gadA’. However, as per given version, it will be split as ‘mAnava atIta gadA’ and translated as ‘are you not above humans’. But such a translation is very unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is presumed that the wordings should be ‘mAnavati gadA’. Therefore, the meaning given in the books has been retained.

⁶ - padAmbujamunu nammi - padAmbuja nammi : the latter version does not seem to be appropriate.
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References

Comments
In all the caraNas, the wordings are such that the meanings are not complete. (C1 – durAsacE tirigi vEsAri; C2 – abhimAnamu lEdani; C3 – sadA nuti jEri nI padAmbujamulanu; C4 – padAmbujamunu nammi ninnE bhajinci). However, in keeping with context, meanings have been derived to complete the sense.
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karuNa jUDavammA - rAga varALi