Transliteration Scheme

rAmacandra - rAga suraTi

Tamil Version
Language Version

pallavi
rAmacandra nI daya rAma(y)Ela rAd(a)ya

anupallavi
kAma kOTi 1sundar(A)kAra dhRta mandara
prEma mIra mundara piluva rAka(y)undurA (rA)

caraNam
caraNam 1
kAnanambu tApamO 2kaika mIdi kOpamO
nEnu jEyu pApamO nIku Sakti 3lOpamO (rA)


caraNam 2
4ADad(a)nna rOsamO ala nAD(5u)pAsamO
mEDa lEni vAsamO mEmu jEyu dOsamO (rA)
caraNam 3
kallal(ai)na nEyamA kaNTE nIku hEyamA
tallaDilla nyAyamA tyAgarAja gEyamA (rA)


Meaning - Gist
O Lord SrI rAmacandra! O Lord rAma! O Lord of beautiful form like a crore cupids! O Lord who bore mandara mountain on His back! O Lord sung about by this tyAgarAja!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
rAmacandra nI daya rAma-Ela rAdu-aya

O Lord SrI rAmacandra! O Lord rAma! Why (Ela) (rAmayEla) Your (nI) grace (daya) does not come (rAdu) (rAdaya)?


anupallavi
kAma kOTi sundara-AkAra dhRta mandara
prEma mIra mundara piluva rAka-undurA (rA)

O Lord of beautiful (sundara) form (AkAra) (sundarAkAra) like a crore (kOTi) cupids (kAma)! O Lord who bore (dhRta) mandara mountain on His back!
When called (piluva) with exceeding (mIra) love (prEma), would one refuse to come (rAka undurA) (rAkayundurA) before (mundara) (literally in front)?
O Lord SrI rAmacandra! O Lord rAma! Why Your grace does not come?


caraNam
caraNam 1
kAnanambu tApamO kaika mIdi kOpamO
nEnu jEyu pApamO nIku Sakti lOpamO (rA)

Is it because of the suffering (tApamO) undergone by You in the forest (kAnanambu) or because of anger (kOpamO) towards (mIdi) kaikEyI (kaika)?
is it because of sins (pApamO) committed (jEyu) by me (nEnu) or because of dearth (lOpamO) of might (Sakti) for You (nIku)?
O Lord SrI rAmacandra! O Lord rAma! Why Your grace does not come?


caraNam 2
ADadi-anna rOsamO ala nADu-upAsamO
mEDa lEni vAsamO mEmu jEyu dOsamO (rA)

Is it because You were piqued (rOsamO) by (unpleasant) words uttered (anna) by Your wife (ADadi) (ADadanna) or because You underwent (forced) fasting (upAsamO) those days (ala nADu) (nADupAsamO) in the forest?
is it because of life (vAsamO) in forests where there were no (lEni) palaces (mEDa) or because of crimes (dOsamO) (literally sin or defect) committed (jEyu) by me (mEmu) (literally us)?
O Lord SrI rAmacandra! O Lord rAma! Why Your grace does not come?
caraNam 3
kallalu-aina nEyamA kaNTE nIku hEyamA
tallaDilla nyAyamA tyAgarAja gEyamA (rA)

Is mine a false (kallalaina) love (nEyamA) (literally friendship) or is it repugnant (hEyamA) to You (nIku) to see (kaNTE) me?
is it justifiable (nyAyamA) for me to remain perplexed (tallaDilla)? O Lord sung about (gEyamA) by this tyAgarAja!
O Lord SrI rAmacandra! O Lord rAma! Why Your grace does not come?


Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
1sundarAkAra dhRta mandara – (sundara AkAra dhRta mandara) - sundara kara dhRta mandara. mandara mountain was borne by Lord VishNu on His back (not in the hands) in the kUrmAvatAra. Further, in view of the previous words 'kAma kOTi' 'kara' cannot be joined to 'sundara' as 'sundara kara' but taken as 'sundara AkAra' only. Therefore, ‘sundara kara dhRta mandara’ is wrong. Accordingly the given version has been adopted.

2kaika mIdi – kaika mIda - kaika mIdu : ‘kaika mIdi’ seems to be appropriate and has been adopted.

3lOpamO – lObhamO. In the present context, ‘lOpamO’ is the appropriate word.

4ADadanna – ADudanna. Both 'ADadi' and 'ADudi' mean same – a woman.
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References
4 - ADadanna rOsamO - Please refer to SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, ayOdhyA kANDa, Chapters 28 – 30. When SrI rAma is banished to the forest for 14 years, sItA wants to accompany Him. But SrI rAma shows reluctance. Among other arguments, sItA also says that her sojourn in the forest was foretold by a bhikshiNi even before her marriage. Ultimately, she ridicules SrI rAma about his manhood to make Him relent. This is what SrI tyAgrAja says that might have piqued SrI rAma.

Please also refer to nindA stuti 'ramA ramaNa bhAramA' rAga vasanta bhairavi wherein SrI tyAgarAja echoes words of sItA - pumAnuDani kAdani nAtO telpumA – Tell me whether You are a man or not.
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Comments
5upAsamu – colloquial version of the word ‘upa-vAsamu’ - fasting as part of religious vows. Here it is a ridicule pointing to the austere life lead by rAma in the forest for 14 years.
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