Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O My Mind!

It is getting late.
Chant the names of Lord SrI rAma with determination.

You have spent –

some time sleeping and
some time with the thoughts of sense enjoyments;

some time extolling people (every day) since morning for securing welfare in pursuit of three desires – wife, children and wealth;
some time eating any and everywhere like a stray bull without understanding anything;
some time sinking and floating in the ocean of Worldly Existence which (for all appearances) looks charming;
some time indulging in utterly useless talks with wicked people who have deviated from the path of righteous conduct;

some time with pride looking joyously at wealth, children and houses;
some time remaining miserable being lost in the sea of utter grief brought about thereof (looking at wealth, children and house with pride);
some time wandering about in the World unable to tolerate looking at others’ prosperity (envying such comforts);
some time, finally, with no sense of direction because of loss of mental faculties due to old age;

some time becoming fatigued with the intent of performing vEdic karmas like sacrificial oblations etc.;
some time committing offences therein (vEdic karmas) due to possessive nature - attachment, avarice etc.;
some time without understanding that only singing nicely the glory of the Lord is the real fortune; and
some time without realising the true nature of Lord SrI rAma - praised by this tyAgarAja.

It is getting late.
Chant the names of Lord SrI rAma with determination.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
proddu poyyenu SrI rAmuni
pUni bhajimpavE manasA

O My Mind (manasA)! It is getting late (proddu poyyenu) (literally it is Sun-set); chant the names (bhajimpavE) of Lord SrI rAma (SrI rAmuni) with determination (pUni).

anupallavi
niddura cEta konnALLu vishaya
buddhula cEta konnALLu O manasA (proddu)

You have spent some time (konnALLu) (literally some days) sleeping (niddura cEta) (literally with sleep) and some time (konnALLu) with (cEta) the thoughts (buddhula) of sense enjoyments (vishaya);
O My Mind (manasA)! Chant the names of Lord SrI rAma with determination.

caraNam
caraNam 1
prodduna lEci tri-tApamulanu narula
pogaDi pogaDi konnALLu paTTi-
eddu rIti kanna tAvula bhujiyinci
Emi teliyaka konnALLu
mudduga tOcu bhava sAgaramuna
munigi tElucu konnALLu
paddu mAlina pAmara janulatO verri
palukulu-ADucu konnALLu O manasA (proddu)

You have spent some time (konnALLu) by extolling (pogaDi pogaDi) people (narula) (every day) since morning (prodduna lEci) (literally getting up early) for securing welfare in pursuit of three (tri) desires (tApamulanu) – wife, children and wealth;
some time (konnALLu) eating (bhujiyinci) any and everywhere (kanna tAvula) like (rIti) a stray (paTTi) bull (eddu) (paTTiyeddu) without understanding (teliyaka) anything (Emi);
some time (konnALLu) sinking (munigi) and floating (tElucu) in the ocean (sAgaramuna) of Worldly Existence (bhava) which (for all appearances) looks (tOcu) charming (mudduga); and
some time (konnALLu) indulging in (ADucu) utterly useless (verri) (literally mad) talks (palukulu) (palukulADucu) with wicked (pAmara) people (janulatO) who have deviated (mAlina) from the path of righteous conduct (paddu) (literally promise).
O My Mind (manasA)! Chant the names of Lord SrI rAma with determination.

caraNam 2
mudamuna dhana tanaya-AgAramulu jUci
madamu cEta konnALLu andu
cedarina-anta SOka-arNava gatuDai
jAli jenduTayu konnALLu-
edaTi pacca jUci tALa lEka
tAnu-ilanu tiruguTa konnALLu
mudi madi tappina vRddha tanamucE
mundu venuka teliyakayE konnALLu (proddu)

You have spent some time (konnALLu) with (cEta) pride (madamu) looking (jUci) joyously (mudamuna) at wealth (dhana), children (tanaya) (literally son) and houses (AgAramu) (tanayAgAramula);
some time (konnALLu) remaining miserable (jAli jenduTayu) being lost (gatuDai) in the sea (arNava) of utter (anta) (literally much) grief (SOka) (SOkArNava) brought about (cedarina) (cedarinayanta) (literally scatter) thereof (andu) (looking at wealth, children and house with pride);
some time (konnALLu) self (tAnu) wandering about (tiruguTa) in the World (ilanu) (tAnilanu) unable to tolerate (tALa lEka) looking at (jUci) others’ (edaTi) (literally opposite) (konnALLuyedaTi) prosperity (pacca) (literally far greenery) (envying such comforts); and
finally (mudi), some time (konnALLu), with no sense (teliyakayE) of direction (mundu venaka) (literally before and after) because of loss of mental faculties (madi tappina) due to old age (vRddha tanamucE);
O My Mind! Chant the names of Lord SrI rAma with determination.

caraNam 3
yAga-Adi karmamu sEyavalenu-anu-
alasaTa cEta konnALLu andu
rAga lObhamulatOnu-aparAdhamula jEsi
rAjasamuna konnALLu
bAguga nAma kIrtanamulu sEyuTE
bhAgyamu-anaka konnALLu
tyAgarAja nutuDaina SrI rAmuni
tatvamu teliyakayE konnALLu (proddu)

You have spent some time (konnALLu) becoming fatigued (alasaTa cEta) with the intent (anu) of performing (sEyavalenu) (sEyavalenanuyalasaTa) vEdic karmas (karmamu) like sacrificial oblations (yAga) etc (Adi) (yAgAdi);
some time (konnALLu) committing (jEsi) offences (aparAdhamula) therein (andu) (vEdic karmas) due to (tOnu) possessive nature (rAjasamuna) - attachment (rAga), avarice etc. (lObhamulatOnu) (lObhamulatOnaparAdhamula);
some time (konnALLu) without understanding (anaka) that only singing nicely (bAguga) the glory of the Lord (nAma kIrtanamulu sEyuTE) is the real fortune (bhAgyamu) (bhAgyamanaka); and
some time (konnALLu) without realising (teliyakayE) the true nature (tatvamu) of Lord SrI rAma (rAmuni) - praised (nutuDaina) by this tyAgarAja;
O My Mind! Chant the names of Lord SrI rAma with determination.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
⁴ – tAvula – tAvuna.
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References

Comments
¹ – proddu poyyenu – These words occurring pallavi will be translated as ‘it is getting late’. However, when joining with ‘konnALLu’ in anupallavi and caraNams, it will be translated as ‘spent some time’.

² – tri-tApamulanu – aka tApa-traya - AdhyAtmika, Adhibhautika, AdhidaivIka (Self-others-divine related griefs). However, in the present context, SrI tyAgarAja seems to mean ‘three desires’ (IshaNa traya) – love for wife, children and wealth. This is so because of the preceding words ‘narula pogadi pogadi’ (extolling people) for securing welfare. Alternatively, it could mean that because of the tApa-traya (AdhyAtmika etc.), one becomes constrained to be Worldly minded for securing welfare for Self and family etc.
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³ – paTTi eddu (paTTiyeddu) – In some books, this has been translated as ‘bull at large’. While the meaning ‘eddu’ (bull) is clear, the word ‘paTTi’ is doubtful – there is no such telugu word which could mean ‘at large’. SrI tyAgarAja seems to have used this word (paTTi) in the kRti ‘eTla brOtuvO’ – rAga cakravAkam – ‘vaTTi (or paTTi) goDDu’ where almost similar meaning is derived. In tamil, ‘paTTi’ means ‘stray’ (paTTi mADu – stray cattle). It is possible that SrI tyAgarAja uses tamil word ‘paTTi’ in both these kRtis.
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In South India, there is a tradition of consecrating a bull-calf to Siva temple. In Tamil Nadu, such a bull is called ‘kOvil mADu’ (bull belonging to temple). This bull is stamped with such a mark. It is allowed to roam free and eat wherever. Such an example also may be suitable here. But the word ‘paTTi’ (paTTi eddu) does not permit such an interpretation. Therefore, ‘stray cattle’ has been adopted.

⁵ – SOkArNava gatuDai – this could be rendered as ‘SOkArN(a)vagatuDai. But the meaning of ‘avagata’ (being aware) does not seem to be appropriate. Therefore ‘SOkArNava gatuDai’ has been adopted.

⁶ – mudi madi tappina vRddha tanamucE – ‘mudi’ means ‘old age’; ‘vRddha tanamu’ - also means ‘old age’. Therefore, ‘mudi’ has been translated as ‘finally’.
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proddu poyyenu - rAga tODi