Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O lalitA! O Creeper of wish yielding kalpa tree!
O Mother!
O parA SaktI whose feet are worshipped by celestials! O Mother!
O Mother whose exploits have been extolled by brahmA, vishNu, Siva and indra! O Ancient One! O Queen who has been worshipped by sarasvati and wife of indra! O Queen Consort of Siva!
O Mother resident in the centre of sumEru! O Sister of vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O kaumArI! O umA! O Mother mInAkshi! O SankarI! O Great Ruler of the Universe!

Please protect me very quickly.

Am I not the one who has totally trusted You?
Who is there as my refuge other than You?

Praising the stories told by arrogant and evil minded people, I have always been roaming around them.

Won’t You show mercy, coming, without remaining unconcerned?
Won’t You listen to my plea?
I am Your devotee.
This is opportune moment for protecting me.

Please protect me always, coming very quickly, relieving all my grief and granting me boons.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
nannu brOvu lalitA vEgamE cAla
ninnu nera nammi-unna-vADu gadA
bhakta kalpa latA

O lalitA! Please protect (brOvu) me (nannu) very (cAla) quickly (vEgamE). Am I not the one (vADu gadA) who has totally (nera) (literally much) trusted (nammi unna) (nammiyunna-vADu) You (ninnu), O Creeper (latA) of wish yielding kalpa tree?

anupallavi
ninnu vinA evaru-unnAru gati jananI
ati vEgamE vacci (nannu)

O Mother (jananI)! Who (evaru) is there (unnAru) (evarunnAru) as my refuge (gati) other than (vinA) You (ninnu)?
Please protect me coming (vacci) very (ati) quickly (vEgamE).

caraNam
caraNam 1
parAku sEyakanE vacci kRpa
salupa rAdA mora vinavA
parA SaktI gIrvANa vandita
padA nI bhaktuDanu-ammA santatamu (nannu)

Won’t (rAdA) You show (salupa) mercy (kRpa), coming (vacci) without remaining unconcerned (parAku sEyakanE)? Won’t You listen (vinavA) to my plea (mora)?
O parA SaktI whose feet (padA) are worshipped (vandita) by celestials (gIrvANa)! O Mother (ammA)! I am Your devotee (bhaktuDanu) (bhaktuDanammA).
Please protect me always (santatamu).

caraNam 2
sarOja bhava kamala nAbha Sankara
surs-indra nuta caritA
purANI vANI indrANI vandita
rANI ahi bhUshaNuni rANI (nannu)

O Mother whose exploits (caritA) have been extolled (nuta) by brahmA – abiding (bhava) in lotus (sarOja), vishNu – lotus (kamala) navelled (nAbha), Siva (Sankara) and indra – Lord (indra) of celestials (sura) (surEndra)!
O Ancient One (purANI)! O Queen who has been worshipped (vandita) by sarasvati (vANI) and wife of indra (indrANI)! O Queen Consort (rANI) of Siva – who sports (bhUshaNuni) snake (ahi)!
Please protect me very quickly.

caraNam 3
mads-Atmulaina durAtma janulu-anu
kathalanu pogaDi
sadA nE vArala cuTTi tirigiti
vetalanu-ella dIrci varamu-osagi (nannu)

Praising (pogaDi) the stories (kathalanu) told (anu) by arrogant (mada Atmulaina) (madAtmulaina) and evil minded (durAtma) people (janulu) (janulanu), I (nE) have always (sadA) been roaming (tirigiti) around (cuTTi) them (vArala).
Please protect me very quickly relieving (dIrci) all (ella) my grief (vetalu) (vetalellanu) and granting (osagi) me boons (varamu) (varamosagi).

caraNam 4
sumEru madhya nilayE SyAma kRshNuni
sOdarI kaumArI
umA SrI mInAkshi-ammA SankarI
O mahA rAjnI rakshincuTaku-idi samayamu (nannu)

O Mother resident (nilayE) in the centre (madhya) of sumEru! O Sister (sOdarI) of vishNu – SyAma kRshNa (kRshNuni)! O kaumArI!
O umA! O Mother (ammA) mInAkshi (mInAkshammA)! O SankarI! O Great (mahA) Ruler (rAjnI) of the Universe! This (idi) is opportune moment (samayamu) for protecting (rakshincuTaku) (rakshincuTakidi) me.
Please protect me very quickly.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ - vADu gadA - vADu gAdA.
² - kalpa latA - kalpa latikA.
³ - evarunnAru gati jananI ati vEgamE vacci (nannu) - evarunnAru mA gati jananI mA jananI ati vEgamE (nannu).

⁴ - mora vinavA - mora vinadA.
⁵ - vandita padA - vandita pAdA.

⁶ - kamala nAbha - kamala nAtha : As ‘vishNu’ is meant here, it should be either ‘kamala nabha’ or ‘kamalA nAtha’. ‘As ‘kamala’ is given in all books, ‘kamala nAbha’ has been adopted.

⁷ - vandita rANI ahi bhUshaNuni rANI - vandita bhOgi bhUshaNuniki rANI.
⁸ - madAtmulaina - madAndhulaiyunna.
⁹ – janulanu – janamulanu.
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¹⁰ - kathalanu pogaDi - kathalanu pogaDi pogaDi – dAtalani pogaDi.

¹¹ - nE vArala cuTTi – nEniTla cuTTi : It is given as ‘nE varAla cuTTi’ in some books. ‘varAla’ is not the appropriate word. Therefore, ‘vArala’ has been adopted.

¹² - vetalanella – cancalambanniyu.
¹³ – nilayE – nilaya.
¹⁴ - umA SrI mInAkshammA - umA mInAkshammA.
¹⁵ - rakshincuTakidi samayamu – rakshimpa samayamidi.
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References
² – kalpa latA – kalpa vRksha is stated to be covered with creepers. Please refer to - kalpa vRksha vAhana

¹³ – sumEru madhya nilayE – resident in the centre of sumEru. Please refer to lalitA sahasra nAma (55) - ‘sumEru madhya SRngasthA’ (residing in the central peak of sumEru).
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Comments

nannu brOvu - rAga lalita