Transliteration Scheme

pAlaya SrI raghuvIra - rAga dEva gAndhAri

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
pAlaya SrI raghuvIra su-
kRp(A)laya rAja kumAra mAM (pA)

caraNam
caraNam 1
tAr(A)dh(I)Sa vadana rAma
1tAr(A)d(I)Sa damana mAM (pA)

caraNam 2
hima kara kOTi nibh(A)nga
Ehi 2makara haraNa nis-sanga mAM (pA)
caraNam 3
rAkshasa jana gaNa dUra
3makar(A)ksha samara hara SUra mAM (pA)
caraNam 4
SrI daSaratha kula SaraNa rAma
SrI-da 4Saradhi mada haraNa mAM (pA)
caraNam 5
ku-manO jana gaNa bhIma rAma
su-manO vAridhi sOma mAM (pA)
caraNam 6
5jaya vijay(A)gha virAma
6ravija yama lAlita nAma mAM (pA)
caraNam 7
tyAgarAja nuta caraNa
nity(7A)ga rAja dhara suguNa mAM (pA)

Meaning - Gist

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
pAlaya SrI raghuvIra su-
kRpA-Alaya rAja kumAra mAM (pA)

Please protect (pAlaya) me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode (Alaya) of Compassion (su-kRpA) (kRpAlaya)! O Prince (rAja kumAra)!

caraNam
caraNam 1
tArA-adhi-ISa vadana rAma
tArA-Adi-ISa damana mAM (pA)

O Moon – Overlord (adhi ISa) of stars (tArA) (tArAdhISa) - faced (vadana) Lord rAma! O slayer (damana) of vAli – Consort (ISa) of tArA and others (Adi) (tArAdISa)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!

caraNam 2
hima kara kOTi nibha-anga
Ehi makara haraNa nis-sanga mAM (pA)

Come near (Ehi) me, O Lord whose limbs (anga) resemble (in lustre) (nibha) (nibhAnga) crores (kOTi) of moons (hima kara);
O Slayer (haraNa) of crocodile or pAncajana – conch demon (makara) ! O Lord who is beyond all attachments (nis-sanga)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!
caraNam 3
rAkshasa jana gaNa dUra
makara-aksha samara hara SUra mAM (pA)

O Lord who is far removed (dUra) from the multitudes (jana gaNa) of demons (rAkshasa)!
O Valiant One (SUra) who slayed (hara) demon makarAksha in the battle (samara)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!
caraNam 4
SrI daSaratha kula SaraNa rAma
SrI-da Saradhi mada haraNa mAM (pA)

O Lord SrI rAma - the protector (SaraNa) of race (kula) of King daSaratha!
O Bestower of Prosperity (SrI-da)! O Subduer (haraNa) of the arrogance (mada) of ocean (Saradhi)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!
caraNam 5
ku-manO jana gaNa bhIma rAma
su-manO vAridhi sOma mAM (pA)

O Lord rAma – the terror (bhIma) to the evil minded (ku-manO) people (jana gaNa)!
O Moon (sOma) risen in the ocean (vAridhi) of virtuous minded (su-manO)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!
caraNam 6
jaya vijaya-agha virAma
ravija yama lAlita nAma mAM (pA)

O Lord who ended (virAma) the sins (agha) of jaya and vijaya (vijayAgha)!
O Lord whose name (nAma) is cherished (lAlita) by sugrIva (ravija) and Lord of Death (yama)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!
caraNam 7
tyAgarAja nuta caraNa
nitya-aga rAja dhara suguNa mAM (pA)

O Lord whose Holy feet (caraNa) are praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja!
O Eternal Lord (nitya)! O Lord of virtues (suguNa) who bore (dhara) mandara - the king (rAja) of mountains (aga) (nityAga)!
Please protect me (mAM), O Lord SrI raghuvIra! O abode of Compassion! O Prince!

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
The order of caraNas is given differently in some books.

References
1 – tArA - wife of vAli.

2 - makara haraNa – This may either refer to the episode of crocodile in gajEndra mOkshaM – where Lord vishNu saves the King of Elephants – gajEndra from the clutches of a crocodile or to the demon pAncajana (conch demon) whom kRshNa killed (SrImad-bhAgavatam, Book 10, Chapter 45 and vishNu purANa, Book 5, Chapter 21 refer). This is referred in the kRti ‘EmEmO teliyaka’ rAga saurAshTram – caraNa 5 (nauka caritram).

3 - makarAksha - He is the son of khara. khara – dUshaNa and their army of 24 thousand warriors were slayed by SrI rAma single-handed in the daNDaka forest. makarAksha was killed in the battle of lanka by SrI rAma.
Top

4 - Saradhi mada haraNa – The reference here is to SrImad-vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – yuddha kANDa where deciding to build cause-way across the ocean, SrI rAma prays to sAgara. But since he did not respond, SrI rAma gets annoyed and aims brahmAstra at the ocean (sAgara). Hurriedly, sAgara appears before him and enables building of cause-way on the ocean.

5 - jaya and vijaya - They were gate keepers in SrI vaikuNTa who were cursed by sanaka and other sages. They were born as hiraNyAksha – hiraNyakaSipu, rAvaNa – kumbhakarNa and kamsa – SiSupAla. Lord vishNu redeemed them by taking avatAra for their sake.

7 - aga rAja dhara – The episode referred to is the churning of ocean of milk when Lord vishNu took the avatara of a Tortoise (kUrma) and bore on his back the Mount mandara.
Top

Comments
6 – ravija yama lAlita – Both yama and sugrIva are the sons of Sun. Generally, SrI tyAgarAja uses ‘ravija’ to mean ‘sugrIva’. However, it is not clear whether in this kRti, ‘ravija yama lAlita’ means ‘the name cherished by sugrIva and yama’ or ‘the name cherished by yama – son of Sun’. In some books, only ‘yama’ is mentioned; however, in some other books, both ‘sugrIva’ and ‘yama’ are mentioned.
Top