Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
P ennALLu nI trOva jUtu rAma
Emi-ani nE proddu trOtu
O Lord SrI rAma! How long (ennALLu) shall I look forward (trOva jUtu) for You (nI)? How (Emi ani) (Emani) shall I (nE) spend (trOtu) time (proddu)?
caraNam
caraNam 1
nIkE manasu-icci nEnu rAma
nI mEnu-ani pencinAnu (ennALLu)
O Lord SrI rAma! Surrendering (icci) (literally give) my mind (manasu) (manasicci) to You alone (nIkE), I (nEnu) reared (pencinAnu) this as (ani) Your (nI) body (mEnu) (mEnani);
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 2
dharanu karmamulanu kOri-uNTi
talacukonnadi vErE dAri (ennALLu)
In the Earth (dharanu), I remained desiring (kOriyuNTi) performance of actions (karmamulanu); but what I thought of (talacukonnadi) was a different (vErE) path (dAri);
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 3
andari vale nEnu-I bhuvilO bommalu-
ATalu-ADudu kAni madilO (ennALLu)
I (nEnu) too shall keep playing (ADudu) (my role in) the puppet (bommalu) show (ATalu) (bommalATalADudu) like (vale) everyone else (andari) in this (I) (nEnI) world (bhuvilO); but (kAni),
O Lord SrI rAma! in my mind (madilO), how long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 4
rAmayya naluguri lOna nA lO
marmamulu telpa valenA (ennALLu)
caraNam 5
rasikulakE sari pOnu vaTTi
tasukulakE hAsyamaunu (ennALLu)
O Lord (ayya) SrI rAma (rAmayya)! Should You expose (telpa valenA) (literally inform) my (nA) inner (lO) secrets (marmamulu) in the midst of others (naluguri lOna)?
It may be alright (sari pOnu) only for the people who enjoy music (rasikulakE); but it will be a joke (hAsyamaunu) for those utter (vaTTi) triflers (tasukulakE);
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 6
toli bhaktula vadda koluvO rAvO
kalugu dhanamulaku selavO (ennALLu)
May be, You are present (koluvO) among (vadda) (literally near) earlier (toli) devotees (bhaktula). Won’t You come (rAvO)? Does it involve any expenditure (selavO) of Your (kalugu) (literally existing) wealth (dhanamulaku)?
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 7
enduku inta parAku rAma
ikanu tappu peTTa pOku (ennALLu)
Why (enduku) this much (inta) of unconcern (parAku)? O Lord SrI rAma! Please do not find (peTTa pOku) further (ikanu) faults (tappu) with me;
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 8
entani rAltu kannIru jAlini-
evaritO telipitE tIru (ennALLu)
How much (entani) tears (kannIru) shall I shed (rAltu)? By complaining (telipitE) to whom (evaritO), my grief (jAlini) (jAlinevaritO) will be relieved (tIru)?
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 9
tanakE puTTina-illu nIvu
tappaka nI kRpa cellu (ennALLu)
This body (illu) (literally house) is born (puTTina) for You alone (tanakE); You (nIvu) please do not miss (tappaka) it; Your (nI) grace (kRpa) is sufficient (cellu);
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 10
AsincinadE tappA nIku-
A buddhi vaddu mA-appA (ennALLu)
Is my desiring (You) (AsincinadE) itself wrong (tappA)? O My (mA) father (appA) (mAyappA)! You (nIku) please do not have (vaddu) that (A) (nIkA) behaviour (buddhi) (literally thought);
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 11
kali marmamu teliya lEni nA
vale dInuDu-ila lOnu kalaDA (ennALLu)
Is there (kalaDA) a wretch (dInuDu) like (vale) me (nA) in (lOna) the World (ila lOnu) (dInuDila) who does not understand (teliya lEni) the secrets (marmamu) of this kali age?
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 12
palumAru ninu dUrukoNTi A
phalamunu-anubhavincukoNTi (ennALLu)
I have abused (dUrukoNTi) You (ninu) many a times (palumAru); I am now experiencing (anubhavincukoNTi) that (A) result (phalamunu) (literally fruits) (phalamunanubhavincukoNTi);
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 13
toli karmamu rAka pOnA bhakti
velugucE tIraka pOnA (ennALLu)
Is it possible that the effect of previous (toli) actions (karmamu) would not (pOnA) have effect (rAka) (literally come) on one? However, can these remain without being relieved (tIraka pOnA) by the light (velugucE) of devotion (bhakti)?
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 14
pUlu-ammi bratikina vAru rAma
pullalu-amma pilva rAru (ennALLu)
caraNam 15
A culakana nIku kAdA rAma
Ecu buddhi viDa rAdA (ennALLu)
Those (vAru) who have been earning their livelihood (bratikina) by selling (ammi) flowers (pUlu) (pUlammi), will not come (rAru) to sell (amma) fire-wood (pullalu) (pullalamma) even if invited (pilva) (literally called);
O Lord SrI rAma! (If I stoop so,) wouldn’t (kAdA) that (A) be slighting (culakana) You (nIku)? Won’t (rAdA) You abandon (viDa) Your thoughts (buddhi) of deceiving (Ecu) me?
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
caraNam 16
O jagad-ISa khara-arE tyAga-
rAju nIvADu-ani pErE (ennALLu)
O Lord (ISa) of the Universe (jagat) (jagad-ISa)! O Enemy (ari) (arE) of khara the demon (kharArE)! I only have a name (pErE) that (ani) this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) belongs to You (nIvADu) (nIvADani); but,
O Lord SrI rAma! How long shall I look forward for You? How shall I spend time?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – trOva – dOva.
3 – rAvO – rAvu : rAvO - is the appropriate word.
General – In some books, caraNas 2 and 3 are interchanged; caraNas 9 and 14 are interchanged. caraNas 14 and 15 should come together – in order to derive coherent meaning.
References
5 – khara – One of the demons associated with SUrpaNakhA. He was killed by SrI rAma in the battle at daNDaka forest.
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Comments
2 - nEnu nI mEnani pencinAnu – This can also be translated as 'Considering myself to be Your body, I reared it'. This will accord with the principles of viSishTAdvaita wherein the whole manifested universe is considered as the body of the Supreme Lord.
4 – A culukana – From the example of ‘a flower vendor will not deign to sell fire-wood even if invited’, it seems that SrI tyAgarAja is refusing to adopt any path other than devotion; if he changes his path, it would be slighting the Lord even though He is delaying His grace. This is further substantiated by caraNa 2, wherein SrI tyAgarAja states ‘while I am pursuing the path of action, what I thought was different’ and caraNa 3 wherein he states that ‘while I shall continue to play the puppet show like anyone else, but in my mind, how long shall I look forward to You?’
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