pallavi
ennaDO rakshincitE nIv(i)puD(I)
vaganu uNDa valenA
anupallavi
pannaga Sayana 1peddala sva-
bhAvam(i)Tl(u)NDaga bAguga nannE nIv(ennaDO)
caraNam
caraNam 1
cIkaTi cEtanu gAsi jendi(y)I
lOkulu sakala karmamulakai mana
rAka koraku jUcedar(a)ni telisi
vibhAkaruDu madini
prAkaTamuga tA 2rAnu cellun(a)ni
vyAkuluDai ati vEgamunanu
vEkuva jAmuna tOshamu kalaganu
tA karuNan(3a)ruNuni panupa lEdA (ennaDO)
pallavi
ennaDO rakshincitE nIvu-ipuDu-I
vaganu uNDa valenA
Just because You protected (rakshincitE) me some time before (ennaDO), should You (nIvu) remain (uNDa valenA) now (ipuDu) in this (I) (nIvipuDI) manner (vaganunu)?
anupallavi
pannaga Sayana peddala sva-
bhAvamu-iTlu-uNDaga bAguga nannE nIvu-(ennaDO)
O Lord reclining (Sayana) on the couch of SEsha – the serpent (pannaga)! As the nature (svabhAvamu) of great people (peddala) being (uNDaga) like this (iTlu) (svabhAvamiTluNDaga),
just because You (nIvu) (nIvennaDO) protected me (nannE) well (bAguga) some time before, should You remain now in this manner?
caraNam
cIkaTi cEtanu gAsi jendi-I
lOkulu sakala karmamulakai mana
rAka koraku jUcedaru-ani telisi
vibhAkaruDu madini
prAkaTamuga tA rAnu cellunu-ani
vyAkuluDai ati vEgamunanu
vEkuva jAmuna tOshamu kalaganu
tA karuNanu-aruNuni panupa lEdA (ennaDO)
Realising (telisi) that (ani) these (I) people (lOkulu) (of the Earth), vexed (gAsi jendi) (jendiyI) with (cEtanu) darkness (cIkaTi),
are looking forward (jUcedaru) (jUcedarani) for my (mana) arrival (rAka koraku) for discharge of all (sakala) their duties (karmamulakai),
the Sun (vibhAkaruDu) becoming worried (vyAkuluDai) in his mind (madini) that (ani) it will take time (cellunu) for him (tA) to come out (rAnu) (cellunani) openly (prAkaTamuga) (literally publicly),
in order to bring (kalaganu) joy (tOshamu) to the people in the pre-dawn (vEkuva) hours (jAmuna) of the morning,
did he (tA) not (lEdA), compassionately (karuNanu) and very quickly (ati vEgamunanu) send (panupa) aruNa (aruNuni) (karuNanaruNuni) (as a harbinger)?
Therefore, O Lord rAma! Just because You protected me some time before, should You now remain in this manner?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
6 – celama – in all the books this word is given as ‘calama’. As the meaning derived is ‘spring’, the correct telugu word for the same has been adopted.
Top
References
3 – aruNanu panupa – The story about aruNa becoming the charioteer of the Sun is contained in mahAbhArataM – Adi parva – Astika parva – Section 24.
4 – kAvEri – The story of kAvEri appears in tamizh ‘kanda purANaM’ written by kacciyappa sivAcArya’. story of kAvEri.
5 – mAruta cancalamu – During South West Monsoon, Tamil Nadu does not get much rain. However, during the month of AshADa (ADi) river kAvEri gets water consequent on rains in the Western Ghats. Even now, 18th day of ADi month is celebrated as ‘ADipperukku’ in Tamil Nadu. Before the water actually reaches, the Western breeze blows and springs well up in the river bed. This phenomenon is described here as a harbinger.
Top
7 – sarva lOka SaraNyA – SrI tyAgrAja uses the exact words as given in vAlmIki rAmayaNa, yuddha kANDa, Chapter 17.
nivEdayata mAM kshipraM rAghavAya mahAtmanE |
sarva-lOka-SaraNyAya vibhIshaNam-upasthitaM || 17 ||
“Communicate to the high-souled SrI rAma who is capable of protecting all the worlds, the fact of myself, vibhIshaNa, being present.”
Top
Comments
1 – peddala svabhAvamiTluNDaga – the nature of great people being like this - SrI tyAgarAja cites three examples in the caraNas. SrI tyAgarAja, through these examples, asks the Lord to send a harbinger pending arrival of grace of the Lord.
2 – rAnu cellunu – In both caraNas, though contextually, these words mean 'it will take time for arrival', the exact meaning of the word 'cellunu', here, is not clear. However, according to the context, it has been translated as 'it will take time'.
6 – celama – People living on the bank of rivers draw drinking water not directly from the flowing water but by digging small pits in the river bed. Such pits dug for drawing water are called 'celama' (in Tamil 'UTru').
Top
8 – nirvikAruDai – Generally this term is applied to brahman in the sense of 'immutability'. However, here it means dispassionate attitude of SrI rAma in protecting those who take refuge in Him without discrimination as friend and foe. This is made clear from the statement of SrI rAma in response to the call of vibhIshaNa (SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, yuddha kANDa, Chapter 18) – (refer ibid)
sakRdEva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcatE |
abhayaM sarva bhUtEbhyO dadAmi Etat vrataM mama ||
AnayainaM hari-SrEshTha dattam-asyAbhayaM mayA |
vibhIshaNO vA sugrIva yadi vA rAvaNaH svayaM || 33,34 ||
“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.
Bring him (hither), O jewel among monkeys, be he vibhIshaNa or rAvaNa himself, O sugrIva! Security has (already) been granted in his favour by me."
Top
9 – sArvabhauma – it is not clear whether SrI tyAgarAja uses this word as an epithet of the Lord or whether as a qualifier for the word ‘lankAdhipatyamu’ (sovereign overlordship of lankA). In view of flow of the kRti, this has been treated in latter sense. However, if this is used as an epithet of the Lord, then it would be translated as ‘O Universal Monarch! indeed You asked all-knower lakshmaNa to confer overlorship of lankA on vibhIshaNa’.
10 – sarvajna – the epithet used for lakshmaNa is significant and is in keeping with the epithet used for SrI rAma ‘nirvikAra’. lakshmaNa being the manifestation of SEsha – knew the secrets of SrI rAma’s actions – therefore, the epithet ‘all-knower’.
11 – immanagA – this word is to be connected to the pallavi to complete the sense.
Top
12 – sarva sannuta – The action of SrI rAma in conferring the overlordship of lankA to vibhIshaNa even before the war effort commenced is reminiscent of the statement of SrI kRshNa in SrImad bhagavad gItA, Chapter 11 and therefore worthy of praise by everyone –
tasmAt-tvam-uttishTha yaSO labhasva
jitvA SatrUn bhunkshva rAjyaM samRddhaM |
mayaivaitE nihatAH pUrvam-Eva
nimitta-mAtraM bhava savyasAcin || 33 ||
“Therefore, do thou arise and acquire fame. Conquer enemies, and enjoy the unrivalled dominion. Verily by Myself have they been already slain; be thou merely an apparent cause, O savyasAcin (arjuna).” (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)
Top