Transliteration Scheme

O rAma rAma sarvOnnata - rAga nAga gAndhAri

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
O rAma rAma sarv(O)nnata nIk(i)puD-
(O)ra-vancana(y)ElarA ghRNA-kara

caraNam
caraNam 1
1vEda Siramul(e)llan(A)daraNatO
nIvE daivam(a)ni nammaga nammiti (O rAma)

caraNam 2
2peddalaina vAri(y)oddanE satyamu
kadd(a)ni nammitini sammatini (O rAma)

caraNam 3
bandhu ratnamA dayA sindhu nIv(a)ni satya
sandhuDav(a)nukoNTini rammaNTini (O rAma)

caraNam 4
bharatu carya 3saha carunitO niNDAra
karagucu palikitivE kAcitivE (O rAma)

caraNam 5
sati mATalu sadA 4kapijucE vini sam-
matini kaugilincina Subh(A)nana (O rAma)

caraNam 6
munu bhakta kOTulu koniyADa nIvu
vArala brOcinadi lEdA mariyAdA (O rAma)

caraNam 7
I jagatini 5tyAgarAjuni brOcuTak-
(I) jAlam(i)ka tALanu(n)I vELanu (O rAma)

Meaning - Gist
O Lord rAma! O The Most Eminent of all! O Compassionate Lord! O Best of all relations! O Auspicious Faced!

  • Why this partiality by You now?
  • I trusted You because all the upanishads respectfully believe that You alone are The Lord.
  • I whole-heartedly trusted that there is truth only in what great personages say.
  • I considered that You are Ocean of mercy and True to Your Word; therefore, I called You.
  • You spoke to lakshmaNa much passionately about the conduct of bharata and also protected him.
  • Listening to the words of (or about) Your wife through AnjanEya, You whole-heartedly embraced him.
  • Earlier when great devotees extolled You, You protected them; is it honourable not to do so now when I extol You?
  • At this time, I shall not forbear further this delay in protecting this tyAgarAja in this World.

    • Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

    pallavi
    O rAma rAma sarva-unnata nIku-ipuDu-
    Ora-vancana-ElarA ghRNA-kara

    O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O The Most Eminent (unnata) of all (sarva) (sarvOnnata)!
    Why (ElarA) this partiality (Ora-vancana) by You (nIku) now (ipuDu) (nIkupuDOravancanayElarA), O Compassionate (ghRNA-kara) Lord?

    caraNam
    caraNam 1
    vEda Siramulu-ella-AdaraNatO
    nIvE daivamu-ani nammaga nammiti (O rAma)

    I trusted (nammiti) You because all (ellanu) the upanishads – acme (Siramulu) of vEdas, respectfully (AdaraNatO) (SiramulellanAdaraNatO) believe (nammaga) that (ani) You alone (nIvE) are The Lord (daivamu) (daivamani);

    caraNam 2
    peddalaina vAri-oddanE satyamu
    kaddu-ani nammitini sammatini (O rAma)

    I whole-heartedly (sammatini) trusted (nammitini) that (ani) there is (kaddu) (kaddani) truth (satyamu) only with (oddanE) those (vAri) great personages (peddalaina) (peddalainavAriyoddanE) (there is truth only in what those great personages say);
    caraNam 3
    bandhu ratnamA dayA sindhu nIvu-ani satya
    sandhuDavu-anukoNTini rammaNTini (O rAma)

    O Best (ratnamA) (literally jewel) of all relations (bandhu)! I considered (anukoNTini) that (ani) You (nIvu) (nIvani) are Ocean (sindhu) of mercy (dayA) and True to Your Word (satya-sandhuDavu) (sandhuDavanukoNTini); therefore, I called You (rammaNTini);
    caraNam 4
    bharatu carya saha carunitO niNDAra
    karagucu palikitivE kAcitivE (O rAma)

    Isn’t it that You spoke (palikitivE) to lakshmaNa – your companion (saha cara) (carunitO) - much (niNDAra) passionately (karagucu) (literally melting) about the conduct (carya) of bharata (bharatu) and also protected (kAcitivE) him (bharata)?
    caraNam 5
    sati mATalu sadA kapijucE vini sam-
    matini kaugilincina Subha-Anana (O rAma)

    O Auspicious (Subha) Faced (Anana) (SubhAnana) who, listening (vini) always (sadA) to the words (mATalu) of (or about) Your wife (sati) through (cE) AnjanEya – born of monkey (kapiju) (kapijucE), whole-heartedly (sammatini) embraced (kaugilincina) him!
    caraNam 6
    munu bhakta kOTulu koniyADa nIvu
    vArala brOcinadi lEdA mariyAdA (O rAma)

    Earlier (munu) when great (kOTulu) devotees (bhakta) extolled (koniyADa)You, didn't (lEdA) You (nIvu) protect (brOcinadi) them (vArala)? Is it honourable (mariyAdA) (not to do so now when I extol You)?
    caraNam 7
    I jagatini tyAgarAjuni brOcuTaku-
    I jAlamu-ika tALanu-I vELanu (O rAma)

    At this (I) time (vELanu), I shall not forbear (tALanu) (tALanunI) further (ika) this (I) delay (jAlamu) (jAlamika) in protecting (brOcuTaku) (brOcuTakI) this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni) in this (I) World (jagatini);

    Notes

    Variations - (Pathanthara)
    4 – kapijucE –kapi jUcE : kapi jUcE - is inappropriate.

    References
    1 – vEda Siras – upanishad are considered to be the ‘head of vEdA’ – please see Discourse of kAncI mahAsvAmi

    4 – kapiju – AnjanEya’s parents – anjana and kEsari. Please visit the website for more information on AnjanEya
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    Comments
    This kRti forms part of dance-drama 'prahlAda bhakti vijayam'.

    2 – peddalu – This will refer to sage nArada who initiated prahlAda even when he was in his mother’s womb.

    3 – saha cara – In some books, this word has been taken to mean ‘sugrIva’. However, in other books, this has been taken to mean lakshmaNa. It was lakshmaNa who was all along with SrI rAma in the forest compared to association of sugrIva for just about year, and (2) in vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – ayOdhyA kANDa (Chapter 97) – SrI rAma speaks very highly about bharata to lakshmaNa just before arrival of bharata to the forest. The most important portion of this praise is quoted below –

    ambAM ca kEkayIM rushya bharataScApriyaM vadan |
    prasAdya pitaraM SrImAn rAjyaM mE dAtumAgata: || 12 ||

    “Getting angry with mother kaikEyI and speaking unkind words to her and having obtained the consent of our father, the glorious bharata has (evidently) come to offer the throne to me.”

    5 – tyAgarAjuni brOcuTaku – It is prahlAda speaking with the name and form of SrI tyAgarAja. This is what SrI tyAgarAja calls in many kRtis as ‘bhAva’ and ‘bhAvincu’.
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