Transliteration Scheme

I mEnu kaligina - rAga varALi

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
I mEnu kaligin(a)nduku sItA rAma
nAmamE palka valenu

anupallavi
1kAm(A)di dur-guNa stOma pUritamaina
pAmaratvamE kAni nEmamu lEn(a)TTi (I)

caraNam
caraNam 1
saMsAramunu brOva dArini para-
hiMsa jendu 2kirAtuDu
3haMsa rUpula gatin(a)Duga rAma nAma
praSaMsa jEsi upadESinca 4dhanyuDu kAdA (I)


caraNam 2
tApasi SApam(i)DagA 5jal(O)raga
rUpamu koni(y)uNDaga
tApamu sairincaka tallaDillaga Sara
cApa dharuni nAma SravaNamu brOva lEdA (I)
caraNam 3
kari rAju teliya lEka baluDaina
makari cEta gAsi jendagA
6ara lEka 7nijamuna(n)Adi mUlam(a)naga
varaduDu vEgamE vacci brOvaga lEdA (I)
caraNam 4
8Agama vEdamulanu dAnavuDu
kompOvagA catur(A)nanuDu
tyAgarAja nuta tAraka nAma(y)ani
bAguga nutimpa bhayamu tIrpaga lEdA (I)


Meaning - Gist


Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
I mEnu kaliginanduku sItA rAma
nAmamE palka valenu

For this (I) body (mEnu) having come into being (kaligina anduku) (kalginanduku), one should only chant (palka valenu ) (literally should utter) the name (nAmamE) of Lord sItA rAma.


anupallavi
kAma-Adi dur-guNa stOma pUritamaina
pAmaratvamE kAni nEmamu lEnaTTi (I)

This body is nothing but (kAni) wretchedness (pAmaratvamE) replete with (pUritamaina) evil-some qualities (dur-guNa stOma) like desire (kAma) etc (Adi) (kAmAdi) and having no (lEni) self-restraint (nEmamu);
for such (aTTi) (lEnaTTi) body having come into being, one should only chant the name of Lord sItA rAma.


caraNam
caraNam 1
saMsAramunu brOva dArini para-
hiMsa jendu kirAtuDu
haMsa rUpula gatini-aDuga rAma nAma
praSaMsa jEsi upadESinca dhanyuDu kAdA (I)

When a hunter (kirAtaDu), who, for his livelihood (saMsAramunu brOva) (literally for welfare of family) was inflicting harm (hiMsa jendu) to others (para) on the way (dArini) (by robbery),
desired (aDuga) (literally ask) to attain the state (gatini) (gatinaDuga) of those who identify themselves with (rUpula) Supreme Lord (haMsa),
did he not become (kAdA) blessed (dhanyuDu) as a result of initiation (upadESinca) (by sage nArada) by commending (praSaMsa jEsi) the holy name (nAma) of Lord rAma?
Therefore, for this body having come into being, one should only chant the name of Lord sItA rAma.


caraNam 2
tApasi SApamu-iDagA jala-uraga
rUpamu koni-uNDaga
tApamu sairincaka tallaDillaga Sara
cApa dharuni nAma SravaNamu brOva lEdA (I)

When a celestial damsel, having attained (koni uNDaga) (koniyuNDaga) the form (rUpamu) of a water-borne creature (jala uraga) (jalOraga) as a result of curse (SApamu iDagA) (SApamiDagA) of an ascetic (tApasi), was in a pitiable state (tallaDillaga) unable to bear (sairincaka) the suffering (tApamu),
did not (lEdA) mere listening (SravaNamu) to the name of Lord SrI rAma – wielder (dharuni) of bow (cApa) and arrow (Sara) - save (brOva) her?
Therefore, for this body having come into being, one should only chant the name of Lord sItA rAma.
caraNam 3
kari rAju teliya lEka baluDaina
makari cEta gAsi jendagA
ara lEka nijamuna-Adi mUlamu-anaga
varaduDu vEgamE vacci brOvaga lEdA (I)

When gajEndra – the king (rAju) of elephants (kari) – struggling (gAsi jendagA) in the hands (cEta) of a powerful (baluDaina) alligator (makari), caught unawares (teliya lEka),
raising (lEka) a cry (ara), called (anaga) ‘O True (nijamuna) Primitive (Adi) (nijamunanAdi) Cause (mUlamu) (mUlamanaga) (of this Universe)’,
did not (lEdA) Lord vishNu – bestower of boons (varaduDu) save (brOvaga) him coming (vacci) quickly (vEgamE)?
Therefore, for this body having come into being, one should only chant the name of sItA rAma.
caraNam 4
Agama vEdamulanu dAnavuDu
kompOvagA catura-AnanuDu
tyAgarAja nuta tAraka nAma-ani
bAguga nutimpa bhayamu tIrpaga lEdA (I)

As (sOmaka) asura (dAnavuDu) carried away (kompOvagA) Agamas and vEdas (vEdamulanu),
when brahmA – the four (catura) faced (AnanuDu) (caturAnanuDu) – highly (bAguga) (literally nicely) extolled (nutimpa) as (ani) ‘O Lord - praised (nuta) by tyAgarAja - whose name (nAma) (nAmayani) carries one across (tAraka) of the Ocean of Worldly Existence’,
did He not (lEdA) relieve (tIrpaga) brahmA’s fears (bhayamu) (by restoring vEdas)?
Therefore, for this body having come into being, one should only chant the name of Lord sItA rAma.


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
7nijamunanAdi mUlamanaga – nijamuganAdi mUlamanaga.
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References
1kAmAdi – kAma, krOdha, lObha, mOha, mada, mAtsarya.

2 - kirAtaDu – the reference is to (later) vAlmIki Rshi. This is a traditional story about a hunter-robber who turns into a sage. However, the source of the story is not known. According to Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary, vAlmIki was indeed a brAhmaNa by birth and closely connected with Kings of ayOdhya. It is also mentioned therein about the traditional story.
3haMsa – another form of ‘ahaMsa’ – ‘I am that’ wherein ‘that’ refers to paramAtmA. Please refer to kRti of sadASiva brahmEndra – ‘khElati piNDANDE’ wherein he mentions ‘haMsas-sOhaM sOhaM-haMsamiti’. haMsa - ajapA
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5jalOraga – jala uraga – ‘uraga’ means ‘breast-going’ – snake etc. Therefore ‘jala uraga’ might mean water-borne creatures. According to Sanskrit Dictionary, ‘jalOragI’ means ‘water snake’ or ‘leech’.

The only mention of ‘water snake’ in vAlmIki rAmAyaNa is that of ‘surasA’ – nAga mAtA (mother of snakes). She was actually set up by Gods, siddhas, sages and gandharvas to test the might of AnjanEya – Please refer to SrImad-vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, sundara kANDa, Chapter 1, verses 144 – 147. Therefore, surasA is not the one meant by SrI tyAgarAja.
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In one book, this is translated as ‘celestial damsel cursed to become a leech, was relieved of her curse by listening to the tAraka nAma’.

In another book, it is mentioned that “an apsaras who as the result of the curse of the Rishi had the form of a crocodile and was undergoing unbearable suffering, (was) saved by Anjaneya through the chanting of rAma nAma.”

The story of crocodile relieved of curse, is mentioned in ‘adhyAtma rAmAyaNa’, yuddha kANDa, Chapter 7. This also seems to be part of ‘rAm-caritra-mAnas’ by tuLasidAs. - rAma kathA and lankA kANDa
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7Adi mUlamanaga – The prayer of gajEndra is contained in SrImad bhAgavataM – Book 8 – Chapter 3. The operative verse given below mentions ‘purushAya Adi-bIjAya’ (‘Adi bIjAya’ is referred as ‘Adi mUlaM’ in traditional stories of gajEndra mOksha) -

OM namO bhagavatE tasmai yata Etac-cid-AtmakaM |
purushAyAdi-bIjAya parESAyAbhidhImahi || 2 ||

“I offer my salutation to that Supreme Lord – denoted by OM – because of whom (animated by whom) this organism appears as conscious and who enters the (various) bodies (as their causes) in the shape of prAkRti and purusha.”
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8Agama vEdamulanu dAnavuDu kompOvagA - This pertains to matsya avatAra of the Lord. As per SrImad-bhAgavataM, Book 8, Chapter 24, the name of the demon who stole the vEdAs is hayagrIva and perceiving that action of hayagrIva, the Lord assumed the form of Fish. The demon was killed by the Lord in that avatAra. The following verse of SrImad bhAgavataM (8.24) is relevant –

atIta-pralayApAya utthitAya sa vEdhasE |
hatvAsuram hayagrIvaM vEdAn pratyAharaddhariH || 57 ||

“Having killed the demon hayagrIva, He restored the vEdAs to brahmA when the latter rose at the end of the pralaya (dissolution).”

However, a different version is found in SrImad-bhAgavataM 5.18 as under –
vEdAn yugAntE tamasA tiraskRtAn
rasA-talAdyO nR-turaGa-vigrahaH |
pratyAdadE vai kavayE-(a)bhi-yAcatE
tasmai namastE-(a)vitathE-hitAya iti || 6 ||
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“At the end of the millennium, ignorance personified assumed the form of a demon, stole all the vEdAs and took them down to the planet of rasAtala. The Supreme Lord, however, in His form of hayagrIva retrieved the vEdas and returned them to Lord brahmA when he begged for them. I offer my respectful obeisance unto the Supreme Lord, whose determination never fails.”

“The purpose for which the advent of matsya avatAra took place was the restoration of vEdas from the hands of the demon sOmakAsura, who stole them from brahmA and hid them in the sea. dharma is based on the vEdas, so the protection of the vEdas was the avatAric task. [SB, 8:24]”
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“hayagrIvAya namaH : One who took the hayagrIva avatAra with horse's neck and a human body to restore vEdas from the asuras (madhu and kaiTabha), who stole the vEdas from brahmA” – Source - hayagrIva stOtra

There is an apparent contradiction as to who stole vEdAs – whether it is sOmakAsura or hayagrIva. There is also an apparent contradiction as to the avatar of the Lord for restoration of vEdas – whether it is matsya or hayagrIva. Therefore, readers may draw their own conclusions.
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Comments
4dhanyuDu kAdA – this is how it is given in all the books. However, taking note of the endings of caraNa 2 - ‘brOva lEdA’, caraNa 3 - ‘brOvaga lEdA’ and caraNa 4 – ‘tIrpaga lEdA’, in my opinion, the ending of first caraNa too should be ‘dhanyuDu kAlEdA’.

6ara lEka – this is how it is given in all the books. However, there is some doubt about the form of the word ‘ara’. Here, ‘ara lEka’ means ‘raising a cry’. The actual telugu word for ‘to cry’ or ‘to shout’ is ‘arucu’ or ‘arupu’; however, it is not clear whether it can take the form ‘ara’.
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