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)
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?
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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