Transliteration Scheme

balamu kulamu - rAga sAvEri

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
balamu kulumu Ela rAma bhakti kAraNamu
velayu sakala 1siddhul(e)lla veNTa vaccu kAni mEnu (balamu)

caraNam
caraNam 1
2nITa kAki mInu munuga niratam(u)daya snAnamA
tETa kanulu konga 3kUrca dEva dEva dhyAnamA (balamu)


caraNam 2
patramulanu mEyu mEka balamaina 4upAsamA
5citra pakshul(e)gaya sUrya candrulaku sAmyamA (balamu)
caraNam 3
guhala vEsha kOTul(u)NTE guNamu kalgu maunulA
gahanamunanu kOtul(u)NTE ghanamau 6vana vAsamA (balamu)
caraNam 4
7jangamulu palukak(u)NTE sangatigA maunulA
angamu muyyani 8bAlulu apuDu 9digambarulA (balamu)
caraNam 5
valacu tyAgarAja varadu vara bhaktulu sEyu bhakti
celagu sakala janulak(e)lla cellina kAs(au)nugA (balamu)


Meaning - Gist


Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
balamu kulumu Ela rAma bhakti kAraNamu
velayu sakala siddhulu-ella veNTa vaccu kAni mEnu (balamu)

Of what avail (Ela) bodily (mEnu) strength (balamu) or lineage (kulamu)? All (ella) (sakala) siddhis (siddhulu) (siddhulella) that exist (velayu) would indeed (kAni) follow (veNTa vaccu) as a result of (kAraNamu) devotion (bhakti) to Lord rAma.


caraNam
caraNam 1
nITa kAki mInu munuga niratamu-udaya snAnamA
tETa kanulu konga kUrca dEva dEva dhyAnamA (balamu)

If crow (kAki) and fish (mInu) take dip (munuga) in water (nITa), is it always (niratamu) morning (udaya) (niratamudaya) bath (snAnamA)?
O Lord (dEva) of celestials (dEva)! If stork (konga) focuses (kUrca) its clear (tETa) eyes (kanulu) (for prey) is it meditation (dhyAnamA)?
Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? All the siddhis that exist would indeed follow as a result of devotion to Lord rAma.


caraNam 2
patramulanu mEyu mEka balamaina upAsamA
citra pakshulu-egaya sUrya candrulaku sAmyamA (balamu)

Is leaf (patramulanu) grazing (mEyu) goat (mEka) observing strict (balamaina) fast (upAsamA)?
If variegated (citra) birds (pakshulu) fly (egaya) (pakshulegaya), are they equal (sAmyamA) to Sun (sUrya) and Moon (candrulaku)?
Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? All the siddhis that exist would indeed follow as a result of devotion to Lord rAma.
caraNam 3
guhala vEsha kOTulu-uNTE guNamu kalgu maunulA
gahanamunanu kOtulu-uNTE ghanamau vana vAsamA (balamu)

If there are (uNTE) ochre garbed (vEsha kOTulu) (literally pretentious) (kOTuluNTE) in the caves (guhala), are they (necessarily) virtuous (guNamu kalgu) ascetics (maunulA)?
If there are (uNTE) monkeys (kOtulu) (kOtuluNTE) in the forests (gahanamunanu), is it great (ghanamaina) forest (vana) dwelling (vAsamA) (in pursuit of austerities according to ASrama dharma)?
Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? All the siddhis that exist would indeed follow as a result of devotion to Lord rAma.
caraNam 4
jangamulu palukaka-uNTE sangatigA maunulA
angamu muyyani bAlulu apuDu digambarulA (balamu)

If jangamas (jangamulu) remain (uNTE) silent (palukaka) (literally without speaking) (palukakuNTE), are they observing group (sangatigA) silence (maunulA)?
Then (apuDu), are clothe-less (angamu muyyani) children (bAlulu) naked mendicants (digambarulA)?
Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? All the siddhis that exist would indeed follow as a result of devotion to Lord rAma.
caraNam 5
valacu tyAgarAja varadu vara bhaktulu sEyu bhakti
celagu sakala janulaku-ella cellina kAsu-aunugA (balamu)

Loving (valacu) devotion (bhakti) practiced (sEyu) by great (vara) devotees (bhaktulu) towards Lord rAma – bestower of boons (varadu) to this tyAgarAja - is indeed (aunugA) valid (celagu) currency (cellina kAsu) (kAsaunugA) (literally legal tender) for (redemption of) everyone (sakala janulaku ella) (janulakella);
Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? All the siddhis that exist would indeed follow as a result of devotion to Lord rAma.


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
7 - jangamulu – jangamamulu. As 'jangamulu' (plural of jangamuDu) is the appropriate word, the same has been adopted.

8 - bAlulu – bAluru.
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References
1 - siddhulu – eight-fold siddhi - aNiman – become minute as atom; laghiman – extreme lightness; prApti – reach anything (moon with the tip of finger); prAkAmya – irresistible will; mahiman – illimitable bulk; ISitA – supreme dominion; vaSitA – subjugating by magic; kAmAvaSAyitA – suppressing all desires : Source – Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary.

aNiman, laghiman, prApti, prakAmya, mahiman, ISitA and vaSitA and garimA – making oneself heavy at will – Source tamizh pingala nigaNDu.
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4upAsamu - In yOgic practices, fasting and survival on leaves alone is one of the stages. In SrImad bhAgavataM – Book 4 – Chapter 8, prescription to dhruva by sage nArada -

"eat a fruit at the end of each three nights during first month;
eat grass or leaves every sixth day during the second month;
take water only every ninth day during the third month;
inhale air only every twelfth day during the fourth month;
control breath fully during the fifth month."

6vana vAsamA – refers to the third stage of life - vAnAprasthASrama.
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7jangamulu - In some books, this is given as ‘beggars in the garb of Saivite Devotees’.

jangama ‘is a wandering tribe whose main profession for ages has been stealing’.

jangama is ‘a term used by Vira Saivites, originally to name their mendicant, renunciates who walked as homeless sadhus, uplifting others. Now an order of Vira Saivite teachers’.

9 - digambara – it is also one of the names of Supreme Lord – direction-clad – quarters as garment. In the bikshATana avatAra, Lord Siva comes as digambara

However, as the word is used in plural form, SrI tyAgarAja seems to mean digambara of jaina sect
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Comments
2 - nITa kAki - Though the translation has been made on the same line as given in the books, a doubt arises. ‘nIru kAki’ (tamizh nIr kAkkai) (cormorant) whose food is fish dives into water to get its prey. ‘nIru kAki’ and ‘mInu’ belong to the same category having habitat in and around water; ‘kAki’ (crow) and 'mInu’ (fish) are not in the same category. Further, the word ‘munuga’ itself means ‘taking a dip in water’. Therefore, a doubt arises whether the SrI tyAgarAja means ‘nIru kAki’ by ‘nITa kAki’ – but in such case it should be ‘nITi kAki’.

nIru kAki - Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo -Great Cormorant; Phalacrocorax fuscicollis- Indian Cormorant and Phalacrocorax niger - Little Cormorant.

3 - kUrca – Upper part of the nose between eyebrows where yogic concentration is made.
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5 - citrapakshulu – In some books, this word has been translated as ‘fire-fly’; in other books, this has been taken to mean ‘birds’ in general. The word for ‘fire-fly’ or ‘glow-worm’ is ‘miNuguru purugu’ or jyOtiringaNamu (telugu) and ‘prabhA kITa’ or ‘jyOtiringa’ or jyOtirgana’ (saMskRta).

‘Peacock’ in telugu is ‘citra pakshamu’ (citra pattraka in Sanskrit). Peacock cannot fly too high or too far. ‘citra’ also means ‘variegated’. Accordingly, ‘citra pakshulu’ has been translated as ‘variegated birds’. However, if SrI tyAgarAja intended 'glow-worms', then it would be translated as 'if glow-worms fly, could their glow equal the Sun and Moon?'
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