Transliteration Scheme

rAma rama gOvinda - rAga saurAshTraM

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
rAma rAma gOvinda 1nanu rakshincu mukunda

caraNam
caraNam 1
kali yuga manujulu nIku 2mahAtmyamu
kaladu lEd(a)nE kAlam(A)yegA (rAma)

caraNam 2
kAmuni dAsulu nA palukula vini
kAvalasin(a)Tula(n)ADanAye kadA (rAma)
caraNam 3
pAmarulanu kani siggu paDucu mari
mOmu marugu jEsi tirugan(A)yenu (rAma)
caraNam 4
krovvu gala narula koniyADaga 3ciru
navvulatO nanu 4jUDan(A)ye kadA (rAma)
caraNam 5
mati hInulu SrI pati dAsulak(I)
gati rArAd(a)ni palkan(A)ye kadA (rAma)
caraNam 6
namminAD(a)nE pEruk(ai)na nI
tammunitOn(ai)na 5palkav(ai)tivi (rAma)
caraNam 7
6kAry(A)kAryamu samam(A)yenu nI
Sauryam(e)ndu dAcukoNTiv(a)yyO (rAma)
caraNam 8
7rAka rAka 8bratuk(i)Tl(A)yenu SrI
tyAgarAja nuta taruNamu kAdu (rAma)

Meaning - Gist

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
rAma rAma gOvinda nanu rakshincu mukunda

O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect (rakshincu) me (nanu), O Lord mukunda!

caraNam
caraNam 1
kali yuga manujulu nIku mahAtmyamu
kaladu lEdu-anE kAlamu-AyegA (rAma)

Aren't times such (kAlamu AyegA) (kAlamAyegA) that people (manujulu) of this kali yuga argue (or doubt) (anE) whether You (nIku) (literally for You) have (kaladu) any greatness (mahAtmyamu) or not (lEdu) (lEdanE)?
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!

caraNam 2
kAmuni dAsulu nA palukula vini
kAvalasina-aTula-ADanAye kadA (rAma)

Isn't it (kadA) that slaves (dAsulu) to lust (kAmuni) (literally of cupid), after listening (vini) to my (nA) words (palukula), happen to speak (ADanAye) whimsically (kAvalasina aTula) (kAvalasinaTulanADanAye)?
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!
caraNam 3
pAmarulanu kani siggu paDucu mari
mOmu marugu jEsi tiruganu-Ayenu (rAma)

Isn't it that seeing (kani) the wicked (pAmarulanu), one has to go about (tiruganu Ayenu) (tiruganAyenu) feeling ashamed (siggu paDucu) and (mari) covering (marugu jEsi) one’s face (mOmu) (to avoid them)?
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!
caraNam 4
krovvu gala narula koniyADaga ciru
navvulatO nanu jUDanu-Aye kadA (rAma)

Isn’t that (kadA) because I extolled (koniyADaga) head-strong (krovvu gala) people (narula), they happen to look (jUDanu Aye) (jUDanAye) at me (nanu) with a derisive smile (ciru navvulatO)?
Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!
caraNam 5
mati hInulu SrI pati dAsulaku-I
gati rArAdu-ani palkanu-Aye kadA (rAma)

Isn’t it that (kadA) idiots (mati hInulu) happen to ridicule (palkanu Aye) (palkanAye) (literally talk) that (ani) such (I) (literally this) a (pitiable) condition (gati) (literally fate) need not have to come (rArAdu) (rArAdani) to hari – Consort (pati) of lakshmI (SrI) dAsas (dAsulaku) (dAsulakI)?
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!
caraNam 6
namminADu-anE pEruku-aina nI
tammunitOnu-aina palkavu-aitivi (rAma)

Considering that (anE) I trusted (namminADu) (namminADanE) You, You wouldn't even put a word (palkavu aitivi) (palkavaitivi) at least (aina) to lakshmaNa – your (nI) brother (tammunitOnu) (tammunitOnaina) – even (aina) for a formality (pEruku) (literally for name-sake) (pErukaina) (to look after me)!
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!
caraNam 7
kArya-akAryamu samamu-Ayenu nI
Sauryamu-endu dAcukoNTivi-ayyO (rAma)

Righteous actions (kArya) and forbidden actions (akAryamu) (kAryAkAryamu) have become (Ayenu) equal (samamu) (samamAyenu);
Alas (ayyO)! Where (endu) have You concealed (dAcukoNTivi) (dAcukoNTivayyO) Your valour (Sauryamu) (Sauryamendu)?
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!
caraNam 8
rAka rAka bratuku-iTlu-Ayenu SrI
tyAgarAja nuta taruNamu kAdu (rAma)

O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja! Gradually (rAka rAka), the state of affairs (bratuku) (literally livelihood) has become (Ayenu) like this (iTlu) (bratukiTlAyenu); this is not (kAdu) appropriate moment (taruNamu) (to neglect me);
O Lord rAma! O Lord rAma! O Lord gOvinda! Please protect me, O Lord mukunda!

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
In some books, caraNa 1 is given as anupallavi.

1 – nanu rakshincu – rakshincu.

2 – mahAtmyamu – mAhAtmyamu. In Sanskrit, 'mAhAtmya' is the appropriate word; as per Telugu Dictionary 'mahAtmyamu' is a correct word.

5 – palkavaitivi – palkanaitivi. In the books, the meaning derived is 'at least tell'. In my opinion, this word should be in negative form 'palkavu' (You would not tell) in order to convey such a meaning. 'palkanu' is not in negative form. Therefore, 'palkavaitivi' has been adopted.
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References
6 – kArya akArya – In this regard the following verse from SrImad bhagavad gItA, Chapter 16 refers –

tasmAcchAstraM pramANaM tE kAryAkAryavyavasthitau ||
jnAtvA SAstra-vidhAnOktaM karma kartum-ihArhasi || 24 ||

“So let the SAstras be thy authority in ascertaining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Having known what is said in the ordinance of the SAstras, thou shouldst act here.” (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)
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Comments
3 – ciru navvulatO – Here it means derisive nature of smile.

4 – jUDanAye – From the flow of the wordings, this has been applied to 'head-strong people'; however, this may be applied to Lord also – that 'the Lord looks at SrI tyAgarAja derisively'.
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7 – rAka rAka - In the books, this has been translated as ‘gradually’ or ‘of late’. However, the proper word for ‘gradually’ or ‘of late’ is ‘rAnu rAnu’. Further, in all the books it is given as ‘rAga rAga’ which is not the correct form. In tamil ‘vara vara’ is the word used for ‘gradually’. It is not clear whether the tamil word ‘vara vara’ has been literally taken into telugu. The meaning is left as it is, but the kRti words have been changed to ‘rAka rAka’. The same words also occur in the kRti ‘rAma daivamA’ – rAga suraTi with same meaning.

8 – bratuku iTlAyenu – the state of affairs has become like this – what SrI tyAgarAja describes in previous caraNas.
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