Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
kana kana rucirA kanaka vasana ninnu (kana)
O Lord wearing golden (kanaka) attire (vasana)! The more I behold (kana kana) You (ninnu), the sweeter it is (rucirA).
anupallavi
dina dinamunu manasuna canuvuna ninnu (kana)
O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You (ninnu), every day (dina dinamunu) in my mind (manasuna) with love (canuvuna), the sweeter it is.
caraNam
caraNam 1
pAlu kAru mOmuna SrI-apAra
mahima tanaru ninnu (kana)
O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You (ninnu) with guile-less (pAlu kAru) (literally milk-dripping - infantile) face (mOmuna) shining (tanaru) with prosperity (SrI) and limitless (apAra) (SrIyapAra) glory (mahima), the sweeter it is.
caraNam 2
kala-kalamanu mukha kaLa kaligina sIta
kulukucunu-Ora kannulanu jUcu ninnu (kana)
O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You (ninnu),
whom sItA – having (kaligina) cheerful (kala-kalamanu) facial (mukha) glow (kaLa) – looks (jUcu) elegantly (kulukucunu) by side (Ora) (kulukucunOra) glances (kannulanu),
the sweeter it is.
caraNam 3
bAla-arka-Abha su-cEla maNi-maya
mAlA-alankRta kandhara
sarasija-aksha vara kapOla su-rucira
kirITa dhara santatambu manasu-Araga (kana)
O Lord with the splendour (Abha) of rising (bAla) (literally young) Sun (arka) (bAlArkAbha) wearing fine garments (su-cela)! O Lord whose neck (kandhara) is adorned (alankRta) with gem studded (maNi-maya) necklace (mAlA) (mAlAlankRta)!
O Lotus (sarasija) eyed (aksha) (sarasijAksha)! O Lord with beautiful (vara) cheeks (kapOla)! O Lord wearing (dhara) brilliant (su-rucira) crown (kirITa)!
O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You unceasingly (santatambu) to my heart’s (manasu) content (Araga) (manasAraga), the sweeter it is.
caraNam 4
sA-patni mAtayau suruci-cE
karNa SUlamu-aina mATa vInula
curukku-ana tALaka SrI harini dhyAninci
sukhimpaga lEdA-aTu (kana)
Did not (lEdA) dhruva, unable to bear (tALaka) harsh (karNa SUlamaina) (literally spear-like for ears) words (mATa) of (cE) step-mother (sA-patni mAtayau) suruci (suruci-cE) pinching (curukku ana) (curukkana) his ears (vInula),
attain comfort (sukhimpaga) by meditating (dyAninci) on Lord SrI hari (harini)?
In the same manner (aTu) (lEdAyaTu), O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You, the sweeter it is.
caraNam 5
mRga mada lalAma Subha niTila vara
jaTAyu mOksha phalada pavamAna
sutuDu nIdu mahima telpa
sIta telisi valaci sokka lEdA A rIti ninnu (kana)
O Lord with auspicious (Subha) forehead (niTila) adorned with musk (kastUri) (mRga mada) tilaka (lalAma)! O Bestower (phalada) of emancipation (mOksha) to the blessed (vara) jaTAyu!
Was not (lEdA) sItA (sIta) enraptured (sokka) with longing (valaci) listening (telisi) (literally knowing) to hanumAn – son (sutuDu) of Wind-God (pavamAna) describe (telpa) (literally inform about) Your (nIdu) glory (mahima)?
In the same manner (A rIti), O Lord wearing golden attire! the more I behold You (ninnu), the sweeter it is.
caraNam 6
sukha-Aspada vimukha-ambu dhara pavana
vi-dEha mAnasa vihara-Apta
sura bhUja mAnita guNa-anka
cid-Ananda khaga turanga dhRta ratha-anga
parama dayA-kara karuNA rasa varuNa-Alaya
bhaya-apahara SrI raghupatE (kana)
O Abode (Aspada) of Comfort (sukha) (sukhAspada)! O Gale (pavana) that scatters the cloud (ambu dhara) called enemies (vimukha) (literally one whose face is turned away) (vimukhAmbu)! O Lord abiding (vihAra) in the hearts (mAnasa) of celestials (vi-dEha) (literally incorporeal being – bodiless)!
O Wish-tree (kalpa vRksha) – celestial (sura) tree (bhUja) - of those who are dear (Apta) (vihArApta) to You! O Lord marked (anka) with respected (mAnita) qualities (guNa) (guNAnka)! O Lord effulgent as consciousness or intellect (cit) and bliss (Ananda) (cid-Ananda)!
O Lord who has garuDa - bird (khaga) - as carrier (turanga)! O Wielder (dhRta) of discus (or wheel) – part (anga) of chariot (ratha) (rathAnga)!
O Supremely (parama) compassionate (dayA-kara) Lord! O Ocean - abode (Alaya) of varuNa (varuNAlaya) - of compassionate (karuNA) feeling (rasa)! O Destroyer (apahara) (literally seize) of fear (bhaya) (bhayApahara)! O Lord SrI raghupati (raghupatE)!
O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You, the sweeter it is.
caraNam 7
kAminci prEma mIra karamula nIdu
pAda kamalamula paTTukonu
vADu sAkshi rAma nAma rasikuDu
kailAsa sadanuDu sAkshi
mariyu nArada parASara Suka
Saunaka purandara nagajA dharaja
mukhyulu sAkshi kAda sundara-ISa
sukha kalaSa-ambudhi vAsa-ASritulakE (kana)
For whatever I have said,
hanumAn – who (vADu) holds (paTTukonu) Your (nIdu) Feet (pAda) Lotus (kamalamula) in his hands (karamula) with overflowing (mIra) love (prEma) and longing (kAminci) – is a witness (sAkshi);
Lord Siva – resident (sadanuDu) of kailAsa and enjoyer (rasikuDu) of the name (nAma) ‘rAma’– is a witness (sAkshi); further (mariyu),
sages nArada, parASara, Suka, Saunaka, indra (purandara), pArvatI – daughter of mountain (naga) (nagajA) - and important personages (mukhyulu) on the Earth (dharaja) (literally Earth-born) are witnesses (sAkshi) – aren’t they (kAda)?
O Acme (ISa) (literally Lord) of beauty (sundara) (sundarESa)! O Lord comfortably (sukha) resident (vAsa) in the Ocean (ambudhi) of Milk, churning which pitcher (kalaSa) (kalaSAmbudhi) of nectar emerged!
O Lord wearing golden attire! For those who are dependent (ASritulakE) (vAsASritulakE) on You, the more they behold You, the sweeter it is.
caraNam 8
satatamu prEma pUrituDagu tyAgarAja
nuta mukha jita kumuda hita varada ninnu (kana)
O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja who is ever (satatamu) replete (pUrituDagu) with Supreme Love (prEma) towards You! O Lord whose face (mukha) surpasses (jita) the (lustre of) moon – friend (hita) of lily (kumuda)! O Bestower of boons (varada)!
O Lord wearing golden attire! The more I behold You (ninnu), the sweeter it is.
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
In one book, only the last stanza is called ‘caraNa’ and others are called ‘svara sAhitya’. In other books, all have been treated as caraNas.
caraNas 2,3,4,5,6,7 are given as caraNas 7,2,3,4,6 and 5 respectively in some books.
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References
1 - pavamAna sutuDu nI mahima telpa – In vAlmIki ramAyaNa (sundara kANDa, Chapter 35), when hanumAn introduces himself to Mother sItA as messenger of SrI rAma, in order to ascertain the veracity of the statement, sItA asks hanuman to describe the personality of SrI rAma. When hanuman does so, sItA becomes enraptured by the description.
SrI tyAgarAja seems to contrast harsh words of suruci (caraNa 4) with comforting words of hanumAn (caraNa 5).
3 – dRta rathAnga – Though this has been translated as ‘wielder of discus’, ‘rathAnga’ might also refer to ‘chariot wheel’ which Lord SrI kRshNa took up as a weapon to slay bhIshma in the War of mahAbhArata. Please refer to mahAbhArata, Ninth day battle (story in brief)
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Comments
2 – vidEha mAnasa vihAra – In one book, this has been translated as ‘one who abides in hearts of jnAnis’; in another book, this has been translated as ‘one who plays with the realised souls of yOgi’s mind’.
As per patanjali yOga sUtras, ‘vidEha’ means ‘disincarnate Gods’ –
bhava pratyayO vidEha prakRti-layAnAM || I.19 ||
“(When such concentration is not accompanied by non-attachment, and ignorance therefore remains,) the aspirant will reach the state of the disincarnate gods or become merged in the forces of Nature.” (Translation by Swami Prabhavananda)
‘vidEha’ is generally used in three contexts – (1) to refer to King janaka – in my opinion, this is not meant here; (2) to refer to those who have attained vidEha mukti – in my opinion, the minds of those who have attained vidEha mukti, have already been dissolved – therefore, ‘vidEha’ and ‘mAnasa’ are self-contradictory; (3) to refer ‘disincarnate gods’ - in my opinion, this may be appropriate meaning for ‘vidEha’ here; it has been accordingly translated as ‘celestials’.
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4 – dharaja mukhyulu – This has been translated as ‘important personages of the Earth’. However, ‘dharaja’ may be taken to mean ‘sItA’ – daughter of Earth. But in such a case, it should be ‘dharajA’ – similar to ‘nagajA’. If it is taken as ‘sItA’, then, ‘mukhyulu’ is left aloof – in the absence of ‘Adi’ – etc (dharajAdi mukhyulu) (dharajA + Adi).
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