Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O Lord who wears garland vana mAla!

Don’t You have affection? What words of gesture You are speaking?
Is there not even a little kindness?

Is there any duty which goes against self-interest?
Won’t You have mercy on me?
Won’t this quality of procrastination leave You even now?

If You have wealth (for bestowing on me), keep it to Yourself;

I entreated You (thinking) that You would have compassion on me;
deign to come hearing about my anxieties;
I do not know that You have wickedness.

I believed that You are the Lord;

I have heard about the condition in which gajEndra was (when he cried for help);
I won’t entreat the slaves of cupid;
I have earned a name that this tyAgarAja is Your man.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
abhimAnamu lEdA-Emi nIvu-
abhinaya vacanamulu-ADEdi-Emi

Don’t (lEdA Emi) (lEdEmi) You have affection (abhimAnamu)? What (Emi) words (vacanamulu) of gesture (abhinaya) You (nIvu) (nIvabhinaya) are speaking (ADEdi) (vacanamulADEdEmi)?

caraNam
caraNam 1
mAlimi-incukaina lEdA tannu
mAlina dharmamu kaladA vana
mAli nApai daya rAdA pAlu-
mAlina guNamu-ikanaina pOdA (abhi)

Is there not (lEdA) even a little (incukaina) kindness (mAlimi)? Is there (kaladA) any duty (dharmamu) which goes against (mAlina) (literally devoid of) self-interest (tannu) (literally self)?
O Lord who wears garland vana mAla (vana mAli) (literally garland of wild flowers)! Won’t You have (rAdA) (literally come) mercy (daya) on me (nApai)? Won’t this quality (guNamu) of procrastination (pAlu-mAlina) leave (pOdA) You even now (ikanaina) (guNamikanaina)?
don’t You have affection? what words of gesture You are speaking?

caraNam 2
kalimi-uNTE peTTukOrA kRpa
kalugunu-anucu vEDinArA nA
kalavaramulu vini rArA
pOkalu nIku kaladu-ani nEnu-erunga lErA (abhi)

If You have (uNTE) wealth (kalimi) (for bestowing on me) (kalimiyuNTE), keep it to Yourself (peTTukOrA); I entreated (vEDinArA) You (thinking) that (anucu) You would have (kalugunu) (kalugunanucu) compassion (kRpa) on me;
deign to come (rArA) hearing (vini) about my anxieties (kalavaramulu); I (nEnu) do not (lErA) know (erunga) (nEnerunga) that (ani) You (nIku) have (kaladu) (kaladani) wickedness (pOkalu);
don’t You have affection? what words of gesture You are speaking?

caraNam 3
rAju nIvu-ani namminAnu gaja
rAju-unna vitamu vinnAnu rati
rAja dAsula vEDa lEnu tyAga-
rAju nIvADu-ani pEru konnAnu (abhi)

I believed (namminAnu) that (ani) You (nIvu) (nIvani) are the Lord (rAju) (literally King); I have heard (vinnAnu) about the condition (vitamu) in which gajEndra (gaja rAju) was (unna) (rAjunna) (when he cried for help);
I won’t (lEnu) entreat (vEDa) the slaves (dAsula) of cupid – Consort (rAja) (literally Lord) of rati; I have earned (konnAnu) a name (pEru) that (ani) this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) is Your man (nIvADu) (nivADani);
don’t You have affection? what words of gesture You are speaking?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References

Comments
¹ – tannu mAlina dharmamu kaladA – This has been translated as ‘is there any duty against one’s self-interest?’ based on the quotation - ‘tananu mAlina dharmam modalu ceDDa bEram - a code of conduct that is against one's interest is a bad bargain’ – Telugu Dictionary (enter 'maalina')

tannu mAlina dharmamu kaladA – Reading together with pallavi words ‘abhimAnamu lEdA’ and the 3rd caraNam words ‘nIvADani pEru konnAnu’, SrI tyAgaraja seems to convey that ‘since I am Yours, it is in Your self-interest (Your duty - dharma) to protect me (because I belong to You); otherwise, You will be going against Your own self-interest (tannu mAlina)’.

² – vana mAli – the garland vaijayanti worn by Lord vishNu consisting of tuLasi, mallikA, mandAra, pArijAta and lotus is called 'vana mAla'.
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abhimAnamu lEdEmi - rAga AndALi