Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – balavantamAyA – balavantamAye : ‘balavantamAye’ would give an affirmative meaning - ‘my karma is binding’. However, ‘balavantamAyA’ (with an elongated ending), gives an interrogatory meaning – ‘is my karmA so binding?’

⁴ – jErinA – jEri nA. In my opinion, if it is taken in the latter way, the sense of the caraNa seems to be incomplete. In order to complete the sense, the word ‘jEri’ is required to be made as ‘jErinA’ (though I have reached) and connect it to pallavi to complete the sentence; alternatively, it should be ‘jEriti’ (I reached) to end the sentence there. In view of the C3 where the ending word ‘tyAgarAjuniki’ directly connects to the pallavi, I think here also it should be connected to pallavi by taking it as ‘jErinA’.
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⁷ – poDagAncinA – poDagAnci nA : There is some doubt about connecting this caraNa to the pallavi. As it stands, ‘poDagAncinA’ would mean ‘even if beheld’. By connecting to the pallavi, we can derive meaning that ‘even after Lord of Oceans beheld you, is the fate so binding?’ On the other hand, if we take ‘poDagAnci + nA’, and ‘nA’ is connected to pallavi (referring to tyAgarAja himself), the caraNa remains incomplete. Though the earlier occurrence of ‘kani’ (seeing) confuses the meaning, ‘poDagAncinA’ has been taken as a single word. When connected to pallavi, this would mean that ‘the sea did enter the town in spite of Mother standing resolutely at the sea-shore – that is, the ‘karma’ is indeed binding. However, in the case of Lord of Oceans, the incursion is not due to any fate (karma) but only due to interaction of forces of nature.

⁸ – karuNayE – karuNE.
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References
² - kAyArOhaNa - The term ‘kAyArOhaNa sthalaM’ means 'a shrine where all beings become one with Lord Siva during the great deluge'. The name kAyArOhaNa is associated with the Lakulisa Pasupata Saiva sect which originated in Gujarat. This sect of saivism is said to have been widespread in Tamilnadu during the days of Mahendravarma Pallavan. There is a temple with the same name at Gujarat - kArvAn - kAyArohaNa svAmi (barODa). Please refer to - Legend of kAyArOhaNa and Lakulisa

³ – nIlAyatAkshi – name of mother at nAgappaTTinam (nAga puraM) – nAagappaTTinam Temple.
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Comments
⁵ - vAridhi madi garvinci – Nagappattinam is famous for incursion of sea into the land; earlier Tamil sagas describe how the town of pUmpuhAr – adjacent to Nagappattinam - was swallowed by the sea. The recent Tsunami (December 2004) where Nagappattinam bore the brunt of the fury, substantiates the same. The present kRti of SrI tyAgarAja also mentions of such incursion; however, it is not clear as to which period the episode relates to. But from the wordings of the caraNa, it seems that the sea indeed entered the town crossing the temple.
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⁶ – tala vanciyuNDu – standing with lowered head may be for the reasons of coyness, shame or resoluteness. In the present context, the ‘resoluteness’ is the appropriate meaning which is substantiated by the ensuing word ‘dhIratanamu’.
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