pallavi
toli janmamuna jEyu duDuku telisenu rAma
anupallavi
1phalam(E)mO 2ara cEti puNTik(a)ddamu vale nA (toli)
caraNam
rAgi payirula centa ramyamau
vari molaka rAjilla nErcun(a)TarA
nAga Sayana tyAgarAju pApamutOnu
nAma puNyamu 3celagunA (toli)
pallavi
toli janmamuna jEyu duDuku telisenu rAma
O Lord SrI rAma! The wicked deeds (duDuku) committed (jEyu) by me in my past (toli) lives (janmamuna) are clear (telisenu).
anupallavi
phalamu-EmO ara cEti puNTiki-addamu vale nA (toli)
May be (EmO), this is the fruit (phalamu) (phalamEmO) (of my past deeds); like (vale) a mirror (addamu) (not needed) for (noticing) a sore (puNTiki) (puNTikaddamu) in one’s palm (ara cEti),
O Lord SrI rAma! The wicked deeds committed by me in my (nA) past lives are clear.
caraNam
rAgi payirula centa ramyamau
vari molaka rAjilla nErcunu-aTarA
nAga Sayana tyAgarAju pApamutOnu
nAma puNyamu celagunA (toli)
O Lord! In the same manner as (aTarA) as a beautiful (ramyamau) paddy (vari) seedling (molaka) might happen (nErcunu) (nErcunaTarA) to flourish (rAjilla) (literally shine) beside (centa) (literally near) rAgi crop (payirula),
O Lord reclining (Sayana) on SEsha – the serpent (nAga)! will my merit (puNyamu) of chanting Your names (nAma) be noticeable (celagunA) (literally shine) along with sins (pApamutOnu) of this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju)? (Please take note of my merit.) (OR)
O Lord! In the same manner as (aTarA) a beautiful (ramyamau) paddy (vari) seedling (molaka) might indeed happen (sarcasm) (nErcunu) (nErcunaTarA) to flourish (rAjilla) (literally shine) beside (centa) (literally near) rAgi crops (payirula),
O Lord reclining (Sayana) on SEsha – the serpent (nAga)! how will my merit (puNyamu) of chanting Your names (nAma) be noticeable (celagunA) (literally shine) along with sins (pApamutOnu) of this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju)?
O Lord SrI rAma! The wicked deeds committed by me in my past lives are clear.
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – phalamEmO – (nI mahima) phalamEmO : In my opinion, ‘nI mahima’ confuses the meaning of anupallavi. Also, from the stand-point of prAsa-anuprAsa, ‘nI mahima’ does not seem to be appropriate.
3 – celagunA – celagunA nEnu.
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References
2 - aracEti puNTiki addamu – in tamizh it is called ‘kaippuNNukku kaNNADiyA?’ In saMskRta, it is called ‘hastAmalaka’ – the fruit of the Myrobalan (Amalaka – nellikkAy - tamizh) in the hand - as a symbol of something palpable or clear.
‘hastAmalakIyaM’ - a vEdAnta treatise commented by Adi SankarAcArya
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Comments
Paddy is a wet-land crop and rAgi is a dry-land crop; therefore, it is possible to interpret that paddy seedling cannot grow (survive) beside rAgi crop. This is the meaning taken in the books - ‘will a paddy sapling planted amidst rAgi survive?’ In this case, the word in the simile should be ‘eTarA’ (how) (rAjilla nErcunu eTarA) and not ‘aTarA’ (thus) (but, ‘aTarA’ is given clearly in all the books); alternatively, the word ‘rAjilla nErcunu’ should be taken as a sarcasm (rAjilla nErcunu aTrarA). Correspondingly, in tune with the simile, the word ‘celagunA’ would also be taken as a sarcasm - ‘how will my merit be noticeable in the midst of my sins?’.
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Alternatively, the wordings of simile (rAjillunu aTarA) may be taken literally with the meaning that ‘a paddy seedling might happen to survive beside rAgi crop’. This is in tune with the second half of the caraNa that ‘I have indeed at least one merit of chanting Your names besides my sins’. As ‘existence of merit’ is clearly brought out, the simile also should take a similar meaning – ‘a paddy seedling could exist (rAjilla nErcunu) beside rAgi crop’. In this case, ‘celagunA’ would become an entreaty – will You take note of my merit?
Therefore, in my opinion, SrI tyAgarAja wants to convey ‘like a paddy seedling might happen to grow amidst rAgi crops, I do have some merits (of chanting Your names) in the midst of my many sins; but will it be noticed by You?’ - the word ‘celagunA’ is an entreaty. However, both meanings are given here.
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