Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
pAhi kalyANa sundara rAma mAM
pAhi kalyANa sundara rAma

O Auspicious (kalyANa), Charming (sundara) Lord rAma! Please protect (pAhi) me (mAM), O Auspicious (kalyANa), Charming (sundara) Lord rAma!

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caraNam
caraNam 1
cadivina vADanu kAnu rAma
idi buddhi-anucu teliya lEnu (pAhi)

I am not (kAnu) literate (cadivina vADanu), O Lord rAma! I do not (lEnu) know (teliya) what is (idi anucu) (literally this is) wise (buddhi) (buddhiyanucu);
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 2
bhajiyincuTaku buddhi lEka rAma
batimAli tirigiti-indAka (pAhi)

Instead of having (lEka) wisdom (buddhi) to chant (bhajiyincuTaku) Your holy name, O Lord rAma! I have been roaming about (tirigiti) beseeching (batimAli) (people) till now (indAka) (tirigitindAka);
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 3
dina dinamu-udaramu korakai rAma
dhanikula kAciti-Ivaraku (pAhi)

Everyday (dina dinamu), for the sake of (korakai) stomach (udaramu) (dinamudaramu), O Lord rAma! I waited on (kAciti) the rich (dhanikula) till now (Ivaraku) (kAcitIvaraku);
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 4
Alu sutulu paini prEma nI
padAla-uncanaiti rAma (pAhi)

I didn’t place (uncanaiti) love (prEma), at Your (nI) holy feet (padAla) (padAlanuncanaiti), which I had for (paini) (literally on) my wife (Alu) and children (sutulu), O Lord rAma!
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 5
saMsAra sukhamu satamu-ani nAma
sAramu-eruga maracitini (pAhi)

Considering the Worldly (saMsAra) comforts (sukhamu) to be (ani) ever lasting (satamu) (satamani), I forgot (maracitini) to understand (eruga) the quintessence (sAramu) (sArameruga) of Your name (nAma);
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 6
vishaya sukha-Adula rOya lEka
virravIgi mOsamAye (pAhi)

Not (lEka) abhorring (rOya) pleasures (sukha) of sense objects (vishaya) etc (Adula) (sukhAdula), being puffed up (virravIgi), I was deceived (mOsamAye);
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 7
nEramu-entO cEsinAnu Emi
nEramu-anucu vEDinAnu (pAhi)

I have committed (cEsinAnu) many (entO) offences (nEramu), but I prayed (vEDinAnu) to You that (anucu) I have not learnt (nEramu) (literally we have not learnt) (nEramanucu) anything (Emi);
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 8
Suka sannuta nannu kanna taNDri
oka pAri SaraNu-anukonnA (pAhi)

O Lord well-praised (sannuta) by sage Suka! O Father (taNDri) who begot (kanna) me (nannu)! O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me though I sought (anukonnA) Your refuge (SaraNu) (SaraNanukonnA) once (oka pAri).

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caraNam 9
tammi kannula raghuvIra ninu
nammiti nannu-ElukOrA (pAhi)

O Lotus (tammi) Eyed (kannula) Lord raghuvIra! I trusted (nammiti) You (ninu); deign to govern (ElukOrA) me (nannu) (nannElukOrA);
O Auspicious and Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 10
ninu nammuvAru-idE mElu rAma
nI pAda sEva vEyi vElu (pAhi)

I am Your (ninu) believer (nammuvAru); this itself (idE) is good enough (mElu) for me, O Lord rAma! Service (sEva) at Your (nI) feet (pAda) is a great wealth (vEyi vElu) (literally a thousand thousand) for me;
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 11
sAkEta rAma nA mIda daya
lEka-uNDuTaku mariyAdA (pAhi)

O Lord rAma of ayOdhyA (sAkEta)! Is it proper (mariyAdA) not to have (lEka uNDuTaku) (lEkuNDaTaku) mercy (daya) on (mIda) me (nA)?
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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caraNam 12
SaraNya kOsala rAja rAma
paripAlita tyAgarAja (pAhi)

O Refuge (SaraNya)! O Lord rAma - King (rAja) of (the kingdom of) kOsala! O Nourisher (paripAlita) of this tyAgarAja!
O Auspicious, Charming Lord rAma! Please protect me.

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