Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Mother who bore me!
O Mother tripura sundari!
O Mother abiding at Adi pura!
O Protector of this tyAgarAja

Please listen.

When You are present by my side why should I worry?
Will anyone worry about ghee when there is butter?

I have clearly understood in my mind that people’s wealth, horses and very strong, storeyed houses – all these - are indeed false, and comfort derived by those who possess these is just nothing.
It is not without reason that I dislike all the talk about rich people.
Knowing all these to be grand illusion, why should I entertain the idea of ‘snake on the rope’?

I have concluded that, ill-speaking distant relatives, and close relatives (brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, elder sisters, elder brothers, younger brothers) who look for wealth, would not notice (when one is in) poverty. Therefore, I shall not get caught in their web.
Having been confounded by looking at the vanishing mirages as water, is it possible to find (water) really?

I have realised that this body - groomed by beautifying, adorning golden ornaments and feeding rich food - is not ever lasting, and that there is not even a bit of purity in it (body). Therefore, I have surrendered all pious deeds performed daily to be for Your sake.
Having realised that You exist in everything, would anyone consider other Gods to be different from You?

When You are present by my side why should I worry?

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.

² – UrakE - Uraka.
³ – sambhAshaNamu – sambhAshaNa.
⁶ – nIrani – nIranucu.
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References
⁴ – rajjupai(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
⁵ – paluku 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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kanna talli - rAga sAvEri