Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Mother SrImati –(name of Mother at the temple) who is Mighty in auspiciousness!
O Supremely Blissful One abiding in the excellent town SrI tapastIrtha puri!
O Resident of SrIpura! O Benevolent Mother!
O Full-Moon Faced! O Head of all Worlds! O Mother who is the source of even Gods who appeal to You to listen to them!

I came here seeking that You are refuge for true devotees.
Why do You show unconcern?

Having searched much in my mind, I trusted Your holy feet whole-heartedly and completely.
Deign to protect me now.

Is it in the capacity of even brahmA to extol You?
In the World, I do not find anyone equal to You.
Am I not Your’s?
The heads of the beautiful town, joining together, are waiting on You, firmed up in their minds that You are the only Goddess who bestows desired boons in order to get rid of all their sufferings.

I wonder as to what merits were earned by those who nicely reside in this town!
I have sought Your support.
I shall not beseech others.
Please do not overlook me.
Only You are my refuge and shelter.
Otherwise, who else is there for me?
Your glory is as high as the temple tower.
Therefore, please do not dilly-dally.

Now that I have become single minded with Your grace, why lack of compassion on me even now?
Though beseeching these people, every now and then, for money and food articles required for Your worship, is demeaning to Your fame, how long shall I appeal to You?

I came here seeking that You are the refuge of this tyAgarAja.
Why do You show unconcern?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
gati nIvu-ani nE kOri vacciti talli parAkA

O Mother (talli)! I (nE) came (vacciti) here seeking (kOri) that (ani) You (nIvu) (nIvani) are my refuge (gati); why do You show unconcern (parAkA)?

anupallavi
matini-entO vetaki
sammatini SrI pravRddha
SrI-mati nI pada yugamula nE nera
nammitni brOvumu-ika nija dAsulaku (gati)

O Mother SrImati –(name of Mother at the temple) (literally Respected One) who is Mighty (pravRddha) in auspiciousness (SrI)!
Having searched (vetaki) much (entO) in my mind (matini) (matiniyentO), I (nE) trusted (nammitini) Your (nI) holy feet (pada yugamula) whole-heartedly (sammatini) and completely (nera); deign to protect (brOvumu) now (ika) (brOvumika);
O Mother! I came here seeking that You are the refuge for true (nija) devotees (dAsulaku); why do You show unconcern?

caraNam
caraNam 1
paramau SrI tapastIrtha nagaramu-andu
nelakonna parama-AnandI pogaDa
taramA brahmaku-ainanu dharalO nI
sari kAna talli nIvaDanu kAnA
paritApamulu-ella tolaga-A raka
pura nAthula jata kUDi-abhIshTa
varamulu-iccu daivamu nIvu-ani manu
sthira matulai kAcinAru ganuka (gati)

O Supremely (parama) Blissful One (AnandI) (paramAnandI) abiding (nelakonna) in (andu) the excellent (paramau) town (nagaramu) (nagaramandu) of SrI tapastIrtha puri!
Is it in the capacity of (taramA) even (ainanu) brahmA (brahmaku) (brahmakainanu) to extol (pogaDa) You?
In the World (dharalO), I do not find (kAna) anyone equal (sari) to You (nI); am I not (kAnA) Your’s (nIvADanu), O Mother (talli)?
The heads (nAthula) of the (A) (literally that) beautiful (raka) town (pura), joining (kUDi) together (jata), are waiting (kAcinAru) on You, firmed up (sthira matulai) in their minds (manu) that (ani),
You (nIvu) (nIvani) are the only Goddess (daivamu) who bestows (iccu) desired (abhIshTa) (kUDiyabhIshTa) boons (varamulu) (varamuliccu) in order to get rid (tolaga) (tolagayA) of all (ella) their sufferings (paritApamulu) (paritApamulella); therefore, (ganuka),
O Mother! I came here seeking that You are my refuge; why do You show unconcern?

caraNam 2
I puramuna bAgu kApuramu sEyuvAru-E
puNyamu jEsirO SrI-pura nilayE
prApu kOri-unnAnu
amba parula nEnu vEDaga lEnu
jUpu jUpu sEyaka nIvE dari
dApu kAni anyulu-evaru nAyeDa
rEpu mApu-anaka nI mahimalu balu
gOpurambu kAni sujani (gati)

I wonder as to what (E) merits (puNyamu) were earned (jEsirO) by those who nicely (bAgu) (literally nice) reside (kApuramu sEyuvAru) (literally live with family) (sEyuvArE) in this (I) town (puramuna), O Resident (nilayE) of SrIpura!
I have sought (kOriyunnAnu) Your support (prApu), O Mother (amba)! I (nEnu) shall not (lEnu) beseech (vEDaga) others (parula).
Please do not overlook (jUpu jUpu sEyaka) (literally to look superficially) me; only You (nIvE) are my refuge (dari) and shelter (dApu); otherwise (kAni), who (evaru) else (anyulu) (anyulevaru) is there for me (nAyeDa) (literally with me)?
Your (nI) glory (mahimalu) is as high (balu) as the temple tower (gOpurambu); therefore (kAni) please do not dilly-dally (rEpu mApu anaka) (literally morning or evening) (mApanaka), O Benevolent Mother (sujani)!
I came here seeking that You are my refuge; why do You show unconcern?

caraNam 3
rAkA SaSi vadanE sarva lOka
nAyaki vinumA-anE vElpulaku-Adiyau
nI kaTAkshamu cEta-Eka
cittamu-ainanduku amba inka nir-daya-
enduku nIku-ani dhana dhAnyamula koraku-I
lOkula nE mATi mATiki-aDuguTa
cauka kAni nI kIrtiki-
endAka vinnavintu tyAgarAjuni (gati)

O Full-Moon (rAkA SaSi) Faced (vadanE)! O Head (nAyaki) of all (sarva) Worlds (lOka)!
O Mother (amba) who is the source (Adi) (Adiyau) of even Gods (vElpulaku) (vElpulakAdiyau) who appeal (anE) (literally say) to You ‘Please Listen (vinumA) (vinumAyanE) to us’!
Now that I have become (ainanduku) single minded (Eka cittamu) (cittamainanduku) with (cEta) (cEtayEka) Your (nI) grace (kaTAkshamu) (literally side glance), why (enduku) lack of compassion (nirdaya) (nirdayaenduku) on me even now (inka)?
Though (kAni) beseeching (aDuguTa) these (I) people (lOkula), every now and then (mATi mATiki) (mATikaDuguTa), for (koraku) (korakuyI) money (dhana) and food articles (dhAnyamula) required for (ani) Your worship (nIku) (literally for You) (nIkani), is demeaning (cauka) to Your (nI) fame (kIrtiki), how long (endAka) (kIrtikinendAka) shall I appeal (vinnavintu) to You?
O Mother! I came here seeking that You are the refuge of this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni); why do You show unconcern?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
³ – nIvani manu sthira matulai – nIvanumanu sthira matulai. This latter version could be split as ‘nI+anumu+anu+sthira+matulai’. However, the meaning so derived does not go along with the flow of the language. In the former version, the word ‘manu’ does not fit well. It is not clear whether this is derived from ‘manas’ or whether this is to be joined to ‘sthira’ – ‘manu sthira’.

⁵ – jUpu jUpu – jUpu jAgu.
⁶ – sarva lOka nayaki – sarva lOka nAyikE.
⁸ – vinnavintu – vinnapintu.
Top

References
¹ – tapastIrtha nagaramu – Lalgudi – legend of the kshEtra

More information on the temple
Top

Comments
² – raka pura nAthula – This is how it is given in all the books. However, from the flow of the language, it appears that it should be ‘nAthulu’ and not ‘nAthula’. As it is, it would mean that SrI tyAgarAja also joins the company of people of the town. But, the verb ‘kAcinAru’ is in third person; Grammatically, if SrI tyAgaraja includes himself, then it should be ‘kAcinAmu’ or ‘kAcinAnu’. If it is taken as ‘nAthulu’, then ‘kAcinAru’ becomes appropriate.

In some books ‘raka pura nAthulu’ has been taken to mean ‘Kings of Earth’; in some other books, as ‘Lords of Cardinal Points’. However, there seems to be no such meaning for the words ‘raka pura’. Therefore, this has been translated as ‘beautiful town’.
Top

⁴ – SrIpura – It is understood that tapastIrtha puri (lAlguDi) is also called ‘SrIpura’. However, this may also mean ‘SrI cakra’.

⁷ – nIkani dhana dhAnyamula – the word ‘nIkani’, in my opinion, means that ‘for Your sake’ because, from the flow of the words, it is evident that SrI tyAgaraja says that ‘asking people for wealth and food articles, for conducting Your worship, is below your dignity’. Otherwise, ‘nIkani’ does not seem to make sense.
Top

gati nIvani - rAga tODi