pallavi
paritApamu kani(y)ADina
palukula maracitivO nA (pari)
anupallavi
sari lEni sItatO
sarayu madhyambuna nA (pari)
caraNam
varamagu bangAru 1vADanu
merayucu 2padi pUTalapai
3karuNincedan(a)nucu 4krE-
kanula tyAgarAjuni (pari)
pallavi
paritApamu kani-ADina
palukula maracitivO nA (pari)
Have You forgotten (maracitivO) the words (palukula) You uttered (ADina) seeing (kani) (kaniyADina) my (nA) pitiable state (paritApamu)?
anupallavi
sari lEni sItatO
sarayu madhyambuna nA (pari)
Have You forgotten the words You uttered seeing my (nA) pitiable state while You were in the midstream (madhyambuna) of river sarayu along with the peerless (sari lEni) sItA (sItatO)?
caraNam
varamagu bangAru vADanu
merayucu padi pUTalapai
karuNincedanu-anucu krE-
kanula tyAgarAjuni (pari)
Have You forgotten the words You uttered,
while shining (meryucu) in the nice (varamagu) golden (bangAru) boat (vADanu),
looking with side (krE) glance (kanula) at the pitiable state of this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni),
that (anucu) you would show grace (karuNincedanu) (karuNincedananucu) after (pai) ten (padi) days (pUTala)?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – vADa – vODa. The words ‘vADa’ and ‘ODa’ have similar meaning – ‘a boat’. If ‘ODa’ has been used by SrI tyAgarAja, then when it is joined to ‘bangAru’, it could become ‘vODa’.
4 – krE-kanula – krI-kanulanu. There is a difference between these two words – ‘krI-kanula’ means ‘down-cast glance’ or ‘dejection’; ‘krE-kanula’, as per telugu dictionary, means 'apAnga', ‘askance’ or ‘side-long glance’ or ‘suspiciously’. The saMskRta, word 'apAnga' and saMskRta, telugu and tamizh word ‘kaTaksha’ aka ‘side-glance’, means ‘anugraha’, ‘karuNa’, ‘kindness’, ‘favour’. Therefore, in the present context, considering the preceding word ‘karuNinceda’, the appropriate word seems to be ‘krE-kanula’ ie ‘kaTAksha’ and not ‘krI-kanula’.
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References
3 – karuNincedanu – SrI tyAgarAja uses a present tense for a future action. When the Lord wills something, it is considered as 'done'. Therefore, even if the action is to take place after ten (or five) days, it is as good as 'done' now. This is 'satya sankalpa' or siddha sankalpa' – vishNu sahasranAma (253).
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Comments
2 – padi pUTa – In some books, this has been translated as ‘ten days’; in other books, this has been translated as ‘five days’. pUTa means a part of the day. Therefore ‘padi pUTa’ may mean five days also if each day time or night time is taken as one pUTa. However, in the absence of any definite measurement involved, it has been translated as ‘ten days’.
According to Shri TS Balakrishna Sastrigal, the great exponent of harikathA, this song pertains to the fag end of life of SrI tyAgarAja and after he sang this song, he attained mOksha as promised by the Lord.
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