Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O King! O Father! O Lord hari! O Lord wearing golden (hued) garments! O Lord of all worlds!

O Moon born in the ocean of Royal lineage! O Protector of celestials! O protector of gajEndra! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!

You are the son-in-law on King janaka.
You are Earth in patience.

I heard about Your protecting draupadi by providing sarees looking at her pitiable state.
Therefore, totally trusting You to be the peerless Ocean of Virtues, I avowedly became Your adherent.

Even in my dreams there is only You.

You continue to be without protecting me.
Who is there for us so that we can send in writing to You (about our plight)?
Enough of Your deceit.
Why this pretence to look at me?
Without seeing You, I shall perform recitation (of Your names till You show up).

Please listen. May You deign to have mercy.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
anupama guNa-ambudhi-ani ninnu nera nammi-
anusarincina vADanaiti

Totally (nera) (literally much) trusting (nammi) You (ninnu) to be (ani) the peerless (anupama) Ocean (ambudhi) of Virtues (guNa) (guNAmbudhiyani), I became (aiti) Your adherent (anusarincina vADanu) (nammiyanusarincina) (vADanaiti).

anupallavi
manupakayE-unnAvu manu patI vrAsi
mEmu-anupa mAku-evaru vinumA daya rAni (anu)

O King – Lord (patI) of men (manu)! You continue to be (unnAvu) without protecting (manupakayE) (manupakayEyunnAvu) me.
Who (evaru) is there for us (mAku) (mAkevaru) so that we (mEmu) can send (anupa) (mEmanupa) in writing (vrAsi) to You (about our plight)? Therefore, please listen (vinumA), may You deign to have mercy (daya rAni);
Totally trusting You to be the peerless Ocean of virtues, I became your adherent.

caraNam
caraNam 1
janaka jAmAtavai janakajA mAtavai
janaka jAlamu cAlu cAlunu hari (anupama)

You are the son-in-law (jamAtavai) on King janaka;
You are Earth – mother (mAtavai) of sItA – daughter of king janaka (janakajA) - in patience;
O Father (janaka)! Enough (cAlu cAlunu) of Your deceit (jAlamu), O Lord hari!
Totally trusting You to be the peerless Ocean of virtues, I became your adherent.

caraNam 2
kanaka paTa dhara nannu kana kapaTamu-Ela tanu
kanaka paThanamu sEtu kAni pUni (anu)

O Lord wearing (dhara) golden (hued) (kanaka) garments (paTa)!
Why (Ela) this pretence (kapaTamu) (literally hypocrisy) (kapaTamEla) to look (kana) at me (nannu)?
Without seeing (kanaka) You (tanu), I shall perform (sEtu) recitation (paThanamu) (of Your names till You show up);
However (kAni), totally trusting You to be the peerless Ocean of virtues, I avowedly (pUni) became your adherent.

caraNam 3
kalalOna nIvE sakala lOka nAtha
kOkalu lOkuva kani-icci kAcinadi vini (anu)

Even in my dreams (kalalOna) there is only You (nIvE), O Lord (nAtha) of all (sakala) worlds (lOka)!
Hearing (vini) about Your protecting (kAcinadi) draupadi by providing (icci) sarees (kOkalu) looking (kani) (kanicci) at her pitiable state (lOkuva) (literally subjugation),
totally trusting You to be the peerless Ocean of virtues, I became your adherent.

caraNam 4
rAja kula kalaSa-abdhi rAja sura pAla gaja
rAja rakshaka tyAgarAja vinuta (anu)

O Moon (rAja) born in the ocean (kalaSa abdhi) (kalaSAbdhi) (literally Ocean of Milk) of Royal (rAja) lineage (kula)! O Protector (pAla) of celestials (sura)!
O protector (rakshaka) of gajEndra – the King (rAja) of elephants (gaja)! O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja!
Totally trusting You to be the peerless Ocean of virtues, I became your adherent.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ - manu patI – manu pati.

⁴ – kalalOna – kalalOnu.

⁵ – kOkalu – kOkala : In the present context 'kOkalu’ seems to be appropriate.
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References

Comments
² – janakajA mAtavai – ‘You are patient like Earth’ - I have followed the translation given in other books. This can be taken in two senses – (1) You are very patient; therefore forbear my faults (positive sense) and (2) You are too patient bordering insensitivity because You do not take note of my pleadings (negative sense). The latter seems to be more appropriate in view of the wordings of anupallavi where SrI tyAgarAja states that the Lord is not protecting.

³ – pUni – It is not clear whether this word is to be taken as part of caraNa or whether to be attached to the pallavi. In view of the preceding word ‘kAni’ which seems to logically end the caraNa, ‘pUni’ has been attached to pallavi.
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anupama guNa - rAga aThANA