Transliteration Scheme

munnu rAvaNa - rAga tODi

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
munnu rAvaNa bAdhan(O)rvaka
vibhIshaNuDu mora peTTaga rAmacandra

anupallavi
1mannintun(a)nucu 2kula birudulanu pogaDina
mATala maracitivO SrI rAmacandra (munnu)

caraNam
caraNam 1
munu 3vajra bAdhalan(O)rva jAlakanu
inajuNDu ninu rAmacandra
koniyADa paritApamunu jUci
vAni madi kodava tIrcina rAmacandra (munnu)


caraNam 2
munu hEma kaSipu bAdhala sahimpaga lEka
4mura hari(y)ana rAmacandra
canuvutO prahlAdu santApamunu
tIrci saukhyam(o)sagina rAmacandra (munnu)
caraNam 3
munnu nI mahima nE vinnadi kAni
sanmuni vandya SrI rAmacandra
pannag(A)dhipa Sayana pAlinci nA vetalu
pariharincavE rAmacandra (munnu)
caraNam 4
rAja rAja 5vi-rAja vAha ravi kula jaladhi
rAja rAghava rAmacandra
rAjIva nEtra bhava stuta tyAga-
rAja 6vandita rAmacandra (munnu)


Meaning - Gist


Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
munnu rAvaNa bAdhanu-Orvaka
vibhIshaNuDu mora peTTaga rAmacandra

O Lord SrI rAmacandra! Earlier (munnu), unable to bear (Orvaka) the trouble(s) (bAdhanu) (bAdhanOrvaka) created by his elder brother rAvaNa, when vibhIshaNa (vibhIshaNuDu) entreated (mora peTTaga) You,


anupallavi
mannintunu-anucu kula birudulanu pogaDina
mATala maracitivO SrI rAmacandra (munnu)

O Lord SrI rAmacandra! have You forgotten the (maracitivO) words spoken (mATala) by You eulogising (pogaDina) the appellations (birudulanu) of Your dynasty (kula) and saying that (anucu) ‘I shall honour (mannintunu) (mannintunanucu) him’ (vibhIshaNa)?


caraNam
caraNam 1
munu vajra bAdhalanu-Orva jAlakanu
inajuNDu ninu rAmacandra
koniyADa paritApamunu jUci
vAni madi kodava tIrcina rAmacandra (munnu)

O Lord SrI rAmacandra! Earlier (munu), unable (jAlakanu) to bear (Orva) the troubles (bAdhalanu) (bAdhalanOrva) of vAli – son of indra (vajra), when sugrIva – son of sUrya (inaja) (inajuNDu) extolled (koniyADa) You (ninu),
O Lord SrI rAmacandra, who seeing (jUci) his pitiable state (paritApamunu), redressed (tIrcina) his (vAni) grievance (madi kodava) (literally mental grievance)!


caraNam 2
munu hEma kaSipu bAdhala sahimpaga lEka
mura hari-ana rAmacandra
canuvutO prahlAdu santApamunu
tIrci saukhyamu-osagina rAmacandra (munnu)

O Lord SrI rAmacandra! Earlier (munu), unable (lEka) to bear (sahimpaga) the troubles (bAdhala) of (his father) hiraNya (hEma) kaSipu, when prahlAda (prahlAdu) entreated (ana) You as “O slayer (hari) (hariyana) of demon mura!”,
O Lord SrI rAmacandra, who kindly (canuvutO) bestowed (osagina) him comfort (saukhyamu) (saukhyamosagina) by relieving (tIrci) his affliction (santApamunu)!
caraNam 3
munnu nI mahima nE vinnadi kAni
sanmuni vandya SrI rAmacandra
pannaga-adhipa Sayana pAlinci nA vetalu
pariharincavE rAmacandra (munnu)

O Lord SrI rAmacandra worshipped (vandya) by great ascetics (sanmuni)! I have only (kAni) heard (vinnadi) of Your (nI) earlier (munnu) glories (mahima);
O Lord SrI rAmacandra reclining (Sayana) on SEsha – King (adhipa) of snakes (pannaga) (pannagAdhipa)! please relieve (pariharincavE) (literally remedy) my (nA) distress (vetalu) by protecting (pAlinci) me too.
(Your earlier exploits in protecting vibhIshaNa and prahlAda should not be only history. Please relive Your glory now by relieving by distress also.)

caraNam 4
rAja rAja vi-rAja vAha ravi kula jaladhi
rAja rAghava rAmacandra
rAjIva nEtra bhava stuta tyAga-
rAja vandita rAmacandra (munnu)

O Emperor (rAja rAja) (literally king of kings)! O Lord who has garuDa – king (rAja) of birds (vi) (virAja) as carrier (vAha)! O Lord rAghava – the Moon (rAja) of the ocean (jaladhi) of Solar (ravi) dynasty (kula)! O Lord SrI rAmacandra!
O Lotus (rAjIva) Eyed (nEtra)! O Lord extolled (stuta) by Lord Siva (bhava)! O Lord worshipped (vandita) by this tyAgarAja! O Lord SrI rAmacandra!


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
6 - vandita rAmacandra – vandita SrI rAmacandra.
Top

References
2 - kula birudulanu pogaDina – The words spoken by SrI rAma regarding surrender of vibhIshaNa, after holding consultations with others, are contained in SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, yuddha kANDa – Chapter 18. He quotes the statement Rshi kaNDu son of Rshi kaNva as under –

baddhAnjalipuTaM dInaM yAcantaM SaraNAgataM |
na hanyAd-AnRSaMsyArtham-api SatruM paraMtapa ||
ArtO vA yadi vA dRptaH parEshAM SaraNaM gataH |
ariH prANAn parityajya rakshitavyaH kRtAtmanA ||
sa cEd bhayAd vA mOhAd vA kAmAd vApi na rakshati |
svayA SaktyA yathAnyAyaM tat-pApaM lOka-garhitaM ||
vinashTaH paSyatas-tasya rakshiNaH SaraNaM gataH |
AnAya sukRtaM tasya sarvaM gacchEd-arakshitaH ||
EvaM dOshO mahAn-atra prapannAnAm-arakshaNE |
asvargyaM cAyaSasyaM ca bala-vIrya-vinASanaM ||
karishyAmi yathArthaM tu kaNDOr-vacanam-uttamaM |
dharmishThaM ca yaSasyaM ca svargyaM syAt tu phalOdayE ||27 – 32 ||
Top

  • “In the name of humanity, one should not strike even an enemy arrived at one’s door and piteously soliciting protection with joined palms.
  • An enemy come for protection against his enemies, be he distressed or even proud, should be protected even at the cost of one’s life by one who has subdued one’s mind.
  • If from fear of folly or even from desire (of some gain) a man does not justly protect a refugee according to his capacity, the sin incurred by him is despised in the World.
  • If remaining unprotected, a refugee perishes before the eyes of the man who is able to protect him, the former takes away all his merit.
  • In this way a major sin is incurred by failure to protect refugees under such circumstances; for such failure shuts out heaven, brings infamy and puts an end to one’s strength and virility.
  • I shall follow the excellent counsel of kaNDu, which is in accordance with facts, is exceedingly righteous and is conducive to fame and actually leads to heaven at the time of reward.”
(Translation of the chapter)
Top

5 - virAja – As per sthala purANa of tiruvahIndipuraM (near Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu), garuDa brought virAja river from vaikuNTha and SEsha brought pAtALa tIrthaM to the kshEtra. The name of the river there is ‘garuDa nadhi’ – now colloquially called ‘gaDilaM’.
Top

Comments
Pallavi by itself is not complete in meaning unless joined with anupallavi. Therefore, it is possible that pallavi and anupallavi put together forms a single unit. In my opinion, anupallavi should be merged with pallavi; consequently, there may not be any anupallavi.

1mannintunani – this word has meanings ‘respect’, ‘honour’ and ‘forgive’. Generally, ‘forgive’ is the meaning assigned to this word. However, as vibhIshaNa has not committed any crime directly against SrI rAma, the meaning ‘forgive’ may not be appropriate. Therefore, the meaning ‘respect’ has been adopted.
Top

3vajra – This is how it is given in all books. vAli is the son of indra; ‘vajra’ (thunderbolt) is the weapon of indra; ‘vajra’ also means ‘hard’, ‘adamantine’ etc. vAli’s chest is renowned as impregnable like vajra. In the present context, though the word refers to vAli only, the reason why SrI tyAgarAja has used it, is not clear. It is possible that there is an error in the kRti.

4 - mura hari – hari – though a name of vishNu, it may not be taken as such because of the preceding word ‘mura’. Therefore, the secondary meaning - yama or take away – has been used for translation. Generally, the epithet is murAri (mura+ari) or mura hara.
Top