karmamE balavanta
Sahityam
Pallavi
karmamE balavantamAyA¹ talli
kAyArOhaNa² jAyA
Show Word Meanings
kAyArOhaNa² jAyA
Are results of past actions so powerful?
O Consort of Siva!
Anupallavi
nirmalamagu nAga puramuna nelakonna
nIlAyatAkSi sakala lOka sAkSi
Show Word Meanings
nIlAyatAkSi sakala lOka sAkSi
One located at the holy town of Nagapatnam,
having blue longish eyes! O witness of all Worlds!
Charanams
dharanu dhanikula kOrinA nA
paritApamul tIrpa lErairiyani
saraguna nE bayalu-dEri vacci
parama pAvani nI sannidhi jErinA⁴ (karma)
Show Word Meanings
paritApamul tIrpa lErairiyani
saraguna nE bayalu-dEri vacci
parama pAvani nI sannidhi jErinA⁴ (karma)
In this World, even though I sought the rich, as they could not relieve my misery, O Supremely holy! having set out without delay, coming here (to this town), even though I reached Your holy presence, are results of my past actions so powerful?
vAridhi⁵ madi garviJciyI
vasudhaku tA rAneJci ninnu
sArEku kani tala⁶ vaJciyuNDu
dhIra tanamu kalgu ninu poDagAJcinA⁷ (karma)
Show Word Meanings
vasudhaku tA rAneJci ninnu
sArEku kani tala⁶ vaJciyuNDu
dhIra tanamu kalgu ninu poDagAJcinA⁷ (karma)
When the Lord of Ocean, having become arrogant, wanted to enter into the land, looking at You - endowed with bravery, ever standing resolutely - even after he (Lord of Ocean) beheld You, are the forces of nature so powerful?
kAsAsa lEni nA madiki nI
karuNayE⁸ dhanamani paliki niND-
AsatO vacci sannidhiki nija
dAsuDaina zrI tyAgarAjuniki (karmamE)
Show Word Meanings
karuNayE⁸ dhanamani paliki niND-
AsatO vacci sannidhiki nija
dAsuDaina zrI tyAgarAjuniki (karmamE)
Having convinced my mind - which has no desire for money - that Your grace alone is the wealth, and (therefore,) even after having come to your presence with fond hope, are the results of past actions so powerful to this Thyagaraja – who is your true devotee?
Variations
- 4 jErinA – jEri nA: jErinA - is appropriate.
- 7 poDagAJcinA – poDagAJci nA : poDagAJcinA - is appropriate.
- 8 karuNayE – karuNE
Commentary
- 1 balavantamAyA – ‘balavantamAye ’ would give an affirmative meaning ‘my Karma has become powerful’. However, ‘balavantamAyA ’ (with an elongated ending), gives an interrogatory meaning – ‘is my Karma so powerful?’
- 2 kAyArOhaNa - The term ‘kAyArOhaNa sthalaM ’ means ‘a shrine where all beings become one with Lord Siva during the great deluge’. The name kAyArOhaNa is associated with the Lakulisa Pasupata Saiva sect which originated in Gujarat. This sect of saivism is said to have been widespread in Tamilnadu during the days of Mahendravarma Pallavan. There is a temple with the same name at Gujarat - Karrvan - kAyArohaNa svAmi (Baroda). For more information, please visit the site - [[http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s095.htm Kayarohanesa]] and [[http://www.hinduwiki.com/index.php?title=Lakulisa Lakulisa]]
- 3 nIlAyatAkSi – name of mother at Nagappattinam (nAga puraM ) – for legends visit - [[http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s165.html Nagappattinam]]
- 5 vAridhi madi garviJci – Nagappattinam is famous for incursion of sea into the land; earlier Tamil sagas describe how the town of pUmpuhAr – adjacent to Nagappattinam - was swallowed by the sea. The recent Tsunami (December 2004) where Nagappattinam bore the brunt of the fury substantiates the same. The present Kriti of Sri Thyagaraja also mentions of such incursion; however, it is not clear as to which period the episode relates to. But from the wordings of the Charana, it seems that the sea indeed entered the town crossing the temple – see note below.
- 6 tala vaJciyuNDu – standing with lowered head may be for the reasons of coyness, shame or resoluteness. In the present context, the ‘resoluteness’ is the appropriate meaning which is substantiated by the ensuing word ‘dhIratanamu ’.
- 7 poDagAJcinA - ‘Even after beholding’ - this would mean that ‘the sea did enter the town in spite of Mother standing resolutely at the sea-shore – that is, the ‘Karma’ is indeed very powerful. However, in the case of Lord of Oceans, the incursion being not due to result of any past actions (Karma) but only due to interaction of forces of nature, the connecting pallavi line has been translated as ‘forces of nature’.