Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
karuNA jaladhE dASarathE
kamanIya-Anana suguNa nidhE
O dASarathi (dASarathE) - Ocean (jaladhE) of Mercy (karuNA)! O Ocean (nidhE) of virtues (suguNa) having a lovable (kamanIya) face (Anana) (kamanIyAnana)!
caraNam
caraNam 1
nI mayamEgA-ilanu-
Emani nE dUrudunu (karuNA)
Indeed every thing in this World (ilanu) is of Your (nI) nature (mayamEgA) only; therefore, in what way (Emani) (mayamEgAnilanunEmani) can I (nE) find fault (dUrudunu) (literally to reproach) with You or this World?
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 2
nija dAsula anubhavamu-okaTi
ninu teliyani jana matamu-okaTi (karuNA)
The experience (anubhavamu) of true (nija) devotees (dAsula) is something (okaTi) (anubhavamokaTi); but, the opinion (matamu) of those (jana) who do not know (teliyani) You (ninu) is some thing else (okaTi) (matamokaTi);
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 3
valacucu nAmamu sEyudurE ninu
talacucu proddu pOgoTTudurE (karuNA)
(Your devotees) would chant Your names (nAmamu sEyudurE) with love (valacucu) and spend (pOgoTTudurE) their time (proddu) thinking (talacucu) of You (ninu);
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 4
su-kRtamulu-oppaginturE nI
prakRtini telisi-EginturE (karuNA)
(Your devotees) would recite (oppaginturE) Your noble deeds (su-kRtamulu) (su-kRtamuloppaginturE) and, understanding (telisi) Your (nI) nature (prakRtini), adhere (EginturE) (literally to go by) (telisiyEginturE) to it;
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 5
manasAraga pUjinturE ninu
mATi mATiki yOjinturE (karuNA)
(Your devotees) would worship (pUjinturE) You whole-heartedly (manasAraga) and contemplate (yOjinturE) again and again (mATi mATiki) on You (ninu);
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 6
ninu kanulaku kana kOrudurE nava
nidhulu-abbina sukhamunu kOrarE (karuNA)
(Your devotees) would yearn (kOrudurE) to behold (kana) You (ninu) with their own eyes (kanulaku) and would not desire (kOrarE) even the comfort (sukhamunu) of attaining (abbina) nine-fold (nava) treasures (nidhulu) (nidhulabbina);
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 7
nIvu-anniTa-ani palkudurE
nIvE tAnu-ani kulukudurE (karuNA)
(You devotees) would speak (palkudurE) of You (nIvu) as (ani) existing in everything (anniTa) (nIvanniTayani) and feel proud (kulukudurE) (literally put on airs) that (ani) they (tAnu) (tAnani) are You only (nIvE);
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 8
tamalO melagucunu-undurE
tAraka rUpuni kandurE (karuNA)
(Your devotees) would remain (undurE) concentrated (melagucunu) (literally wander or roam) (melagucunundurE) within themselves (tamalO) and behold (kandurE) (You in) the form (rUpuni) of saviour (tAraka) (literally boat or oarsman) from the Ocean of Worldly Existence;
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
caraNam 9
bhAgavata prahlAda hita rAma
bhAvuka 8tyAgarAja nuta (karuNA)
O Lord rAma - benefactor (hita) of prahlAda - the great devotee (bhAgavata), praised (nuta) by this fortunate (bhAvuka) tyAgarAja!
O dASarathi - Ocean of Mercy! O Ocean of virtues having a lovable face!
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – ilanu(n)Emani nE dUrudunu – ilanu Emani nE dUrudunu.
2 – ninu talacucu – talacucu.
3 – ninu mATi mATiki – mATi mATiki.
4 – kanulaku kana – kanulanu kana.
8 – tyAgarAja nuta – tyAgarAja nuta rAma.
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References
5 - nava nidhi – Nine-fold treasure –belonging to kubEra - padma, mahApadma, Sankha, makara, kacchapa, mukunda, nanda, nIla and kharva
6 – nIvE tAnani – sArUpyaM - The following verse from Sivananda Lahari (verse 28) of Adi Sankara is relevant –
sArUpyaM tava pUjanE Siva mahAdEvEti saMkIrtanE
sAmIpyaM Siva-bhakti-dhurya-janatA-sAMgatya-saMbhAshaNE |
sAlOkyaM ca carAcarAtmaka-tanu-dhyAnE bhavanIpatE
sAyujyaM mama siddha-matra bhavati svAmin kRtArtOsmyahaM ||
“O Lord of bhavAnI! I attain -
to similarity of form with Thee by performing Thy ritualistic worship;
to closeness with Thee by singing Thy praise;
to residence in Thy heavenly plane by associating and conversing with Thy noble devotees; and
to oneness with Thee by contemplating on Thy form constituted of the whole of this living and non-living world.
Thus in this very embodiment I shall attain life’s fulfillment.” (Translation by Swami Tapasyananda)
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Comments
7 – melagucunu – this is the Sanskrit equivalent of ‘sancAra’ mentioned in the kRtis 'mAnasa sancararE rAmE', ‘endarO mahAnubhAvulu’ (svara-sAhitya 2) and in the kRti ‘sundara tara dEhaM’ (caraNa 3).
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