Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
kuvalaya daLa nayana brOvavE
kunda kuDmala radana
O Lotus (kuvalaya) petal (daLa) Eyed (nayana)! Please protect (brOvavE) me, O Lord who has teeth (radana) like jasmine (kunda) buds (kuDmala)!
caraNam
caraNam 1
mamata minci nIdu paini
marulu konna nEnu-endu pOdu (kuvalaya)
I (nEnu), who has fallen in love (marulu konna) with You (nIdu paini) (literally on You) due to great (minci) (literally excessive) affection (that You are mine) (mamata), where else (endu) (nEnendu) could go (pOdu)?
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 2
kamanIya-Ananamunu talaci nE
karagi nilva jUDavu-ETi guNamu (kuvalaya)
What (ETi) kind of behaviour (guNamu) (literally quality) is this that, while I (nE) remain (nilva) (literally stand) melting (karagi) thinking (talaci) of Your lovable (kamanIya) face (Ananamunu) (kamanIyAnanamunu), You would not look (jUDavu) (jUDavETi) at me?
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 3
manasu telisi nIvu nannu
maraci maravani-aTlu-unnAvu (kuvalaya)
Knowingly (manasu telisi), You (nIvu) remain (unnAvu) as if (aTlu) forgotten (maraci) me (nannu) and yet not forgotten (maravani) (maravanaTlunnAvu);
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 4
mahilO kali bhayamO rAvu
mahima lEni daivamA nIvu (kuvalaya)
Is it because of fear (bhayamO) of the kali yuga in this world (mahilO), that You would not come (rAvu)? Are You (nIvu) a deity (daivamA) without (lEni) might (mahima)?
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 5
dEva SirO-maNi nIvu-anucunu
E vELa madini pADucu-uNTi (kuvalaya)
I have always (E vELa) remained (uNTi) singing (pADucu) (pADucuNTi) in my mind (madini) that (anucunu) You (nIvu) (nIvanucunu) are the crown jewel (SirO-maNi) of celestials (dEva);
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 6
anya matamulu-eruga SrI
rAjanya bhajana jEsiti madi karaga (kuvalaya)
O King (SrI rAjanya), I do not know (eruga) other (anya) paths (matamulu) (literally opinions) (matamuleruga); I have been just chanting (bhajana jEsiti) Your names to the melting (karaga) of my heart (madi) (literally mind);
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 7
nEnu bhuvini mAni nIvu ghRNa
hInuDu-anucu pEru rAdO-ani (kuvalaya)
I (nEnu) abandoned (mAni) the World (bhuvini) (fearing) that (ani) You (nIvu) might earn (rAdO) (literally come) (rAdOyani) (bad) name (pEru) as (anucu) 'merciless person' (ghRNa hInuDu) (hInuDanucu);
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
caraNam 8
buddhini-osagi tyAgarAjuni
vadda nilici pUja konumu bAga (kuvalaya)
Bestowing (osagi) on me the right understanding (buddhini) (buddhinosagi), standing (nilci) near (vadda) this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni), nicely (bAga) accept (konumu) my worship (pUja);
O Lotus petal Eyed! Please protect me, O Lord who has teeth like jasmine buds!
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – kuDmala – kuTmala : both forms are correct.
2 – talaci nE karagi – talacucu karagi.
5 – ghRNa hInuDu – guNa hInuDu : 'ghRNa hInuDu' seems to be more appropriate from the context.
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References
Comments
3 – maraci maravanaTlu – a colloquial usage for ambivalent attitude.
4 – anya matamulu - This word is normally used by SrI tyAgarAja to refer to the six modes of worship (shaNmata) – vishNu, Siva, Sakti, gaNapati, subrahmaNya, sUrya. However, in the present context, this is not the meaning because, ‘bhajana’ is common to all the said modes. SrI tyAgarAja here means other ways of approaching Lord through ‘karma’, ‘jnAna’ etc. Therefore, ‘anya’ refers to all such means other than ‘bhakti’.
5 – ghRna hInuDu – In all the books this has been translated as ‘will you not earn bad name if you abandon me’ – (or words to that effect). However, in view of the ending word of the caraNa ‘ani’, this would mean ‘I abandoned this World fearing that You would earn a bad name as 'merciless person'.
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