Transliteration Scheme

mundu venuka - rAga darbAru

Tamil Version
Langauge Version

pallavi
mundu venuka(y)iru pakkala tODai
1mura 2khara hara rArA

anupallavi
endu kAna nI(y)andamu vale raghu
nandana vEgamE rArA (mundu)

caraNam
caraNam 1
caNDa bhAskara kul(A)bdhi candra
kOdaNDa pANiyai rArA
3aNDa kolucu saumitri sahituDai
amita parAkrama rArA (mundu)

caraNam 2
O gaja rakshaka O rAja kumAra
4OMkAra sadana rArA
bhAgavata priya bAga brOva(v)ayya
tyAgarAja nuta rArA (mundu)

Meaning - Gist
O Slayer of demons mura and khara! O Lord raghu nandana! O Moon born in the Ocean of the Solar dynasty! O Lord of limitless prowess! O Saviour of gajEndra! O Prince! O Supreme Lord abiding in the praNava! O Lord who is dear to great devotees! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
P mundu venuka-iru pakkala tODai
mura khara hara rArA

O Slayer (hara) of demons mura and khara! Please come (rArA) as my companion (tODai) in front (mundu), back (venuka) and on both (iru) (venukayiru) sides (pakkala).

anupallavi
A endu kAna nI-andamu vale raghu
nandana vEgamE rArA (mundu)

O Lord raghu nandana! I do not find (kAna) anywhere (endu) a charm (andamu) like (vale) that of Yours (nI) (nIyandamu);
O Slayer of demons mura and khara! Please come (rArA) quickly (vEgamE) as my companion in front, back and on both sides.

caraNam
caraNam 1
caNDa bhAskara kula-abdhi candra
kOdaNDa pANiyai rArA
aNDa kolucu saumitri sahituDai
amita parAkrama rArA (mundu)

O Moon (candra) born in the Ocean (abdhi) of the Solar – the fierce (caNDa) Sun (bhAskara) - dynasty (kula) (kulAbdhi)! Please come (rArA) wielding (pANiyai) (literally holding in hand) kOdaNDa;
O Lord of limitless (amita) prowess (parAkrama)! Please come (rArA) accompanied (sahituDai) (sahituDaiyamita) by lakshmaNa – son of sumitrA (saumitri) –one who always serves (kolucu) from your proximity (aNDa);
O Slayer of demons mura and khara! Please come as my companion in front, back and on both sides.

caraNam 2
O gaja rakshaka O rAja kumAra
OMkAra sadana rArA
bhAgavata priya bAga brOvu-ayya
tyAgarAja nuta rArA (mundu)

O Saviour (rakshaka) of gajEndra – the elephant (gaja)! O Prince (rAja kumAra)! O Supreme Lord abiding (sadana) in the praNava (OMkAra)! Please come (rArA);
O Lord (ayya) who is dear (priya) to great devotees (bhAgavata)! Please protect (brOvu) (brOvavayya) me well (bAga); O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja! Please come (rArA);
O Slayer of demons mura and khara! Please come as my companion in front, back and on both sides.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References
1 – mura - demon slayed by SrI kRshNa. This is part of the story pertaining to slaying of bhaumAsura (narakAsura) by SrI kRshNa related in SrImad bhAgavataM, Book 10, Chapter 59. Please visit web site for a brief of the story-Brief Story of Mura

2 – khara – demon (brother of SUrpanakhA) slayed by SrI rAma.

4 – OMkAra sadana - Please refer to kRti ‘jagadAnanda kAraka’ where SrI tyAgarAja describes the Lord as ‘OMkAra panjara kIra’ – ‘the parrot singing in the cage called OMkAra’. The following patanjali yOga sUtra is relevant –

tasya vAcakaH praNavH || (I.27) ||

“The word which expresses Him is OM.”
(Translation by Swami Prabhavananda)

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Comments
3 – aNDa kolucu – serve in proximity – as per meaning derived in the books, this has been applied to lakshmaNa. Apparently, that seems to the traditional meaning. However, 'aNDa' also means 'universe' and 'kolucu' also means 'to measure'. Taking such a meaning, this can be interpreted as 'one who measured (kolucu) the Universe (aNDa)' (in vAmAnAvatAra) and applied to SrI rAma.

General - According to the great hari-kathA exponent, Sri TS Balakrishna Sastrigal (Thyagaraja Ramayanam), this song was sung when SrIi tyAgarAja and his entourage were on their way back from Tirupati and, near Nagalapuram forest, thieves surrounded them. According to him, the entourage was saved by two youngsters who came in the garb of soldiers.

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