Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O Damsels!

All the paraphernalia (of the Lord) are charmingly shining in the hands of people resembling demi-Gods;
true devotees are extolling Him to the delight of their hearts;
jasmine garlands, together with a lot of ornaments, are dazzling on His white body.

He is whole-heartedly accepting, at every step, all nice sacred offerings;
He is proceeding with the intent that ‘I shall search and bestow, abundantly, their wishes to those devoted people who always perform name-chanting and penances’;

He is watching the splendour of great devotees performing nicely the exposition of the songs of the names Lord hari with sweet musical notes in exquisite rAgas;
He has become the Ocean of Mercy and ever-vigilant for protection of all virtuous people quickly;
He is proclaiming that ‘I am the tyAgarAja who bestows wishes’.

Is this grandeur attainable even for brahmA and others? Come, let us behold!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
muccaTa brahmA-Adulaku dorakunA
muditalAra jUtAmu rArE

Is the grandeur (muccaTa) attainable (dorakunA) even for brahmA and others (Aduluku) (brahmAdulaku)? O Damsels (muditalAra)! Come (rArE), let us behold (jUtAmu)!

anupallavi
paccani dEhini parama pAvanini
pArvatini talacucunu haruDu-EgeDu (muccaTa)

Is the grandeur of Lord Siva (haruDu) going in procession (EgeDu) (haruDEgeDu) -
thinking of (talacucunu) pArvati (pArvatini) – the (dark) green (paccani) bodied (dEhini) - the supremely (parama) holy (pAvani) (pAvanini) One –
attainable even for brahmA and others? O Damsels! Come, let us behold!

caraNam
caraNam 1
cillara vElpula rIti narula kara
pallavamulanu taLukku-anucu birudulu-
ella meraya nija bhaktulu pogaDaga
ullamu ranjilla
tellani mEnuna niNDu sommulatO
malle hAramulu mari SObhillaga
callani vELa sakala nava ratnapu
pallakilO vEncEsi vaccu (muccaTa)

As all (ella) the paraphernalia (birudulu) (of the Lord) charmingly (taLukku anucu) (taLukkanucu) shine (meraya) in the hands (kara pallavamulanu) (literally fingers of hands) of people (narula) resembling (rIti) demi-Gods (cillara vElpula),
as true (nija) devotees (bhaktulu) extol (pogaDaga) Him to the delight (ranjilla) of their hearts (ullamu), and (mari)
as jasmine (malle) garlands (hAramulu) together with a lot of (niNDu) ornaments (sommulu) (sommulatO) dazzle (SObhillaga) on His white (tellani) body (mEnuna) ,
is the grandeur of Lord Siva, coming (vaccu) in procession (vEncEsi) in the palanquin (pallakilO) studded with all (sakala) precious stones (nava ratnapu) in the cool (callani) hours (vELa), attainable even for brahmA and others? O Damsels! Come, let us behold!

caraNam 2
hitamaina sakala naivEdyambula
sammatamuna aDugu-aDuguku-Aragimpucu
mitamu lEni upacAramulatOnu-
ati santOshamuna satatamu
japa tapamulanu-onarincu
nata janulaku-abhIshTamulu-avvAriga
vetagi-osagudunu-anucu panca nadI
pati veDali sogasu mIraga vaccu (muccaTa)

Is the grandeur of Lord Siva – the Lord (pati) of five (panca) rivers (nadI) coming (vaccu) in procession (veDali) very (mIraga) charmingly (sogasu),
whole-heartedly (sammatamuna) accepting (Aragimpucu) at every step (aDugaDduguku) (aDugaDugukAragimpucu) all (sakala) nice (hitamaina) sacred offerings (naivEdyambula),
along with plenty of (mitamu lEni) (literally limit-less) services (upacAramulatO) (upacAramulatOnati), and
very (ati) joyfully (santOshamuna),
with the intent that (anucu) ‘I shall search (vetagi) and bestow (osagudunu) (vetagiyosagudunanucu), abundantly (avvAriga), their wishes (abhIshTamulu) to those devoted (nata) people (janulaku) (janulakabhIshTamulavvAriga) who always (satatamu) perform (onarincu) name-chanting (japa) and penances (tapamulu) (tapamulanonarincu)’
attainable even for brahmA and others? O Damsels! Come, let us behold!

caraNam 3
bhAgavatulu hari nAma kIrtanamu
bAguga su-svaramulatO vinta
rAgamulanu-AlApamu sEyu
vaibhOgamulanu jUci
nAga bhUshaNuDu karuNA nidhiyai
vEgamu sakala su-jana rakshaNamuna
jAga-rUkuDai kOrkelanu-osagu
tyAgarAju tAnu-anucunu vaccu (muccaTa)

Is the grandeur of Lord Siva – wearer of serpents (nAga) as ornaments (bhUshaNuDu) - coming (vaccu) in procession
becoming Ocean (nidhiyai) of mercy (karuNA) watching (jUci) the splendour (vaibhOgamulanu) of great devotees (bhAgavatulu) performing (sEyu) nicely (bAguga) the exposition (AlApamu) of the songs (kIrtanamu) of the names (nAma) Lord hari with sweet musical notes (su-svaramulatO) in exquisite (vinta) rAgas (rAgamulanu), and
becoming ever-vigilant (jAga-rUkuDai) for protection (rakshaNamuna) of all (sakala) virtuous people (sujana) quickly (vEgamu),
proclaiming that (anucunu) ‘I am (tAnu) (tAnanucunu) the tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) who bestows (osagu) wishes (kOrkelanu) (kOrkelanosagu)’,
attainable even for brahmA and others? O Damsels! Come, let us behold!

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – muditalAra – muditulAra.

² – cillara vElpula rIti narula – callarE vElpula rIti virula : the latter version is wrong.
Top

References

Comments
¹ – mudita –damsels - The following episode in the life of Saint Mirabai will illustrate why SrI tyAgarAja calls others as ‘damsels’ -

"The Only Man In Brindavan.

There is a fascinating story connected with Mira's life in Brindavan. There were many saints in Brindavan. Jeeva Goswami was prominent among them. He followed a very strict vow. He would not allow even the shadow of a woman to touch him. So women could never go and see him. Having joined Chaitanya Dev's Bhakti Movement he was spreading the cult of Bhakti.

Having a high regard for saints and sages Mira went to see this great man. At the very entrance of the hermitage she was stopped by a disciple of Goswami. He said, 'The Swamiji will not see any woman.'

Mira only laughed at this and said, 'I thought the only man in Brindavan is Sri Krishna. Now, I see there is a rival to Him.' These words pierced the heart of Goswami like a sharp pointed lance. He came out of his cottage and walked up barefooted and conducted Mira into the hermitage with all honor.

In the Bhakti cult the love of the wife for her husband is said to be the best form of devotion. According to this all are women in this world. God is the only Man. In Brindavan the only man is Sri Krishna. All the rest, the devotees, are Gopis. There is no distinction of sex among devotees. They should imbibe the feeling that God is their husband. If a devotee has this feeling he cannot obstinately refuse to see women. Knowing this, if he behaves with the presumption of being a man, it amounts to being a rival to God."

Complete Life story of Saint Mirabai

Top

² – cillara vElpula – demi-gods - those carrying the paraphernalia of the Lord (like umbrella etc) are smartly dressed and look like demi-Gods.

³ – tyAgarAju – Here, 'tyAgarAju' seems to refer to Lord Siva.
Top

muccaTa - rAga madhyamAvati