Untitled Document

Meaning - Gist
O Auspicious rAma ! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues!
Please protect me.

You are the prop of my life; You are my auspicious form.
You are the fruit of my austerities; You are the strength of my body.
You are my family wealth; You are my auspiciousness.
You are the bliss of my mind; You are the root of my happiness.
You are my happiness; You are my charming appearance.
You are the one who has snatched my heart; You are my beauty.
You are my share of fortune; You are my indifference to Worldly objects.
You are my livelihood; You are my youth.
You are the essence of Agamas; You are far removed from demons.
You are the prop of the three Worlds; You are my pearl necklace.
You are the God of the celestials and others; You are the negation of wicked people.
You are the Supreme Lord; You are like lion to the elephantine sins.
This is the undifferentiated state (of samAdhi) and the manifestation of ISvara.
This (status) is par excellence; This is beyond the Grand Illusion.
This is the secret of the Lord of Oceans; This (secret) has been attained by tyAgarAja.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
pAhi kalyANa rAma pAvana guNa rAma

O Auspicious (kalyANa) rAma ! O Lord SrI rAma of holy (pAvana) virtues (guNa)! Please protect (pAhi) me.

caraNam
caraNam 1
nA jIva-AdhAramu nA Subha-AkAramu (pAhi)

You are the prop (Adharamu) of my (nA) life (jIva) (jIvAdharamu); You are my (nA) auspicious (Subha) form (AkAramu) (SubhAkAramu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 2
nA nOmu phalamu nA mEnu balamu (pAhi)

You are the fruit (phalamu) of my (nA) austerities (nOmu); You are the strength (balamu) of my (nA) body (mEnu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 3
nA vamSa dhanamu nAdu-aidO-tanamu (pAhi)

You are my (nA) family (vamSa) wealth (dhanamu); You are my (nAdu) auspiciousness (aidO-tanamu) (nAdaidO-tanamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 4
nA citta-Anandamu nA sukha kandamu (pAhi)

You are the bliss (Anandamu) of my mind (citta) (cittAnandamu); You are the root (kandamu) of my (nA) happiness (sukha);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 5
nAdu santOshamu nA muddu vEshamu (pAhi)

You are my (nAdu) happiness (santOshamu); You are my (nA) charming (muddu) appearance (vEshamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 6
nA manO-haramu nAdu SRngAramu (pAhi)

You are the one who has snatched (haramu) my heart (manas) (manO-haramu); You are my (nAdu) beauty (SRngAramu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 7
nA pAli bhAgyamu nAdu vairAgyamu (pAhi)

You are my share (nA pAli) of fortune (bhAgyamu); You are my (nA) indifference to Worldly objects (vairAgyamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 8
nAdu jIvanamu nAdu yauvanamu (pAhi)

You are my (nAdu) livelihood (jIvanamu); You are my (nAdu) youth (yauvanamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 9
Agama sAramu asura dUramu (pAhi)

You are the essence (sAramu) of Agamas; You are far removed (dUramu) from demons (asura);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 10
mul-lOka-AdhAramu mutlyAla hAramu (pAhi)

You are the prop (AdhAramu) of the three Worlds (mul-lOka) (mullOkAdhAramu); You are my pearl (mutyAla) necklace (hAramu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 11
dEva-Adi daivamu durjana-abhAvamu (pAhi)

You are the God (daivamu) of the celestials (dEva) and others (Adi) (dEvAdi); You are the negation (abhAvamu) of wicked people (durjana) (durjanAbhAvamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 12
paramaina brahmamu pApa-ibha simhamu (pAhi)

You are the Supreme (paramaina) Lord (bhrahmamu); You are like lion (simhamamu) to the elephantine (ibha) sins (pApa) (pApEbha);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 13
idi nirvikalpamu ISvara janmamu (pAhi)

This (idi) is the undifferentiated state (nirvikalpamu) (of samAdhi) and the manifestation (janmamu) (literally birth) of ISvara;
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 14
idi sarva-unnatamu idi mAya-atItamu (pAhi)

This (idi) (status) is par excellence (sarva unnatamu) (sarvOnnatamu); This (idi) is beyond (atItamu) the Grand Illusion (mAya) (mAyAtItamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

caraNam 15
sAgara guptamu tyAgarAja-Aptamu (pAhi)

This is the secret (guptamu) of the Lord of Oceans (sAgara); This (secret) has been attained (Aptamu) by tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjAptamu);
O kalyANa rAma! O Lord SrI rAma of holy virtues! Please protect me.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References

Comments
General – This kRti forms part of dance-drama 'prahlAda bhakti vijayam'.

¹ – aidO-tanamu – in telugu ‘aiduva tanamu’ means ‘the status of a married woman or a wife whose husband is alive’ (sumangali); the word ‘aiduva’ seems to have been used as ‘aidO’ in a colloquial way. This has been derived from the five (aidu) decorations (alankAraM) of a married woman – these are called ‘aidu vannelu’ – (1) mangaLa sUtraM, (2) turmeric, (3) kuMkuM, (4) bangles, (5) ear ornament (ear leaf) (ceviyAku).

Ear-ornament – ceviyAku - a roll of dried palm-leaf – tATanka – Please refer to SrI lalitA sahasranAmam (22) – tATanka yugalIbhUta tapanODupa maNDalA – One who wears Sun and Moon as the Ear-leaf. In saundarya lahari (28) Adi SaMkarAcArya states that ‘because of the might of tATanka of mother, Siva was not affected even after consuming poison” – Discourses of Kanchi Mahaswami on saundarya lahari.

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² – nirvikalpa – Please refer to patanjali yOga sUtra – sUtra I.51 for explanation of the term. The following quote is also relevant –

“Prahlada, the noble son of Hiranyakasipu meditated through his pure mind and enjoyed bliss in the supreme difference-less Nirvikalpa Samadhi. He seated himself statue-like in Nirvikalpa Samadhi for 5000 years. “ - Prahlada (Page 59)

³ – ISvara janmamu – this is preceded by ‘nirvikalpamu’ – undifferentiated state of samAdhi; therefore, probably this refers to the saguNa brahman (differentiated state). For definition of ‘ISvara’, please refer to patanjali yOga sUtra – sUtra I.24. (Patanjali Yoga Sutras by Swami Prabhavananda refers).

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⁴ – mAyAtItamu – beyond mAyA – The following verse of SrImad-bhagavad-gItA, Chapter 7, is relevant –

daivI hyEshA guNamayI mama mAyA duratyayA ||
mAmEva yE prapadyantE mAyAmEtAM taranti tE || 14 ||

“Verily, this divine illusion of Mine, constituted of the guNas, is difficult to cross over; those who devote themselves to Me alone, cross over this illusion.” (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)

⁵ – tyAgarAja Aptamu – In the books of CR and TSV/AKG, this has been translated as ‘Friend of tyAgarAja’. If it is given as ‘Apta’ or ‘AptuDu’, then it could be translated as ‘friend’. As it is given as ‘Aptamu’, it would mean ‘what is attained’.
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pAhi kalyANa rAma - rAga kApi