Transliteration Scheme

rAma raghu kula - rAga kApi

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
rAma raghu kula jala nidhi sOma lOk(A)bhirAma

anupallavi
tAmara cUlik(ai)nanu nI mahimalu teliya vaSamA (rAma)

caraNam
caraNam 1
SaraN(A)gata jana rakshaka sura pAla mukha jita sudhA-
kara ninnu vibhIshaNuDu SaraN(a)nagAnE
sura muni jana vairi sahOdaruD(a)nucunu(n)encaka nI
1birudunu pogaDucu lankA pura patigA jEsina SrI (rAma)

caraNam 2
sura pUjita pada nIdu vara rUpamu kana jAlaka
girijA ripu hara Sankara saumitri
dharaj(A)nila tanaya vibhAkara suta daSa vadan(A)nuja
bharatulu pogaDaga tommidi guriki 2divya dRshTin(i)ccina (rAma)

caraNam 3
jalaj(A)ruNa caraN(A)sura jalad(A)Suga SrI raghu kula
tilak(A)dbhuta guNa 3Subhamulu gala tyAgarAja
kula pAvana kali yuga manujulakunu 4nI tArakamu
niTala nEtruni cEtanu vInula palkanugA
jEsina (rAma)


Meaning - Gist
O Lord SrI rAma! O Moon born in the Ocean of raghu dynasty! O Delighter of the Worlds! O Protector of those who have sought Your refuge! O Protector of the celestials! O Lord (splendour of) whose face vanquishes the moon! O Lord whose feet are worshipped by the celestials! O Lord whose feet are red like lotus! O Gale which blows away the clouds called the demons! O Most Eminent of the dynasty of SrI raghu! O Lord of Wonderful virtues! O Purifier of the clan of this tyAgarAja endowed with auspiciousness!


Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
rAma raghu kula jala nidhi sOma lOka-abhirAma

O Lord SrI rAma! O Moon (sOma) born in the Ocean (jala nidhi) of raghu dynasty (kula)! O Delighter (abhirAma) of the Worlds (lOka) (lOkAbhirAma)!


anupallavi
tAmara cUliki-ainanu nI mahimalu teliya vaSamA (rAma)

Is it possible (vaSamA) even (ainanu) for brahmA – born (cUliki) (cUlikainanu) of Lotus (tAmara) - to know (teliya) Your (nI) greatness (mahimalu)?
O Lord SrI rAma! O Moon born in the Ocean of raghu dynasty! O Delighter of the Worlds!


caraNam
caraNam 1
SaraNa-Agata jana rakshaka sura pAla mukha jita sudhA-
kara ninnu vibhIshaNuDu SaraNu-anagAnE
sura muni jana vairi sahOdaruDu-anucunu-encaka nI
birudunu pogaDucu lankA pura patigA jEsina SrI (rAma)

O Protector (rakshaka) of those (jana) who have sought (Agata) Your refuge (SaraNa) (SaraNAgata)! O Protector (pAla) of the celestials (sura)! O Lord (splendour of) whose face (mukha) vanquishes (jita) the moon (sudhA-kara)!
O Lord SrI rAma who -
as soon as vibhIshaNa (vibhIshaNuDu) sought (anagAnE) Your (ninnu) refuge (SaraNu) (SaraNanaganE),
without considering (encaka) that (anucunu) he is the brother (sahOdaruDu) (sahOdaruDanucununencaka) of the sworn enemy (vairi) of celestials (sura) and ascetics (muni jana),
declaring (pogaDucu) (literally eulogising) Your (and Your race’s) (nI) appellations (birudunu),
made (jEsina) him the King (patigA) of the City (pura) of lankA!
O Moon born in the Ocean of raghu dynasty! O Delighter of the Worlds!


caraNam 2
sura pUjita pada nIdu vara rUpamu kana jAlaka
girijA ripu hara Sankara saumitri
dharajA-anila tanaya vibhAkara suta daSa vadana-anuja
bharatulu pogaDaga tommidi guriki divya dRshTini-iccina (rAma)

O Lord whose feet (pada) are worshipped (pUjita) by the celestials (sura)!
O Lord SrI rAma who bestowed (iccina) divine (divya) sight (dRshTini) (dRshTiniccina) on these nine (tommidi) persons (guriki) -
pArvati – daughter of Mountain (girijA), Satrughna – the vanquisher (hara) of enemies (ripu), Lord Siva (Sankara), lakshmaNa – son of sumitrA (saumitri),
sItA – daughter of Earth (dharajA), AnjanEya – son (tanaya) of Wind God (anila) (dharajAnila), sugrIva – son (suta) of Sun (vibhA-kara), vibhIshaNa – younger brother (anuja) of rAvaNa – the ten (daSa) faced (vadana) (vadanAnuja) and bharata (bharatulu),
when they prayed (pogaDaga) (literally praised) to You being unable (jAlaka) to behold (kana) Your divine (vara) form (rUpamu)!
O Moon born in the Ocean of raghu dynasty! O Delighter of the Worlds!
caraNam 3
jalaja-aruNa caraNa-asura jalada-ASuga SrI raghu kula
tilaka-adbhuta guNa Subhamulu gala tyAgarAja
kula pAvana kali yuga manujulakunu nI tArakamu
niTala nEtruni cEtanu vInula palkanugA jEsina (rAma)

O Lord whose feet (caraNa) are red (aruNa) like lotus (jalaja) (jalajAruNa)!
O Gale (ASuga) which blows away the clouds (jalada) (jaladASuga) called the demons (asura) (caraNAsura)! O the Most Eminent (tilaka) (literally the auspicious mark on fore-head) of the dynasty (kula) of SrI raghu!
O Lord of Wonderful (adbhuta) (tilakAdbhuta) virtues (guNa)! O Purifier (pAvana) of the clan (kula) of this tyAgarAja endowed (gala) with auspiciousness (Subhamulu)!
O Lord SrI rAma who -
ordained (jEsina) (literally made) uttering (palkanugA) of Your (nI) name - carrier across the Ocean of Worldly Existence (tArakamu),
by (cEtanu) Lord Siva – one who has eye (nEtra) (nEtruni) in the forehead (niTala),
to the people (manujulakunu) of this kali age (yuga) in their ears (vInula) (at the time of death at kASi)!
O Moon born in the Ocean of raghu dynasty! O Delighter of the Worlds!


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References
1birudunu pogaDucu - Lord SrI rAma declared his vow which is considered as SaraNAgati SAstRa by bhaktAs - (vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – yuddha kaNDa, Chapter 18)

sakRdEva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcatE |
abhayaM sarva bhUtEbhyO dadAmi Etat vrataM mama || 33 ||

“To him, who comes to me, even once, yearning for protection (from me) saying ‘I am yours’, I vouchsafe his security against all living beings; such is my vow.”

4nI tArakamunu niTala nEtruni palkanugA – Please refer to adhyAtma rAmAyaNa – yuddha kANDa – Chapter 15 wherein Lord Siva states that He initiates people dying at kASi kshEtra in the tAraka mantra – ‘rAma’ - so that they could attain mukti.

Similar statement is also found in muktikA upanishad - (Muktika Upanishad-1 and Muktika Upanishad-2)

“Dying in the sacred Brahmanala in KaSi, he will get the Taraka-mantra and also liberation, without rebirth. On dying anywhere (else) in KaSi, MaheSvara will utter the Taraka-mantra in his right ear.” – Dialogue between SrI rAma and AnjanEya
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Comments
2 - divya dRshTiniccina - The exact place where this episode occurs is not clear.

3Subhamulu gala – this can be applied either to 'tyAgarAja kula' or to the Lord – 'pAvana'.
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