pallavi
tatvam(e)ruga taramA para (tatva)
anupallavi
tat-tvaM-asi(y)anu 1vAky(A)rthamu
rAma nIv(a)nu para (tatva)
caraNam
2tAmasa rAjasa guNamula 3tannukOLLu pOdayA
rAma bhaktuDaina tyAgarAja vinuta vEda SAstra (tatva)
pallavi
tatvamu-eruga taramA para (tatva)
Is it in one’s capacity (taramA) to realise (eruga) the supreme (para) reality (tatvamu) (tatvameruga)?
anupallavi
tat-tvaM-asi-anu vAkya-arthamu
rAma nIvu-anu para (tatva)
O Lord SrI rAma! Is it in one’s capacity to realise the supreme reality that (anu) You (nIvu) (nIvanu) are indeed the purport (arthamu) of the sacred statement (vAkya) (literally sentence) (vAkyArthamu) called (anu) ‘tat-tvaM-asi’ (tattvamasi) (tattvamasiyanu)?
caraNam
tAmasa rAjasa guNamula 3tannukOLLu pOdayA
rAma bhaktuDaina tyAgarAja vinuta vEda SAstra (tatva)
O Lord (ayA)! The sufferings (tannukOLLu) caused by inertial (tAmasa) and active (rAjasa) principles (guNamula) will not cease (pOdu) (pOdayA);
O Lord well praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja who is (aina) devotee (bhaktuDu) (bhaktuDaina) of SrI rAma!
is it in one’s capacity to realise the supreme reality as brought out in vEdas (vEda) and SAstras (SAstra)?
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
References
Comments
1 – vAkyArthamu nIvanu – SrI tyAgarAja states that ‘tat’ in the mahAvAkya indeed refers to Lord SrI rAma.
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2 - tAmasa rAjasa - It is generally believed that realization of the import of the mahAvAkya ‘tat-tvaM-asi’ is possible only through Atma vicAra or jnAna mArga. But here, SrI tyAgarAja proves that through bhakti also this is possible and that too even while under the thraldom of tAmasa and rAjasa principles. In this regard, the following verses in SrImad-bhagavad-gIta, Chapter 18 are relevant –
man-manA bhava mad-bhaktO mad-yAji mAM namaskuru |
mAm-Evaishyasi satyaM tE pratijAnE priyO(a)si mE ||
sarva dharmAn-parityajya mAm-EkaM SaraNaM vraja |
ahaM tvA sarva pApEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi mASucaH || 65,66 ||
“Occupy thy mind with Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt reach Myself; truly do I promise unto thee, (for) thou are dear to Me.
Relinquishing all dharmA take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not.”
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2 – tAmasa rAjasa – SrI tyAgarAja seems to have deliberately left out the ‘sattva guNa’ because, as brought out in the following verse of SrImad-bhagavad- gItA, Chapter 14, sattva guNa is conducive to enquiry which leads to ultimate apprehension of the truth –
tatra sattvaM nirmalatvat-prakASakam-anAmayaM |
sukha-sangEna badhnAti jnAna-sangEna cAnagha || 6 ||
“Of these, sattva, because of its stainlessness, luminous and free from evil, binds, O sinless one, by attachment to happiness, and by attachment to knowledge.”
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3 – tannukOLLu pOdu – In this regard, the following verse of SrImad- bhagavad-gItA, Chapter 18 is relevant –
na hi dEha-bhRtA SakyaM tyaktuM karmANy-aSeshataH |
yastu karma-phala-tyAgI sa tyAgIty-abhidhIyatE || 11 ||
“Actions cannot be entirely relinquished by an embodied being, but he who relinquishes the fruits of action is called a relinquisher.” (All Translations by Swami Swarupananda)
Please also refer to kRti ‘rAma nIpai tanaku’, rAga kEdAraM, wherein SrI tyAgarAja states ‘bhOga anubhavamulandu bAguga buddhi nIyandu’ – even while experiencing Worldly enjoyments, my mind is well immersed in You’.
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