Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
pAhi ramA ramaNa mAM
pAhi sad-guNa gaNa harE rAma
O Beloved (ramaNa) of lakshmI (ramA)! Deign to protect (pAhi) me; O Lord of many (gaNa) virtues (sad-guNa)! Deign to protect (pAhi) me (mAM); O (harE) Lord rAma!
caraNam
caraNam 1
cinta mAna nIdu karuNa
isumu-anta rAdu harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! If Your (nIdu) thought (cinta) is ceased (mAna), Your mercy (karuNa) will not come forth (rAdu) even a little (isumu anta) (literally as much as sand-grain) (isumanta);
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 2
entani sairintu
nEnu-Emani vEgintu harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! How much (entani) shall I (nEnu) endure (sairintu)? As to what (Emani) (nEnEmani) shall I grieve (vEgintu) (literally suffocate)?
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 3
ahaha ciluka kUna
brahmAstramunaku tagunA harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! Alas (ahaha)! Would a parrot (ciluka) chick (kUna) deserve (tagunA) a missile (astramunaku) of brahmA (brahmAstramunaku)?
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 4
cEti malle pUvu
guNDrAtiki-Orva pOdu harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! Hand-held (cEti) jasmine (malle) flower (pUvu) won’t (pOdu) bear (Orva) a pestle (guNDrAtiki) (guNDrAtikOrva);
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 5
dOsa paNDuku-eTTu rAma
tOcunu-inupa kaTTu harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! How (eTTu) would an iron (inupa) (tOcuninupa) clad (kaTTu) (literally bondage) feel like (tOcunu) to yellow melon fruit (dOsa paNDuku) (paNDukeTTa)?
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 6
dEva dEva venna katti
debbaku-OrcukonunA harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! O Lord (dEva) of celestials (dEva)! Would butter (venna) withstand (OrcukonunA) a blow (debbaku) (debbakOrcukonunA) of dagger (katti)?
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 7
talli taNDri brOvaka-uNTE
tanayuniki-E drOva harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! What (E) is the way out (drOva) for the child (tanayanuki) (literally son) (tanayunikE) if the parents (talli taNDri) (literally mother and father) are not protecting (brOvaka uNTE) (brOvakuNTE) him?
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
caraNam 8
rAja varya SaraNa
tyAgarAja vinuta caraNa harE rAma (pAhi)
O (harE) Lord rAma! O Refuge (SaraNa) of even the eminent (varya) Kings (rAja)! O Lord whose holy feet (caraNa) are well-praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja!
O Beloved of lakshmI! Deign to protect me; O Lord of many virtues! Deign to protect me; O Lord rAma!
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
Order of caraNas is changed in some books.
1 – nIdu karuNa isumanta – nIdu isumanta karuNa.
2 – nEnEmani – nEnentani.
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References
3 - ciluka kUna brahmAstramunaku tagunA – The reference is to SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, sundara kANDa, Chapter 38 wherein sItA narrates to AnjanEya about an incident in their private moments. Once, when SrI rAma was napping in the lap of sItA, a crow tried to eat the body flesh of sItA; on waking up, SrI rAma, finding sItA bleeding, got annoyed with the crow and delivered brahmAstra – an ultimate weapon - to kill it. Though, ultimately He saves the life of the crow, SrI tyAgarAja seems to say that the Lord was too harsh in using brahmAstra against a mere crow.
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Comments
4 – dOsa paNDu – (Cucumis sativus) – inupa kaTTu – At the stage when the yellow melon begins to ripe, a cloth covering is made in order to protect it from birds etc. SrI tyAgarAja questions as to how the fruit will feel if, instead of a cloth, iron clad is used.
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