Transliteration Scheme

rAma samayamu - rAga madhyamAvati

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
rAma samayamu brOvarA nA pAli daivamA

anupallavi
rAma danuja gaNa bhIma nava ghana
SyAma santatamu nAma kIrtanamu
Emarakanu ati nEmamu
jEsE mahAtmulaku kAmita phalada (rAma)

caraNam
caraNam 1
dAnta samrakshaN1(A)gam(A)nta cara
bhAgavat(A)ntaranga cara SrI
kAnta kamanIya guN2(A)ntak(A)ntaka
hit(A)nta rahita muni
cintanIya vEdAnta vEdya
sAmanta rAja nuta
3yAnta bhAnta niS(A)nta
su-karuNA svAnta nIk(i)di (rAma)


caraNam 2
bRndArak(A)di muni bRnd(A)rcita
4pAd(A)ravinda 5sad-bhakta jIv-
(A)nanda kara sUrya kula candan(A)ri hara
6nandak(A)yudha
sanandan(A)di nuta kunda radana vara
mandara dhara gO-
vinda mukunda sandEhamu nIk-
(e)nduku nApai (rAma)
caraNam 3
I jagatini nIv(a)vyAja karuNA mUrtiv(a)ni
pUja jEsiti 7gaja rAja rakshaka tyAga-
rAja vandita ibha rAja vandana phaNi
rAja Sayana vinarA jagat-patI
bhUjA nAyaka rAjita makuTa
dhar(A)ja sannuta su-rAja(y)ipuDE (rAma)


Meaning - Gist
O Lord rAma! O my guardian Lord!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
rAma samayamu brOvarA nA pAli daivamA

O Lord rAma! Now is the time (samayamu); please protect (brOvarA) me, O my (nA) guardian (pAli) Lord (daivamA)!


anupallavi
rAma danuja gaNa bhIma nava ghana
SyAma santatamu nAma kIrtanamu
Emarakanu ati nEmamu
jEsE mahAtmulaku kAmita phalada (rAma)

O Lord rAma - the Terror (bhIma) of demons (danuja gaNa)! O dark-blue (SyAma) hued like rain cloud (nava ghana) (literally fresh rain cloud)!
O Lord who bestows the fruits (phalada) of wishes (kAmita) to those great men (mahAtmulaku) who –
always (santatamu) chant (kIrtanamu jEsE) Your names (nAma) without being deceived (Emarakanu) (and) with great (ati) restraint (nEmamu) (of mind)!
O Lord rAma! Now is the time; please protect me, O my guardian Lord !


caraNam
caraNam 1
dAnta samrakshaNa-Agama-anta cara
bhAgavata-antaranga cara SrI
kAnta kamanIya guNa-antaka-antaka
hita-anta rahita muni
cintanIya vEdAnta vEdya
sAmanta rAja nuta
yAnta bhAnta niSA-anta
su-karuNA svAnta nIku-idi (rAma)

O Protector (samrakshaNa) of ascetics (dAnta)! O Lord found (anta cara) (literally moving about) in the Agamas (samrakshaNAgamAnta)! O Lord found (cara) in the hearts (antaranga) (literally interior) of great devotees (bhAgavata) (bhAgavatAntaranga)!
O Consort (kAnta) of lakshmI (SrI)! O Lord with lovable (kamanIya) virtues (guNa)! O Friend (hita) of Lord Siva – one who put an end (antaka) to yama – Lord of death (antaka) (guNAntakAntaka)! O Lord without (rahita) an end (anta) (hitAnta)!
O Lord who is meditated upon (cintanIya) by sages (muni)! O Real Knower (vEdya) of vEdAnta! O Lord praised (nuta) by neighbouring (sAmanta) kings (rAja)! O Lord rAma – rA (yAnta) ma (bhAnta) – the destroyer (anta) of darkness (niSA) (of ignorance) (niSAnta) (literally daybreak)! O Merciful (su-karuNA) hearted (svAnta)!
O Lord rAma! Now (idi) is the time for You (nIku) (nIkidi); please protect me, O my guardian Lord !


caraNam 2
bRndAraka-Adi muni bRnda-arcita
pAda-aravinda sad-bhakta jIva-
Ananda kara sUrya kula candana-ari hara
nandaka-Ayudha
sanandana-Adi nuta kunda radana vara
mandara dhara gOvinda
mukunda sandEhamu nIku-
enduku nApai (rAma)

O Lord whose Lotus (aravinda) Feet (pAda) (pAdAravinda) are worshipped (arcita) by celestials (bRndAraka), sages (muni bRnda) (bRndArcita) and others (Adi) (bRndArakAdi)!
O Lord who is the life (jIva) of true devotees (sad-bhakta)! O Lord who causes (kara) bliss (Ananda) (jIvAnanda)! O Most eminent (candana) of the solar (sUrya) dynasty (kula)! O Destroyer (hara) of enemies (ari) (candanAri)!
O Lord who wields the sword – weapon (Ayudha) - called nandaka (nandakAyudha)! O Lord extolled (nuta) by sanandana and others (Adi) (sanandanAdi) – the mind-born sons of brahmA! O Lord with jasmine flower (kunda) like teeth (radana)!
O Lord who bore (dhara) the sacred (vara) mountain mandara! O Lord gOvinda! O Lord mukunda (literally one who bestows liberation)! What for (enduku) there is doubt (sandEhamu) about me (nApai) to You (nIku) (nIkenduku)?
O Lord rAma! Now is the time; please protect me, O my guardian Lord !
caraNam 3
I jagatini nIvu-avyAja karuNA mUrtivi-ani
pUja jEsiti gaja rAja rakshaka tyAgarAja
vandita ibha rAja vandana phaNi
rAja Sayana vinarA jagat-patI
bhUjA nAyaka rAjita makuTa
dhara-aja sannuta su-rAja-ipuDE (rAma)

I worshipped (pUja jEsiti) You that (ani) You (nIvu) are the motive-less (avyAja) (nIvavyAja) Compassionate (karuNA) Lord (mUrtivi) (mUrtivani) in this (I) World (jagatini); O Lord who protected (rakshaka) gajEndra – the King (rAja) of elephants (gaja)!
O Lord worshipped (vandita) by this tyAgarAja! O Lord saluted (vandana) by gajEndra - the King (rAja) of elephants (ibha)! O Lord reclining (Sayana) on the couch of SEsha – the king (rAja) of serpents (phaNi)! O Lord (patI) of the Universe (jagat) (jagat-patI)! Please listen (vinarA);
O Consort (nAyaka) of sIta – daughter of Earth (bhUjA)! O Lord adorned with (dhara) radiating (rAjita) diadem (makuTa)! O Lord well-praised (sannuta) by brahmA – the unborn (aja) (dharAja)! O Munificent King (su-rAja)!
O Lord rAma! Right now (ipuDE) (surAjayipuDE) is the time; please protect me, O my guardian Lord !


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
4pAdAravinda – padAravinda.

5sad-bhakta – sad-bhakti : 'sad-bhakta’ is the appropriate word.
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References
2antakAntaka - Refers to the story of mArkaNDEya - Siva saved mArkaNDEya from the clutches of death (yama). tirukkadavur is kshEtra where this episode is stated to have taken place.


6nandaka Tallapaka Annamacharya - the great telugu poet and devotee of Lord Venkateswara (15th century) is considered to be the incarnation of the nandaka sword of the Lord.

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Comments
1AgamAnta cara Kashmiri Saivism based on Agamas is called ‘pratyabhijAna’ aka ‘AgamAnta’.

In the present context, this meaning does not seem to be appropriate. It should be ‘AgamAntaScara’ to mean ‘found in Agamas’. However, 'anta' also has a meaning 'inside'. Therefore, the epithet, as it is, could be correct.

3yAnta bhAnta niSAnta – The word ‘yAnta’ is not available in dictionary. Kanchi Mahaswami Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati was approached in this regard. The Explanation of yAnta bhAnta given by Him is startling. These words are stated to be appearing the SrI rAma temple at madurAntakaM (near Chengalpattu).

‘yAnta’ – ya+anta – end of ‘ya’ is ‘ra’;
‘bhAnta’ – bha+anta – end of ‘bha’ is ‘ma’;
‘niSAnta’ – niSA+anta – end of night – daybreak;
‘rAma, the destroyer of darkness’ is the meaning.

7gaja rAja rakshaka – ibha rAja vandana – both these refer to gajEndra. As there is no variation in any of the books, there seems to be no scope for different meanings.
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