aTu kArAdani

aTu kArAdani¹ palkanabhimAnamu lEka pOyenA
Show Word Meanings
Do You have no affection towards me even to say, ‘That is not appropriate’?
eTulOrtunu nE daya jUDavayya
E vElpu sEyu calamO telisi
Show Word Meanings
How shall I bear the grief? O Lord! deign to show mercy; I do not know which God is doing trickery knowingly.
vEda zAstrOpaniSad viduDaina²
nijapu dArini paTTi dAsuDaina³
nAdupai nepameJcitE tyAgaraja nuta (aTu)
Show Word Meanings
Is it correct to find fault with me who, even though learned in Veda, Sastra and Upanishad, has become Your devotee by adopting the true path (of surrender)? O Lord praised by Thyagaraja!
  • General – The context in which the kRti has been sung is not clear. Therefore, there may be errors in interpretation of the terms ‘aTu kArAdu ’ in Pallavi and ‘E vElpulu ’ in Anupallavi.
  • 1 aTu kArAdani – This is a colloquial usage in Telugu (kA+rAdu ) to say ‘it is not appropriate’, ‘it is not done’ or ‘it is prohibited’.
  • 2 viduDaina – The word ‘aina ’ in ‘viduDaina ’ would mean ‘even though’; the same word ‘aina ’ in ‘dAsuDaina ’ would mean ‘become’. Going by the spirit of Thyagaraja’s Kritis, ‘surrender’ is superior to paths of Jnana or Karma (as asserted in Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 18).
  • 3 nepameJcitE – Grammatically, the sentence is not complete, but ends with a question mark with ‘nepameJcitE ?’. Therefore, ‘Is it correct’ has been added to complete the sentence.