Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
² – biccamiyyavE – biccamIyyavE – bikshamIyavE : ‘biccamu’ is an appropriate telugu version for Sanskrit word ‘bhiksha’. ‘iyyavE’ is the appropriate version. Therefore, ‘biccamiyyavE’ has been adopted.

⁷ – pAga – bAga : In view of the ensuing word ‘cutti’, it is clear that this refers to a ‘turban’ (pAga). However, as per dictionary, the correct word is ‘pAgA’.

⁹ – rAma – this word is not found in some books.
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References
⁵ – akhila Sakti – SrI tyAgarAja seems to refer to aNimAdi eight-fold siddhi.
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Comments
¹ – bhakti biccamiyyavE – Give me alms of bhakti. While bhakti is the means to attain Lord, even that bhakti can spring only if there is grace of Lord. What a catch 22 situation! Which comes first – bhakti or grace? In my humble opinion, up to gauNa bhakti it is the man’s effort and the mukhya bhakti is the Lord’s grace. Though SrI tyAgarAja has placed the ‘sAtvIka’ at the end of the pallavi, that is the operative word of the whole kRti.

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³ – sAtvIka bhakti – In the nArada bhakti sUtras, two types of bhakti are defined – ‘mukhya bhakti’ – Supreme or Primary Love and ‘gauNa bhakti’ – Secondary Love. The following verse is relevant –

gauNi tridhA guNa bhEdAd-ArtAdi bhEdAd-vA || 56 ||

“Secondary devotion is of three kinds, according to the qualities of the mind of person in whom it manifests itself; either it may be classified as sAttvika, rAjasika, and tAmasika; or it may be divided as Arta, jijnAsu and arthArtin as per statement in SrImad-bhagavad-gItA, Chapter 7.16”

“....As this differentiation is based on the qualities of mind (sattva etc).....these three expressions of bhakti (sattva, rajas, tamas) are called gauNa bhakti as distinguished from mukhya bhakti which is devotion bereft of all taint.....The second classification is based on the differences in the motives (Arta etc). (Translation and notes by Swami Tyagisananda) (brackets mine)

SrI tyAgarAja states that ‘sAtvIka bhakti’ is superior (mElmi) to even emancipation ‘mukti’ which is the ultimate human realisation. When a devotee does not even seek emancipation, then it is mukhya bhakti and not gauNa bhakti. Therefore, neither of the classifications stated above (based on qualities of mind – sattva etc and motives – Arta etc) would apply. This is explained in the following verse of nArada bhakti sUtras –

bhaktA EkAntinO mukhyA: || 67 ||

“Those are primary devotees who have one pointed love of God for His own sake.” (Translation by Swami Tyagisananda)

Complete text and meanings of 'nArada bhakti sUtra'.

In kRti 'buddhi rAdu' – rAga SankarAbharaNaM, SrI tyAgarAja calls such great devotees as 'nAnya citta bhakta' – a devotee whose mind delves on God to the exclusion of everything else.

Please also refer to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's ‘bhakti rasAmRta sindhu bindu’ (download).

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⁴ – muktiki mElmi (greater than mukti) – In this regard, please refer to tirumAlai of vaishNava saint toNDaraDippoDi AzhvAr in praise of Lord of SrI rangaM -

paccai mAmalai pOl mEni pavaLavAy kamalac cengaN
accutA! amarar ERE! Ayar tam kozhundE! ennum,
iccuvai tavira yAnpOy indira lOgam ALum,
accuvai peRinum vENDEn arangamA nagar uLAnE! (2)

பச்சை மாமலை போல் மேனி பவளவாய் கமலச் செங்கண்
அச்சுதா! அமரர் ஏறே! ஆயர் தம் கொழுந்தே! என்னும்,
இச்சுவை தவிர யான்போய் இந்திர லோகம் ஆளும்,
அச்சுவை பெறினும் வேண்டேன் அரங்கமா நகர் உளானே! (2)

“Green great mountain-like body; coral mouth; lotus eyes; O Lord acyutA – the lion of celestials – the tender one of the cow-herds; other than the relish of uttering these words, even if I happen to attain the great joy of ruling the World of celestials, I do not desire it, O Lord abiding in the holy SrI rangam.”

PDF version in Tamil of tirumAlai (download)

The following quote from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna clarifies how bhakti is greater than mukti –

“Hanuman kept the ‘servant ego’ after realizing God in both His Personal and His Impersonal aspects. He thought of himself as the servant of God. The great sages, such as nArada, sanaka, sananda, sanAtana, and sanatkumAra, after attaining the Knowledge of Brahman, kept the ‘servant ego’ and the ‘ego of Devotion’. They are like big steamships, which not only cross the ocean themselves but carry many passengers to the other shore.” (Chapter 26)

The is further certified by nArada bhakti sUtras –

sa tarati sa tarati, sa lOkAMstArayati || 50 ||

“He crosses indeed, he crosses this mAyA and carries also the world across it.” (Translation by Swami Tyagisananda)

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⁸ – jANaluku – clever persons - According to SrI tyAgarAja, it is only through devotion that one can attain true insight into the purANas etc; any talk on these subjects by such persons (who are imbued with devotion) will carry weight. Otherwise, it is clever, but life-less talk. Please also refer to kRti 'buddhi rAdu' – rAga SankarAbharaNaM, wherein SrI tyAgarAja eulogises bhakti.

⁶ and ⁹ – rAma – In some books, the ending word of anupallavi and caraNam has been joined to pallavi to mean 'rAma bhakti' – 'deign to grant me devotion to rAma'. In many kRtis tyAgarAja has adopted such second and third person usage, particularly in respect of SrI rAma. Such an interpretation (deign to grant rAma bhakti) may also be correct.
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