Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

I have only a name as ‘servant of Your servants’; what is the use?

You do not have love towards poor pious people.

You slighted me among my compeers.
Instead of showing compassion, You said ‘It is Your fate’.

You are not piqued (even after hearing my pleadings).
You have forgotten Your splendid promises (of protection).
People say that You protected Your devotees; what a sham?

Here, this tyAgarAja has only a name as ‘servant of Your servants’; what is the use?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
nI dAsa-anudAsuDanu-ani pErE Emi phalamu

I have only a name (pErE) as (ani) ‘servant (anudAsuDanu) of Your (nI) servants’ (dAsa) (dAsAnudAsuDanani); what (Emi) is the use (phalamu) (literally result)?

anupallavi
pEda sAdhulu-andu nIku prEma lEka pOye (nI)

You (nIku) (literally for You) do not have (lEka pOye) love (prEma) towards (andu) poor (pEda) pious people (sAdhulu) (sAdhulandu);
I have only a name as ‘servant of Your servants’; what is the use?

caraNam
caraNam 1
sarivArilO nannu cauka jEsitivi kAni
karuNimpa lEka nIdu karmamu-anedavu kAni (nI)

You slighted (cauka jEsitivi) me (nannu) among my compeers (sarivArilO) and (kAni)
instead of (lEka) showing compassion (karuNimpa), You said (anedavu) ‘It is Your (nIdu) fate (karmamu) (karmamanedavu)’;
therefore (kAni), I have only a name as ‘servant of Your servants’; what is the use?

caraNam 2
rOsamu lEdu-Aye rucira vAkkulu pOye
dAsula brOcitiviaTa tyAgarAju-ilalO (nI)

You are not piqued (rOsamu lEdu Aye) (lEdAye) (even after hearing my pleadings);
You have forgotten (pOye) (literally left) Your splendid (rucira) promises (vAkkulu) (of protection);
People say (aTa) that You protected (brOcitivi) (brocitivaTa) Your devotees (dAsula); what a sham?
Here (ilalO) (literally in the World), this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) (tyAgarAjilalO) has only a name as ‘servant of Your servants’; what is the use?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – rOsamu lEdAye – rOsamu lEsamu lEdAye.
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References
² - rucira vAkkulu – splendid promises - Sri tyAgarAja asks whether the following declaration of his vow - made at the time of surrender of vibhIshaNa - contained in vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – yuddha kaNDa, Chapter 18 which is considered as SaraNAgati SAstra by bhaktAs - has been forgotten -

sakRdEva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcatE |
abhayaM sarva bhUtEbhyO dadAmi Etat vrataM mama || 33 ||

“To him, who comes to me, even once, yearning for protection (from me) saying ‘I am yours’, I vouchsafe his security against all living beings; such is my vow.”
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Comments
³ – brOcitivaTa – this is a contemptuous statement; therefore, ‘what a sham’ has been added.
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nI dAsAnudAsuDu - rAga hamIr kalyANi