pallavi
nagu mOmu kana lEni nA jAli telisi
nannu 1brOva rAdA SrI raghuvara nI (nagu)
anupallavi
naga rAja dhara nIdu parivArul(e)lla
2ogi bOdhana jEsE vAralu kArE(y)3aTul(u)NDudurE nI (nagu)
caraNam
4khaga rAju nI(y)Anati vini vEga cana lEDO
gaganAnik(i)laku bahu dUramb(a)ninADO
5jagam(E)lE paramAtma 6evaritO moral(i)Dudu
vaga jUpaku tALanu nann(E)lukOrA tyAgarAja nuta nI (nagu)
pallavi
pallavi
nagu mOmu kana lEni nA jAli telisi
nannu brOva rAdA SrI raghuvara nI (nagu)
O SrI raghuvara! realising (telisi) my (nA) plight (jAli) of being unable (lEni) to behold (kana) Your (nI) smiling (nagu) face (mOmu), can’t (rAdA) You protect (brOva) me (nannu)?
anupallavi
naga rAja dhara nIdu parivArulu-ella
ogi bOdhana jEsE vAralu kArE-aTula-uNDudurE nI (nagu)
O Lord who bore (dhara) mandara - king (rAja) of mountains (naga) on His back!
Aren’t (kArE) all (ella) those in Your (nIDu) retinue (parivArulu) (parivArulella) the ones (vAralu) who render (jEsE) proper (ogi) advice (bOdhana) to You? would they remain (uNDudurE) (unconcerned) like that (aTulu) (kArEyaTuluNDudurE)?
O SrI raghuvara! realising my plight of being unable to behold Your (nI) smiling face, can’t You protect me?
caraNam
khaga rAju nI-Anati vini vEga cana lEDO
gaganAniki-ilaku bahu dUrambu-aninADO
jagamu-ElE paramAtma evaritO moralu-iDudu
vaga jUpaku tALanu nannu-ElukOrA tyAgarAja nuta nI (nagu)
Didn’t (lEDO) garuDa – King (rAju) of birds (khaga) - proceed (cana) fast or quickly (vEga) hearing (vini) your (nI) command (Anati) (nIyAnati)?
or, did he (garuDa) say (aninADO) that it is much (bahu) distance (dUrambu) (dUrambaninADO) from vaikuNTha (gagananiki) (literally sky) to the earth (ilaku) (gaganAnikilaku)?
O Supreme Lord (paramAtmA) who rules (ElE) the universe (jagamu) (jagamElE)! With whom else (evaritO) shall I (nE) complain (moralu iDudu) (moraliDudu)?
don’t cite (jUpaku) (literally show) pretexts (vaga); I can’t bear it (tALanu); please govern (ElukOrA) me (nannu) (nannElukOrA);
O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja! O SrI raghuvara! realising my plight of being unable to behold Your (nI) smiling face, can’t You protect me?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – brOva rAdA – brOvaga rAdA.
3 – aTuluNDudurE – aTuluNDudurA - iTuluNDadurA. The word ‘aTulu’ (that way) or ‘iTulu’ (this way) does not make much difference. However, the word ‘uNDudurE’ meaning ‘they will be like this’ and ‘uNDadurA’ meaning ‘it won't be like this’ are diametrically opposite.
In keeping with the previous phrase ‘ogi bOdhana jEsE vAralu kArE’ which is interrogatory, the context demands a question ‘would they be like this?’ Therefore, 'uNDudurE seem to be appropriate. The version 'aTuluNDadurA', (it won’t be like this) involves a change in the gender – from masculine plural to neuter singular. Therefore, it may not be appropriate.
6 – evaritO – evaritO nE.
Top
References
4 - khaga rAju - The episode of gajEndra mOkshaM is implied here. As soon as the cry of gajEndra ‘O AdimUlaM’ was heard, the Lord immediately rushed on garuDa and saved gajEndra. Therefore, SrI tyAgarAja ridicules SrI rAma whether in his case garuDa has feigned his inability to take the Lord.
Top
Comments
2 – ogi – There are two similar words in telugu – ‘Ogi’ meaning ‘duly’ and ‘Ogu’ meaning ‘evil’, ‘wicked’; However, in all books, it is given as 'ogi' (short 'o'). Here, the word ‘ogi’ with meaning ‘duly’ has been adopted.
2 – bOdhana – this word has both positive and negative meanings. Accompanied by words like ‘tattva’ (tattva bOdhana) it will give positive meaning - ‘philosophical teaching’. On the other hand, when preceded by words like ‘evari’ (evari bOdhana), this will give a negative meaning – whose instigation. Therefore, in this case, the previous word being ‘duly’, ‘bOdhana’ has been taken in a positive sense as ‘advice’.
2 – ogi bOdhana jEsE vAralu kArE – Taking meaning ‘due advice’ for (ogi bOdhana), if the remaining words of translated as it is, it would simply mean, ‘they (Your retinue) are not the ones who would give due advice’. However, taking caraNa where garuDa’s case is cited, such a meaning militates against the sense of the kRti. Therefore, this is not an affirmative sentence, but interrogatory. Accordingly, if we translate, this would mean ‘Aren’t the people of Your retinue the ones who give due advice?’.
5 - jagamElE paramAtma - How is it possible for the Lord who wields power over the whole universe would not to know the plight of an individual? - this is what SrI tyAgarAja asks. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa would say ‘The mother is happy till the child is busy playing. But the moment she hears the cry of the child – either due to hunger or some other reason, she hurries to take care of the child’. In the kRti ‘sItA nAyaka – rAga rItigauLa, SrI tyAgarAja states ‘ingitamerigi...brOcu ... dora’ – Lord who protects understanding the indications or intentions (of the devotees).
Top