Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – nammi – namma.

⁶ – SaraNamanuTa - SaraNanuTa.

⁹ – Usara bhUmi – Ushara bhUmi : ‘Usara’ is the telugu version of saMskRta word ‘Ushara’.

¹³ – paricArakulakabbunA – paricArakulabbunA : parcArakulakabbunA – is the appropriate word.
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References

Comments
² – kOngavaNTi dhyAnamu – The crane waits patiently, as if meditating, in order to catch a fish.

³ – donga magaDu – a paramour. In some books, this has been translated as ‘if implicit faith is placed on a bad husband/thief husband, will he show right path?’ – by taking the word ‘donga’ (thief) separately.

'donga magaDu' is to be taken together to mean ‘paramour’. The meaning given in other books is ‘if a woman places implicit faith in lewd paramour, will he show right path?’ seems to be appropriate. It has, accordingly, been translated.

donga magani – In Hindu system, the married life is considered a stepping stone for salvation. In the durgA sapta Sati, argalA stOtraM, the following verse is relevant –

patnIM manOramAM dEhi manOvRttAnusAriNIM |
tAriNIM durga saMsAra sAgarasya kulOdbhavAM || 22 ||

“Grant me a delightful and obliging wife born in such a high family to enable me to ford the difficult ocean of Worldly Existence.”

Therefore, infidelity would go against the very purpose of marriage. This is what SrI tyAgarAja highlights.

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⁴ – ganga lOni ODa – the name ‘rAma’ is called ‘tAraka nAma’ which enables one to ford the ocean of Worldly existence; can a mere boat – even if it is in the river ganga – do the job?

⁵ – nanga nAcula – In some books, this has been translated as ‘man blinded by lust’; in some books, this has been translated as ‘wily wicked woman’; in other books, this has been translated as ‘prostitute’. Because of the mention of ‘cupid’ subsequently, it tends to convey such a meaning as given in the books.

However, as per telugu dictionary, ‘nanga nAci’ means ‘hypocrite’; ‘nanga nAci tanamu’ means ‘feigned simplicity’. Therefore, it becomes difficult to give meanings as given in the said books.

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⁷ – ananguDu jnAnOpadESamu jEsunA – SrI tyAgarAja sarcastically asks ‘who will initiate one who feigns surrender – is it going to be the cupid? Obviously, the Lord or guru is not going to initiate such a person.

⁸ – dAyAdulaku – SrI tyAgarAja seems to have suffered much in the hands of his cousins, which is found reflected in many of his kRtis.

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¹⁰ – ganga rAvi – Hibiscus (Thespesia) Populneus – the wood of the tree is worthless; pUvarasu – tamizh; pariSa (parIsha) – saMskRta

rAvi – Hindus worship the ‘pIpal’ (aSvattha) – Fig tree - Ficus Religiosa – which is called ‘rAvi’ in telugu. buddhA attained nirvANa under a fig tree. SrI tyAgarAja puns on the word ‘rAvi’ as 'ganga-rAvi'.

Please refer to SrImad bhagavad-gItA, Chapter 10, verse 26, where SrI kRshNa says 'aSvattaH sarva vRkshANAM' – 'Of all the trees, (I am) the aSvattha'.

Please also refer to ibid Chapter 15 –

Urdhva mUlam-adhaH-SAkham-aSvatthaM prAhuravyayam
chandAMsi yasya parNAni yastaM vEda sa vEdavit || 1 ||

"They speak of an eternal aSvattha rooted above and branching below whose leaves are the vEdAs; he who knows it, is vEda knower." (aSvattha : literally, that which does not endure till tomorrow : the saMsAra, the ever-changing, phenomenal world) (Translation and notes by Swami Svarupananda).

Please also refer to kaThOpanishad, II.iii.1, wherein the same words are reflected.

For more information on pIpal tree

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¹¹ – bUruga – Bombax heptaphylla – silk cotton - tamizh – ilavaM; SAlmali – saMskRta.

¹² – tirumanjana vibhavamu – Like in a drama, where the audience is the real enjoyers and not the actors, those who witness the tirumanjana of the Lord are the blessed ones and not necessarily those performing the tirumanjana in a mechanical manner.
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