kRSNA mAkEmi dOva

punnAgavarALi cApu tyAgarAja telugu kRti

Sahityam

kRSNA mAkEmi dOva palku
kIrtti kalgunu dEva dEva¹ bAla (kRSNa)

O young Krishna! Tell us, what is the way out for us? You will attain renown; O god of gods!

sarige ravikalella pOye verri
caligi mEnu-lOrvanAye² bAla³ (kRSNA)

All our golden threaded blouses are lost; our bodies had to endure this terrible cold.

sarivArilO siggu pOye nIru
jAnulapai tAkanAye bAla (kRSNA)

Our modesty amongst our peers is lost; water is touching above our knees.

sarvamu nE-nanukonna nIdu
sAmarthyamu jUpu cinna bAla (kRSNA)

You, who assumed, ‘I am everything’, show Your skill; O Little Balakrishna!

bAya lEni mammu nIvu
yE upAyamaina telpi brOvu bAla (kRSNA)

You please protect us - who would not be separated from You – by suggesting whatever method.

mAtO cEragayinta bAdha kalgE
maratumAyika prANa nAtha bAla³ (kRSNA)

So much trouble happened (to You) because You joined with us; how can we ever forget? O Balakrishna, the Lord of our Life-breath!

indukanucu talli⁴ sAkenO lEka-
yE pApula kaNDlu tAkenO bAla³ (kRSNA)

Did our mother(s) rear us for this purpose? Or, has evil-eye been cast (on us) by some?

rAkEndu mukha daya rAdA tyAga-
rAjArcita brOva rAdA bAla³ (kRSNA)

O Full-moon Faced! Won’t You have mercy? One worshipped by Thyagaraja! Won’t You save us?

‘‘‘This is part of the dance-drama ‘Nauka Charitram’ – The Boat Story. ’’’ (Background - The Gopis meet Krishna at the Yamuna river and travel in a boat happily. In their excitement of meeting Krishna, Gopis become proud thinking that Krishna is their property. In order to remove their proudiness, Krishna creates a storm in the river and as the boat is tossed about, it develops a crack and water starts entering the boat. Krishna feigns illness and the Gopis become desparate as to how they would reach the shore and ensure safety of Krishna. In order to save the boat, listening to the words of Krishna, they take off their blouses to plug the hole. But, these were also washed off. Now, this song.)
⁴ talli sAkenO – Did the mother rear…? In some books, ‘talli ’ (mother) has been attributed to the Mother of Krishna; in other books, this has been attributed to mothers of Gopis. In the present context, ‘mothers of Gopis’ seems to be more appropriate.