Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

Whatever one might accomplish in this World, what difference does it make if he does not have the grace of Lord SrI rAma?

Having become slaves to desire, delusion etc., those who do not know the commandment of SrI rAma, whatever they might accomplish in this World, what difference does it make?

Of what avail -

whether one performs daily or sacrificial oblations or
whether one is blessed with son for inheriting wealth or
whether one adopts another’s son in this World or

whether one builds (multi) storeyed house or
whether, in there, he lights up with a pair of lanterns or
whether one knows to flatter women or

whether one attains comforts of this World or
whether one provides jewellery to his wife or
whether one knows amorous sports or

whether one rules a kingdom or
whether one becomes worthy of worship among a lot of people or
whether one gives sumptuous feast with abundant flow of ghee or

whether one becomes a preceptor or
whether one’s body appears splendid to look at or
whether one initiates others in sacred syllables?

Those who do not have the grace of sacred SrI rAma -

who causes auspiciousness,
the peerless One,
the Lotus Eyed,
who is worshipful,
praised by this tyAgarAja -

whatever they might accomplish in this World, what difference does it make?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
Emi jEsitE-Emi SrI rAma
svAmi karuNa lEni varu-ilalO

Whatever (Emi) one might accomplish (jEsitE) in this World (ilalO), what difference does it make (Emi) (jEsitEnEmi) if he (vAru) (literally they) (vArilalO) does not have (lEni) the grace (karuNa) of Lord (svAmi) SrI rAma?

anupallavi
kAma mOha dAsulai SrI rAmuni
kaTTu teliya lEni vAru-ilalO-(Emi)

Having become slaves (dAsulai) to desire (kAma) (literally lust), delusion (mOha) (literally obsession) etc., those who (vAru) do not (lEni) know (teliya) the commandment (kaTTu) (literally bond) of SrI rAma (rAmuni), whatever they might accomplish in this World (ilalO) (vArilalO), what difference does it make?

caraNam
caraNam 1
savamu jEsitE-Emi kalimini
putra-utsavamu kaligitE-Emi
bhuvilO-anya bIja janituni koni-Emi
Siva kara SrI rAmuni daya leni vAru-ilalO-(Emi)

Of what avail (Emi) whether one performs (jEsitE) (jEsitEnEmi) daily or sacrificial oblations (savamu) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one is blessed (utsavamu kaligitE) with son (putra) (putrOtsavamu) (kaligitEnEmi) for inheriting wealth (kalimini) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one adopts (koni) (koniyEmi) another’s son – (anya bIja janituni) (literally born of another’s seed) in this World (bhuvilO) (bhuvilOnanya)?
those who (vAru) do not have (lEni) the grace (daya) of SrI rAma (rAmuni) - who causes (kara) auspiciousness (Siva), whatever they might accomplish in this World (ilalO) (vArilalO), what difference does it make?

caraNam 2
mEDa kaTTitE-Emi anduna lAndaru
jODu kaTTitE-Emi
cEDiyalanu meppinca telisitE-Emi
IDu lEni rAmuni daya lEni vAru-ilalO-(Emi)

Of what avail (Emi) whether one builds (kaTTitE) (kaTTitEnEmi) (multi) storeyed house (mEDa) or
of what avail (Emi) whether in there (anduna) he lights up (kaTTitE) (literally hangs) (kaTTitEnEmi) with a pair of (jODu) lanterns (lAndaru) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one knows (telisitE) (telisitEnEmi) to flatter (meppinca) women (cEDiyalanu)?
those who (vAru) do not have (lEni) the grace (daya) of peerless (IDu lEni) SrI rAma (rAmuni), whatever they might accomplish in this World (ilalO) (vArilalO), what difference does it make?

caraNam 3
immu kaligitE-Emi illAliki
sommu peTTitE-Emi
kamma viltu kELini telisi-Emi
tammi kaNTi vAni karuNa lEni vAru-ilalO-(Emi)

Of what avail (Emi) whether one attains (kaligitE) (kaligitEnEmi) comforts of this World (immu) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one provides (peTTitE) (peTTitEnEmi) (literally place) jewellery (sommu) to his wife (illAliki) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one knows (telisi) (telisiyEmi) amorous – cupid – lovely (kamma) bowman (viltu) - sports (kELini)?
those who (vAru) do not have (lEni) the grace (karuNa) of SrI rAma – one who (vAni) is Lotus (tammi) Eyed (kaNTi), whatever they might accomplish in this World (ilalO) (vArilalO), what difference does it make?

caraNam 4
rAjyamu-ElitE-Emi bahu janulalO
pUjyulu-aitE-Emi
Ajya pravAhamutO-annamu-iDitE-Emi
pUjyuDaina rAmuni daya lEni vAru-ilalO-(Emi)

Of what avail (Emi) whether one rules (ElitE) a kingdom (rAjyamu) (rAjyamElitEnEmi) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one becomes (aitE) worthy of worship (pUjyulu) (pUjyulaitEnEmi) among a lot (bahu) of people (janulalO) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one gives sumptuous feast (annamu iDitE) with abundant flow (pravAhamutO) (pravAhamutOnannamiDitEnEmi) of ghee (Ajya)?
those who (vAru) do not have (lEni) the grace (daya) of the worshipful (pUjyuDaina) SrI rAma (rAmuni), whatever they might accomplish in this World (ilalO) (vArilalO), what difference does it make?

caraNam 5
guruvu tAnu-aitE-Emi kaNTiki mEnu
guruvai tOcitE-Emi
vara mantramu-anyulaku-upadESincitE-Emi
vara tyAgarAja nutuni daya lEni vAru-ilalO-(Emi)

Of what avail (Emi) whether one (tAnu) becomes (aitE) (tAnaitEnEmi) a preceptor (guruvu) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one’s body (mEnu) appears (tOcitE) (tOcitEnEmi) splendid (guruvai) to look at (kaNTiki) (literally for eyes) or
of what avail (Emi) whether one initiates (upadESincitE) others (anyulaku) in sacred (vara) syllables (mantramu) (mantramanyulakupadESincitEnEmi))?
those who (vAru) do not have (lEni) the grace (daya) of the sacred (vara) SrI rAma – one who is praised (nutuni) by this tyAgarAja, whatever they might accomplish in this World (ilalO) (vArilalO), what difference does it make?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
caraNas 1,2, 3 are given as 3, 1 and 2 in some books.

Ending word ‘vArilalO’ in anupallavi and all caraNas is not uniformly given in the books.
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References

Comments
¹- kaTTu – SrI tyAgarAja uses this word in the kRti ‘kaTTu jEsinAvu’ – rAga aThANA. In that kRti it means ‘bondage’. ‘kaTTu’ also means ‘rule’, ‘regulation’, ‘commandment’ etc. In my opinion, SrI tyAgarAja is referring to the declaration of SrI rAma at the time of accepting of vibhIshaNa into His fold. The Lord declared his vow which is considered as ‘SaraNAgati SAstra’ (prapatti) by bhaktAs (vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – yuddha kaNDa, Chapter 18) -

sakRdEva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcatE |
abhayaM sarva bhUtEbhyO dadAmi Etat vrataM mama || 33 ||

“To him, who comes to me, even once, yearning for protection (from me) saying ‘I am yours’, I vouchsafe his security against all living beings; such is my vow.”
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¹ - kaTTu – This may also be taken to mean ‘spell’ – the grand sport (mAyA) enacted by the Lord. The following verse from kaTha upanishad is relevant –

parAnci khAni vyatRNat svayambUH
tasmAt parAG paSyati nAntarAtman |
kaScid-dhIraH pratyag-AtmAnam-aikshat
AvRtta-cakshuH amRtatvam-icchan || (II.i.1)

“The self-existent Lord afflicted the outgoing senses. Therefore, one sees the outer things and not the inner Self. A rare discriminating man, desiring immortality, turns his eyes away and then sees the indwelling Self.” (Translation by Swami Gambhirananda)

This affliction of senses, always to perceive the objective world, may be the spell (kaTTu) that SrI tyAgarAja is referring.
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¹ – kaTTu – This term may also mean a knot. In ‘lalitA sahasra nAma’, three terminologies – brahma granthi (knot of brahmA), vishNu granthi (knot of vishNu) and rudra granthi (knot of rudra) are used. The Three Knots.
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² – putrOtsavamu – The story of mArkaNDEya is relevant. Sage mRkaNDu and his wife did penance in order to have children. Lord Siva appeared before them and asked whether they would like to have 100 long lived, foolish sons or one short-lived, intelligent son. They chose the latter option. Thus mArkaNDEya was born to them. Story of Markandeya - in Brief

‘candraSEkharAshTakam’ of mArkaNDEya.
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Emi jEsitE - rAga tODi