Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra!

Do condescend to show at least a little of that comfort derived by sItA who, that day was expecting Your grace.
Do condescend to bestow on me that joy felt by sItA – who, being not quite happy with the arrival of (other) kings (for svayam-vara), on enquiring whether SrI rAma would not come, when (she was) told that ‘He would surely come’.
Do condescend to bestow on me that solace derived by sItA, by Your forceful appearance (before her), knowing her grief, when she was praying thinking that You had not come 'probably because there were other fiances like me to the Lord'.
Do condescend to bestow on me similar grace of demonstrating Your prowess when sItA was worried thinking whether this small form might fail to bend that huge bow.
Do condescend to bestow on me that solace derived by sItA – Your Consort - the daughter of King janaka - who is not attainable by any one - no matter how eminent - at that time when You held her hand by marrying her.
Do condescend to show this tyAgarAja the manner in which You declared to those assembled there that, 'this is how I protect those who seek me'.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
daya sEyavayyA sadaya rAma candra

Do condescend (daya seyu), O Merciful (sadaya) Lord (ayya) (sEyavayyA) SrI rAma candra!

anupallavi
dayanu koncemaina nADu talacucu-unna sItA sukhamu (daya)

A O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra! Do condescend to show at least (aina) a little (koncemu) (koncemaina) of that comfort (sukhamu) derived by sItA who, that day (nADu) was (unna) expecting (talacucu) (talacucunna) (literally contemplating) Your grace (dayanu).

caraNam
caraNam 1
kshiti nAthula rAkayu sammati lEka SrI sAkEta
pati rADE-ana vaccunu-anina satiki kalgina-Anandamu (daya)

O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra! Do condescend to bestow on me that joy (Anandamu) felt (kalgina) (kalginayAnandamu) by sItA – the virtuous woman (sati) (satiki) – who
being not (lEka) quite happy with (sammati) (literally agreeable) the arrival (rAkayu) of (other) kings – Lords (nAthula) of Earth (kshiti) - (for svayam-vara),
on enquiring (ana) whether SrI rAma – the Lord (pati) of sAkEta – would not come (rADE) (rADEyana),
when (she was) told that (anina) ‘He would surely come’ (vaccunu) (vaccunanina).

caraNam 2
celiyarO nA vale nAthunaku galaru-EmO rAlEdu-ani jAli
telisi mrokkukoni brOvu vELa balimini-eduraina sukhamu (daya)

O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra! Do condescend to bestow on me that solace (sukhamu) derived by sItA,
by Your forceful (balimini) appearance (eduraina) (baliminineduraina) (before her) knowing (telisi) her grief (jAli),
when (vELa) she was praying (mrokkukoni brOvu) thinking that (ani) 'You had not come (rAlEdu) (rAlEdani) probably (EmO) because there were (galaru) (galarEmO) other fiances (celiyaru) (celiyarO) (literally girl friends) like (vale) me (nA) to the Lord (nAthunaku)'.

caraNam 3
koncemu-I rUpamu-A villu vanca kUDaka pOnO-ani
enci jAli jenda mEnu penci kanipincina-aTla (daya)

O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra! Do condescend to bestow on me similar (aTla) grace of demonstrating (kanipincina) (kanipincinaTla) Your prowess (mEnu penci) (literally increase the body) when –
sItA was worried (jAli jenda) thinking (enci) whether (ani) this (I) small (koncemu) (koncemI) form (rUpamu) might fail (kUDaka pOnO) (pOnOyani) to bend (vanca) that (A) (rUpamA) huge bow (villu).

caraNam 4
eTTi vArik(ai)na dorakani-aTTi janakajanu boTTu
kaTTi karamu paTTu vELa kAntaku-unna sukhamu tanaku (daya)

O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra! Do condescend to bestow on me (tanaku) that solace (sukhamu) derived (unna) (literally had) by sItA – Your Consort (kAntaku) (kAntakunna),
at that time when (vELa) You held (paTTu) her hand (karamu) by marrying (boTTu kaTTi) (literally tie tAli) her - the daughter of King janaka (janakaja) (janakajunu) - who (aTTi) is not attainable (dorakani) (dorakanaTTi) by any one - no matter (aina) how eminent (eTTi vAriki) (vArikaina).

caraNam 5
kOrina vAralanu nEnu-I rIti brOtunu-ani sabha
vAralaku teliya jEyu dAri tyAgarAjunaku (daya)

O Merciful Lord SrI rAma candra! Do condescend to show this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjunaku) the manner (dAri) in which You declared (teliya jEyu) (literally make known) to those (vAralaku) assembled (sabha) there that (ani),
'this (I) is how (rIti) I (nEnu) (nEnI) protect (brOtunu) (brOtunani) those (vAralanu) who seek (kOrina) me'.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References

Comments
¹ – mrokkukoni brOvu vELa – There is some doubt about translation of these words in the context.

The episodes related by SrI tyAgarAja – sItA thinking of SrI rAma even before marriage, her anticipation of SrI rAma for the svayamvara (selection of suitor), her anxiety that SrI rAma might not come and her apprehension that SrI rAma might not be able to succeed in bending the bow – all these are not part of SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa. Please refer to – SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, bAla kANDa, Chapters 66 and 67

The tamizh poet 'kamban' in his version of rAmAyaNa (kamba rAmAyaNa) describes the encounter of SrI rAma and sItA before the svayamvara at that time when sItA was standing at the upper floor (ubbarigai) of the palace and SrI rAma was entering the town of mithilA along with lakshmaNa and sage viSvAmitra. He states ‘aNNalum nOkkinAn avaLum nOkkinAL’ – rAma and sItA looked at each other.

It is worth noting that instead of SrI tyAgarAja enacting the role of prahlAda, it is the latter who is seen enacting the role of SrI tyAgarAja. Such bhAva is seen in other kRtis of this dance-drama also.

This kRti is part of dance-drama ‘prahlAda bhakti vijayaM’.
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daya sEyavayyA - rAga yadukula kAmbhOji