Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

Behold the sprawling flow of this river kAvEri!

Behold the charming, sprawling flow of the blessed river kAvEri – the gem of maidens - praised by this tyAgarAja -

with a frightening roar at a distant place,
full of grace at another place, and
perennially, at a slow pace at yet another place,

as koels sing notes playfully (along the banks),
after looking up and praying to the Lord of SrI rangam,
as She comes to see the Lord of tiruvaiyAru (panca nadISvara) - the livelihood of Fourteen Worlds,

as brahmins worship Her on both banks with jasmine flowers extolling Her as ‘rAja rAjESvari’ and

as She bestows desires abundantly to everyone without differentiation!

Behold the sprawling flow of this river kAvEri!

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
sAri veDalina -I kAvErini jUDarE

Behold (jUDarE) the sprawling (sAri) flow (veDalina) (literally proceeding) of this (I) (veDalinayI) river kAvEri (kAvErini)!

anupallavi
vAru vIru-anucu jUDaka
tAnu-avvariga-abhIshTamulanu-osangucu (sAri)

Behold the sprawling flow of river kAvEri -
She (tAnu) bestowing (osangucu) desires (abhIshTamulanu) abundantly (avvAriga) (tAnavvarigAbhIshTamulanosangucu) to everyone without differentiation (vAru vIru anucu jUDaka) (vIranucu)!

caraNam
caraNam 1
dUramunana-oka tAvuna garjana bhI-
karamu-oka tAvuna niNDu karuNatO
niratamuganu-oka tAvuna naDucucu
vara kAvEri kanyakA maNi (sAri)

Behold the sprawling flow of this blessed (vara) river kAvEri – the gem (maNi) of maidens (kanyakA) -
with a frightening (bhI-karamu) roar (garjana) at a (oka) distant (dUramunanu) (dUramunanoka) place (tAvuna),
full of (niNDu) grace (karuNatO) (literally mercy) at another (oka) (bhI-karamoka) place (tAvuna), and
perennially (niratamuganu), at a slow pace (naDucucu) (literally walking) at yet another (oka) (niratamuganoka) place (tAvuna).

caraNam 2
vEDukagA kOkilamu mrOyaganu
vEDucu ranga-ISuni jUci mari
Iru-EDu jagamulaku jIvanamaina
mUDu reNDu nadi nAthuni jUDa (sAri)

Behold the sprawling flow of river kAvEri -
as koels (kOkilamu) sing notes (mrOyaganu) playfully (vEDukagA) (along the banks),
after looking up (jUci) and praying (vEDucu) to the Lord (ISuni) of SrI rangam (ranga) (rangESuni), then (mari)
as She comes to see (jUDa) the Lord (nAthuni) of tiruvaiyAru (panca nadISvara) - five – three and two (mUDu reNDu) - rivers (nadi) who is (aina) the livelihood (jIvanamu) (jIvanamaina) of Fourteen – two sevens (Iru EDu) (IrEDu) Worlds (jagamulaku)!

caraNam 3
rAja rAja-ISvari-ani pogaDucu
jAji sumamula dhara-amara gaNamulu
pUjalu-irugaDala sEyaga tyAga-
rAja sannuturAlai mudduga (sAri)

Behold the charming (mudduga) sprawling flow of river kAvEri – praised (sannuturAlu) (sannuturAlai) by this tyAgarAja -
as brahmins (dhara amara gaNamulu) (literally Earth celestials) (dharAmara) worship (pUjalu sEyaga) Her on both banks (irugaDala) (pUjalirugaDala) with jasmine (jAji) flowers (sumamula) extolling (pogaDucu) Her as (ani) ‘rAja rAjESvari’ (literally Empress) (rAjESvariyani)!

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)

References
² - mUDu reNDu nadi – panca nadi – tiruvaiyAru – The five rivers are kAvEri, koLLiDaM, kuDamuruTTi, veNNAr, veTTAr.

The details of flow of the River kAvEri, from its point of origin till it reaches the Bay of Bengal.
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Comments
¹ – sAri – This word seems to have been derived from ‘sArincu’ – meaning ‘to stretch’. The normal meaning of the word ‘time’, ‘turn’, ‘occasion’ does not seem to be applicable here.
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sAri veDalina - rAga asAvEri