Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Protector of sacrificial oblations! O Lord who is an eternal joy for the devotees! O Consort of sItA!
O Lord rAma! O Full-moon Faced! O Praise-worthy Lord!
O Consort of lakshmI! O Lord worshipped by varuNa! O Lord who protected Lord Siva! O Light of my life! O Lord who is self-effulgent!
O King! O Lord worshipped by this tyAgarAja! O Wish-Tree for devotees?

Won’t Your grace descend on me? Won’t You listen? Aren’t You the enemy of demon mura? Can’t You speak compassionate words? Is this honourable for You? Why this dispute with me? Am I alien to You?
Is it justice to deceive me without coming here? Are you showing unconcern? Or, do You have disgust in my case? I loved You; please fulfil my desire.
You are destroyer of enemies! But, You did not understand my desire.
Why this rigidity for You? I am unable to bear; do You consent for this procrastination or deception? Are You shying away from protecting me?
Who is refuge for us other than You?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
evarurA ninu vinA gati mAku

Who (evarurA) is refuge (gati) for us (mAku) other than (vinA) You (ninu)?

anupallavi
savana rakshaka nitya-utsava sItA pati (evaru)

O Protector (rakshaka) of sacrificial oblations (savana)! O Lord who is an eternal (nitya) joy (utsava) (literally festival) (nityOtsava) for the devotees! O Consort (pati) of sItA!
Who is refuge for us other than You?

caraNam
caraNam 1
rAdA nAdupai nI daya vina
rAdA mura vairi kAdA daya palka
rAdA-idi mariyAdA nAtO
vAdamA nE bhEdamA mAku (evaru)

Won’t Your (nI) grace (daya) descend (rAdA) (literally come) on me (nAdupai)? Won’t (rAdA) You listen (vina)? Aren’t You (kAdA) the enemy (vairi) of demon mura? Can’t You speak (rAdA) compassionate (daya) words (palku)?
Is this (idi) (rAdAyidi) honourable (mariyAdA) for You? Why this dispute (vAdamA) with me (nAtO)? Am I (nE) alien (bhEdamA) to You?
Who is refuge for us (mAku) other than You?

caraNam 2
rAka nannu-Eca nyAyamA
parAkA nEnu-aNTE hEyamA rAma
rAkA SaSi mukha nIku-ASinciti
sAkumA puNya SlOkamA mAku (evaru)

Is it justice (nyAyamA) to deceive (Eca) me (nannu) (nannEca) without coming (rAka) here? Are you showing unconcern (parAkA)? Or, do You have disgust (hEyamA) in my case (nEnu aNTE) (nEnaNTE), O Lord rAma?
O Full-moon (rAkA SaSi) Faced (mukha)! I loved (ASinciti) You (nIku) (literally for You) (nIkASinciti); please fulfil (sAkumA) my desire, O Praise-worthy Lord (puNya SlOkamA)!
Who is refuge for us (mAku) other than You?

caraNam 3
SrI-ISa-ari gaNa-arAtivi nAdu-
ASa teliyaka pOtivi
Apaga-ISa-arcita pAlita-ISa nA
prakASamA sva-prakASamA mAku (evaru)

O Consort (ISa) of lakshmI (SrI)! You are destroyer (arAtivi) (literally enemy) of enemies (ari gaNa) (SrISAri) (gaNArAtivi)! But, You did not understand (teliyaka pOtivi) my (nAdu) desire (ASa) (nAdASa);
O Lord worshipped (arcita) by varuNa - Lord (ISa) of rivers (Apaga) (ApagESArcita)! O Lord who protected (pAlita) Lord Siva (ISa) (pAlitESa)! O Light (prakASamA) of my (nA) life! O Lord who is self-effulgent (sva-prakASamA)!
Who is refuge for us (mAku) other than You?

caraNam 4
rAjA bigu nIku-ElarA tyAga-
rAja-arcita tALa jAlarA rAma
I jAlamu sEya rAja brOva
sankOcamA sura bhUjamA mAku (evaru)

O King (rAjA)! Why (ElarA) this rigidity (bigu) for You (nIku) (nIkElarA), O Lord worshipped (arcita) by this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjArcita)! I am unable (jAlarA) to bear (tALa), O Lord rAma!
Do You consent (rAja) for this (I) procrastination or deception (jAlamu sEya)? Are You shying away (sankOcamA) from protecting (brOva) me, O Wish-Tree (kalpa vRksha)– celestial (sura) tree (bhUja) (bhUjamA) – for devotees?
Who is refuge for us (mAku) other than You?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
General – In some books, anupallavi is given as part of pallavi – there is no separate anupallavi.

¹ – savana – sava : Both generally mean same.

² – rAka nannEca – rAka ninnEca : From the context, ‘nannEca’ seems to be appropriate.

⁵ – nA prakASamA - nava kASamA.

As per Sanskrit Dictionary 'kASa' - botanical name 'Saccharum spontaneum' – is wild sugar cane. As per tamizh Dictionary, 'kAsa' or 'kAya' – botanical name 'Momecylon tinctorium' - is dark-blue flower tree. In tamizh dictionary, ‘kAsAmbU mEnian’ and ‘kAsAmbU vaNNan’ are given as epithets of vishNu.

In Ceylon's mullaittIvu, 'kAyAmbU' is also known as 'mullai'.

In 'kamba rAmAyaNaM' (tamizh), kamban calls rAma as 'kAyAmbU mEnian' – one who is dark-blue hued like 'kAyAmbU'.

⁶ – tALa jAlarA rAma – tALa jAlarA rAja.
Top

References

Comments
³ – ari gaNa arAtivi – this may also mean six internal enemies (shaD-ripu) – kAma, krOdha, lObha, mOha, mada, mAtsarya.

⁴ – ApagESArcita – Worshipped by varuNa – Lord of rivers. However, Lord Siva at tiruvaiyAru is also known as ‘pancApagESa’ – ‘Lord of five rivers’. Therefore, it could also be translated as 'One worshipped (arcita) by Lord Siva (ApagESa)'.
Top

evarurA ninu vinA - rAga mOhanaM