Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O Noble-minded rAghava!
O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!

Please protect me.

I served You day and night, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’
I yearned for wealth called 'You'.

I prayed again and again, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’
I gathered pearls called rAma's name.

I was nicely born in this Earth, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’
I got a firm grip, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’

I trusted Your holy feet, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’
I totally filled my mind, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’

I sang Your songs, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’
I besought emancipation, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’

I became meditative, chanting ‘Protect me, O Lord rAma!’
I became Your devotee.

Please protect me.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
pAhi mAm harE mahAnubhAva rAghava

O (harE) Noble-minded (mahAnubhAva) rAghava! Please protect (pAhi) me (mAm).

caraNam
caraNam 1
pAhi rAma-anucu rEyu pagalu koliciti
pAhi rAma nIvu-anu sampadanu valaciti (pAhi)

I served (koliciti) You day (pagalu) and night (rEyu) chanting (anucu) (literally saying) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
O Lord rAma! Please protect (pAhi) me; I yearned (valaciti) for wealth (sampadanu) called (anu) 'You' (nIvu) (nIvanu);
O Noble-minded rAghava! Please protect me.

caraNam 2
pAhi rAma-anucu pAri pAri kOriti
pAhi rAma nAma muktA phalamulu-Eriti (pAhi)

I prayed (kOriti) again and again (pAri pAri) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
Please protect me (pAhi); I gathered (Eriti) pearls (muktA phalamulu) (literally pearl fruits) (phalamulEriti) called rAma’s name (nAma);
O Noble-minded rAghava! Please protect me.

caraNam 3
pAhi rAma-anucu bhuvini bAga puTTiti
pAhi rAma-anucu gaTTi paTTu paTTiti (pAhi)

I was nicely (bAga) born (puTTiti) in this Earth (bhuvini) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
I got (paTTiti) (literally gripped) a firm (gaTTi) grip (paTTu) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
O Noble-minded rAghava! Please protect me.

caraNam 4
pAhi rAma-anucu nIdu padamu nammiti
pAhi rAma-anucu manasu bAga grammiti (pAhi)

I trusted (nammiti) Your (nIdu) holy feet (padamu) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
I totally (bAga) filled (grammiti) my mind (manasu) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
O Noble-minded rAghava! Please protect me.

caraNam 5
pAhi rAma-anucu nIdu padamu pADiti
pAhi rAma-anucu parama padamu vEDiti (pAhi)

I sang (pADiti) Your (nIdu) songs (padamu) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
I besought (vEDiti) emancipation (parama padamu) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
O Noble-minded rAghava! Please protect me.

caraNam 6
pAhi rAma-anucu dhyAna paruDanu-aitini
pAhi tyAgarAja vinuta bhaktuD(ai)tini (pAhi)

I became (aitini) meditative (dhyAna paruDanu) (paruDanaitini) chanting (anucu) ‘Protect (pAhi) me, O Lord rAma!’ (rAmayanucu);
Please protect (pAhi) me, O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja! I became (aitini) Your devotee (bhaktuDu) (bhaktuDaitini);
O Noble-minded rAghava! Please protect me.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – pAhi mAm harE mahAnubhAva rAghava – In some books, this is given twice.

² – nIvanu sampadanu – nIvanucu sampadanu. The latter version does not seem to be appropriate in the present context.

⁴ – gaTTi paTTu paTTiti – gaTTi paTTu gaTTiti. As the word ‘paTTiti’ seems to be appropriate, the same has been adopted.

⁵ – manasu bAga grammiti – manasu bAgu grammiti - manasu bAguga nammiti. As the word 'nammiti' appears in the first half of the caraNa, 'nammiti' again may not be correct. Therefore, 'grammiti' has been adopted. However, it is not clear whether it is 'bAga' or 'bAgu' or 'bAguga'. Meaning has been derived here as 'bAga'; if the word is 'bAguga', there is no change in the meaning. However, if 'bAgu' is correct, then it will be translated as 'I secured well-being of my mind'.
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References

Comments
³ – muktA phalamu – SrI tyAgarAja seems to pun on the word 'muktA' – ‘a pearl - loosened from the pearl-oyster shell’ and ‘spirit released from corporeal existence’ – Source – Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary. The implication is 'I secured liberation with the help of name 'rAma' - 'rAma' is called 'tAraka' – which enables fording of Ocean of Worldly Existence. Discourse of kAnci paramAcArya candra SEkharEndra sarasvati on 'tAraka nAma'

⁶ – nIdu padamu pADiti – This may either be translated as ‘I sang the glory of Your feet’ or ‘I sang Your songs’.
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pAhi mAm harE - rAga saurAshTraM