Transliteration Scheme

nA morAlakimpa - rAga dEva gAndhAri

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
nA mor(A)lakimpav(E)mi SrI rAma

anupallavi
nI mahimalu vini vini nEn(e)ntO nera nammiti (nA)

caraNam
caraNam 1
oka vana caruD(a)la nADu sahOdara bAdhalu
tALaka moral(i)Da brOcitivi tanaku 1sugrIvamu kAdA (nA)

caraNam 2
oka niSi caruD(a)nna mATal(O)rvaka 2SaraN(a)nag(A)
Suka vacanamulaku nAdu palukul(a)nni 3vibhIshaNamA (nA)
caraNam 3
pUsalu kUrcina(y)aTuvale pUni bhajincaga
Asalu gala tyAgarAju dAsuD(a)nucu telisi (nA)

Meaning - Gist
O Lord SrI rAma!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
nA mora-Alakimpavu-Emi SrI rAma

O Lord SrI rAma! Why is that (Emi) You won’t listen (Alakimpavu) to my (nA) entreaty (mora) (morAlakimpavEmi)?

anupallavi
nI mahimalu vini vini nEnu-entO nera nammiti (nA)

Having again and again (vini vini) heard of Your (nI) greatness (mahimalu), I (nEnu) trusted (nammiti) You totally (entO nera) (nEnentO).
O Lord SrI rAma! Why is that You won’t listen to my entreaty?

caraNam
caraNam 1
oka vana caruDu-ala nADu sahOdara bAdhalu
tALaka moralu-iDa brOcitivi tanaku sugrIvamu kAdA (nA)

That day (ala nADu) when a (oka) forest (vana) dweller (caruDu) (caruDala) (sugrIva), unable to bear (tALaka) troubles (bAdhalu) created by his brother (sahOdara), complained (moralu iDa) (moraliDa), You protected (brOcitivi) him;
isn’t it (kAdA) that I (tanaku) too have a fine throat (su-grIvamu)?
O Lord SrI rAma! Why is that You won’t listen to my entreaty?
(You protected sugrIva – beautiful necked; I too have sugrIva – fine throat. But, You are not showing similar mercy towards me.)

caraNam 2
oka niSi caruDu-anna mATalu-Orvaka SaraNu-anaga-A
Suka vacanamulaku nAdu palukulu-anni vibhIshaNamA (nA)

When a (oka) night (niSi) prowler (caruDu) (vibhIshaNa), unable to bear (Orvaka) the words (mATalu) (mATalOrvaka) uttered by his elder brother (anna) (caruDanna), sought (anaga) Your refuge (SaraNu),
for those (A) (SaraNanagA) parrot-like (Suka) sweet words (vacanamulaku) (of vibhIshaNa), do all (anni) my (nAdu) words (palukulu) (palukulanni) sound hoarse (vibhIshaNamA) (literally terrifying) to You (that You protected him and not me)?
O Lord SrI rAma! Why is that You won’t listen to my entreaty?
(You protected vibhIshaNa – one with a terrifying voice; but You are not showing similar mercy towards me; is it because my words sound hoarse – vibhIshaNa?)
caraNam 3
pUsalu kUrcina-aTuvale pUni bhajincaga
Asalu gala tyAgarAju dAsuDu-anucu telisi (nA)

While I resolutely (pUni) chant (bhajincaga) Your names (unceasingly) like (aTuvale) beads (pUsalu) strung (kUrcina) (kUrcinayaTuvale) in a rosary,
even after knowing (telisi) that this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) having ardent desire (Asalu gala) (towards You) is (anucu) Your servant (dAsuDu) (dAsuDanucu),
why is that You won’t listen to my entreaty?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
2 – SaraNanagA Suka vacanamulaku – SaraNanagA Suka vacanamulagu - SaraNanagA Suka vacanamulO - SaraNanagA Suka vacanamulOlavi : If ‘vacanamulagu’ is correct, then it will be translated as ‘do all my parrot-like sweet words sound hoarse (terrifying) to You?’
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References

Comments
1 – sugrIva – In all the books this has been taken to mean ‘fine voice’. As per Sanskrit and Telugu Dictionaries ‘grIva’ does not have such a meaning. However, the implied meaning being ‘fine voice’ or ‘fine throat’, it has been translated accordingly.

1 - sugrIva – 3 - vibhIshaNa – SrI tyAgarAja uses these proper nouns in their literal meaning to convey his message. Both the examples refer to elder brothers of the subjects – vAli and rAvaNa respectively. It is possible that SrI tyAgarAja is implying that he too is facing similar problems from his brother. Please refer to kRti ‘A daya SrI raghu vara’ rAga Ahiri, wherein SrI tyAgarAja refers to troubles faced by him from his elder brother.
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