Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O My Mind!

Listen to my appeal properly.
Only that dharma performed with tranquility of mind will be victorious.
How does it matter whether that idiot, who would not earn merit, knowing the opportunity (of human birth), is alive or dead?

How does it matter –

whether a mad man, hearing an excellent poetry, enjoys it or not?
whether large, blind eyes are fully open or not?
whether, in the Muslims’ street, one performs elaborate ‘pAnaka pUja’ to a brAhmaNa (or wise man) or not?
whether that owner of great wealth, which is not donated, survives on the Earth or becomes a ghost?
whether that kRti which is not on SrI rAma - the Lord praised by this tyAgarAja, is sung or not?
whether such human birth, bereft of devotion to Lord SrI rAma, is taken or not?

How does it matter whether that idiot, who would not earn merit knowing the opportunity (of human birth), is alive or dead?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
samayamu telisi puNyamulu-Arjincani
kumati uNDi-Emi pOyi-Emi

How does it matter (Emi) whether that idiot (kumati), who would not earn (Arjincani) merit (puNyamulu) (puNyamulArjincani), knowing (telisi) the opportunity (samayamu) (of human birth), is alive (uNDi) (uNDiyEmi) or dead (pOyi) (pOyiEmi)?

anupallavi
Samata tODi dharmamu jayamE kAni
kramamutO manavini vinavE O manasA (samaya)

Only (kAni) that dharma (dharmamu) performed with (tODi) tranquility of mind (Samata) will be victorious (jayamE);
O My Mind (manasA)! Listen (vinavE) to my appeal (manavi) properly (kramumutO);
How does it matter whether that idiot, who would not earn merit knowing the opportunity (of human birth), is alive or dead?

caraNam
caraNam 1
sAramau kavitala vini verrivADu
santOshapaDi-Emi paDaka-Emi
cEreDEsi guDDi kannulu bAguga
teraci-Emi teravka-uNDina-Emi (samaya)

How does it matter (Emi) whether a mad man (verrivADu), hearing (vini) an excellent (sAramau) poetry (kavitala), enjoys (santOshapaDi) (santOshapaDiyEmi) it or not (paDaka) (paDakEmi)?
How does it matter (Emi) whether large (cEreDEsi) (literally as big as the hollow of the hand) blind (guDDi) eyes (kannulu) are fully (bAguga) open (teraci) (teraciyEmi) or not (teravakuNDina) (teravakuNDinanEmi) (literally not open)?
how does it matter whether that idiot, who would not earn merit knowing the opportunity (of human birth), is alive or dead?

caraNam 2
turaka vIthilO vipruniki pAnaka pUja
neraya jEsi-Emi sEyaka-uNDi-Emi
dharanu-Ini dhana kOTlaku yajamAnuDu
tA bratiki-Emi dayyamu-aina-Emi (samaya)

How does it matter (Emi) whether, in the Muslims’ (turaka) street (vIthilO), one performs (jEsi) (jEsiyEmi) elaborate (neraya) (literally fully) ‘pAnaka pUja’ to a brAhmaNa (or wise man) (vipruniki) or not (sEyaka uNDi) (sEyakuNDiyEmi)?
How does it matter (Emi) whether that (tA) owner (yajamAnuDu) of great (kOTlaku) (literally crores of) wealth (dhana) which is not donated (Ini), survives (bratiki) (bratikiyEmi) on the Earth (dharanu) (dharanIni) or becomes (aina) a ghost (dayyamu) (dayyamainanEmi)?
how does it matter whether that idiot, who would not earn merit knowing the opportunity (of human birth), is alive or dead?

caraNam 3
padamu tyAgarAja nutunipai kAnidi
pADi-Emi pADaka-uNDina-Emi
Edanu SrI rAma bhaktiyu lEni nara janmamu-
etti-Emi ettaka-uNDina-Emi (samaya)

How does it matter (Emi) whether that kRti (padamu) which is not (kAnidi) on SrI rAma - the Lord praised (nutunipai) by this tyAgarAja, is sung (pADi) (pADiyEmi) or not (pADaka uNDina) (pADakuNDinananEmi)?
Whatever it is (Edanu), how does it matter (Emi) whether such human (nara) birth (janmamu), bereft of (lEni) devotion (bhaktiyu) to Lord SrI rAma, is taken (etti) (janmamettiyEmi) or not (ettaka uNDina) (ettakuNDinanEmi)?
How does it matter whether that idiot, who would not earn merit knowing the opportunity (of human birth), is alive or dead?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
² - kumati – dhanikuDu.
⁵ – O manasA – manasa.
⁶ – vIthi – vIdhi.
⁹ – Edanu – edanu.
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References

Comments
¹ – samayamu – here, this word seems to refer to the occasion of human birth in this World and not to any specific moment or opportunity in life.

³ – dharmamu – this word has three meanings – righteous conduct, duty, charity. From the examples given in the caraNas, it is not possible to glean the actual meaning intended by SrI tyAgarAja.

⁴ – kramamutO – from the placement of the word, it appears that this word is to be joined to word ‘manavini’. However, it is also possible to join this word directly to pallavi.
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⁷ – pAnaka pUja – This would generally refer to pUja performed by house-holders when bhAgavatas go round the streets singing bhajan. The house-holders seat the bhAgavatas, wash their feet, circumambulate and prostrate before them, and offer them water mixed with jaggery (pAnaka) for quenching their thirst. This is ‘pAnaka pUja’.

⁸ – dharanu Ini – the word ‘dharanu’ (on the Earth) can be either joined with ‘Ini’ (not donated) (not donated on the Earth) or with ‘bratiki’ (lives) (lives on the Earth).
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samayamu telisi - rAga asAvEri