Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Lord SrI rAmacandra!
O Lord SrI rAma! O Lotus petal Eyed! O Pure bodied!
O Lord whose body has the splendour of thunder-cloud! O Incomparable Hero!
O Refuge of humble people! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja! O Lord who enables fording the Ocean of Worldly Existence!

Why wouldn’t You have pity on me?
Have You forgotten me in the crowd or is it that You are not at all here?

As I happened to associate with those who always enjoy the taste of evil-some sense-objects, my body emaciated.

Why wouldn’t You have pity on me even after watching me?

As I happened to endure the onslaught of endless Ocean of Worldly Existence, I am tossed about like water (droplet) on the Lotus leaf due to fright.

Why wouldn’t You have pity on me even after finding me thus?

Why this delay or hesitation? This is not at all appropriate time to be so; if You do so, tell me what is my fate? I have no refuge but for You.
Why wouldn’t You have pity on me?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
enduku daya rAdurA SrI rAmacandra nIku-(enduku)

O Lord SrI rAmacandra! Why (enduku) wouldn’t You (nIku) (literally to You) (nIkenduku) have (rAdurA) pity (daya) on me?

anupallavi
sandaDi-ani maracitivO indu lEvO nIku-(enduku)

Have You forgotten (maracitivO) me in the crowd (sandaDi ani) (sandaDiyani) or is it that You are not (lEvO) at all here (indu)?
O Lord SrI rAmacandra! Why wouldn’t You (nIku) (nIkenduku) have pity on me?

caraNam
caraNam 1
sAreku dur-vishaya sAramu-anubhavincu
vAri celimi sEya nEraga mEnu
SrI rAma sagamu-Aye jUci jUci
nIraja daLa nayana nirmala-apaghana nIku-(enduku)

As I happened (nEraga) to associate (celimi sEya) with those (vAri) who always (sAreku) enjoy (anubhavincu) the taste (sAramu) (sAramanubhavincu) of evil-some sense-objects (dur-vishaya),
O Lord SrI rAma! my body (mEnu) emaciated (sagamu Aye) (sagamAye) (literally became half);
O Lotus (nIraja) petal (daLa) Eyed (nayana)! O Pure (nirmala) bodied (apaghana) (literally limbs) (nirmalApaghana)!
Why wouldn’t You (nIku) (nIkenduku) have pity on me even after watching me (jUci jUci)?

caraNam 2
tIrani bhava nIradhi AraDi sairimpa
nEraga bhayamu-ondaga pankaja patra
nIru vidhamu-allADaga iTTi nanu jUci
nIrada-Abha SarIra nirupama SUra nIku-(enduku)

As I happened (nEraga) to endure (sairimpa) the onslaught (AraDi) of endless (tIrani) Ocean (nIradhi) of Worldly Existence (bhava), and
I am tossed about (allADaga) like (vidhamu) (vidhamallADaga) water (droplet) (nIru) on the Lotus (pankaja) leaf (patra) due to fright (bhayamu ondaga) (bhayamondaga),
O Lord whose body (SarIra) has the splendour (Abha) of thunder-cloud (nIrada)! O Incomparable (nirupama) Hero (SUra)! Why wouldn’t You (nIku) (nIkenduku) have pity on me even after finding (jUci) me (nanu) thus (iTTi)?

caraNam 3
jAgu-Ela idi samayamE kAdu jEsitE
E gati paluku-ayya SrI rAma
nIvE kAni dari lEdu-ayya dIna SaraNya
tyAgarAja vinuta tAraka carita nIku-(enduku)

Why (Ela) this delay or hesitation (jAgu) (jAgEla)? This (idi) is not (kAdu) at all appropriate time (samayamE) to be so; if You do so (jEsitE), O Lord (ayya) SrI rAma! tell me (paluku) (palukavayya) what (E) is my fate (gati)?
O Lord (ayya)! I have no (lEdu) (lEdayya) refuge (dari) but for (kAni) You (nIvE), O Refuge (SaraNya) of humble (dIna) people!
O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja! O Lord who enables (carita) fording (tAraka) the Ocean of Worldly Existence! Why wouldn’t You (nIku) (nIkenduku) have pity on me?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
In some books, the order of caraNas 1,2 are inter-changed.

¹ – durvishaya sAra – durivishaya sAgara.

² – bhayamondaga – bhayamandaga. ‘ondaga’ seems to be appropriate and hence adopted.

³ – pankaja patra nIru vidhamu – pankaja patra nIra vidhi – (like water (droplet) on the lotus leaf). SrI tyAgarAja has used the same simile (tAmarAku nIru vidhamu) in the kRti ‘karuNa jUDavamma’ rAga tODi.

⁴ – SrI rAma – SrI rAmacandra.
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References

Comments

enduku daya - rAga tODi