Transliteration Scheme

rAma rAma rAma - rAga cencuruTi

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
rAma rAma rAma rAma rArA sItA rAma

caraNam
caraNam 1
santatambu padamulan(a)rcintu
EkAntamunanu ninn(A)rAdhintu sItA (rAma)


caraNam 2
tanivi tIra ninnu kaugilintu nAdu
dAham(e)lla tIrci sEvintu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 3
kanulu callagAnu ninnu kandu nAdu
tanuvu pulakarinca meccukondu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 4
aDug(a)Duguku maDupulan(a)ndittu
ninn(a)nusarinci mella palkanittu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 5
kannula jADalanu telisi naDutu rAma
1kaDama jAli dUramunanu viDutu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 6
pAmara vishay(A)dula nE maratu rAma
nI 2manasuna celimi jEsi karatu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 7
kosari kosari sannidhi nE kolutu rAma
kOri suraTicE visarucu pilutu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 8
toDari mEn(o)sangi 3toDalan(a)nutu ninn-
(e)Da-bAyaka bhAvamunanu talatu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 9
sammatamunan(i)ttunu ceyi vrAlu rAma
kammani viDem(i)mmani nann(E)lu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 10
iTlu dorakunA brahmak(ai)na nEn-
(i)lanu velasi 4nIvE nEn(ai)na sItA (rAma)
caraNam 11
nikkamugA 5tALa jAla raTTu rAma
ekkuvagA nAdu ceTTa paTTu sItA (rAma)
caraNam 12
jADala vinnapamu telusukOrA nI-
vADu gAka tyAgarAju vErA sItA (rAma)


Meaning - Gist
O Lord SrI rAma! O Lord SrI sItA rAma!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
rAma rAma rAma rAma rArA sItA rAma

O Lord SrI rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come (rArA); O Lord SrI sItA rAma!


caraNam
caraNam 1
santatambu padamulanu-arcintu
EkAntamunanu ninnu-ArAdhintu sItA (rAma)

I shall always (santatambu) worship (arcintu) Your Holy feet (padamulanu) (padamulanarcintu); I shall propitiate (ArAdhintu) You (ninnu) (ninnArAdhintu) in privacy (EkAntamunanu);
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!


caraNam 2
tanivi tIra ninnu kaugilintu nAdu
dAhamu-ella tIrci sEvintu sItA (rAma)

I shall embrace (kaugilintu) You (ninnu) to my heart’s content (tanivi tIra) (literally relieve desire); quenching (tIrci) all (ella) my (nAdu) thirsts (dAhamu) (dAhamella), I shall worship (sEvintu) You;
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 3
kanulu callagAnu ninnu kandu nAdu
tanuvu pulakarinca meccukondu sItA (rAma)

I shall behold (kandu) You (ninnu) to the satiation (callagAnu) (literally coolness) of my eyes (kanulu); I shall extol (meccukondu) You such that my (nAdu) body (tanuvu) would feel horripilation (pulakarinca);
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 4
aDugu-aDuguku maDupulanu-andittu
ninnu-anusarinci mella palkanittu sItA (rAma)

I shall reach (andittu) rolls of betel leaves (maDupulanu) (maDupulandittu) at every step (aDugu aDuguku) (aDugaDuguku); by adhering (anusarinci) to You (ninnu) (ninnanusarinci), I shall gently (mella) make You speak (palkanittu);
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 5
kannula jADalanu telisi naDutu rAma
kaDama jAli dUramunanu viDutu sItA (rAma)

I shall conduct myself (naDutu) by understanding (telisi) the signal (jADalanu) (literally cue) of Your eyes (kannula); O Lord rAma! I shall leave (viDutu) far behind (dUramunanu) all (jAli) (literally multitude) my wants (kaDama);
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 6
pAmara vishaya-Adula nE maratu rAma
nI manasuna celimi jEsi karatu sItA (rAma)

I (nE) shall forget (maratu) the base (pAmara) objects of senses (vishaya) etc. (Adula) (vishayAdula); O Lord SrI rAma! by befriending (celimi jEsi) Your (nI) heart (manasuna) (literally mind) I shall melt (karatu) it;
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 7
kosari kosari sannidhi nE kolutu rAma
kOri suraTicE visarucu pilutu sItA (rAma)

I (nE) shall worship (kolutu) You in Your holy presence (sannidhi) by making persistent demands (kosari kosari); O Lord rAma! while fanning (visarucu) You with fan (suraTicE), I shall solicit (pilutu) (literally call) beseeching (kOri) You;
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 8
toDari mEnu-osangi toDalanu-anutu ninnu-
eDa-bAyaka bhAvamunanu talatu sItA (rAma)

Subsequently (toDari), offering (osangi) my body (mEnu) (mEnosangi), I shall squeeze (anutu) Your thighs (toDalanu) (toDalananutu); without being separated (eDa-bAyaka) from You (ninnu) (ninneDabAyaka), I shall meditate (talatu) (literally think) on You sentimentally (bhAvamunanu);
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 9
sammatamunanu-ittunu ceyi vrAlu rAma
kammani viDemu-immani nannu-Elu sItA (rAma)

I shall give (ittunu) my consent (sammatamunanu) (sammatamunanittunu) under my signature – hand (ceyi) writing (vrAlu); O Lord SrI rAma! Please command (Elu) me (nannu) (nannElu) to offer (immu ani) (immani) scented (kammani) betel leaves (viDemu) (viDemimmani);
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 10
iTlu dorakunA brahmaku-aina nEnu-
ilanu velasi nIvE nEnu-aina sItA (rAma)

Would such a thing (iTlu) be possible to attain (dorakunA) even (aina) for brahmA (brahmakaina) that, in this World (ilanu), myself (nEnu) (nEnilanu) attaining excellence (velasi), You (nIvE) became (aina) me (nEnu) (nEnaina)?
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 11
nikkamugA tALa jAla raTTu rAma
ekkuvagA nAdu ceTTa paTTu sItA (rAma)

Truly (nikkamugA), I cannot (jAla) bear (tALa) this disgrace (raTTu); O Lord SrI rAma! hold (paTTu) my (nAdu) hand (ceTTa) (literally marry) to dignify (ekkuvagA) me;
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!
caraNam 12
jADala vinnapamu telusukOrA nI-
vADu gAka tyAgarAju vErA sItA (rAma)

Please understand (telusukOrA) my entreaty (vinnapamu) by cues (jADala); other than (gAka) being Your’s (nI-vADu), is this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) separate (vErA)?
O Lord SrI sItA rAma, rAma, rAma, rAma! Please come; O Lord SrI sItA rAma!


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
2manasuna – This is how it is given in the books. However, in the present context, it should be ‘manasunu’.
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References
4nIvE nEnaina - sArUpya - “Gajendra was by the touch of the Supreme Lord instantly freed from the ignorance of being bound and had achieved the selfsame form with four arms and yellow garments (sArUpya-mukti)....” Srimad-bhAgavatam, Book 8, Chapter 4 (Verse 6)

To know more about the four stages - sAlOkya, sAmIpya, sArUpya and sAyujya, the vaishNavaite SEshatva-dAsatva.
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Comments
1kaDama – The telugu word means 'wants', 'deficiency' etc. The same tamizh word means 'duty', 'obligation'. In view of the wordings 'dUramuna viDutu' (I shall leave far behind), the more appropriate meaning for the word (kaDama), in the overall context of the kRti, would be 'duty'. This is in keeping with exhortation of gItAcArya in Chapter 18 of SrImad-bhagavad-gItA –

sarva dharmAn-parityajya mAm-EkaM SaraNaM vraja |
ahaM tvA sarva pApEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi mASucaH || 66 ||

“Relinquishing all dharmA take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not.” (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)

However, in keeping with traditional meaning 'wants' attached to the word in the books, it has been translated accordingly here.

3toDalananutu (toDalanu anutu) – this is how it is given in the books and the meaning derived is 'squeeze the thighs'. The word 'anutu' (squeeze) seems to be colloquial usage derived from 'aNacu'.

5tALa jAla raTTu – (cannot bear this disgrace) - A cry of anguish in this caraNa means that the prior statement of sArUpya (C10) (nIvE nEnaiana) (and the services referred to in earlier caraNas) are only an expectation - yet to be fulfilled - and not an accomplishment.

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General – the whole kRti is in the bhAva of kAntA-Asakti – love of God as that of a wife – please refer to nArada bhakti sUtra 82. Please refer to wordings of CharaNa 11 wherein SrI tyAgarAja says ‘ceTTa paTTu’ which literally means ‘marry me’.

pAmara vishayAdula maratu (C6) (I shall forget the base sense objects); suraTicE visarucu pilutu (C7) (while fanning with a fan, I shall solicit You); mEnosagi toDalananutu (C8) (offering my body, I shall squeeze Your thighs) - in this regard, the following nArada bhakti sUtras are relavant –

sA na kAmayamAnA nirOdha-rUpatvAt || 7 ||
yathA vraja-gOpikAnAM || 21 ||
tad-vihInaM jArANAm-iva || 23 ||
nAsty-Eva tasmin tat-sukha-sukhitvaM || 24 ||

“bhakti (described before as parama prEma or Supreme Love) is not of the nature of lust, because it is a form of renunciation.” (7) “Such indeed was the bhakti of the gOpis of vraja.” (21) “Had they lacked this knowledge of the object the Divinity of the object of their love, their love would have been similar to the base passion of a mistress for her paramour.” (23) “There, ie., in that profane love of the mistress for her paramour, her happiness does not at all consist in the happiness of the other.” (24) (Translations by Swami Tyagisananda)

It needs to be noted that SrI tyAgarAja has first made the statement ‘I shall forget the base sense objects.’ Once the sense objects drop off, the love that remains cannot be seen in the light of common sexual love. Please refer to ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’, Chapter 23 for complete exposition on what 'divine love' means.
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