Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O My Fortune who nicely protects me! O Wearer of vanamAlA!
O Most charming Lord!
O Consort of jAnakI! O Saviour from misfortunes who does not fail after giving word!
O Lord who bestows comfort! O Blemish-less Lord! O Lord whose feet are worshipped by this tyAgarAja!

Having governed me all these days, why this ridicule?

Having governed me all these days by –

seeing this youngster’s plight,
giving me courage to continue to forbear (my difficulties),
making merry to the relief of my grief, and further,
looking at me with side glances as if to tell that “it is wise this way for you”,

why this ridicule (now)?

Where did You go, who said earlier that ‘I will come along wherever you go’?
If You are indeed true to Your word, may You support me publicly!

I am not beseeching You surreptitiously;
A thousand times You alone are unequalled companion;

Protecting me in one form, deceiving me in another form and, in yet another form, You have been just watching (me suffer);
Is there not even a little hope?

Having governed me all these days, why this ridicule now?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
innALLu nannu-Eli-enduku-I gEli

Having governed (Eli) me (nannu) all these days (innALLu), why (enduku) this (I) (nannEliyendukI) ridicule (gEli)?

anupallavi
pannuga nApAli bhAgyamA vanamAli (innALLu)

O My Fortune (bhAgyamA) who nicely (pannuga) protects (pAli) me (nA)! O Wearer of vanamAlA (vanamAli)!
Having governed me all these days, why this ridicule?

caraNam
caraNam 1
bAluDaina nA paritApamu jUci
tALu tALumu-ani dhairyamu paliki
jAli tIra vEDka salpucu mari
nIku-IlAgu budh-ani krI kaNTa jUcucu (innALLu)

Having governed me all these days by –
seeing (jUci) my (nA) – who is youngster (bAluDaina) - plight (paritApamu),
giving (paliki) (literally say) me courage (dhairyamu) to (ani) continue to forbear (tALu tALumu) (tALumani) (my difficulties),
making (salpucu) merry (vEDka) to the relief (tIra) of my grief (jAli), and further (mari),
looking (jUcucu) at me with side glances (krI kaNTa) (literally downcast glance) as if to tell that (ani) “it is wise (budh) (budhyani) this way (IlAgu) for you (nIku) (nIkIlAgu)”,
why this ridicule (now)?

caraNam 2
endu pOyina veNTa-Egi vattunu-anucu
mundu palkina nIvu-endu pOtivO
andagADa satya-sandhuDu nIvu-aitE
andarilO nannu-Adarincukommi (innALLu)

Where (endu) did You (nIvu) (nIvendu) go (pOtivO), who said (palkina) earlier (mundu) that (anucu) ‘I will come (vattunu) (vattunanucu) along (veNTa Egi) (literally behind) (veNTanEgi) wherever (endu) you go (pOyina)’?
O Most charming Lord (andagADa)! If You (nIvu) are (aitE) (nIvaitE) indeed true to Your word (satya-sandhuDu), may You support (Adarincukommi) me (nannu) (nannAdarincukommi) publicly (andarilO) (literally among all);
Having governed me all these days, why this ridicule now?

caraNam 3
jADa-mADaga nEnu jAnakI nAyaka
vEDaga lEdurA vEmArulaku
Idu jODu lEni tODu nIvE kAni
ADi tappa lEni Apad-bAndhava nIvu-(innALLu)

O Consort (nAyaka) of jAnakI! I (nEnu) am not (lEdurA) beseeching (vEDaga) You surreptitiously (jADa-mADaga);
A thousand times (vEmArulaku) You alone (nIvE) are unequalled (IDu jODu lEni) companion (tODu); but (kAni), O Saviour (bAndhava) (literally relative) from misfortunes (Apat) (Apad-bAndhava) who does not (lEni) fail (tappa) after giving word (ADi)!
You (nIvu) having governed me all these days, why this ridicule now?

caraNam 4
oka rUpamuna brOci oka rUpamuna Eci
oka rUpamuna jUcucu-iNTivi kAni
sukha dAyaka satta sunta-aina lEdA
akaLanka tyAgarAja-arcita caraNa (innALLu)

Protecting (brOci) me in one (oka) form (rUpamuna), deceiving (Eci) me in another (oka) form (rUpamuna) and (mari), in yet another (oka) form (rUpamuna), You have been just watching (jUcucu uNTivi) (jUcucuNTivi) (me suffer); but (kAni)
O Lord who bestows (dAyaka) comfort (sukha)! Is there not (lEdA) even (aina) a little (sunta) (suntaina) hope (satta) (literally goodness)?
O Blemish-less Lord (akaLanka)! O Lord whose feet (caraNa) are worshipped (arcita) by this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjArcita)!
having governed me all these days, why this ridicule now?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
² – paritApamu – paritApamula.

³ – budhyani - (budh+ani) - buddhiyani’ (buddhi+ani) : The meaning of both these words seems to be similar.

⁵ – lEdurA – lEdugA.

⁶ – brOci – jUci : As ‘jUci’ occurs subsequently, ‘brOci’ has been adopted.
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References
¹ – vanamAli - Lord vishNu's 'vaijayanti mAlA' is called 'vanamAlA'. tuLasi, mallikA, mandAra, pArijAta and Lotus are considered as constituents of vanamAlA. Article about 'garlands' and with particular reference to 'vaijayanti' and 'vanamAlA'
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Comments
⁴ – krI-kaNTa – This actually means ‘downcast glance’ – ‘dejection’. However, in the present context, as ‘dejection’ is not meant, it has been translated as ‘side glance’. In many kRtis, ‘krI-kannu’ and ‘krE-kannu’ are used interchangeably.
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⁶ – Eci – jUcucu – In some books, this has been translated as ‘You delegated the power to create, sustain and destroy to the Trinity’. In my opinion, there are no such words in the kRiti.

⁶ – brOci – Eci – jUcucu – It seems that SrI tyAgarAja is considering all those, who are protecting him, deceiving him and watching his suffering, to be SrI rAma Himself in different forms.
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innALLu nannEli - rAga ghaNTA