Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

May You sleep, O Lord!
May You sleep, O Naturally Virtuous Lord! O Lord who wears (garland) vana mAla! O Good hearted! O Lord reclining on the soft quilt made of (stuffed with) feathers of swan or silk cotton!
May You sleep, O Rain-cloud hued born in the Solar dynasty! O Lord wearing golden hued garments! O Lord with splendour of a crore Suns! O Lotus Eyed! O Bestower of boons to akrUra! O Lord with Lotus navel! O Lord praised by sages sanaka and others! O Lord who is easily attainable (or accessible) by/to all true devotees!
May You sleep, O Lord wielding bow and arrows! O Slayer of khara! O Lord whose feet resemble red Lotus! O Lord who destroyed the arrogance of demons! O Lord praised by Lord Siva! O Full-moon Faced! O Lord whose eyes shed essence called grace! O Lord from whom desires have fled! O Refuge of sages!
May You sleep, O Consort of bhU-dEvi! O Bestower of prosperity who manifests in the homes of those who believe in You totally! O Wealth of my family!
O Peerless Lord worshipped by pious people! O Unrivalled Hero! O Kind hearted! O Lord bereft of attachments! O Fortune of the graceful sItA!

Deign to accept my worship; all that I need is Your grace; is it very burdensome for You? I cannot be separated from You; deign to govern me.
A hall rivalling the splendour of a crore Suns has been nicely decorated; there, in the middle (of the hall), I have spread a beautiful bed made of pure gold; I have nicely spread jasmine flowers thereon; deign to be established thereon. I am squeezing Your beautiful feet. I shall unforgettingly serve You by offering betel leaves every now and then.
As the necklaces of pearls (on Your chest) radiate, as the flowers of pArijAta rain on You, as brahmA and other multitudes of celestials behold You, having bedecked You with all true (or original) appellations, I am rocking the swing.
You are tired having been busy in the service of great devotees; but, perchance You forget me (do not forget me).
Please protect this tyAgarAja by showing much compassion.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
lAli lAlayya lAli

O Lord (ayya)! May You sleep (lAli); may You sleep (lAli) (lAlayya); may You sleep (lAli).

anupallavi
lAli guNa-SAli vana-mAli su-hRdayana
lAli mRdu-tara hamsa tUlikA Sayana (lAli)

May You sleep (lAli), O Naturally Virtuous Lord (guNa-SAli)! O Lord who wears (garland) vana mAla! O Good hearted (su-hRdayana)!
May You sleep (lAli), O Lord reclining (Sayana) on the soft (mRdu-tara) quilt made of (stuffed with) feathers of swan or silk cotton (hamsa tUlikA)!
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam
caraNam 1
ina vamSamandu janiyincina ghana-Abha
kanaka maya cEla dinakara kOTi SObha
vanaja nayana-akrUra varada-abja nAbha
sanaka-Adi nuta sakala sad-bhakta sulabha (lAli)

May You sleep, O Rain-cloud (ghana) hued (Abha) (ghanAbha) born (janiyincina) in (andu) the Solar (ina) dynasty (vamSamu) (vamSamandu)!
O Lord wearing golden (kanaka) hued (maya) garments (cEla)! O Lord with splendour (SObha) of a crore (kOTi) Suns (dina-kara)!
O Lotus (vanaja) Eyed (nayana)! O Bestower of boons (varada) to akrUra (nayanAkrUra)! O Lord with Lotus (abja) (varadAbja) navel (nAbha)!
O Lord praised (nuta) by sages sanaka and others (Adi) (sanakAdi)! O Lord who is easily attainable (or accessible) (sulabha) by/to all (sakala) true devotees (sad-bhakta)!
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam 2
kara kalita Sara cApa khara SirO-haraNa
aruNa-abja nibha caraNa asura mada haraNa
pura vairi vinuta sampUrNa SaSi vadana
karuNA rasa-aksha gata kAma muni SaraNa (lAli)

May You sleep, O Lord wielding (kara kalita) bow (cApa) and arrows (Sara)! O Slayer (SirO-haraNa) (literally cut off the head) of khara!
O Lord whose feet (caraNa) resemble (nibha) red (hue of dawn) (aruNa) Lotus (abja) (aruNAbja)! O Lord who destroyed (haraNa) the arrogance (mada) of demons (asura)!
O Lord praised (vinuta) by Lord Siva – the enemy (vairi) of tripura (pura)! O Full-moon (sampUrNa SaSi) Faced (vadana)!
O Lord whose eyes (aksha) shed essence (rasa) (rasAksha) called grace (karuNA)! O Lord from whom desires (kAma) have fled (gata)! O Refuge (SaraNa) of sages (muni)!
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam 3
puDami varuDa nAdu pUja kaikonumA
kaDu nammuvAri-iNTa kalugu SrI-karamA
kaDa kaNTi cUpu nIku-adi cAla ghanamA
eDabAya jAla nannu-Elu kula dhanamA (lAli)

May You sleep, O Consort (varuDa) (literally suitor) of bhU-dEvi (puDami)! Deign to accept (kaikonumA) my (nAdu) worship (pUja);
O Bestower of prosperity (SrI-karamA) who manifests (kalugu) (literally born) in the homes (iNTa) of those who believe (nammuvAru) (nammuvAriNTa) in You totally (kaDu) (literally severely)!
All that I need is Your grace (kaDa kaNTi cUpu); is it (adi) very (cAla) burdesome (ghanamA) for You (nIku) (nIkadi)?
O Wealth (dhanamA) of my family (kula)! I cannot be (jAla) separated (eDabAya) from You; deign to govern (Elu) me (nannu) (nannElu);
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam 4
kOTi sUrya prabhala kEru maNTapamu
cATugAnu-alankarincinadi nelakonumu
sATi dorakani sAdhu jana vandya viDemu
mATi mATiki-osagi maravaka kolutumu (lAli)

A hall (maNTapamu) rivalling (gEru) (literally deriding) the splendour (prabhala) of a crore (kOTi) Suns (sUrya) has been nicely (cATugAnu) decorated (alankarincinadi) (cATugAnalankarincinadi); deign to be established (nelakonumu) therein;
O Peerless (sATi dorakani) Lord worshipped (vandya) by pious (sAdhu) people (jana)! I shall unforgettingly (maravaka) serve (kolutumu) (literally we shall serve) You by offering (osagi) betel leaves (viDemu) every now and then (mATi mATiki) (mATikiyosagi);
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam 5
andu madhyambunanu aparanjitOnu
sundarambaina mancamu vEsinAnu
andupai jAjulanu amara paracinAnu
andamau nI pAda yugamu paTTedanu (lAli)

There (andu), in the middle (of the hall) (madhyambunanu), I have spread (vEsinAnu) a beautiful (sundarambaina) bed (mancamu) made of pure gold (aparanjitOnu);
I have nicely (amara) spread (paracinAnu) jasmine flowers (jAjulanu) thereon (andupai);
I am squeezing (paTTedanu) Your (nI) beautiful (andamau) feet (pAda yugamu);
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam 6
asamAna SUra mukta-AvaLulu meraya
asamAna giri madhya kusumamulu kuriya
bisa-ruha bhava-Adi sura bRnda kOTulu-araya
asalaina birudulu-iDi-Ucedanu sadaya (lAli)

O Unrivalled (asamAna) Hero (SUra)!
As the necklaces (AvaLulu) (literally rows) of pearls (muktA) (muktAvaLulu) (on Your chest) radiate (meraya),
as the flowers (kusumamulu) of pArijAta - tree situated in the middle (madhya) of mEru – peerless (asamAna) mountain (giri) - rain (kuriya) on You,
as brahmA – abiding (bhava) in the Lotus (bisa-ruha) – and other (Adi) (bhavAdi) multitudes (bRnda kOTulu) of celestials (sura) behold (araya) (kOTularaya) You,
O Kind hearted (sadaya)! having bedecked (iDi) You with all true (or original) (asalaina) appellations (birudulu), I am rocking (Ucedanu) (biruduliDiyUcedanu) the swing;
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

caraNam 7
bhAgavata sEvalO baDali-unnAvu
rAga virahita nannu maravanu poyyedavu
bAgaina janakajA bhAgyamA nIvu
tyAgarAjuni niNDu daya cEsi brOvu (lAli)

You are tired (baDaliyunnAvu) having been busy in the service (sEvalO) of great devotees (bhAgavata); but
O Lord bereft of (virahita) attachments (rAga)! perchance (poyyedavu) You forget (maravanu) me (nannu) (do not forget me);
O Fortune (bhAgyamA) of the graceful (bAgaina) sItA – daughter of King janaka (janakajA)!
You (nIvu) please protect (brOvu) this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni) by showing (cEsi) much (niNDu) compassion (daya);
O Lord! May You sleep; may You sleep; may You sleep.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – lAli lAlayya lAli - lAli lAlayya lAli (rAmayya).

⁶ – puDami varuDa – puDami varada : ‘puDami varuDa’ seems to be appropriate.

⁸ – nIkadi – nIkidi.

⁹ – paracinAnu – paricAnu : ‘paracinAnu’ is the appropriate form.

¹⁴ - maravanu poyyedavu – maravaka boyyEvu : ' maravaka boyyEvu' gives an opposite meaning; therefore, it does not seem to be appropriate.
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References
² – vana mAli - Lord vishNu's 'vaijayanti mAla' is called 'vanamAla'. tuLasi, mallikA, mandAra, pArijAta and Lotus are considered as constituents of vanamAla. For an article about 'garlands' and with particular reference to 'vaijayanti' and 'vanamAla'

⁴ – akrUra varada – Please refer to SrImad bhAgavataM, Book 10, Chapter 40.

⁵ – khara SirO-haraNa – Please refer to SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, AraNya kANDa, Chapter 30.

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¹¹ – asamAna giri madhya kusumamulu – pArijAta flowers – one of the celestial trees born at the time of churning of Milk Ocean. As per dEvi bhAgavataM, Book 12, Chapter 10, pArijAta tree is situated in the centre of maNi dvIpa.

As per brahmANDa purANa - lalitOpAkhyAna, SrI pura is the in middle peak of mEru; SrI pura has 7 chambers; pArijAta tree is situated in the sixth chamber.
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Comments
³ – hamsa tUlikA – (quilt made of) feathers of swan; however, the fibre of silk cotton tree (Bombax Heptaphyllum) (telugu – bUruga : tamizh –ilavam) is also generally called by the name ‘hamsa tUlikA’.

⁷ – kaDa kaNTi cUpu – kaDa kannu – equivalent to saMskRta word ‘kaTAksha’ or ‘apAnga’; in tamizh, it is called ‘kaDaikkaN’. ‘kaTAksha’ of the Lord is considered to be ‘anugraha’. In the kRti ‘rAma rAma rAmacandra’ – rAga ghaNTA, SrI tyAgarAja is not satisfied even with kaTAksha – ‘ghallu ghallu nI karamu paTTi krI kannula kaNTEmunnadi taramu?’ – After holding Your hand publicly, what match is it if You look at me just with side glances?

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¹⁰ – pAdamu paTTedanu – squeezing the feet gently induces sleep. To know more about ‘padabhyanga’

¹² – bRnda kOTi – kOTi is 10 millions (10^7); bRnda – vRnda means 100, 000 millions (or 1000 millions) (10^11) (or 10^9); therefore ‘bRnda kOTi’ would refer to 10^18 or 10^16.

¹³ – sEvalO baDaliyunnAvu – SrI tyAgarAja states that the Lord is tired having been running around to protect the devotees.
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lAli lAlayya - rAga kEdAragauLa