Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O My Mind!

Why thought of any other path which is of no of substance at all?
Why should You listen to words uttered ignorantly by anyone else?
Only name of Lord SrI rAma is of substance.

Didn’t sage SrI nArada -

who resembles autumnal (white) cloud (in body hue),
who, ever drinks the nectarine juice of the name of raghu vIra –

who is handsome like a million cupids,

who ever chants ‘nArAyaNa, nArAyaNa, nArAyaNa’ and
who shines as a wanderer of all the Worlds,

lovingly initiate (later sage) vAlmIki in the name ‘rAma’?

Why thought of any other path which is of no substance at all?

Didn’t sage Suka brahma –

who ever drinks the nectarine juice of the name ‘rAma’ –

who is Supremely hallowed,
who wears appellation of ‘Protecting those seeking refuge’,
who is Consort of sItA,

who attained unrivalled fame by ceaselessly chanting ‘hari hari hari’,

narrate the story of Lord hari to King parIkshit,
all the while experiencing state of bodily trance?

Why thought of any other path which is of no substance at all?

Didn’t Lord Siva –

who enjoys sAma gAna,
who is resident of himAlaya,
who bestows auspiciousness to this tyAgarAja,
who unforgettingly and with much self-restraint drinks the nectar of the name ‘rAma’,

very lovingly, initiate pArvatI – gauri,

the Most Auspicious,
the Ancient One and
the Most charming One –

in those mights and in those secrets of chanting ceaselessly ‘rAma rAma rAma’?

Why thought of any other path which is of no substance at all?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
sAramE kAni anya mArga
vicAramu-ETikE O manasA

O My Mind (manasA)! Why (ETikE) thought (vicAramu) (vicAramETikE) of any other (anya) path (mArga) which is of no of substance at all (sAramE kAni)?

anupallavi
vAru vIru teliya lEka palku
vArtalu vinanu-ElE rAma nAmamu (sAramE)

Why (ElE) should You listen (vinanu) (vinanElE) to words (vArtalu) uttered (palku) ignorantly (teliya lEka) (literally without knowing) by anyone else (vAru vIru) (literally sundry)?
O My Mind! Only (kAni) name (nAmamu) of Lord SrI rAma is of substance (sAramE). Why thought of any other path?

caraNam
caraNam 1
mAra kOTi lAvaNyuDaina raghu
vIruni nAma sudhA rasamunanu
sAreku pAnamu jEsi jagad-
vihAruDai velayu nArAyaNa
nArAyaNa-anucunu vAramu
3Sarad-ambuda nibhuDau SrI
nArada muni valmIka jAtuniki
kUrimini-upadESinca lEdA (sAramE)

Didn’t (lEdA) sage (muni) SrI nArada -
who resembles (nibhuDau) autumnal (Sarad) (white) cloud (ambuda) (Sarad-ambuda) (in body hue),
who, ever (sAreku) drinking (pAnamu jEsi) the nectarine (sudhA) juice (rasamunanu) of the name (nAma) of raghu vIra (raghu vIruni) – who is handsome (lAvaNyuDaina) like a million (kOTi) (literally crore) cupids (mAra),
shines (velayu) as a wanderer (vihAruDai) of all the Worlds (jagat) (jagad-vihAruDai) ever (vAramu) chanting (anucunu) (literally uttering) ‘nArAyaNa, nArAyaNa, nArAyaNa’ (nArAyaNayanucunu) -
(didn’t he - sage nArada) lovingly (kUrimini) initiate (upadESinca) (kuriminupadESinca) (later sage) vAlmIki – one born (jAtuniki) from the ant-hill (valmIka) in the name ‘rAma’?
O My Mind! Why thought of any other path which is of no substance at all?

caraNam 2
parama pAvanuni SaraNa-Agata jana
paripAlana birudu-ankuni sItA
varuni nAma sudhA rasa pAnamu
niratamunanu jEsi hari hari
hari-anucu santatambunu
sariyu lEni kIrti kAnci dEhamu
paravaSambu jendi Suka brahma
parIkshittuku-osaga lEdA vAdA (sAramE)

Didn’t (lEdA) sage Suka brahma –
who, ever (niratamunanu) drinking (pAnamu jEsi) the nectarine (sudhA) juice (rasa) of the name (nAma) of ‘rAma’ – one who is Supremely (parama) hallowed (pAvanuni), who wears (ankuni) the appellation (birudu) (birudAnkuni) of ‘Protecting (paripAlana) those (jana) (literally people) seeking (Agata) His refuge (SaraNu) (SaraNAgata)’, and who is Consort (varuni) (literally suitor) of sItA, and
attaining (kAnci) unrivalled (sariyu lEni) fame (kIrti) by ceaselessly (santatambunu) chanting (anucu) (literally uttering) ‘hari hari hari’ (hariyanucu),
(didn’t he – sage Suka brahma) narrate (osaga) (literally bestow) the story of Lord hari (SrImad bhAgavata purANa) to King parIkshit (parIkshittuku) (parIkshittukosaga), all the while experiencing (jendi) state of bodily (dEhamu) trance (paravaSambu)? Is there any dispute (vAdA)?
O My Mind! Why thought of any other path which is of no substance at all?

caraNam 3
sAma gAna lOluDau rajata giri
dhAmuDaina tyAgarAja SivuDu-ati
nEmamutO nAma-amRta pAnamu
Emarakanu jEsi rAma rAma
rAma-anucu satatamu
SrImad-Adi gauriki SRngAriki
A mahimalanu-A rahasyamulanu-ati
prEmanu-upadESinca lEdA (sAramE)

Didn’t (lEdA) Lord Siva –
who enjoys (lOluDau) sAma gAna,
who is resident (dhAmuDaina) of himAlaya – snow (rajata) (literally silver) mountain (giri),
who bestows auspiciousness (SivuDu) (SivuDati) to this tyAgarAja,
unforgettingly (Emarakanu) and with much (ati) self-restraint (nEmamutO) drinking (pAnamu jEsi) the nectar (amRta) of the name (nAma) (nAmAmRta) ‘rAma’,
(didn’t He - Lord Siva) very (ati) lovingly (prEmanu), initiate (upadESinca) (prEmanupadESinca) pArvatI – gauri (gauriki), the Most Auspicious (SrImat), the Ancient One (Adi) (SrImadAdi) and the Most charming One (SRngAriki) –
in those (A) mights (mahimalanu) and in those (A) (mahimalanA) secrets (rahasyamulanu) (rahasyamulanati) of chanting (anucu) ceaselessly (satatamu) the name ‘rAma rAma rAma’ (rAmayanucu)?
O My Mind! Why even thought of any other path which is of no substance at all?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
rAga – pantuvarALi - kAma vardhini.
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References
⁴ – valmIka jAtuniki – one born from anti-hill – vAlmIki - There is a Traditional story about a robber who turns into sage vAlmIki (Dhyana, Japa, Mantra, Guru, and Avatar). However, the source of the story is not known. According to Sir Monier’s Sanskrit – English Dictionary, vAlmIki was indeed a brAhmaNa by birth and closely connected with Kings of ayOdhya. He also mentions about the traditional story in the Dictionary.

⁵ – sAma gana lOluDu - The reference to Lord Siva is from phala Sruti of vishNu sahasranAma where dEvi pArvatI asks Lord Siva the means for hearing the thousand(s of) names of vishNu recited by the learned every day. Lord Siva replies that simple repetition of the name of ‘rAma’ would be equal to reciting vishNu sahasra nAma.
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Comments
¹ – sAramE kAni – the meaning of these words when occurring alone in the pallavi has a different meaning - ‘of no substance at all’; when combined with the ending words of anupallavi - rAma nAmamu – it will mean ‘only name of SrI rAma is of substance’. Similarly, as the caraNas are not directly linked to the pallavi, the first meaning – ‘of no substance at all’ will be taken.

² – ETikE – this is a feminine form of addressing. In many kritis SrI tyAgarAja addresses his mind like that.

³ – Sarad-ambuda – White in hue – because after the rains the sky is clear and the clouds, if any, are white in colour.
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sAramE kAni - rAga pantuvarALi