manasu viSaya

nATakuraJji Adi tyAgarAja telugu kRti

Sahityam

Pallavi

manasu¹ viSaya naTa viTulakosaGgitE
mA rAmuni kRpa kalugunO manasA

O My Mind! If mind is surrendered to the objects of senses which are like whore-mongers, will the grace of our Rama be attainable?

Anupallavi

tana² talupokariNTiki tIsi peTTi
tA kukkalu tOlu rIti kAdO (manasu)

Show Word Meanings

Isn’t it like\tremoving one’s own door, fixing it in another’s house, and then, self chasing away the dogs (entering own open house)?

Charanam

taviTiki³ raGkADa pOyi kUTi
tapile kOti konipOyinaTu kAdO
ceviTikin⁴upadEziJcinaTu kAdO
zrI tyAgarAja nutuni talacaka (manasu)

Show Word Meanings

Isn’t it like, while one (a woman) is gone for adultery for food - Ragi, the cooking vessel is carried away by a monkey? isn’t it like initiating a hearing impaired? Instead of thinking of the Lord praised by this Thyagaraja, if mind is surrendered to the objects of senses which are like whore-mongers, will the grace of our Rama be attainable?

Variations

References

Please refer to discourse of Kanchi Mahasvami on ‘mind control’ - [[http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part22/chap1.htm Mind control]]

Commentary

¹ manasu viSaya naTa viTulakosaGgitE – Offering the mind to the whore-mongers called sense objects – mind obeying the dictates of the sense-objects. In the Kriti ‘nijamuga nI mahima ’ – Raga Sahana, Sri Thyagaraja states –
“…(so called) ‘accomplished persons’ who earn money by offering throughout the day the mother called intellect to the licentious objects of senses..”
² tana talupuokariNTiki tIsi peTTi tA kukkalu tOlu rIti – Preaching others to secure their mind (house) and leaving one’s own mind uncontrolled. kukka – dog – here it refers to the sense objects.
³ taviTiki – This is how it is given in all the books and has been translated as ‘for bran’. The Telugu and Tamizh word for bran is ‘tavuDu ’. However, taking into account the ensuing word ‘kUDu’ (kUTiki) which means ‘food’, bran does not seem to be the correct word because it is not used for food for humans – it is an animal feed. Therefore, the word ‘tavida ’ meaning ‘Ragi’ seems to be appropriate.
⁴ upadEziJcina – The preceptor initiates the disciple by uttering sacred mantra or syllables in his ears. Therefore, a hearing impaired cannot be initiated in the prescribed manner. Implication - impossibility of controlling the mind given to enjoyments - because it cannot (would not) listen (hear).