endukI calamu

zaGkarAbharaNa mizra cApu tyAgarAja telugu kRti

Sahityam

endukI calamu¹ nEnevaritO telpudu

Why this spite (towards me)? To whom shall I complain?

kandarpa janaka nIkE
kAnta ceppenO² hari hari (endu)

O Father of cupid! Which woman has said anything to You against me? Alas!!

kausalya ceppenO² nIkE sammati lEdO
ahalya ceppenO² nannAdariJca lEvO (endu)

Did Kausalya say anything or are You Yourself not willing to protect me? did Ahalya say anything? won’t You support me?

kabari³ bhAriNi sItA kAnta ceppenO² lEka
zabari ceppenO² nIdu zAntamendu pOye (endu)

Did Your wife Sita who has fine and thick hair say anything? or did Sabari tell anything? Where has Your tranquility vanished?

bAlayau⁴ svayamprabha⁵ ceppenO²
tALa nA taramA zrI⁶ tyAgarAjunipai nIk(endu)

Did the maiden Svayamprabha say anything? is it in my capacity to forbear? why You have spite towards this Thyagaraja?

² ceppenO – jeppenO
³ kabari – kabarI . The Sanskrit is ‘kavarI ’ - seems to have been corrupted as ‘kabari ’.
⁶ zrI tyAgarAja – tyAgarAja

⁵ svayamprabha - The story of Svayamprabha comes in the Kishkinda Kanda of Ramayana. During their search of Sita, AnjanEya and others reach a divine cave, where they find a wonderful city guarded by an aged ascetic woman by name Svayamprabha. She is daughter of Merusawarni and has been granted boons by Gods. However, Valmiki Ramayana doesn’t seem to contain any further reference about her emancipation in the hands of Sri Rama. This is found in Adhyatma Ramayana – Kishkinda Kanda – 6th Chapter refers.

¹ calamu – this word has different meanings – ‘wavering’, ‘obstinacy’, ‘spitefulness’, ill-will’, ‘malice’ etc. From the statements in caraNas, it seems zrI tyAgarAja implies instigation. Therefore, in all probability, this word ‘calamu’ means ‘spite’, ‘ill-will’ or ‘malice’ because of instigation. Further, in view of the last caraNa wherein he states ‘on’ tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjunipai) only ‘spite’, ‘ill-will’ or ‘malice’ would suit.
⁴ bAlayau – The word means ‘damsel’, ‘maid’, ‘virgin’ etc. In the Kriti ‘appa rAma bhakti ’, Sri Thyagaraja describes Svayamprabha as ‘abala ’ – helpless.