Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist

After having beheld the Lord sundarESvara (name of Lord Siva at kOvUr), would one’s mind like to look at the celestials?
After having beheld our charming Lord sundarESvara –

who sports digit of moon on the head,
the intimate friend of kubEra,
abiding in the beautiful town of kOvUr - equivalent to the sacred kASi,
the Lord bereft of the quality of passion or action,
the Great Lord worshipped by this tyAgarAja,
the Lord of snow mountain,

resplendent with -

golden anklets in the holy feet,
pair of diamond bracelets in the hands,
musk tilaka on the prosperity causing face,

as -

brahmA and other celestials on one side,
celestial dancing girls on another side,
celestial musician tumburu, sage nArada and others on yet another side,
all the devotees still yet on another side,

are singing in praise of the Lord –

would one’s mind like to look at the celestials?

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
sundarESvaruni jUci
surula jUDa manasu vaccunA

After having beheld (jUci) the Lord sundarESvara (sundarESvaruni) (name of Lord Siva at kOvUr), would one’s mind (manasu) like (vaccunA) (literally come) to look at (jUDa) the celestials (surula)?

anupallavi
andamu gala vara kASiki samAnamaina
gOpuramandu velayu mA (su)

After having beheld our (mA) Lord sundarESvara,
shining (velayu) in (andu) the beautiful (andamu gala) town of kOvUr (gOpuramu) (gOpuramandu) which is equivalent (samAnamaina) to the sacred (vara) kASi (kASiki),
would one’s mind like to look at the celestials?

caraNam
caraNam 1
caraNamulanu bangAru nUpuramulu
karamula rava kankaNa yugamulu SrI-
kara mukhamuna kastUri tilakamu
merayucunu-uNDu lAvaNyamu gala (su)

After having beheld the charming (lAvaNyamu gala) Lord sundarESvara who is (uNDu) resplendent (merayucunu) (merayucunuNDu) with –
golden (bangAru) anklets (nUpuramulu) in the holy feet (caraNamulanu),
pair (yugamulu) of diamond (rava) bracelets (kankaNa) in the hands (karamula), and
musk (kastUri) (auspicious mark on the forehead) tilaka (tilakamu) on the prosperity (SrI) causing (kara) face (mukhamuna),
would one’s mind like to look at the celestials?

caraNam 2
okacO brahmA-Adi surulu
okacO nirjara vAra taruNulu
okacO tumburu nArada-Adulu
okacO bhaktulu-ella pADu (su)

After having beheld the Lord sundarESvara as -
brahmA and other (Adi) (brahmAdi) celestials (surulu) on the one side (okacO),
the celestial (nirjara) (literally non-ageing) dancing (vAra) girls (taruNulu) on another side (okacO),
the celestial musician tumburu, sage nArada and others (Adulu) (nAradAdulu) yet on another side (okacO), and
all (ella) the devotees (bhaktulu) (bhaktulella) still on yet another side (okacO),
are singing (pADu) in praise of the Lord, would one’s mind like to look at the celestials?

caraNam 3
rAja rAjuniki celikADu-ayina
rAja SEkharuni gOpura nilayuni
rAjasa guNa rahituni SrI tyAga-
rAja pUjituni rajata giri-ISuni (su)

After having beheld the Lord sundarESvara –
the Lord who sports digit of moon (rAja) on the head (SEkhara) (SEkharuni) who is (ayina) the intimate friend (celikADu) (celikADayina) of kubEra (rAja rAja) (rAjuniki), the Lord abiding (nilayuni) in the town of kOvUr (gOpura),
the Lord bereft (rahituni) of the quality (guNa) of passion or action (rAjasa), the Great (SrI) Lord worshipped (pUjituni) by this tyAgarAja, the Lord (ISuni) of snow (rajata) (literally silver) mountain (giri) (girISuni),
would one’s mind like to look at the celestials?

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
³ – SrI tyAgarAja – tyAgarAja.
Top

References
¹ - gOpura – Refers to kOvur near Chennai. sthala purANa of kOvUr
Top

Comments
² – rAja rAjuniki – In the books, this word has been taken to mean ‘kubEra’. Though, it may be true, there is no direct linkage to the word to indicate this meaning. As per Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary, ‘mahArAja’, among others, also means ‘kubEra’. May be, this has been modified by SrI tyAgarAja as ‘rAja rAja’.
Top

sundarESvaruni - rAga SankarAbharaNaM