Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O Son of King daSaratha! O Lord of Emperors! O Spotless One! O Peerless One! O Moon Faced! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!

To that great person whose mind is under self control, what is further need for sacred prayers or mystical formulae?
To him who considers that body is not Self, what is the need to undertake penances?
To him who has considered that everything is but You only, what is the need for differentiation of stages of life?
To him who considers it to be a fascinating illusion, why perplexity because of women?
To him who remains devoid of evil-some sense objects throughout life, where is further cycle of birth and death?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
manasu svAdhInamu-aina-A ghanuniki
mari mantra tantramulu-Ela

To that (A) great person (ghanuniki) whose mind (manasu) is (aina) under self control (svAdhInamu) (svAdhInamainayA), what is further (mari) (literally again) need (Ela) for sacred prayers (mantra) or mystical formulae (tantramulu) (tantramulEla)?

anupallavi
tanuvu tAnu kAdu-ani-encu vAniki
tapasu cEyanu-Ela daSaratha bAla (ma)

To him (vAniki) who considers (encu) that (ani) body (tanuvu) is not (kAdu) (kAdaniyencu) Self (tAnu), what is the need (Ela) to undertake (cEyanu) (cEyanEla) penances (tapasu), O Son (bAla) of King daSaratha?
To that great person whose mind is under self control, what is further need for sacred prayers or mystical formulae?

caraNam
caraNam 1
anni nIvu-anucu-encina vAniki
ASrama bhEdamulu-Ela
kannu kaTTu mAyalu-ani-encu vAniki
kAntala bhramalu-Ela daSaratha bAla (ma)

To him (vAniki) who has considered (encina) that (anucu) everything (anni) is but You only (nIvu) (nIvanucuyencina), what is the need (Ela) for differentiation (bhEdamulu) (bhEdamulEla) of stages of life (ASrama)?
To him (vAniki) who considers (encu) it to be (ani) a fascinating (kannu kaTTu) illusion (mAyalu) (mAyalaniyencu), why (Ela) perplexity (bhramalu) (bhramalEla) (because) of women (kAntala), O Son (bAla) of King daSaratha?
To that great person whose mind is under self control, what is further need for sacred prayers or mystical formulae?

caraNam 2
Ajanmamu dur-vishaya rahituniki
gata-Agatamu-ika-Ela
rAja rAja-ISa niranjana nirupama
rAja vadana tyAgarAja vinuta (ma)

To him who remains devoid of (rahituniki) evil-some sense objects (dur-vishaya) throughout life (Ajanmamu), where is (Ela) further (ika) cycle of birth and death (gata Agatamu) (gatAgatamikayEla)?
O Lord (ISa) of Emperors (rAja rAja) (rAjESa)! O Spotless One (niranjana)! O Peerless One (nirupama)! O Moon (rAja) Faced (vadana)! O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja!
To that great person whose mind is under self control, what is further need for sacred prayers or mystical formulae?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References
¹ – ASrama – stages in Life in that order - student (brahmacarya), house-holder (gRhastha), anchorite (vAnaprastha), renounced (sannyasa).
Top

Comments
General – Ela – this word is generally translated as ‘why’; however, to suit the English language, this word has been differently translated as ‘why’, ‘what for’ and ‘where’ depending on situations so that the spirit of the wordings are conveyed.

² – gatAgatamu – the cycle of births and deaths.
Top

manasu svAdhIna - rAga SankarAbharaNaM