mahima taggiJcukO
Sahityam
Pallavi
mahima¹ taggiJcukOvayya
mahini satya svarUpuDanu
mahA rAja rAjEzvara nI
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mahini satya svarUpuDanu
mahA rAja rAjEzvara nI
O The Great Overlord of Emperors! O Lord! Condescend to tone down a bit Your greatness (OR Condescend to safeguard Your greatness) that You are the Embodiment of Truth in this Earth.
Anupallavi
vihita mArga bhaktulugA mahAtmulu
velayaga vina lEdA svakIyamagu (mahima)
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velayaga vina lEdA svakIyamagu (mahima)
Have we not heard about great personages shining as devotees in the decreed path? Condescend to tone down a bit Your own greatness that You are the Embodiment of Truth in this Earth.
Charanam
paniki² rAni panulu jEsi zaraNanu
vAri vetalu tIrci brOcitivE
tanivi tIra namminaDanucu zrI
tyAgarAja nuta tappulADaku (mahima)
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vAri vetalu tIrci brOcitivE
tanivi tIra namminaDanucu zrI
tyAgarAja nuta tappulADaku (mahima)
Didn’t You protect by relieving the distress of those who sought your refuge after having indulged in useless pursuits? please do not find fault with me because I have believed in You whole heartedly; O Lord praised by this Thyagaraja!
Variations
- 1 mahima taggiJcukO – mahima dakkiJcukO - The meaning derived in all the books is ‘tone down Your greatness’. In Telugu the appropriate word for ‘tone down’ is ‘taggiJcukO ’. However, ‘dakkiJcukO ’ meaning ‘safeguard’, ‘protect’ also seems to be appropriate. In the latter sense, it would mean that Sri Thyagaraja is asking the Lord to remember that he has a great glory and He must live up to it. Therefore, the alternative meaning also has been included. However, from the example of ‘protecting those who sought refuge after performing useless jobs’, it seems that it is more of a relaxation of the prowess than safeguarding it.
Commentary
- General – In the absence of any contextual reference, it is very difficult to translate truthfully such Kritis, particularly, vihita mArga – (prescribed path) - tappulADaku – (don’t nit-pick) – what these refer to is not clear.
- What Sri Thyagaraja wants to say is that ‘I have surrendered to You (believed You whole heartedly) in keeping with Your exhortation (Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 18, verses 65 and 66); do not start nit-picking; now You keep Your side of promise.
- “Occupy thy mind with Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt reach Myself; truly do I promise unto thee, (for) thou are dear to Me. (65)
-
"Relinquishing all Dharma take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not.” (66) (Translation by Swami Swarupananda) - 2
paniki rAni pani jEsi zaraNanu vAru
– The reference may be to Sugriva. He sought refuge of Sri Rama only to safeguard his own welfare.
- The story of Ajamila in Srimad Bhagavatam is also relevant because having wasted a whole life, at the death bed he uttered the name of ‘Narayana’ – to call his son who has been named so. That was sufficient enough reason for the Lord to send his emissaries to rescue him from the clutches of Yama Kinkaras.