Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
O My Mind!

Understanding who Lord rAma is, chant His names with His thought only.
Ceasing all (other) thoughts at least for the duration of winking of eyelids (or for a minute), chant names of Lord rAma, understanding His true significance as the one who carries across the ocean of Worldly Existence.

Uttering ‘rAmA’ also means ‘woman’; such people (who think of woman when uttering ‘rAmA’) would be struggling with lust or desire etc.
Uttering ‘rAmA’ also signifies ‘Supreme Lord’; the miseries of birth (and death) of those people (who meditate on Supreme Lord when uttering ‘rAmA’) will come to end.

'arka’ also means the 'milk-weed plant’; how will the monkey mentality will come to an end (if milk-weed plant comes to mind when uttering ‘arka’)?
‘arka’ also signifies the Sun; the darkness called fallacious arguments (sophistry) will come to an end (if one meditates on the Sun when uttering ‘arka’).

‘aja’ also means ‘he-goat’; how true aspirations will fructify (if he-goat comes to mind when uttering ‘aja’)?
‘aja’ also signifies Lord brahmA – Consort of sarasvati; one will achieve success (if one meditates on Lord brahmA when uttering ‘aja’).

Understanding who Lord rAma – praised by tyAgarAja - is, chant His names with His thought only.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
telisi rAma cintanatO nAmamu
sEyavE O manasA

O My Mind (manasA)! Understanding (telisi) who Lord rAma is, chant His names (nAmamu sEyavE) with His thought (cintanatO) only.

anupallavi
talapulu-anni nilipi nimishamaina
tAraka rUpuni nija tatvamulanu (telisi)

O My Mind! Ceasing (nilipi) all (anni) (other) thoughts (talapulu) (talapulanni) at least (aina) for the duration of winking of eyelids (nimishamu) (nimishamaina) (or for a minute),
chant names of Lord rAma, understanding His true (nija) significance (tatvamulanu) as the one (rUpuni) (literally form) who carries across (tAraka) the ocean of Worldly Existence.

caraNam
caraNam 1
rAmA-ana capala-akshula pEru
kAma-Adula pOru vAru vIru
rAmA-ana brahmamunaku pEru
A mAnava janana-Artulu tIru (telisi)

Uttering (ana) ‘rAmA’ (rAmAyana) also means (pEru) (literally name) ‘woman’ (pEru) – the fickle (capala) eyed (akshula) (capalAkshula); such people (vIru) (who think of woman when uttering ‘rAmA’) would be struggling (pOruvAru) with lust or desire (kAma) etc. (Adula) (kAmAdula);
Uttering (ana) ‘rAmA’ (rAmAyana) also signifies (pEru) ‘Supreme Lord’ (brahmamu) (brahmamunaku); the miseries (Artulu) of birth (janana) (jananArtulu) (and death) of those (A) people (mAnava) (who meditate on Supreme Lord when uttering ‘rAmA’) will come to end (tIru);
O My Mind! Understanding who Lord rAma is, chant His names with His thought only.

caraNam 2
arkamu-anucu jilleDu taru pEru
markaTa buddhulu-eTTu tIru
arkuDu-anucu bhAskaruniki pEru
kutarkamu-anE andhakAramu tIru (telisi)

‘arka’ (arkamu) also means (anucu pEru) (arkamanucu) the ’milk-weed plant’ (jilleDu taru); how (eTTu) will the monkey (markaTa) mentality (buddhulu) (buddhuleTTu) come to an end (tIru) (if milk-weed plant comes to mind when uttering ‘arka’)?
‘arka’ (arkuDu) also signifies (anucu pEru) (arkuDanucu) the Sun (bhAskaruDu) (bhAskaruniki); the darkness (andhakAramu) called (anE) fallacious arguments (sophistry) (kutarkamu) (kutarkamanE) will come to an end (tIru) (if one meditates on the Sun when uttering ‘arka’);
O My Mind! Understanding who Lord rAma is, chant His names with His thought only.

caraNam 3
ajamu-anucu mEshamunaku pEru
nija kOrikalu-ElAgu-IDEru
ajuDu-ani vAg-ISvaruniki pEru
vijayamu kalgunu tyAgarAja nutuni (telisi)

‘aja’ (ajamu) also means (anucu pEru) (ajamanucu) he-goat (mEshamu) (mEshamunaku); how (ElAgu) true (nija) aspirations (kOrikalu) will fructify (IDEru) (kOrikalElAgIDEru) (if he-goat comes to mind when uttering ‘aja’)?
‘aja’ (ajuDu) also signifies (ani pEru) (ajuDani) Lord brahmA – Consort (ISvara) of sarasvati (vAk) (vAg-ISvaruniki); one will achieve (kalgunu) success (vijayamu) (if one meditates on Lord brahmA when uttering ‘aja’);
O My Mind! Understanding who Lord rAma – praised (nutuni) by tyAgarAja - is, chant His names with His thought only.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
³ – pOru vAru vIru – pOru vAru vEru : ‘pOru vAru vIru’ seems to be appropriate.
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References
² – kAmAdula – kAma, krOdha, lObha, mOha, mada, mAtsarya.

⁴ – jilleDu taru – ‘calotropis gigantea’ which is called ‘erukku’ in tamizh.
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Comments
¹ – rAmayana – This is how it is given in all the books. However, considering the endings given in other caraNas - ‘anucu’ – it is felt that this also should be ‘ani’ – ‘rAmAyani’.
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telisi rAma - rAga pUrNacandrika