Tyagaraja Kriti

Meaning - Gist
gOpis – to each other -

This rain would not allow us to remain where we are; besides,
thunder will not abate.

The whirl wind is spinning the boat; besides,
the rain is pouring down very violently.

A fissure has developed in the boat.
Who is refuge for these damsels?

Nothing is visible to the eyes;
further on, we are doomed in the river kALindi.

The damsels acted as their minds dictated;
I told You then itself ‘let us not have this much of proud’.

We should not assemble in one place (in the boat);
this indeed is dissolution; nothing else.

O Moon Faced damsels!
Come and look at kRshNa - friend of tyAgarAja.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
unna tAvuna-uNDanu-iyyadu vAna
urumulaitE venaka tiyyadu

This rain (vAna) would not allow us to remain (uNDanu iyyadu) where we are (unna tAvuna) (tAvunanuNDaniyyadu); besides (aitE), thunder (urumulu) (urumulaitE) will not abate (venaka tiyyadu) (literally not retreat).

caraNam
caraNam 1
suDi gAli-ODa juTTi vaDi
vaDigA vAnalaitE koTTi (unna)

The whirl (suDi) wind (gAli) is spinning (juTTi) the boat (ODa) (gAliyODa); besides (aitE),
the rain (vAnalu) (vAnalaitE) is pouring down (koTTi) very violently (vaDi vaDigA);
This rain would not allow us to remain where we are now; besides, thunder will not abate.

caraNam 2
ODalO randhramu kalige-I
vanitalaku-evvaru salige (unna)

A fissure (randhramu) has developed (kalige) in the boat (ODalO);
who (evvaru) is refuge (salige) for these (I) (kaligeyI) damsels (vanitalaku) (vanitalakevvaru)?
This rain would not allow us to remain where we are now; besides, thunder will not abate.

caraNam 3
kanulaku-endu kAna rAdu gati
kALindi manaku-ika mIdu (unna)

Nothing is visible (endu kAna rAdu) to the eyes (kanulaku) (kanulakendu);
further on (ika mIdu), we (manaku) (manakika) are doomed (gati) (literally refuge) in the river kALindi;
This rain would not allow us to remain where we are now; besides, thunder will not abate.

caraNam 4
mati pOvu dAri janirammA apuDE
madamu-inta vaddu-aNTinammA (unna)

The damsels acted (janirammA) (literally went) as (dAri) (literally way) their minds (mati) dictated (pOvu) (literally go);
I told (aNTinammA) You then itself (apuDE) ‘let us not have (vaddu) (vaddaNTinammA) this much (inta) of proud (madamu) (madaminta)’;
This rain would not allow us to remain where we are now; besides, thunder will not abate.

caraNam 5
manamu-okkacO kUDa rAdu praLayamu-
ana-idigA vEru lEdu (unna)

We (manamu) should not (rAdu) assemble (kUDa) in one place (okkacO) (manamokkacO) (in the boat);
this indeed (idigA) is (ana) dissolution (praLayamu) (praLayamananidigA); nothing (lEdu) else (vEru);
This rain would not allow us to remain where we are now; besides, thunder will not abate.

caraNam 6
rAja vadanalu rArammA tyAga-
rAja sakhuni jUDarammA (unna)

O Moon (rAja) Faced damsels (vadanalu)! Come (rArammA) and look (jUDarammA) at kRshNa - friend (sakhuni) of tyAgarAja;
This rain would not allow us to remain where we are now; besides, thunder will not abate.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
In some books, first caraNa is given as anupallavi.

¹ – suDi gAli – sUTi gAli : The meaning derived is ‘whirl wind’. The telugu word for ‘whirl wind’ is ‘suDi’. Therefore, ‘suDi’ has been adopted.

² – ODa juTTi vaDi vaDigA vAnalaitE – ODa juTTi vaDigA vAnalaitE - ODa juTTi juTTi vaDi vAnalaitE.

³ – salige – This is how it is given in all the books. The meaning derived is ‘protect’ or ‘aid’. The correct Telugu word seems to be ‘saliga’. According to Telugu Dictionary, this word is derived from Hindi.

⁵ – janirammA – pOyirammA.

⁶ – madaminta vaddaNTinammA – madamimpa valadaNTinammA.
Top

References
⁴ - kALindi – river yamuna. It is stated that balarAma made a channel from river yamuna (by his plough) which was called kALindi.
Top

Comments
⁴ – gati kALindi – The word ‘gati’ generally means ‘refuge’. In colloquial terms, it means ‘doom’ when referring to a disastrous situation. Accordingly, ‘doom’ has been adopted in keeping with the context.

This kRti forms part of dance-drama ‘nauka caritram’ – The Boat Story.

(Background –The gOpis meet kRshNa at the yamunA river and travel in a boat happily. In their excitement of meeting kRshNa, gOpis become proud thinking that kRshNa is their property. In order to remove their proudiness, kRshNa creates a storm in the river and the boat is tossed about.)
Top

unna tAvuna - rAga ghaNTA