pallavi
E tAvuna nErcitivO rAma
1enduk(i)nta gAsi
anupallavi
sItA lakshmaNa bharata ripughna
2vAt(A)tmajulatO(n)ADE nATakam(E tAvuna)
caraNam
Alu vajrAla sommul(a)DigirO
anujulu 3talli-taNDrul(a)nnam(a)DigirO
SIlulaina vara 4bhaktulu pilicirO
cira kAlamu tyAgarAja nuta nIv(E tAvuna)
pallavi
E tAvuna nErcitivO rAma
enduku-inta gAsi
O Lord SrI rAma! Where (E tAvuna) did You learn (nErcitivO) (this drama)? Why (enduku) this much (inta) (endukinta) trouble (gAsi)?
anupallavi
sItA lakshmaNa bharata ripughna
vAtAtmajulatOnu-ADE nATakamu-(E tAvuna)
O Lord SrI rAma! Where did You learn the drama (nATakmu) enacted (ADE) by You along with (tOnu) sIta, lakshmaNa, bharata, Satrughna (ripughna) and AnjanEya – son (Atmaju) of vAyu (vAta) (vAtAtmaju) (vAtAtmajulatOnADE)? Why this much of trouble?
caraNam
Alu vajrAla sommulu-aDigirO
anujulu talli-taNDrulu-annamu-aDigirO
SIlulaina vara bhaktulu pilicirO
cira kAlamu tyAgarAja nuta nIvu-(E tAvuna)
Did Your wife (Alu) ask (aDigirO) for diamond (vajrAla) jewellery (sommulu) (sommulaDigirO)? or
did (younger) brothers (anujulu) and parents (talli-taNDrulu) ask (aDigirO) for food (annamu) (talli-taNDrulannamaDigirO)? or
did great (vara) devotees (bhaktulu) who are virtuous by nature (SIlulaina) call (pilicirO) You?
O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja! O Lord SrI rAma! Where did You (nIvu) learn this drama for a long (cira) time (kAlamu)? Why this much of trouble?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
2 – vAtAtmajulatOnADE – vAtAjamajulatOnADu.
3 – talli taNDrulu – tali daNDrulu. Both forms are correct.
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References
Comments
1 – endukinta gAsi – There is some about whom ‘gAsi’ – ‘trouble’ pertains to. Does it pertain to the Lord in enacting the drama or to the trouble faced by SrI tyAgarAja. However, from the implication of the kRti as explained below, it seems that it pertains to the Lord.
4 – bhaktulu pilicirO – In the kRti 'muddu mOmu' rAga sUryakAntaM, SrI tyAgarAja states -
'kaddanucunu cira kAlamu hRdayamu
karagi karagi nilcu vArikeduTa rAmuni
muddu mOmu Elagu celangenO!'
"How the charming face of Lord rAma would have appeared before those who waited for Him for a long time melting of their hearts with the conviction that 'it shall happen' (impending arrival of the Lord), and how they would have become entranced by beholding the face of the Lord!"
In the kRti 'ElAvatAramettukoNTivO' – rAga mukhAri, zrI tyAgarAja asks similar questions, but ecstatically (not as nindA stuti) –
ElAvatAramettukoNTivO rAmuDai?
Alamu sEyuTakA? ayOdhya pAlana sEyuTakA?
yOgulu jUcuTandukA? bhava rOgula brOcuTandukA?
zata rAga ratna mAlikalu raciJcina
tyAgarAjuku varamosaguTandukA?
Why did You incarnate as Lord rAma?
Is it for waging war? Or is it for ruling over ayOdhya?
Is it for the purpose that the ascetics could behold You? or
is it for protecting those afflicted by the disease of Worldly Existence? or
is it for the purpose of bestowing boon on this tyAgarAja who has composed garlands of hundreds of exquisite rAgas?
Therefore, the implication of this kRti is -
‘You have not come to the Earth to procure jewellery for Your wife or food for Your brothers and parents; but You have come here because devotees who are virtuous by nature called You. As You are not carrying out Your own charter – in that You have failed to protect me, it seems to me that You are enacting a drama.’
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