cinna nADE
Sahityam
Pallavi
cinna nADE nA ceyi¹ paTTitivE
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Isn’t it that You held my hand even in my child-hood?
Anupallavi
enna rAniyUDigamu kaikoni
entO nannu² pAlanamu sEtunani (cinna)
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entO nannu² pAlanamu sEtunani (cinna)
Accepting my numerous services, isn’t it that You held my hand even my child-hood assuring me much that ‘I shall look after'?
Charanam
iTTi vELa viDanADudAmanO³
ElukondAmaniyeJcinAvO⁴ teliya
guTTu⁵ brOvavE suguNa vAri nidhi
goppa daivamA tyAgarAja nuta (cinna)
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ElukondAmaniyeJcinAvO⁴ teliya
guTTu⁵ brOvavE suguNa vAri nidhi
goppa daivamA tyAgarAja nuta (cinna)
However, at this moment, I do not know what You have decided – whether to abandon or govern me; please protect my honour, O Ocean of virtues! O Excellent Lord! O Lord Praised by this Tyagaraja! isn’t it that You held my hand even my child-hood?
Renditions
Variations
- 2 nannu – ninnu : The words ‘pAlanu sEtunu ’ (I shall protect) are that of Lord. The word ‘entO ’ is not that of Lord. If the word ‘entO ’ is not there, ‘ninnu ’ could be added to the words of Lord ‘ninnu pAlanamu sEtunu ’ (I shall protect You) – accordingly, ‘ninnu ’ could be correct. However, as ‘entO ’ is present, it (entO ) has to be added to ‘nannu ’. Therefore, ‘ninnu ’ may not be appropriate. Such problems arise in many Kritis because Sri Tyagaraja mixes direct and indirect speech freely.
- 4 ElukondAmani – Elukondumani . It is an ’either – or’ situation. ‘eJcinAvO ’ is common for both situtations – ‘viDanADudAmani eJcinAvO – ElukondAmani eJcinAvO ’; However, Sri Tyagraja has shortened the first option as ‘viDanADudAmanO ’. Accordingly, ‘ElukondAmani ’ is appropriate.
References
- 3 viDanADudAmanO – ‘whether to abandon’. In the Kriti ‘gAravimpa rAdA’ – rAga ghaNTA , Sri Tyagaraja states ‘konna sati rUpameTlunnA guNamunna celi celimi vIDaranna ’ - ’no matter how the look, of a women gotten in marriage, is, if she is virtuous, one would not leave her companionship’.
Commentary
- 1 ceyi paTTitivE - The words ‘ceyi paTTu ’, though may mean ‘hold hand’, it specifically signifies marriage. As seen from all the books, the traditional meaning given to these words in this Kriti seems to be ‘hold hand’. Accordingly, it has been adopted here. However, it would be more appropriate to translate the pallavi as ‘Isn’t it that You married me even in my child-hood?’ Accordingly, this Kriti is sung in ‘nAyikA’ bhAva (kAnTAsakti - ’love of the Lord as that of a wife’ - as per definition in the Narada Bhakti Sutras.
- 5 guTTu – this word generally means ‘secret’. However, there are additional meanings – ‘honour’, ‘reputation’, ‘public esteem’. In view of the ensuing word ‘brOvavE ’ (protect), ‘honour’ and similar meanings are appropriate here.