Word Division - Word-by-word meaning
pallavi
vara lIla gAna lOla sura pAla suguNa jAla
bharita nIla gaLa hRd-Alaya Sruti mUla su-
karuNA-AlavAla pAlaya-ASu mAM
O Lord of Great (vara) sports (lIla)! O Enjoyer (lOla) of music (gAna)! O Protector (pAla) of celestials (sura)! O Lord brimming with (bharita) virtues (suguNa jAla)!
O Lord abiding (Alaya) in the heart (hRt) (hRd-Alaya) of Lord Siva – the blue (nIla) throated (gaLa)! O Lord who is the root (mUla) of vEdas (Sruti)! O Ocean (AlavAla) of Mercy (su-karuNA) (su-karuNalavAla)! Please protect (pAlaya) me (mAM) quickly (ASu) (pAlayASu).
caraNam
caraNam 1
sura vandita-Apta bRnda
vara mandara dhara sundara kara
kunda radana-indu mukha sanandana nuta
nanda nandana-indirA vara (vara)
O Lord worshipped (vandita) by celestials (sura)! O Lord with host (bRnda) of friends (Apta) (vanditApta)! O Bearer (dhara) the sacred (vara) mountain mandara! O Lord with beautiful (sundara) hands (kara)!
O Lord with jasmine-like (kunda) teeth (radana)! O Moon (indu) (radanEndu) Faced (mukha)! O Lord praised (nuta) by sage sanandana! O Son (nandana) of nanda! O Consort (vara) of lakshmI (indirA) (nandanEndirA)!
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
caraNam 2
muni cintanIya svAnta naraka-antaka
nigama-anta cara sukAnta kuSa
lava-antara hita dAnta kuja
vasanta santata-antaka stuta (vara)
O Lord meditated (cintanIya) in the hearts (svAnta) of sages (muni)! O Slayer (antaka) of demon naraka (narakAntaka)! O Lord found (cara) in vEdAnta - upanishads – end (anta) of vEdas (nigama) (nigamAnta)!
O Munificent Lord (hita) to the hearts (antara) of His sweet wife (su-kAnta) and sons kuSa and lava (lavAntara)! O Lord who, to the ascetics (dAnta), is like spring (vasanta) to the trees (kuja)! O Lord ever (santata) worshipped (stuta) by Lord of Death (antaka) (santatAntaka)!
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
caraNam 3
vara bhUsha vaMSa bhUsha nata pOshaNa
mRdu bhAshaNa ripu bhIshaNa
nara vEsha naga pOshaNa
vara SEsha bhUsha tOshita-anagha (vara)
O Wearer of splendid (vara) ornaments (bhUsha)! O Adornment (bhUsha) of His dynasty (vaMSa)! O Nourisher (pOshaNa) of those who supplicate (nata)! O Soft (mRdu) spoken (bhAshaNa)! O Lord who terrifies (bhIshaNa) His enemies (ripu)!
O Human (nara) embodied (vEsha)! O Nourisher (pOshaNa) of SEsha – the serpent (naga) (or nourisher of sons of kubEra standing as arjuna trees)! O Lord adored (tOshita) by Lord Siva – wearer (bhUsha) of blessed (vara) SEsha! O Sinless One (anagha) (tOshitAnagha)!
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
caraNam 4
su-kavi-ISa hRn-nivESa jagad-
ISa ku-bhava pASa rahita SrI-ISa
sura gaNa-ISa hita jala-ISa Sayana
kESava-aSam-ISa durlabha (vara)
O Lord who abides (nivESa) (literally enter) in the heart (hRt) (hRn-nivESa) of vAlmIki – Most eminent (ISa) of bards (su-kavi) (su-kavISa)! O Lord (ISa) of the Universe (jagat) (jagad-ISa)! O Lord bereft (rahita) of attachments (pASa) of the blighted Ocean of Worldly Existence (ku-bhava)! O Consort (ISa) of lakshmI (SrI) (SrISa)!
O Benefactor (hita) of indra – the Lord (ISa) of celestials (sura gaNa) (gaNESa)! O Lord reclining (Sayana) in the Milk Ocean – Lord (ISa) of waters (jala) (jalESa)! O Lord kESava! O Lord who is very difficult to attain (durlabha) by those who are not at all calm (aSam ISa) (kESavASamISa)!
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
caraNam 5
raNa dhIra sarva sAra sukumAra
budha vihAra danuja nIra dhara
samIraNa karuNA rasa paripUrNa
jAra cOra pAhi mAM (vara)
O Brave One (dhIra) in the battle field (raNa)! O Essence (sAra) of everything (sarva)! O Most Handsome Lad (sukumAra)! O Lord who abides (vihAra) in the hearts of wise (budha)!
O Lord who is the wind (samIraNa) which drives away the clouds – bearer (dhara) of water (nIra) – called asura (danuja)! O Lord brimming (paripUrNa) with quintessence (rasa) of Mercy (karuNA)! O Paramour (jAra) of gOpis! O Thief (cOra) of butter! Please protect (pAhi) me (mAM);
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
caraNam 6
nara rakshaka nIraja-aksha vara rAkshasa
mada Sikshaka sura yaksha sanaka
Rksha pati nuta-aksha haraNa
paksha daksha Sikshaka priya (vara)
O Protector (rakshaka) of the humans (nara)! O Lotus (nIraja) Eyed (aksha) (nIrajAksha)! O Lord who punished (Sikshaka) rAvaNa - the great (vara) demon (rAkshasa) - for his arrogance (mada)! O Lord praised (nuta) by celestials (sura), attendants of kubEra (yaksha), sage sanaka and jAmbavAn – the chief (pati) of bears (Rksha)!
O Lord who is favourable (paksha) to AnjanEya – slayer (haraNa) of aksha (nutAksha) kumAra – son of rAvaNa! O Lord who is dear (priya) to Lord Siva – one who punished (Sikshaka) daksha – father of pArvatI!
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
caraNam 7
raghu rAja tyAgarAja nuta
rAja divasa rAja nayana-bhO
jagad-avana-aja janaka rAja sutA
virAja rAja rAja pUjita (vara)
O King (rAja) of raghu dynasty! O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja! O (bhO) Lord who has moon (rAja) and Sun – Lord (rAja) of day (divasa) - as eyes (nayana) (nayana-bhO)!
O Protector (avana) of the Universe (jagat) (jagad-avana)! O Unborn (aja)! O Lord worshipped (pUjita) by sItA – daughter (sutA) of King (rAja) janaka, garuDa – king (rAja) of birds (vi) (virAja) and Emperors (rAja rAja)!
O Lord of Great sports! O Enjoyer of music! O Protector of celestials! O Lord brimming with virtues! O Lord abiding in the heart of Lord Siva! O Lord who is the root of vEdas! O Ocean of Mercy! Please protect me quickly.
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
References
Comments
1 – naga pOshaNa – ‘naga’ means ‘mountain’, ‘tree’, ‘serpent’ and ‘sun’. In view of the ensuing word ‘pOshaNa’ it may mean ‘serpent’ or ‘tree’. By ‘serpent’, it might mean ‘SEsha’. By ‘tree’ it might mean ‘arjuna tree’ - refers to the episode of nalakUbara and maNigrIva – sons of kubEra – who were cursed by sage nArada to become (arjuna) trees. SrI kRshNa relieves them of their curse by destroying the trees by dragging the mortar tied to his waist. SrImad bhAgavataM, Book 10, Chapter 10 refers. (Both meanings are given here.)
2 – kESavASamISa durlabha – In one book, this has been translated as ‘beyond the ken even of the cream of munis and not easily attainable’; in another book, it has been translated as ‘one who is beyond the reach of yOgis’. According to these books, the word seems to have been taken as ‘Sama+ISa durlabha’. ‘Sama+ISa’ would be joined as ‘SamESa’ on the lines of ‘jala+ISa’ – jalESa; gaNa+ISa – gaNESa. Further, in all the books it is given as ‘kESavASamISa’ with an elongated ‘a’ for ‘kESava’; therefore, it needs to be split as ‘kESava+aSam+ISa durlabha’. Accordingly ‘aSam’ has been translated as ‘not calm’. Here ‘ISa’ seems to be a ridicule to mean ‘who are not at all calm. It has been translated accordingly.
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