Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Mother!
O Queen Consort of Siva! O Sankari! O ambikA! O Ruler of this Great Universe! O gaurI!
O Lotus petal Eyed! O Mother whose face-lotus excels the splendour of rain cloud!
O Mother lalitA abiding in the centre of Sacred mEru mountain! (OR)
O Mother lalitA - Slender One, situated in the centre of Sacred mEru mountain!
O My Mother! O Respected One! O Mother!
O Mother extolled through recitation of sAma vEda! O Mother whose feet are the essence! O Sister of vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O SankarI! O Mother SyAmaLA!

Is it possible to count wonders of Your greatness in this Earth?

You are the Queen Consort of Siva!
Aren’t You parA Sakti who quickly protected me by granting boons? (OR)
Please grant boons. Aren’t You parA Sakti who quickly protected me?

Please delightfully listen.
Please accept that I am Your son.
In this World, who is equal to You?

I shall not forbear if You delay.
You alone are my mother.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
mahilO ambA nIdu
mahima-atiSayamu-enna taramA

O Mother (ambA)! Is it possible (taramA) to count (enna) wonders (atiSayamu) of Your (nIdu) greatness (mahima) (mahimAtiSayamenna) in this Earth (mahilO)?

anupallavi
ahi bhUshaNuni rANI Sankari
ambikA bRhan-nAyaki gaurI (mahilO)

O Queen Consort (rANI) of Siva – adorned with (bhUshaNuni) snake (ahi)! O Sankari! O ambikA! O Ruler (nAyaki) of this Great Universe (bRhat) (bRhannAyaki) (name of Mother at tanjAvUr)! O gaurI!
O Mother! Is it possible to count wonders of Your greatness in this Earth?

caraNam
caraNam 1
sArasa daLa nayanA vadana
sarOja vijita ghana pura-arivai rANi
varAlu-osagimpavE
birAna brOcina parA Sakti gadA (mahilO)

O Lotus (sArasa) petal (daLa) Eyed (nayanA)! O Mother whose face (vadana) lotus (sarOja) excels (vijita) the splendour of rain cloud (ghana)! You are (vai) the Queen Consort (rANi) of Siva – enemy (ari) of three fortresses (pura) (purArivai)!
Aren’t (gadA) You parA Sakti who quickly (birAna) protected (brOcina) me by granting (osagi) boons (varAlu) (varAlosagi)? (OR)
Please grant (osagimpavE) boons (varAlu) (varAlosagimpavE). Aren’t (gadA) You parA Sakti who quickly (birAna) protected (brOcina) me?
O Mother! Is it possible to count wonders of Your greatness in this Earth?

caraNam 2
sumEru madhya latA lalitA
ramincu vinu nE kumAruDanu-anucu
mA tallI nIvu mAnavatI nI
samAnamu-evaru ilalO jeppu-ammA (mahilO)

O Mother lalitA abiding in the centre (madhyasthA) of Sacred mEru mountain (sumEru)! (OR)
O Mother lalitA - Slender One (latA) situated in the centre (madhya) of Sacred mEru mountain (sumEru)!
O My (mA) Mother (talli)! O Respected One (mAnavatI)! Please delightfully (ramincu) listen (vinu). O Mother (ammA)! You (nIvu) please accept (jeppu) (literally tell) (jeppavammA) that (anucu) I am (nE) Your son (kumAruDanu) (kumAruDananucu). In this World (ilalO), who (evaru) is equal (samAnamu) (samAnamevaru) to You (nI)?
O Mother! Is it possible to count wonders of Your greatness in this Earth?

caraNam 3
sAma gAna nutA sarasa padA
tAmasamu jEsE tALanE
SyAma kRshNa sOdarI SankarI
SyAmaLA-ambA nIvE mA-amma (mahilO)

O Mother extolled (nuta) through recitation (gAna) of sAma vEda! O Mother whose feet (padA) are the essence (sarasa)! I shall not forbear (taLanE) if You delay (tAmasamu jEsE) (tAmasamu jEsitE).
O Sister (sOdarI) of vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O SankarI! O Mother (ambA) SyAmaLA (SyAmaLAmbA)! You alone (nIvE) are my (mA) mother (amma) (mAyamma).
O Mother! Is it possible to count wonders of Your greatness in this Earth?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ - vijita ghana - vijitA ghana : in the present context, as the epithet ends with ‘ghana’, ‘vijitA’ is not appropriate.

⁷ - sAma gAna nutA sarasa padA - sAma gAna nuta sarasa padA

⁹ - nIvE mAyamma - nIvE mAyammA : in the present context, ‘mAyammA’ does not seem to be appropriate.
Top

References

Comments
¹ - vadana sarOja vijita ghana – this is how it is given in all books. However, this is a strange usage. After mentioning ‘sarOja vadana’ (lotus face), then comparing the face with ‘ghana’ (rain cloud) which is ‘dark’ in colour, is confusing.

² - purArivai rANi – this is how it is given in all books. However, normal usage is ‘purAri rANivai’.

³ – varAlosagimpavE – this is how it is given in all books. However, this usage is doubtful. In my opinion, it should be ‘varAlosagi’ only. This should be added to ‘birAna brOcina’ – ‘varAlosagi birAna brOcina’.

⁴ - sumEru madhya latA – this is how it is given in all books. However, the word ‘latA’ here seems to be doubtful. In my opinion, it should be ‘sumEru madhyasthA’.
Top

⁵ - ramincu vinu – this is how it is given in all books. In the books ‘ramincu’ has been taken as an adverb of ‘vinu’. However, in such a case, ‘ramincu’ does not seem to be appropriate.

⁶ - nE kumAruDananucu mA tallI nIvu – this is how it is given in all books. However, the sentence seems to be incomplete unless ‘jeppavammA’ is added to this. As there is an intervening sentence, this is also doubtful.

⁸ – tAmasamu jEsE tALanE – this is how it is given in all books. However, the word ‘jEsE’ seems to be doubtful. In my opinion, it should be ‘jEsitE’.

In my opinion, either the kRti is badly corrupt or it is doubtful whether it has been composed by Syama Sastry.
Top

mahilO ambA - rAga Ananda bhairavi