Transliteration–Telugu _______________________________________________________

Transliteration as per Harvard-Kyoto (HK) Convention

(including Telugu letters – Short e, Short o) -

 

a   A     i    I     u   U 

R RR lR lRR                          

e E   ai o O   au M (H or :)          

 

(e – short | E – Long | o – short | O – Long)

k    kh   g   gh G    

c     ch   j    jh   J                  (jn – as in jnAna)

T    Th D Dh N    

t    th   d   dh   n

p    ph b   bh   m    

y     r     l    L    v

z     S    s     h  

 

kanna talli-sAvEri

 

                In the kRti ‘kanna talli nIvu’ – rAga sAvEri, zrI tyAgarAja sings praises of the Mother at Thiruvotriyur.

 

P             kanna talli nIvu nApAla galuga

                gAsi cendan(E)lan(a)mma

 

A             venna(y)uNDa nEtiki(y)evaraina

                vesana baDudurA tripura sundari (kanna)

 

C1           ella vAri dhanamul(a)zvamulu mari

                ekkuvaina gaTTi middel(a)nniyu

                kalla gAni kanna vArulu

                kAJcu sukhamu sunna(y)anucunu

                ullamunanu bAga telusukoNTini

                Uraka dhanikula saMbhASaNa nE-

                (n)olla mAyal(a)ni telisi rajju pai-

                n(u)raga buddhi cendan(E)lan(a)mmA nanu (kanna)

 

C2           palauku maJci gAni bAndhavulu mari

                bAva maradul(a)kkal(a)nna tammulu

                kalimi jUcu vAru lEmini

                kanula gAna rAru(y)anucunu

                talacukonna venuka vAri mAyala

                tagala jAlan(a)mmA maru marIci-

                kalanu jUci nIrani bhramasi

                kandurA Adipura vihAriNi nanu (kanna)            

 

C3           kanaka bhUSaNamulu beTTi mariyu

                sogasu jEsi pAlu pOsi peJcina

                tanuvu satamu gAdu nirmala-

                tanam(i)Jcuka lEd(a)nucunu

                anudinam(o)nariJcu sat-kriyala

                nIk(a)ni palkina tyAgarAja rakSaki

                vinum(a)nniTa nIvani(y)erigi vElpula

                vErani(y)eJcudurA tripura sundari nanu (kanna)

 

Gist

                O Mother who bore me! O Mother tripura sundari! O Mother abiding at Adipura! O Protector of this tyAgarAja! Please listen.

                When You are present with me why should I feel weary? Will anyone worry about ghee when there is butter?

                I have understood well in my mind that (a) wealth, horses and very strong storeyed houses – all these belonging to people are but false; (b) the comfort derived by those who possess them is but a nought; (c) therefore, having known that all the talks of the wealthy to be mere illusion, why, in vain, should I have the idea of ‘snake on the rope’?

                I have thought in my mind that (a) the relatives whose words are not beneficient and (b) the nears - brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, elder sisters, elder brothers, younger brothers - who look for one’s wealth, would not come to see with their eyes the poverty; (c) therefore, I shall not get caught in their tricks; (d) having been confounded, by seeing vanishing mirages, to be water, is it possible to find water?

                I have considered (a) that this body, groomed by beautifying by adorning golden ornaments and by feeding milk, is not of permanent nature, (b) that there is not even a little purity in all these; (c) therefore, I said that the pious acts performed daily are for You; (d) having understood that You are in everything, would anyone consider other Gods to be different from You?

 

Word-by-word Meaning

 

P             O Mother (talli) who bore (kanna) me! When You (nIvu) are present (galuga) with me (nApAla) why (Elanu) (Elanamma) should I feel (cendanu) (cendanElanamma) weary (gAsi)? 

 

A             O Mother tripura sundari! Will anyone (evaraina) worry (vesana baDudurA) about ghee (nEtiki) (nEtikiyevaraina) when there is (uNDa) butter (venna) (vennayuNDa)?

                O Mother who bore me! When You are present with us, why should I feel weary?

 

C1           I have understood (telusukoNTini) well (bAga) in my mind (ullamunanu) that (anucunu) –

                wealth (dhanamulu), horses (azvamulu) (dhanamulazvamulu)  and (mari) very (ekkuvaina) strong (gaTTi) storeyed houses (middelu) – all these (anniyu) belonging to people (ella vAri) are but (gAni) false (kalla) and (that)

                the comfort (sukhamu) derived (kAJcu) by those who (vArulu) possess (kanna) them is but a nought (sunnayu) (sunnayanucunu);

                therefore, having known (telisi) that all the talks (saMbhASaNa) of the wealthy (dhanikula) to be (ani) mere (olla) illusion (mAyalu) (mAyalani),

                why (Ela) (ElanammA), in vain (Uraka), should I (nEnu) (nEnolla) have (cendanu) (cendanElanammA) the idea (buddhi) of ‘snake (uraga) on (paina) (painuraga) the rope’ (rajju)?

                O Mother who bore me (nanu)! When You are present with us, why should I feel weary?

 

C2           After (venuka) having thought (talacukonna) (in the mind) that (anucunu) –

                the relatives (bAndhavulu) whose words (paluku) are not (gAni) beneficient (maJci) and (mari)

                (the nears) - brothers-in-law (bAva), sisters-in-law (maradulu), elder sisters (akkalu), elder brothers (anna) (maradulakkalanna), younger brothers (tammulu) who (vAru) look (jUcu) for one’s wealth (kalimi) – would not come (rAru) to see (kAna) with their eyes (kanula) the poverty (lEmini),

                I shall not (jAla) (jAlanammA) get caught (tagala) in their (vAri) tricks (mAyala);      

                having been confounded (bhramasi) by seeing (jUci) the vanishing (maru) mirages (marIcikalanu) to be water (nIrani), is it possible to find (kandurA) it (water)?

                O Mother abiding (vihAriNi) at Adipura who bore me (nanu)! when You are present with us, why should I feel weary?

 

C3           O Protector (rakSaki) of this tyAgarAja who -

                having considered that (anucunu) this body (tanuvu) - groomed (peJcina) by beautifying (sogasu jEsi) by adorning (beTTi) golden (kanaka) ornaments (bhUSaNamulu) and (mariyu) by feeding (pOsi) milk   (pAlu) - is not (gAdu) of permanent nature (satamu),

                and there is not (lEdu) (lEdanucunu) even a little (iJcuka) (nirmalatanamiJcuka) purity (nirmalatanamu) in all these,

                (who) said (palkina) that the pious acts (satkriyala) performed (onariJcu) daily (anudinamu) (anudinamonariJcu) are for (ani) You (nIku) (nIkani);

                please listen (vinumu)! having understood (erigi) that (ani) You (nIvu) (nIvani) (nIvanerigi) are in everything (anniTa) (vinumanniTa), would anyone consider (eJcudurA) other Gods (vElpula) to be (ani) different (vEru) (vErani) (vEraniyeJcudurA) from You?

                O Mother tripura sundari, who bore me (nanu)! when You are present with us, why should I feel weary?

 

Notes –

                P - gAsi cenda – In the book of TKG, this is given as ‘gAsi centa’. In Telugu, these two words (‘cenda’ and ‘centa’) have different meanings. In the present context, ‘cenda’ is the correct word. Therefore, the softening of the consonant ‘ta’ into ‘da’ or vice-versa is not correct here. Any suggestions ???

                C1 – sambhASaNamu – this is how it is given in the books of TKG and TSV/AKG. However, in the book of CR, this is given as ‘sambhASaNa’. This needs to be checked. Any suggestions ???

                C1 – Uraka - this is how it is given in the books of CR. However, in the book of TKG and TSV/AKG, this is given as ‘UrakE’. This needs to be checked. Any suggestions ???

                C1 – rajjupain(u)raga buddhi – ‘snake on the rope’ – in vEdAnta, this is one of the famous similes given to explain the superimposition of falsehood over truth – the rope being the truth, in darkness, one instinctively fears it to be a snake and when light is shed, the truth becomes known. This similes are given in many vEdanta texts. Please refer to upadEza sAhasrI (A Thousand Teachings) of Adi zaMkara – Chapter 18 – verse 46 –

               

                rajjusarpO yathA rajjvA sAtmaka: prAgvivEkata: |

                avastusannapi hyESa kUTasthEnAtmanA tathA || 46 ||

 

                “Just as a rope-snake (a rope mistaken for a snake), though unreal, has an existence due to that of the rope before the discrimination between the rope and the snake takes place; so, the transmigratory condition, though unreal, is possessed of an existence (Empirical or phenomenal existence) due to that (Real Existence) of the changeless Self.” (Translation by Swami Jagadananda).

               

                The following verse from aSTavakra gIta is also relevant –

 

                yatra vizvam idaM bhAti kalpitaM rajju-sarpavat

                Ananda-paramAnanda: sa bodhas tvaM sukhaM bhava. 1.10

 

                “That in which all this appears - imagined like the snake in a rope, that joy, supreme joy and awareness is what you are, so be happy.”

                For more information on aSTavakra gIta, please visit site –

                http://www.tphta.ws/TPH_ASHG.HTM