Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O My Mind!

In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is the best.

In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -

than the comfort of drinking water for those who are very thirsty;
than the comfort of attaining a treasure chest by those who are in utter poverty;

than the comfort of attaining a nectar lake by those who are unable to endure the heat (of afflictions of Worldly Existence)
than the comfort of drawing courage when feeling afraid, shelter or refuge-less;

than the comfort of getting a five-course meal and pAyasa when hungry;
than the comfort of mental contemplation of Lord SrI rAma;

than the comfort of becoming serene when feeling futile wrath;
than the comfort of achieving mastery over all fields of knowledge by unlettered idiots;

than the comfort of being endowed with true devotion towards Lord SrI rAma and also knowing the taste of music;
than the behavioural comfort of those who had not acquainted with the wicked;

than the comfort of participating in a worthy vEdAnta deliberation;
than the comfort of uninterrupted experience of attribute-less natured Supreme Self;

than the comfort of performing worship without desires and malevolance; and
than the comfort conferred on Lord Siva.

Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
mElu mElu rAma nAma sukhamu-I dharalO manasA
phAla lOcana vAlmIki-Adi
bAlA-anilaja-Adulu sAkshiga

O My Mind (manasA)! In this (I) World (dharalO), the comfort (sukhamu) (sukhamI) of chanting names (nAma) of SrI rAma is the best (mElu mElu);
Lord Siva – One who has (third) eye (lOcana) on the forehead (phAla), vAlmIki and other sages (Adi) (vAlmIkAdi), pArvatI (bAlA), AnjanEya – born of Wind God (anilaja) (bAlAnilaja) and others (Adulu) (bAlAnilajAdulu) will vouch (sAkshiga) (literally witness) for it!

caraNam
caraNam 1
niNDu dAhamu konna manujulaku
nIru trAgina sukhambu kaNTE
caNDa dAridra manujulaku dhana
bhANDmu-abbina sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of drinking (trAgina) water (nIru) for those (manujulaku) who are (konna) very (niNDu) thirsty (dAhamu) and
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of attaining (abbina) a treasure (dhana) chest (bhANDamu) (literally vessel) (bhANDamabbina) by those (manujulaku) who are in utter (caNDa) (literally severe) poverty (dAridra).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

caraNam 2
tApamu sairincani janulaku-amRta
vApi-abbina sukhambu kaNTE dari
dApu lEka bhayamu-andu vELala
dhairyamu kalgu sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of attaining (abbina) a nectar (amRta) (janulakamRta) lake (vApi) (vApiyabbina) by those (janulaku) who are unable to endure (sairincani) the heat (of afflictions of Worldly Existence) (tApamu), and
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of drawing (kalgu) (literally arise) courage (dhairyamu) when (vELala) feeling (andu) afraid (bhayamu) (bhayamandu) shelter (dari) or refuge (dApu) less (lEka).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

caraNam 3
Akali vELala panca bhakshya
parama-annamu-abbina sukhambu kaNTE
SrI karuDau SrI rAmuni manasuna
cintincu sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of getting (abbina) a five-course meal (panca bhakshya) and pAyasa (parama annamu) (literally rice pudding) (paramAnnamu) (paramAnnamabbina) when (vELala) hungry (Akali), and
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of mental (manasuna) contemplation (cintincu) of Lord SrI rAma (rAmuni) – one who causes prosperity (SrI karuDau).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

caraNam 4
sAra hInamau krOdha samayamuna
SAntamu kalgu sukhambu kaNTE
nErani mUDhulaku sakala vidyA
pAramu teliyu sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of becoming (kalgu) serene (SAntamu) when (samayamuna) feeling futile (sAra hInamau) (literally bereft of purpose) wrath (krOdha), and
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of achieving (teliyu) (literally knowing) mastery (pAramu) over all (sakala) fields of knowledge (vidyA) by unlettered (nErani) idiots (mUDhulaku).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

caraNam 5
rAmunipai nija bhakti kaligi gAna
rasamu telisina sukhambu kaNTE
pAmara celimi sEyani vAri
bhAvamu lOni sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of being endowed (kaligi) with true (nija) devotion (bhakti) towards Lord SrI rAma (rAmunipai) and also knowing (telisina) the taste (rasamu) of music (gAna), and
than (kaNTE) the behavioural (bhAvamulOni) comfort (sukhambu) of those (vAri) who had not acquainted (celimi sEyani) with the wicked (pAmara).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

caraNam 6
cEya tagu vEdAnta vicAraNa
cEyaga kalgu sukhambu kaNTE
bAyaka nirguNa bhAvamu gala para
brahma-anubhava sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) arising from (kalgu) participating (cEyaga) in a worthy (cEya tagu) vEdAnta deliberation (vicAraNa), and
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of uninterrupted (bAyaka) experience (anubhava) of attribute-less (nirguNa) natured (bhAvamu gala) Supreme Self (para brahma) (brahmAnubhava).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

caraNam 7
rAjasa tAmasa guNamu lEni
pUjalu kalgu sukhambu kaNTE
rAja SikhA maNi-aina tyAga-
rAjuku-osangu sukhambu kaNTE (mElu)

O My mind! In this World, the comfort of chanting names of SrI rAma is much better -
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) of performing (kalgu) (literally arising) worship (pUjalu) without (lEni) desires (rAjasa) and malevolance (tAmasa), and
than (kaNTE) the comfort (sukhambu) conferred (osangu) on Lord Siva - tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuku) (tyAgarAjukosangu) – who is (aina) adorned with digit of moon (rAja) on His head (SikhA) as a jewel (maNi) (maNiyaina).
Lord Siva, vAlmIki and other sages, pArvatI, AnjanEya and others will vouch for it.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
⁵ – dari dApu – dApu.
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References
² – bAlA – generally, a girl under 16 years of age. 'bAlA' is the daughter of Mother mahA tripura sundari and is 9 years old; She slayed the sons of bhaNDAsura (lalitA sahasranAma – 74 and 965 refer).

⁶ – panca bhakshya – Five kinds of Eating – carva - masticating, khAdana - chewing, lEhya – licking, cOSya – sucking, pEya – drinking; This may also mean food with six kinds of tastes – (shaDrasa) - tamizh aRusuvai – sweet (madhura - inippu), sour (amla - puLippu), salt (lavaNa - uvarppu), bitter (kaTu - kasappu), pungent (tIkshNa - kAraM), astringent (kashAya - tuvarppu); kaTu also means pungent. In the kRti, paramAnnaM represents ‘sweet’.
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Comments
¹ – mElu mElu – in the pallavi it will be translated as 'the best'. However, when connecting the caraNas, it will be translated as 'much better' as a comparison.

³ – sAkshiga – this is a form of swearing.
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⁴ – tApamu – In my opinion, if this word means merely ‘heat’, then ‘rain’ would have been sufficient relief; but as SrI tyAgarAja mentions ‘nectar’ as the relief, the word ‘tApa’ would mean the ‘tApatraya- (afflictions of Worldly Existence) - AdhyAtmika, Adhi-daivika, Adhi-bhautika.

⁶ – panca bhakshya paramAnnaM – in Tamil Nadu, this is a common usage to indicate a grand feast.

⁷ – manusuna cintincina – It is rather interesting that SrI tyAgarAja discounts even contemplation on the Lord rAma over chanting of names of Lord rAma.
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⁸ – bAyaka nirguNa bhAvamu gala para brahma anubhava – uninterrupted experience of attribute-less natured Supreme-Self – I consider it blasphemous to make an intellectual appreciation of this profound experience attainable by a few blessed mortals making them immortals.

⁹ – rAjasa pUjalu – (kAmya pUja) worship undertaken for fulfilment of certain desires which are begun with a sankalpa.

⁹ – tAmasa pUjalu – worship undertaken with the intention of causing harm to others.
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¹⁰ – rAja SikhAmaniyaina tyAgarAjukosangu sukhambu – In the books, this has been translated as ‘the happiness conferred on Lord tyAgarAja – wearer of digit of moon’. There are some kRtis where SrI tyAgarAja uses his ‘mudra’ (tyAgarAja) to mean Lord Siva.

¹⁰ – tyAgarAjuku osangu sukhamu – Lord Siva is stated to utter ‘rAma’ nAma – tAraka - in the ears of those who die at kASi – Muktika Upanishad refers.
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mElu mElu rAma nAma - rAga saurAshTraM