Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

Behold!

The charming damsels are proceeding, with pleasant fragrance permeating the air!

As the best of celestials, affectionately, rain shower of pArijAta flowers,

the charming damsels are proceeding spectacularly.

As fire-works sparkle on all four sides,
as sAmbrANi incense spreads,
sprinkling sandal powder, and
sliding their upper garments and sprinkling lavender,

the charming damsels are proceeding along with the hero of yadu race.

As zari sarees, colourful blouses and finger rings shine elegantly,
exulting, seeing Lord ranga nAtha, who reclines on SEsha, and
embracing Him to their hearts’ content,

the charming damsels are proceeding.

As beautiful golden anklets jingle,
as pearl necklaces etc sway in their bosoms,
fanning the Lord with elegant, hand-held, flower-fans, and
extolling Him – bestower of boons to tyAgarAja,

the charming damsels are proceeding, with pleasant fragrance permeating the air!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
ghuma ghuma ghuma-ani vAsanatO muddu
gummalu veDaliri cUDarE

Behold (cUDarE)! The charming (muddu) damsels (gummalu) are proceeding (veDaliri) with pleasant fragrance (vAsanatO) permeating the air (ghuma ghuma ghumayani)!

anupallavi
mamatatOnu sura varulu-ella sura taru
suma vAnalu kuriyimpaga vEDkaga (ghuma)

As the best of (varulu) all (ella) (varulella) celestials (sura), affectionately (mamatatOnu), rain (kuriyimpaga) shower (vAnalu) of pArijAta - celestial (sura) tree (taru) - flowers (suma),
Behold! the charming damsels are proceeding spectacularly (vEDkaga) with pleasant fragrance permeating the air!

caraNam
caraNam 1
nalu vanka pagalu vattulu tEjarillaga
celaga sAmbrANi pogalu gramma gandha
poDulu callucu payyedala tIyucu
pannIrulu cilukucu yadu kula vIrunitO (ghuma)

As fire-works (pagalu vattulu) sparkle (tEjarillaga celaga) (literally sparklingly shine) on all four (nalu) sides (vanka) (literally corners),
as sAmbrANi (gum benzoin) incense (pogalu) (literally smoke) spreads (gramma),
sprinkling (callucu) sandal (gandha) powder (poDulu),
sliding (tIyucu) their upper garments (payyedala) and sprinkling (cilukucu) lavender (pannIrulu) (literally rose water),
Behold! the charming damsels are proceeding, along with the hero (vIrunitO) of yadu race (kula), with pleasant fragrance permeating the air.

caraNam 2
bangAru cIralu rangaina ravikalu-
ungaramulu velayanga sogasugA
bhujanga SayanuDagu ranga patini jUci
pongucu tanivi-Ara kaugilincucunu (ghuma)

As zari (bangAru) (literally golden) sarees (cIralu), colourful (rangaina) blouses (ravikalu) and finger rings (ungaramulu) (ravikalunungaramulu) shine (velayanga) elegantly (sogasugA),
exulting (pongucu), seeing (jUci) kRshNa – Lord ranga nAtha (patini) – who (agu) reclines (SayanuDu) (SayanuDagu) on SEsha – the snake (bhujanga), and
embracing (kaugilincucunu) Him to their hearts’ content (tanivi Ara) (tanivAra),
Behold! the charming damsels are proceeding with pleasant fragrance permeating the air.

caraNam 3
varamaina kanaka nUpuramulu ghallu-ana-
uramuna mutyAla sarulu-ella kadalaga
karamuna sogasaina viri suraTulacE
visarucu tyAgarAja varaduni pogaDucu (ghuma)

As beautiful (varamaina) golden (kanaka) anklets (nUpuramulu) jingle (ghallu ana),
as pearl (mutyAla) necklaces (sarulu) etc (ella) (saruluella) sway (kadalaga) in their bosoms (uramuna) (ghallanayuramuna),
fanning (visarucu) the Lord with elegant (sogasaina), hand-held (karamuna), flower (viri) fans (suraTulacE), and
extolling Him – bestower of boons (varaduni) to tyAgarAja,
Behold! the charming damsels are proceeding with pleasant fragrance permeating the air.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
⁴ – sogasugA – sogasuna.
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References
² – pagalu vatti – fireworks (pyrotechnics). As per Tamil Dictionary – “Blue lights, made of saltpetre, brimstone, orpiment, indigo, antimony and camphor, making night appear as day.” This may also refer to later day petromax.
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Comments
¹ – mamatatOnu – affectionately – this may be applied either to gOpis or celestials.

³ – bangAru cIralu – zari (gold threaded - sariga) sarees.
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This kRti forms part of dance-drama ‘nauka caritraM’ – The Boat Story.

Background – gOpis meet kRshNa at yamunA river and travel in a boat happily. In their excitement of meeting kRshNa, gOpis become proud thinking that kRshNa is their property. In order to remove their proudiness, kRshNa creates a storm in the river and as the boat is tossed about, it develops a crack and water starts entering the boat. kRshNa feigns illness and the gOpis become desperate as to how they would reach the shore and ensure safety of kRshNa. In order to save the boat, listening to the words of kRshNa, they take off their blouses to plug the hole. But, as these also were washed off, kRshNa asks them to remove all their clothes to plug the hole in the boat. Even as these are washed away, they become desperate and surrender themselves to the Lord. Seeing their condition, the Lord takes pity on them and restores order and the gOpis got back their clothes. In their renewed joy, they celebrate by worshipping the Lord. In this kRti, the procession of gOpis along with kRshNa is described.
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ghuma ghuma - rAga saurAshTraM