Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O Lord who bestows uninterrupted bliss or comfort! O Lord whose name ferries across the Ocean of Worldly Existence - praised by this tyAgarAja!

Is it all for this purpose that we reared our bodies by feeding nice food?

Is it for the purpose of dissolving our lives in the water that we reared our bodies by feeding nice food?

Is it all for this purpose –

that we opposed our in laws for Your sake?
that we felt happy that at least from now onwards we would remain attaining excellence?

that we searched so that Your service would be possible to our hearts’ content?
that we underwent harassment in the hands of elders because we could not remain separated from You?

that we meditated on You even at the time of bathing and eating etc.,?
that we struggled for surrendering our bodies as Your property?

that we are (now) struggling in the yamunA river, being delicate women?
that we fondly secured boons from Lord SrI rAma in our previous birth?

that we sought (this birth) by performing penances through millions of births?
that we are mentally putting up with all Your unparalleled pranks?

that we adhered to Your path that You are the indweller of Agamas, vEdas and epics?
that we realised Your true nature?

Is it all for this purpose that we reared our bodies by feeding nice food?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
perugu pAlu bhujiyinci tanuvula
pencinadi-ella-indukA

Is it all (ella) for this purpose (indukA) that we reared (pencinadi) (pencinadellanindukA) our bodies (tanuvula) by feeding (bhujiyinci) nice food (perugu pAlu) (literally curd and milk)?

anupallavi
niravadhi sukha dAyaka mA vayasu
nITanu kalayuTa-andukA (perugu)

O Lord who bestows (dAyaka) uninterrupted (niravadhi) bliss or comfort (sukha)!
Is it for the purpose (andukA) of dissolving (kalayuTaku) (kalayuTandukA) our (mA) lives (vayasu) (literally age) in the water (nITanu) that we reared our bodies by feeding nice food?

caraNam
caraNam 1
atta mAmalatO nIkai mEmu-eduru-
ADinadi-ella-indukA
satta kaligi-ikanainA-undumu-ani
santasillinadi-indukA (perugu)

Is it all (ella) for this purpose (indukA) that we (mEmu) opposed (eduru ADinadi) (mEmedurADinadellayindukA) our in laws - aunt (atta) and uncle (mAma) (mAmalatO) for Your sake (nIkai)?
is it for this purpose (indukA) that we felt happy (santasillinadi) (santasillinadindukA) that (ani) at least from now onwards (ikanainA) we would remain (undumu) attaining (kaligi) (kaligiyikanainAyundumani) excellence (satta)?

caraNam 2
Asa tIra nI sEva valayunu-ani
arasinadi-ella-indukA
bAsi-uNDa nEraka peddalacE
bAmula jendinadi-indukA (perugu)

Is it all (ella) for this purpose (indukA) that (ani) we searched (arasinadi) (arasinadellanindukA) so that Your (nI) service (sEva) would be possible (valayunu) (valayunani) to our hearts’ content (Asa tIra)?
Is it for this purpose (indukA) that we underwent (jendinadi) (jendinadindukA) harassment (bAmula) in the hands of elders (peddalacE) because we could not (nEraka) remain (uNDa) separated (bAsi) (bAsiyuNDa) from You?

caraNam 3
snAna pAnamulu sEyu vELa ninu
dhyAnamu jEsinadi-indukA
mEnula nI sommulu sEyuTakai
mEmu-allADinadi-indukA (perugu)

Is it for this purpose (indukA) that we meditated (dhyAnamu jEsinadi) (jEsinadindukA) on You (ninu) even at the time (vELa) of bathing (snAna sEyu) and eating etc., (pAnamulu sEyu) (literally drinking)?
Is it for this purpose (indukA) that we (mEmu) struggled (allADinadi) (literally wander about) (mEmallADinadindukA) for surrendering (sEyuTakai) (literally make) our bodies (mEnula) as Your (nI) property (sommulu)?

caraNam 4
taliru bONulai yamunA nadilO
tallaDillEdi-indukA
valacucu toli janmamu rAmunicE
varamulu paDasinadi-indukA (perugu)

Is it for the purpose (andukA) that we are (now) struggling (tallaDillEdi) (tallaDillEdindukA) in the yamunA river (nadilO), being delicate (taliru) women (bONulai)?
Is it for this purpose (indukA) that we fondly (valacucu) secured (paDasinadi) (paDasinadindukA) boons (varamulu) from Lord SrI rAma (rAmunicE) in our previous (toli) birth (janmamu)?

caraNam 5
kOTi janmamulu tapamulu jEsi
kOrinadi-ella-indukA
sATi lEni nI lIlalu manasuna
sairinci-unnadi-indukA (perugu)

Is it all (ella) for this purpose (indukA) that we sought (kOrinadi) (kOrinadellanindukA) (this birth) by performing (jEsi) penances (tapamulu) through millions (kOTi) (literally a crore) of births (janmamulu)?
Is it for this purpose (indukA) that we are mentally (mansuna) putting up with (sairinci unnadi) (sairinciyunnadindukA) all Your (nI) unparalleled (sATi lEni) pranks (lIlalu)?

caraNam 6
Agama nigama purANa cAruDu-ani
anusarincinadi-indukA
tyAgarAja nuta tAraka nAma nI
tatvamu telisinadi-indukA (perugu)

Is it for this purpose (indukA) that we adhered (anusarincinadi) (anusarincinadindukA) to Your path that (ani) You are the indweller (cAruDu) (cAruDani) of Agamas, vEdas (nigama) and epics (purANa)?
O Lord whose name (nAma) ferries across (tAraka) the Ocean of Worldly Existence - praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja! I it for this purpose (indukA) that we realised (telisinadi) (telisinadindukA) Your (nI) true nature (tatvamu)?
Is it all for this purpose that we reared our bodies by feeding nice food

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
¹ – tanuvula – tanuvunu.
In some books Anupallavi is included as part of Pallavi.
³ – kalayuTandukA – kalipETandukA.
⁵ – arasinadi – alasinadi.
⁶ - mEnula nI sommulu – mEnu nI sommu.
⁷ – tallaDillEdindukA – tallaDilluTandukA.
¹⁰ – tyAgarAja nuta – tyAgarAja sannuta.
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References
⁸ – toli janmamu rAmunicE varamulu paDasinadi – Please refer to the story about Rshis of daNDakAraNya being born as gOpis. But there is no such reference in vAlmIki rAmAyaNa. In the kRti ‘muddu mOmu’ – rAga sUryakAntaM, SrI tyAgarAja states –

muddu mOmu ElAgu celangenO
munuleTla kani mOhincirO

kaddanucunu cira kAlamu hRdayamu
karagi karagi nilcu vArikeduTa rAmuni (muddu)
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“I wonder how did the charming face of Lord rAma appear to those who waited for Him for a long time melting in their hearts with the conviction about His impending arrival and how the ascetics became entranced by beholding the face of the Lord!

"In a story often cited, 60,000 sages wanted to become united with Vishnu in His incarnation as Rama. Rama tells the sages that He cannot oblige them in His present role, for as Rama He is sworn to monogamy. But He will oblige them in His next incarnation as KRshNa; the sages can all be reborn as cowherd women (Gopis) and unite with Him in love..." (website cited above)
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Comments
² – indukA – is it for this purpose? – The question is answered in anupallavi ‘mA vayasu nITa kalayuTandukA’ – ‘Is it for the purpose of dissolving our lives in the water’. In the previous kRti ‘unna tAvuna’, rAga ghaNTA, gOpis lament that they are doomed in kALindi river (gati kALindi manaku ika mIda).

⁴ – satta kaligi – In my opinion, in order to derive a suitable meaning, we should read this half of the caraNa together with second half of caraNa 4 and first half of caraNa 5 wherein the real nature of gOpis is explained – they were indeed sages who desired union with the Lord and they were born as gOpis.

⁹ – lIlalu – in view of the ensuing word ‘sairinci’ – ‘to put up with’, this would refer to the innumerable pranks played by the Lord.
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This kRti forms part of dance-drama ‘nauka caritram’ – The Boat Story.

(Background - The gOpis meet kRshNa at the yamunA river and travel in a boat happily. In their excitement of meeting kRshNa, gOpis become proud thinking that kRshNa is their property. In order to remove their proudiness, kRshNa creates a storm in the river and as the boat is tossed about, it develops a crack and water starts entering the boat. kRshNa feigns illness and the gOpis become desperate as to how they would reach shore and ensure safety of kRshNa.)
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perugu pAlu - rAga ghaNTA