pallavi
1cEra rAv(a)dEmirA rAm(a)yya
anupallavi
mEra kAdurA ika mahA
mEru dhIra SrI kara (cEra)
caraNam
2talli taNDri lEni 3bAla tana 4nAthu kOru rIti
palumAru vEDukoNTE pAlinca rAdA
5valacucu nEnu nIdu vadan(A)ravavindamunu
talaci karagaga jUci tyAgarAja sannuta (cEra)
pallavi
cEra rAvu-adEmirA rAm(a)yya
O Lord (ayya) rAma (rAmayya)! Why is it (adEmirA) that You wouldn’t come (rAvu) (rAvadEmirA) to be united (cEra) with me?
anupallavi
mEra kAdurA ika mahA
mEru dhIra SrI kara (cEra)
O Brave (dhIra) like the Great (mahA) mEru mountain! O Lord who causes (kara) prosperity (SrI)! It is not (kAdurA) appropriate (mEra);
O Lord rAmayya! Why is it that You wouldn’t come to be united with me even now (ika)?
caraNam
talli taNDri lEni bAla tana nAthu kOru rIti
palumAru vEDukoNTE pAlinca rAdA
valacucu nEnu nIdu vadana-aravavindamunu
talaci karagaga jUci tyAgarAja sannuta (cEra)
In the same manner (rIti) as a young (married) woman (bAla), having no (lEni) parents (talli taNDri) (literally mother and father), would seek (kOru) her (tana) husband (nAthu),
even when I beseech (vEDukoNTE) You repeatedly (palumAru), can’t (rAdA) You protect (pAlinca) me?
O Lord well praised (sannuta) by this tyAgarAja! Why is it that You wouldn’t come to be united with me,
even after seeing (jUci) me (nEnu) melting (karagaga) with love (valacucu) thinking (talaci) of Your (nIdu) Lotus (aravindamunu) face (vadana) (vadanAravindamunu)?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
4 – nAthu – nAdhu : According to telugu dictionary, both words mean same.
References
3 – bAla – a young woman below the age of 16 years.
Comments
1 – cEra rAvu - This kRti is in the bhAva of 'kAntAsakti' – love towards Lord as that of a wife to her husband. This is clear from the caraNa wordings 'talli taNDri lEni bAla tana nAthu kOru rIti' – like a parentless maiden seeking her husband. 'cEru' could be loosely translated as 'saMyOga' – fusion – as opposed to 'mixture' where individual substances retain their identity. The example given in the Dictionary is that of 'milk and water'. The Lord is like the proverbial swan which (Who) can separate the 'water' ('wateriness' of the devotee) and absorb him in Himself – in the milk ocean – vaikuNTha.
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2 – talli taNDri lEni – When there is some tiff between husband and wife, if the wife has parents, she would threaten to go to her parents'. However, if she has no parents, she puts up with the husband. SrI tyAgarAja brings out that, the attitude of a true devotee should be like that of a parentless woman so that she can ever seek her husband – the Lord - whole heartedly. To a devotee, worldly attachments are like parents to a woman. Development of an attitude of 'destituteness' is what referred here. sItA's fire ordeal and her subsequent resentment-less attitude in joining SrI rAma is an example of such an attitude. This is true 'SaraNAgati' – prapatti.
5 – valacucu – lovingly - The 'anurAga' (supreme Love) as defined in nArada bhakti sUtra is meant here. Please also refer to kRti 'anurAgamu lEni' rAga sarasvati. Complete verses of nArada bhakti sUtras.
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