Transliteration Scheme

kanna talli - rAga sAvEri

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
kanna talli nIvu nApAla kaluga
1gAsi cendan(E)la(n)amma

anupallavi
venna(y)uNDa nEtiki(y)evaraina
vesana paDudurA tripura sundari (kanna)

caraNam
caraNam 1
ella vAri dhanamul(a)Svamulu mari
ekkuvaina gaTTi middel(a)nniyu
kalla kAni kanna vArulu
kAncu sukhamu sunna(y)anucunu
ullamunanu bAga telusukoNTini
2UrakE dhanikula 3sambhAshaNamu nEn-
(o)lla mAyal(a)ni telisi 4rajju pai-
(y)uraga buddhi
cendan(E)la(n)ammA nanu (kanna)


caraNam 2
5paluku manci kAni bAndhavulu mari
bAva maradul(a)kkal(a)nna tammulu
kalimi jUcu vAru lEmini
kanula kAna rAru anucunu
talacukonna venuka vAri mAyala
tagala jAlan(a)mmA maru marIci-
kalanu jUci 6nIr(a)ni bhramasi
kandurA 7Adi pura vihAriNi nanu (kanna)
caraNam 3
kanaka bhUshaNamula peTTi mariyu
sogasu jEsi pAlu pOsi pencina
tanuvu satamu kAdu nirmala-
tanam(i)ncuka lEd(a)nucunu
anudinam(o)narincu sat-kriyala
nIk(a)ni palkina tyAgarAja rakshaki
vinum(a)nniTa nIv(a)ni(y)erigi vElpula
vEr(a)ni(y)encudurA tripura sundari nanu (kanna)


Meaning - Gist


Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
kanna talli nIvu nApAla kaluga
gAsi cendanu-Ela-amma

O Mother (talli) who bore (kanna) me! When You (nIvu) are present (kaluga) by my side (nApAla) why (Ela) should I worry (gAsi cendanu) (cendanElanamma)?


anupallavi
venna-uNDa nEtiki-evaraina
vesana paDudurA tripura sundari (kanna)

O Mother tripura sundari! Will anyone (evaraina) worry (vesana paDudurA) about ghee (nEtiki) (nEtikiyevaraina) when there is (uNDa) butter (venna) (vennayuNDa)?
O Mother who bore me! When You are present by my side, why should I worry?


caraNam
caraNam 1
ella vAri dhanamulu-aSvamulu mari
ekkuvaina gaTTi middelu-anniyu
kalla kAni kanna vArulu
kAncu sukhamu sunna-anucunu
ullamunanu bAga telusukoNTini
UrakE dhanikula sambhAshaNamu nEnu-
olla mAyalu-ani telisi rajju pai-
uraga buddhi cendanu-Ela-ammA nanu (kanna)

I have clearly (bAga) understood (telusukoNTini) in my mind (ullamunanu) that (anucunu) –
people’s (ella vAri) wealth (dhanamulu), horses (aSvamulu) (dhanamulaSvamulu) and (mari) very (ekkuvaina) strong (gaTTi) storeyed houses (middelu) – all these (anniyu) - are indeed (kAni) false (kalla), and
comfort (sukhamu) derived (kAncu) by those (vArulu) who possess (kanna) these is just nothing (sunna) (literally nought (sunnayanucunu);
it is not without reason (UrakE) that I (nEnu) dislike (olla) (nEnolla) all the talk (sambhAshaNamu) about rich people (dhanikula);
O Mother (ammA)! knowing (telisi) all these to be (ani) grand illusion (mAyalu) (mAyalani), why (Ela) should I entertain the idea (buddhi cendanu) (cendanElanammA) of ‘snake (uraga) on (pai) (paiyuraga) the rope’ (rajju)?
O Mother who bore me (nanu)! When You are present by my side, why should I worry?


caraNam 2
paluku manci kAni bAndhavulu mari
bAva maradulu-akkalu-anna tammulu
kalimi jUcu vAru lEmini
kanula kAna rAru anucunu
talacukonna venuka vAri mAyala
tagala jAlanu-ammA maru marIci-
kalanu jUci nIru-ani bhramasi
kandurA Adi pura vihAriNi nanu (kanna)

O Mother (ammA)! After (venuka) having concluded (talacukonna) (literally thought) that (anucunu) –
ill-speaking (paluku manci kAni) (literally whose words are not beneficent) (distant) relatives (bAndhavulu), and (mari) (close relatives) - brothers-in-law (bAva), sisters-in-law (maradulu), elder sisters (akkalu), elder brothers (anna) (maradulakkalanna), younger brothers (tammulu) –
who (vAru) look for (jUcu) wealth (kalimi), would not (rAru) notice (kanula kAna) (literally look with eyes) (when one is in) poverty (lEmini),
I shall not (jAla) (jAlanammA) get caught (tagala) in their (vAri) web (mAyala) (literally deception);
having been confounded (bhramasi) by looking (jUci) at the vanishing (maru) mirages (marIcikalanu) as (ani) water (nIru) (nIrani), is it possible to find (water) (kandurA) really?
O Mother abiding (vihAriNi) at Adi pura who bore me (nanu)! When You are present by my side, why should I worry?
caraNam 3
kanaka bhUshaNamula peTTi mariyu
sogasu jEsi pAlu pOsi pencina
tanuvu satamu kAdu nirmala-
tanam(i)ncuka lEd(a)nucunu
anudinamu-onarincu sat-kriyala
nIku-ani palkina tyAgarAja rakshaki
vinumu-anniTa nIvu-ani-erigi vElpula
vEru-ani-encudurA tripura sundari nanu (kanna)

O Protector (rakshaki) of this tyAgarAja who –
having realised that (anucunu) this body (tanuvu) - groomed (pencina) by beautifying (sogasu jEsi), adorning (peTTi) golden (kanaka) ornaments (bhUshaNamula) and (mariyu) feeding (pOsi) rich food (pAlu) (literally milk) - is not (kAdu) ever lasting (satamu), and that there is not (lEdu) (lEdanucunu) even a bit (incuka) of purity (nirmala-tanamu) (nirmala-tanamincuka) in it (body),
has surrendered (palkina) (literally said) all pious deeds (sat-kriyala) performed (onarincu) daily (anudinamu) (anudinamonarincu) to be (ani) for Your sake (nIku) (nIkani)!
Please listen (vinumu). Having realised (erigi) that (ani) You exist (nIvu) (nIvaniyerigi) in everything (anniTa) (vinumanniTa), would anyone consider (encudurA) other Gods (vElpula) to be (ani) different (vEru) (vEraniyencudurA) from You?
O Mother tripura sundari, who bore me (nanu)! When You are present by my side, why should I worry?


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 - gAsi cenda – gAsi centa. In Telugu, these two words -‘cenda’ and ‘centa’ - have different meanings. In the present context, ‘cenda’ is the correct word. Therefore, the softening of the consonant ‘ta’ into ‘da’ is not correct here.

2UrakE - Uraka.
3sambhAshaNamu – sambhAshaNa.
6nIrani – nIranucu.
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References
4rajjupai(y)uraga buddhi – ‘snake on the rope’ – in vEdAnta, this is one of the famous similes given to explain the superimposition of falsehood over truth. Please refer to upadESa sAhasrI (A Thousand Teachings) of Adi Sankara – Chapter 18 – verse 46 –

rajju-sarpO yathA rajjvA sAtmakaH prAg-vivEkataH |
avastusannapi hyEsha kUTasthEnAtmanA tathA || 46 ||

“Just as a rope-snake (a rope mistaken for a snake), though unreal, has an existence due to that of the rope before the discrimination between the rope and the snake takes place; so, the transmigratory condition, though unreal, is possessed of an existence (Empirical or phenomenal existence) due to that (Real Existence) of the changeless Self.” (Translation by Swami Jagadananda).

Please also refer to – Swami Krishnananda's Commentary on 'panca daSi' (Chapter 7)
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Comments
5paluku manci kAni – ill-speaking – This can be applied to all those defined in first two lines – ‘bAndhavulu, bAva, maradulu, akkalu, anna tammulu’.

7 - Adi pura - tiruvoTriyUr near chennai.
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