Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Mother!
O Mother mInAkshi!
O Most Lovely Mother extolled by brahmA, vishNu and Siva! O Mother kAtyAyani! O kALikA! O bhAvAni! O Supreme Goddess! O Queen of Lord sundarESa! O Mother bAlA! O Sweet spoken!
O Mother who redresses sins of those who extol You! O Mother who bore us! O Mother with rain-cloud like, dark tresses! O Destroyer of entire community of asuras! O Lotus Eyed! O Moon Faced! O Bestower of boons! O Golden Idol!
O Bestower of Boons! O ambikA! O Mother of entire Worlds! O Sister of that celebrated vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O Valorous Sakti, tripura sundari!

If I call You ‘O My Mother’, won’t You talk to me?

Is it fair?
Is this fair for mInAkshi?
Who else than You is there as my refuge?

I thrice affirm that I steadfastly trusted Your feet lotus.
I remain constantly praying to You.

Aren’t You very generous?
Won’t You have compassion on Your child abundantly?
Don’t You have the appellation of ‘Protector of destitutes’?

Please show mercy.
Please protect me, granting refuge.

If I call You ‘O My Mother’, won’t You talk to me?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
mA-ammA-ani nE pilacitE
mATalu-ADa rAdA nAtO ambA

O Mother (ambA)! If I (nE) call (pilacitE) You as (ani) ‘O My (mA) (literally our) Mother (ammA) (mAyammAyani)’, won’t (rAdA) You talk (mATalu ADa) (mATlADa) to me (nAtO)?

anupallavi
nyAyamA (mInAkshi-ammA) mInAkshiki-idi
ninnu vinA vErE dikku-evaru-unnAru (mAyammA)

O Mother (ammA) mInAkshi (mIna akshi) (literally fish eyed) (mInAkshammA)! Is it fair (nyAyamA)? Is this (idi) fair (nyAyamA) for mInAkshi (mInAkshikidi)?
Who (evaru) else (vErE) than (vinA) You (ninnu) is there (unnAru) as my refuge (dikku) (dikkeverunnAru)?
O Mother! If I call You as ‘O My Mother’, won’t You talk to me?

caraNam
caraNam 1
sarasija bhava hari hara nuta su-lalita
nI pada pankajamula
sthiramu-ani nammiti nammiti nammitini
karuNa jUDavE kAtyAyani kALikA bhavAni
paramESvari sundarESu rANi
bAlA-ambA madhura vANi (mAyammA)

O Most Lovely (su-lalita) Mother extolled (nuta) by brahmA – abiding (bhava) in lotus (sarasija), vishNu (hari) and Siva (hara)! I thrice affirm that I steadfastly (sthiramu ani) (sthiramani) trusted (nammiti nammiti nammitini) Your (nI) feet (pada) lotus (pankajamula).
O Mother kAtyAyani! Please show (jUDavE) mercy (karuNa). O kALikA! O bhAvAni! O Supreme Goddess (parama ISvari) (paramESvari)! O Queen (rANi) of Lord sundarESa (sundarESu) (name of Lord at Madurai)! O Mother (ambA) bAlA (bAlAmbA)! O Sweet (madhura) spoken (vANi)!
O Mother! If I call You as ‘O My Mother’, won’t You talk to me?

caraNam 2
vinuta jana pApa vimOcani O jananI
ghana nIla vENi
vidaLita dAnava maNDala damanI
vanaja lOcanA sudhA-kara-AnanA vara dAyaki
anayamu ninu kOri-unnAnu-ammA
bangAru bommA (mAyammA)

O Mother who redresses (vimOcani) sins (pApa) of those (jana) who extol (vinuta) You! O Mother who bore us (jananI)! O Mother with rain-cloud (ghana) like dark (nIla) tresses (vENi)! O Destroyer (vidaLita/damanI) of entire community (maNDala) of asuras (dAnava)!
O Lotus (vanaja) Eyed (lOcanA)! O Moon (sudhA-kara) Faced (AnanA) (sudhAkarAnanA)! O Bestower (dAyaki) of boons (vara)! O Mother (ammA)! I remain (unnAnu) constantly (anayamu) praying (kOri) (kOriyunnAnammA) to You (ninu), O Golden (bangAru) Idol (bommA)!
O Mother! If I call You as ‘O My Mother’, won’t You talk to me?

caraNam 3
abhayamu-osagi nannu brOvumu O varadA
nera dAtavu gadA
ambikA biDDapai goppaga daya rAdA
akhila lOka jananI anAtha rakshaki
anETi birudu gAdA
vaibhavamu gala SyAma kRshNa sOdari
vIra Sakti tripura sundari (mAyammA)

Please protect (brOvumu) me (nannu), granting (osagi) refuge (abayamu) (literally freedom from fear) (abhayamosagi), O Bestower of Boons (varadA)! Aren’t You (gadA) very (nera) generous (dAtavu), O ambikA! Won’t You have (rAdA) compassion (daya) on Your child (biDDapai) abundantly (goppaga)?
O Mother (jananI) of entire (akhila) Worlds (lOka)! Don’t You have (gAdA) the appellation (birudu) of (anETi) ‘Protector (rakshaki) of destitutes (anAtha)’? O Sister (sOdari) of that celebrated (vaibhavamu gala) vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O Valorous (vIra) Sakti, tripura sundari!
O Mother! If I call You as ‘O My Mother’, won’t You talk to me?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ - mAyammAyani – mAyammayani : ‘mAyamma’ does not seem to be appropriate.
² – pilacitE – pilicitE.
³ - nAtO ambA – (nAtO) ambA.

⁴ - nyAyamA (mInAkshammA) mInAkshikidi - nyAyamA SrI mInAkshammA mInAkshikidi - nyAyamA mInAkshammA. While the whole kRti is in second person, ‘mInAkshikidi’ is in third person. Therefore, ‘mInAkshikidi’ seems to be doubtful.

⁵ – vErE – vEre.
⁷ - maNDala damanI - maNDala SamanI.
⁸ - nera dAtavu - nira dAtavu : ‘nira’ does not seem to be correct.
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References

Comments
⁶ – kAtyAyani, kALikA, bhavANi and bAlA - These are the names of Mother lalitA mahA tripura sundari. SyAmA Sastry calls Her by that name at the end of last caraNa.

⁷ – vidaLita dAnava maNDala damanI – ‘vidaLita’ and ‘damanI’ are synonyms. It is so, even with the variation ‘SamanI’. Therefore, one of the words (vidaLita – damanI) or (vidaLita – SamanI) is superfluous.

⁹ – vIra Sakti – Though ‘vIra’ has been translated as ‘valorous’, this word has special significance in dEvi upAsanA.
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mAyammAyani - rAga Ahiri