pallavi
kaNTa 1jUDumI oka pAri 2krE (kaNTa)
anupallavi
baNTuDai velayu bAgu kAni tappu
3taNTal(e)lla mAnukonna nannu krE (kaNTa)
caraNam
4ala nADu saumitri pAda sEva
celarEgi cEyu vELa sItatO
palki jUcin(a)nta pulak(A)nkituDai
paragina(y)aTu tyAgarAjuni krE (kanTa)
pallavi
kaNTa jUDumI oka pAri krE (kaNTa)
Deign to look (jUDumI) at me (nannu) at least once (oka pAri) by a side glance (krE kaNTa).
anupallavi
baNTuDai velayu bAgu kAni tappu
taNTalu-ella mAnukonna nannu krE (kaNTa)
By a side (krE) glance, at least once, deign to look at me (nannu) who -
other than (kAni) the privilege (bAgu) (literally speciality) of remaining (velayu) as Your servitor (baNTuDai ) (literally guard),
has desisted (mAnukonna) from all (ella) kinds of faults (tappu) and evils (taNTalu) (taNTalella).
caraNam
ala nADu saumitri pAda sEva
celarEgi cEyu vELa sItatO
palki jUcina-anta pulaka-ankituDai
paragina-aTu tyAgarAjuni krE (kanTa)
That (ala) day (nADu), while (vELa) lakshmaNa - son of sumitrA (saumitri) - was enthusiastically (celarEgi) performing (cEyu) service (sEva) at Your feet (pAda),
the moment (anta) You looked (jUcina) (jUcinanta) at him, after mentioning (palki) (in appreciation) to sItA (sItatO),
in the same manner as (aTu) he experienced (paragina) (literally shine) (paraginayaTu) a state of horripilation (pulaka ankituDai) (pulakAnkituDai),
deign to look at this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni) also at least once by a side (krE) glance.
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
rAga of the kRti is given as 'latAngi' in some books.
1 – jUDumI – jUDumi : As ‘jUDumI’ is more appropriate, the same has been adopted.
2 – krE – krI : ‘krE kaNTa’ means ‘side glance’; ‘krI kaNTa’ means ‘downcast glance’. As ‘downcast’ means ‘dejection’, this is not meant here. Therefore, ‘krE kaNTa’ is the appropriate word, and has accordingly been adopted.
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References
4 – ala nADu saumitri - The episode referred here is that when the trio (SrI rAma, sItA and lakshmaNa) reached pancavaTi, SrI rAma asked lakshmaNa to build a cottage for their living. When lakshmaNa finished the job, SrI rAma was so impressed by his dedication and craftsmanship that He (SrI rAma) embraced him and praised him in front of sItA. SrI tyAgarAja visualizes as to how lakshmaNa would have felt then. The relevant SlOkas in the vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – AraNyakANDa, Chapter 15 are -
prItOsmi tE mahat karma kRtam-idam prabhO |
pradEyO yan-nimittam tE parishvangO mayA kRtaH ||
bhAvajnEna kRtajnEna dharmajnEna ca lakshmaNa |
tvayA putrENa dharmAtmA na saMvRttaH pitA mama || 28, 29 ||
“O lakshmaNa! I am pleased with you. You have accomplished this great work, and, as a reward for which, I embrace you. You being the knower of (my) feelings, grateful and what is right, (I consider that) with you as his son, our pious minded father is not dead. (From the manner you look after our welfare, I feel as if our father is not dead but present here in your form.)”
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Comments
3 – taNTa – this is how it is given in all the books. However, the correct word seems to be ‘taNTA’. ‘tappu taNTalu’ as a single phrase is not found in the Telugu Dictionary.
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