Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
E pApamu jEsitirA rAma
nIku-E pATaina daya rAdu nEnu-(E)
O Lord rAma! What (E) sin (pApamu) did I (nEnu) (nEnE) commit (jEsitirA), for you (nIku) not to show mercy (daya rAdu) on me, in any (E) (nIkE) manner (pATaina) whatsoever?
anupallavi
nI pAdamulanu kana moralu-iDitE
nI pATuna vini vinanaTTu-uNDuTaku nEnu-(E)
O Lord rAma! What sin did I (nEnu) commit that,
when I beseech (moralu iDitE) (moraliDitE) to behold (kana) Your (nI) holy feet (pAdamulanu),
for You to remain (uNDuTaku) attending to Your (nI) chores (pATuna), pretending as if You have not heard (vini vinanaTTu) (vinanaTTuNduTaku)?
caraNam
caraNam 1
nAda rUpuDavu-ani vini nE SrI
nAtha ninnu nammitini
nAda puramuna-uNDiyu
nannu-Adarincaka Uraka-uNDuTaku nEnu-(E)
O Spouse (nAtha) of lakshmI (SrI)! Having heard (vini) that (ani) You are embodiment (rUpuDavu) (rUpuDavani) of nAda, I (nE) trusted (nammitini) You (ninu);
what sin did I commit, for You to be (uNDuTaku) idle (Uraka) (UrakuNDuTaku) without supporting (Adarincaka) me (nannu) (nannAdarincaka), even though You are (uNDiyu) in tiruvaiyAru - town (puramuna) (puramunanuNDiyu) of nAda?
caraNam 2
gAravimpa daya rAdA pAlu
kAru mOmu jUpa rAdA
Uraka-uNDuTa mariyAdA nA
durA telpu-vAru-evvaru lErA (E)
Won’t You deign to have mercy (daya rAdA) to show affection (gAravimpa) towards me?
Won’t (rAdA) You show (jUpa) me Your innocent (pAlu kAru) (literally child like – milk-dripping) face (mOmu)?
Is it honourable (mariyAdA) for You to be (uNDuTa) idle (Uraka) (UrakuNDuTa)?
Is there none (evvaru lErA) who would convey (telpu-vAru) (vArevvaru) my (nA) grief (durA)?
What sin did I commit, for You not to show mercy on me, in any manner whatsoever?
caraNam 3
enduku-anucu sairintunurA rAma
mundu venuka tOcadurA
mundara nilici palukarA
nAyandu nIku Ivaraku marapurA (E)
O Lord rAma! As to what (enduku anucu) (endukanucu) should I endure (sairuntunurA) (this misery)?
I would not know which way to turn (mundu venuka tOcadura);
Please speak (palukarA) to me by appearing (nilici) (literally standing) before me (mundara);
Thus far (Ivaraku) You (nIku) (literally for You) have been forgetful (marapurA) towards me (nAyandu);
What sin did I commit, for You not to show mercy on me, in any manner whatsoever?
caraNam 4
kanna vArini vEDinAnA
nA-anna ninnu-ADukonnAnA
ninnu nammina-vADanu kAnA muni
sannuta kapaTamulu-anni nAtOnA (E)
O My (nA) Father (anna) (nAyanna)! Did I beseech (vEDinAnA) all and sundry (kanna vArini)?
Did I ever blame (ADukonnAnA) You (ninnu) (ninnADukonnAnA)?
Am I not (kAnA) the one who trusted (nammina vADanu) You (ninnu)?
O Lord praised (sannuta) by sages (muni)! should you display all (anni) Your deceits (kapaTamulu) (literally cunningness) (kapaTamulanni) only with me (nAtOnA)?
What sin did I commit, for You not to show mercy on me, in any manner whatsoever?
caraNam 5
vinumu-ayya ina kula dhanamA rAma
ninnu nammi-inka duritamA
bhuvanamuna nIku-idi ghanamA nI
manasu-iTuvaNTidi-anucunu telupumA (E)
Please listen (vinumu) (vinavayya), O Lord (ayya) rAma - wealth (dhanamA) of the Solar (ina) dynasty (kula)!
Why should there be suffering (duritamA) even after (inka) having reposed faith (nammi) (nammiyinka) in you (ninnu)?
Is it (idi) honourable (ghanamA) for You (nIku) (nIkidi) in the Earth (bhuvanamuna)?
Tell me (telupumA) as to what (iTuvaNTidi anucunu) Your (nI) intention (manasu) (literally mind) is (manasiTuvaNTidanucunu);
What sin did I commit, for You not to show mercy on me, in any manner whatsoever?
caraNam 6
sadayuDai inka parAkA nA
hRdaya vAsuDu nIvE gAka
idi buddhi-anucu telpa lEka nADu
modalugAnu Uraka-unnAvu gAka (E)
Being very merciful (sadayuDai), should You be unconcerned (parAkA) even now (inka)?
As (gAka) You (nIvE) are abiding (vAsuDu) in my (nA) heart (hRdaya), instead of (lEka) advising (telpa) (literally tell) me that (anucu) ‘this (idi) is wise (buddhi) (buddhiyanucu)’, You are (unnAvu) only (gAka) idle (Uraka) (UrakunnAvu) since long (nADu modalugAnu) (literally from that day onwards);
What sin did I commit, for You not to show mercy on me, in any manner whatsoever?
caraNam 7
rAja SEkhara sannuta-anga
tyAgarAja hRd-abja su-bhRnga
rAjita karuNA-apAnga rati
rAja janaka pApa dhvAnta patanga nEnu-(E)
O Lord who (anga) has been well-praised (sannuta) (sannutAnga) by Lord Siva – one who wears digit of the moon (rAja) on the head (SEkhara)!
O Holy Bee (su-bhRnga) of the Lotus (abja) of the heart (hRt) (hRd-abja) of this tyAgarAja!
O Effulgent (rAjita) Lord with merciful (karuNA) glance (apAnga) (karuNApAnga) (literally outer corner of eye)! O Father (janaka) of cupid - the spouse (rAja) of rati! O Sun (patanga) who dispels the darkness (dhvAnta) called sins (papa)!
What sin did I (nEnu) commit, for You not to show mercy on me, in any manner whatsoever?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
In some books, ‘nEnu’ is given at the end of pallavi, anupallavi and all caraNas.
In some books the order of caraNas 2 and 3 are reversed.
1 – vinanaTTu – vinanaTlu.
2 – nAda puramuna – nA dApuramuna. If ‘nA dApuramuna’ is correct, then it would mean ‘even though You are in my concealment’. But such a meaning seems to be doubtful.
3 – nA durA – nA dUra - nA dUrA. The meaning derived is ‘ my disress’ in all the books. ‘dUrA’ is not found in the dictionary; ‘dUra’ does not have meaning of ‘distress’. In telugu dictionary, there is a word ‘duraTillu’ meaning ‘to grieve’, ‘suffer’. May be ‘durA’ is the root word of ‘duraTillu’.
4 – bhuvanamuna – bhavamuna.
6 – hRdabja – hRdAbja : ‘hrdAbja’ does not seem to be appropriate.
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References
Comments
2 – nAda puramuna – The significance of this word ‘nAda puramu’ is not clear. Dr. V Raghavan, in his Introductory Thesis to the book 'The Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja by Sri C Ramanujachariar, says that SrI tyAgarAja is playing pun on the word ‘nada puram’ as ‘nAda puram’. However, the word ‘nada puram’ (meaning tiruvaiyAru) itself is not given in the kRti – may be this is taken as implied. It is not clear whether tiruvaiyAru is also known as ‘nAda pura’.
5 – sannutAnga – here the word ‘anga’ does not seem to convey any special meaning.
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