pallavi
SrI jAnakI manOhara SrI rAghava hari
anupallavi
nA jAlini nIvE telisi
1namr(A)nanuD(au)Tak(E)mi kAraNamu (SrI)
caraNam
nE sEyu dush-karma dEvata
nI sannidhini nilva sAgenO
nI sEva 2nilvagan(E)lara
nIraj(A)ksha tyAgarAja sannuta (SrI)
pallavi
SrI jAnakI manOhara SrI rAghava hari
O Lord SrI rAgahava who has stolen (hara) the heart (manas) (literally mind) (manOhara) of SrI jAnakI! O Lord hari!
anupallavi
nA jAlini nIvE telisi
namra-AnanuDu-auTaku-Emi kAraNamu (SrI)
Having known (telisi) Yourself (nIvE) my (nA) grief (jAlini), what (Emi) is the reason (kAraNamu) for You to avoid - become (auTaku) bent (namra) faced (AnanaDu) (namrAnanuDauTakEmi) - me?
O Lord SrI rAghava who has stolen the heart of SrI jAnakI! O Lord hari!
caraNam
nE sEyu dush-karma dEvata
nI sannidhini nilva sAgenO
nI sEva nilvaganu-Elara
nIraja-aksha tyAgarAja sannuta (SrI)
Could (sAgenO) the deity (dEvata) of evil deeds (dush-karma) done (sEyu) by me (nE) stand (nilva) in Your (ni) holy presence (sannidhini)? otherwise,
why (ElarA) should my services (sEva) to You (nI) halt (nilvaganu) (nilvaganElarA)?
O Lotus (nIraja) Eyed (aksha) (nIrajAksha)! O Lord well-praised (sannuta) by this tyAgarAja!
O Lord SrI rAghava who has stolen the heart of SrI jAnakI! O Lord hari!
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
2 – nilvaganElarA – nilvadElarA. In the present context, 'nilvaganElarA’ seems to be appropriate word.
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References
Comments
1 – namrAnana – face bent down – normally this is indicative of humbleness or shyness or shame. Also, one might bend his head in order avoid eye-contact with a loathsome, but unavoidable, person.
In the caraNa, SrI tyAgarAja asks ‘could the deity of my evil deeds stand in Your presence’. Therefore, SrI tyAgarAja suspects that the Lord’s bent-face (avoiding eye contact) is because the deity of his evil deeds stands in the holy presence of the Lord.
In some books, it is given as ‘the deity of evil deeds is hiding the Lord’. Though this may be a correct interpretation, the statement of SrI tyAgarAja is not that of ‘hiding’ but ‘avoiding eye contact’.
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