pallavi
sujana jIvana rAma suguNa 1bhUshaNa rAma
anupallavi
bhujaga bhUshaN(A)rcita budha jan(A)van(2A)tmaja
vandita Srita 3candana 4daSa turanga mAm-ava (sujana)
caraNam
5cAru nEtra SrI kaLatra SrI ramya gAtra
tAraka nAma su-caritra daSaratha putra
tArak(A)dhip(A)nana 6dharma pAlaka
tAraya raghuvara nirmala tyAgarAja sannuta (sujana)
pallavi
sujana jIvana rAma suguNa 1bhUshaNa rAma
O Lord rAma – the very life (jIvana) of virtuous people (sujana)! O Lord rAma – one who is adorned (bhUshaNa) with virtues (suguNa)!
anupallavi
bhujaga bhUshaN(A)rcita budha jan(A)van(A)tmaja2
vandita Srita 3candana 4daSa turanga mAm-ava (sujana)
O Lord worshipped (arcita) by Lord Siva – adorned (bhUshaNa) (bhUshaNArcita) with serpents (bhujaga)! O Protector (avana) of the men of wisdom (budha jana)!
O Lord worshipped (vandita) by brahmA (Atmaja) (janAvanAtmaja)! O Lord who is wish tree (candana) (literally most excellent) for those dependent (Srita)! O Lord who comes in the lineage of ikshvAku (daSa turanga) (literally ten horses)! Please protect (ava) me (mAM) (mAm-ava);
O Lord rAma – the very life of virtuous people! O Lord rAma – one who is adorned with virtues!
caraNam
5cAru nEtra SrI kaLatra SrI ramya gAtra
tAraka nAma su-caritra daSaratha putra
tArak(A)dhip(A)nana 6dharma pAlaka
tAraya raghuvara nirmala tyAgarAja sannuta (sujana)
O Beautiful (cAru) Eyed (nEtra)! O Lord who has lakshmI (SrI) as Consort (kaLatra)! O Lord whose body (gAtra) is delightful (ramya) to lakshmI (SrI)!
O Lord whose name (nAma) carries across (tAraka) the Ocean of Worldly Existence! O Lord with virtuous conduct (su-caritra)! O Son (putra) of King daSaratha!
O Moon – Lord (adhipa) of stars (tAraka) – Faced (Anana) (tArakAdhipAnana)! O Protector (pAlaka) of dharma!
O Lord raghuvara! O Blemish-less (nirmala)! O Lord well-praised (sannuta) by this tyAgarAja! Please carry me across (tAraya) the Ocean of Worldly Existence;
O Lord rAma – the very life of virtuous people! O Lord rAma – one who is adorned with virtues!
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – bhUshaNa rAma – bhUshaNa.
2 – Atmaja vandita – aja vandita : 'Atmaja', by itself, is used to refer to kAma (cupid). In the present context the meaning 'cupid' does not seem to be appropriate, but 'brahmA' may be appropriate. 'brahmA' is called 'Atma-bhU'. It is not clear whether SrI tyAgarAja uses 'Atmaja' to mean 'Atma-bhU'.
6 – dharma pAlaka – dharma pAlana.
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References
6 – dharma pAlaka – The following verses from SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, ayOdhyA kANDa, Chapter 21 refer –
dharmO hi paramO lOkE dharmE satyaM pratishThitaM |
dharma-saMSritam-apy-Etat pitur-vacanam-uttamaM ||
saMSrutya ca pitur-vAkyaM mAtur-vA brAhmaNasya vA |
na kartavyaM vRthA vIrA dharmam-ASritya tishThatA || 41, 42 ||
“Indeed righteousness is paramount in this world (and) truthfulness is rooted in piety. This command of my father too is supreme in that it is based on righteousness. Having plighted one’s word to do the bidding of one’s father, mother or a brAhmaNa, O gallant lakshmaNa, he who takes his stand on righteousness should not falsify it.”
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Comments
3 – candana – Generally, this word means 'excellent'. However, in conjunction with the preceding word 'Srita', it would mean, 'wish-tree'. SrI tyAgarAja uses 'Srita mandAra', 'Srita pArijAta' in other kRtis. Accordingly, it has been translated here. The five celestial (wish) trees are – mandAra, pArijAtaka, santAna, kalpa vRksha, hari candana.
4 – daSa turanga – As per Monier’s Dictionary, daSa aSva (daSASva) - means ‘of a son of ikshvAku’; therefore, it seems SrI tyAgarAja uses this term (by substituting ‘aSva’ with ‘turanga’) to mean one of the lineage of ikshvAku.
As per SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, uttara kANDa, Chapter 99, SrI rAma performed ten-thousand horse sacrifices and vAjapEya sacrifices.
In some books, this has been taken to mean ‘one who has garuDa as vehicle’; ‘turanga’ has been frequently used by SrI tyAgarAja to mean ‘moving fast’ - eg ‘khaga turanga’ where ‘khaga’ means ‘garuDa’; here the qualifying word is ‘daSa’ which does not mean garuDa.
5 – cAru nEtra – this epithet may be applied to lakshmI also (cAru nEtra SrI kaLatra) and translated as ‘O Consort of the beautiful-eyed lakshmI’.
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