Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Lotus Eyed! O Nice Lord SrI rAma! O Consort of lakshmI! O Virtuous One! O Lord well-praised by Lord Siva! O My Lord! O Holy One! O Protector of the devotees! O Noble-minded! O Lord cherished by this tyAgarAja!

Why do You look at me obliquely? Am I alien to You?

I am not learned. If You consider faults in me, I have none to tell You that ‘it is not done’. Then, why do you look at me obliquely?
Didn’t I surrender to You, listening to the words of those highly pious people that You would protect very quickly, by becoming refuge to those people who lovingly salute You? Then, why do You look at me obliquely?
I believed You much, praying that You alone are my refuge, instead of (a) being caught in the end-less and shore-less Ocean of Worldly Existence, (b) becoming stupid and (c) failing to praise You. Did I forget You? Then, why do You ever look at me obliquely?

Won’t You kindly protect me?
Why do You still look at me obliquely?
Am I alien to You?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
O rAjIva-aksha Ora jUpulu
jUcedavu-ErA nE nIku vErA

O Lotus (rAjIva) Eyed (aksha) (rAjIvAksha)! Why (ErA) do You look (jUcedavu) (jUcedavErA) at me obliquely - sidelong (Ora) glances (jUpulu)? Am I (nE) alien (vEra) to You (nIku)?

anupallavi
nErani nApai nEramulu-encitE
kArAdu-ani palkE vAru lEni nannu (O)

O Lotus Eyed! Why are You looking obliquely at me (nannu) –
who has none (vAru lEni) to tell (palkE) You that (ani) ‘it is not done’ (kArAdu) (kArAdani), if You consider (encitE) faults (nEramulu) (nEramulencitE) in me (nApai) who is not learned (nErani)? Am I alien to You?

caraNam
caraNam 1
makkuvatO ninnu mrokkina janulaku
dikku nIvai ati grakkuna brOtuvu-ani
ekkuva sujanula-okka mATalu vini
cakkani SrI rAma dakkiti kadarA (O)

Listening (vini) to the words (mATalu) of those (okka) highly (ekkuva) pious people (sujanula) (sujanulayokka) that (ani) –
You would protect (brOtuvu) (brOtuvani) very (ati) quickly (grakkuna) by becoming (nIvai) refuge (dikku) to those people (janulaku) who lovingly (makkuvatO) salute (mrokkina) You (ninnu),
O Nice (cakkani) Lord SrI rAma! didn’t (kadarA) I surrender (dakkiti) to You?
O Lotus Eyed! Why do You look at me obliquely? Am I alien to You?

caraNam 2
miti mEra lEni prakRtilOna tagili nE
mati hInuDai sannuti sEya nEraka
batimAli nIvE gati-ani nera
nammiti kAni ninu maracitinA santatamu (O)

Instead (kAni) of being caught (tagili) in (lOna) the end-less (miti-lEni) and shore-less (mEra lEni) Ocean of Worldly Existence (prakRti) (literally nature), becoming stupid (mati hInuDai) and failing (nEraka) (literally not happen) to praise (sannuti sEya) You,
I (nE) believed (nammiti) You much (nera) praying (batimAli) that (ani) You alone (nIvE) are my refuge (gati) (gatiyani); did I forget (maracitinA) You (ninu)?
O Lotus Eyed! Why do You ever (santatamu) look at me obliquely? Am I alien to You?

caraNam 3
mA vara suguNa umA vara sannuta
dEvara daya cEsi brOvaga rAdA
pAvana bhakta jana-avana mahAnubhAva
tyAgarAja bhAvita inka nannu (O)

O Consort (vara) of lakshmI (mA)! O Virtuous One (suguNa)! O Lord well-praised (sannuta) by Lord Siva – the Consort (vara) of pArvatI (umA)! O My Lord (dEvara)! Won’t (rAdA) You kindly (daya cEsi) protect (brOvaga) me?
O Holy One (pAvana)! O Protector (avana) of the devotees (bhakta jana) (janAvana)! O Noble-minded (mahAnubhAva)! O Lord cherished (bhAvita) by this tyAgarAja!
O Lotus Eyed! Why do You still (inka) look at me (nannu) obliquely? Am I alien to You?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
² – palkE vAru – paluku vAru.

³ – dikku nIvai – dikku nIvani. Though there is no material difference, while deriving the meaning, the construction of the sentence will be different.

⁵ – inka nannu – inkanu (‘nannu’ is not given).
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References

Comments
¹ – Ora jUpu – sidelong glance – look obliquely – this is not same as ‘side glance’ which is considered as ‘grace’ (kaTAksha) (krE-kannu).

⁴ – miti mEra lEni – end-less and shore-less – ‘lEni’ is common for ‘miti’ and ‘mEra’.
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O rAjIvAksha - rAga Arabhi