kalugunA pada

pUrNalalitA Adi tyAgarAja telugu kRti

Sahityam

Pallavi

kalugunA¹ pada nIraja sEva
gandha vAha tanaya

O Anjaneya - Son of the Wind God – one who carries fragrance! Will it be possible for me to have the privilege of performing service (like you) at the Lotus Feet of Sri Rama?

Anupallavi

palumAru jUcucu brahmAnanduDai
paragE bhaktAgrEsara tanaku \t(kalugunA)

Show Word Meanings

O AnjanEya - the foremost of the devotees - who remains as the one having the privilege of experiencing the Supreme Bliss by always beholding the Lord! will it be possible for me too to have the privilege of performing service (like you) at the Lotus Feet of Sri Rama?

Charanam

vEkuva² jAmuna nI karamunan(i)Di
zrI kAntuD³amRta snAnamu jEsi
pAkamulanu zrI raGgEzunik⁴-
arpaNamu jEsi tA
sItA karamulacE bhujiJci ninu
sAtvIka⁵ purANa paThana sEyam(a)nE
sAkEta patini sarv(A)dhAruni
prAkaTamuga tyAgarAja nutuni kana (kalugunA)

Show Word Meanings

O AnjanEya! will it be possible for me too to have the privilege of beholding manifestedly Lord Sri Rama - the Consort of LakshmI, the King of Ayodhya, the prop of everything and the Lord praised by this Tyagaraja - who (a) at pre-dawn hours, taking bath of nectar holding Your hands, (b) having offered the sacred foods to Lord Ranganatha, (c) Himself having partaken food laid by the hands of Sita, and (d) commands You to read out the holy scriptures?

References

⁴ raGgEza – Lord Ranganatha was first worshipped by Lord Brahma, then later given to Maharaja Iksvaku of the Raghu Dynasty, who brought the Deity to his capital of Ayodhya. Later, the Deity was worshipped by Lord Ramacandra. When Vibhisana visited Ayodhya he requested Ramacandra to give him the Deity so that he could worship Him at his capital in Lanka. Ramacandra agreed provided Vibhisana did not place the Deity on the ground on his return to Lanka – if he did so, the Deity would stay in that spot. Somehow or other, Vibhisana placed Lord Ranganatha down at Srirangam and that is where He has stayed ever since. However, unlike most Deities who face East, Ranganatha faces South towards Lanka to bless Vibhisana and his kingdom. It is said that Vibhisana returns every 12 years to perform worship of Lord Ranganatha. Please visit the website for more information - [[http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/pilgrimages/sri-rangam/ Ranganatha 1]] [[http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/temples/srirangam/ Ranganatha 2]]
- The following verse in Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, Chapter 108 gives a clue to this episode –

Commentary

¹ kalugunA pada nIraja sEva – While translating Pallavi alone and when connecting anupallavi word ‘tanaku ’ – it would mean that Sri Tyagaraja aspires for similar kind of service at the feet of Sri Rama as performed by Anjaneya. However, when connected to the charaNa ‘prAkaTamuga tyAgarAja nutuni kana ’, it may have two meanings – (1) Sri Tyagaraja aspires to behold Sri Rama manifestedly like Anjaneya or (2) Sri Tyagaraja aspires to witness the service rendered by Anjaneya (by changing the word ordering as ‘zrI tyAgarAja nutuni pada nIraja sEva kana kalugunA ). By adopting the first version, the pallavi wordings ‘pada nIraja sEva ’ are rendered superfluous. By adopting the second version, the purpose of the word ‘prAkaTamuga ’ (manifestedly) is defeated. Therefore, the first version may be appropriate.
² vEkuva jAmuna - a period of three hours before dawn.
³ amRta snAnamu – water is (also) called ‘amRta ’ because it sustains life.