balamu kulamela

Sahityam

Pallavi

Charanams Combined

Renditions

Variations

• ⁷ jaGgamulu - jaGgamamulu : jaGgamulu - is appropriate.
• ⁸ bAlulu – bAluru

References

• ¹ siddhulu – eight-fold Siddhi - aNiman – laghiman – prApti – prAkAmya – mahiman – IzitA – vazitA – kAmAvazAyitA : become minute as atom – extreme lightness – reach anything (moon with the tip of finger) – irresistible will – illimitable bulk – supreme dominion – subjugating by magic – suppressing all desires : Source – Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary.
• ⁴ upAsamu - In Yogic practices, fasting and survival on leaves alone is one of the stages. In Srimad-Bhagavatam – Book 4 – Chapter 9 – the prescription to Dhruva by sage Narada is to –

Commentary

• ² nITa kAki - Translation has been made on the same line as given in all the books; however, ‘nIru kAki ’ (Tamizh ’nIr kAkkai ) (cormorant) whose food is fish dives into water to get its prey. ‘nIru kAki ’ and ‘mInu ’ belong to the same category having habitat in and around water; ‘kAki ’ (crow) and ‘mInu ’ (fish) are not in the same category. Further, the word ‘munuga ’ itself means ‘taking a dip in water’. Therefore, a doubt arises whether the Sri Thyagaraja means ‘nIru kAki ’ by ‘nITa kAki ’ – but in such case it should be ‘nITi kAki ’.
  • nIru kAki - Phalacrocorax carbo -Great Cormorant; Phalacrocorax fuscicollis- Indian Cormorant and Phalacrocorax niger - Little Cormorant. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Cormorant Cormorant]]
• ³ kUrcu - Upper part of the nose between eyebrows where yogic concentration is made.
• ⁵ citrapakSulu – In some books, this word has been translated as ‘fire-fly’; in other books, this has been taken to mean ‘birds’ in general. The word for ‘fire-fly’ or ‘glow-worm’ is ‘miNuguru purugu ’ or jyOtiriGgaNamu (Telugu) and ‘prabhA kITa ’ or ‘jyOtiriGga ’ or jyOtirgana ’ (Sanskrit).
  • The peacock in telugu is ‘citra pakSamu’ (citra pattraka - in Sanskrit). In view of the following word ‘egaya ’ - meaning ‘fly’ - indicates the reach of flight and not the fluorescence as applicable to fire-flies. It is a fact that peacock cannot fly too high or too far. Accordingly, ‘citra pakSulu ’ has been translated as ‘peacock’. However, if Sri Thyagaraja intended ‘fire-fly’, then it would be translated as ‘if fire-flies fly around, could they (their glow) equal the Sun and Moon?’
• ⁷ jaGgamulu - In some books, this is given as ‘beggars in the garb of Saivite Devotees’. According to the website – [[http://www.kamat.com/econtent/reviews/books/uchalya.htm Jangama1]] a Jangama is ‘a priest belonging to Lingayat community; a wandering ascetic’. They are stated to involve in petty thefts for livelihood. To know more about them, please visit the site. According to the website - [[http://www.experiencefestival.com/jangama Jangama2]]- Jangama is ‘a term used by Vira Saivites, originally to name their mendicant, renunciates who walked as homeless sadhus, uplifting others. Now an order of Vira Saivite teachers’.
• ⁹ digambara – it is also one of the names of Supreme Lord – direction-clad – quarters as garment. In the bikSATana avatAra , Lord Siva comes as digambara - For a brief on the story please visit the web site- [[http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/mabhik.html Bikshatana]]
  • However, as the word is used in plural form, Sri Thyagaraja seems to mean digambara of jaina sect - [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digambara Digambara]]