naLina lOcana

Sahityam

Pallavi

Anupallavi

Charanam 1

Charanam 2

Charanam 3

Renditions

Variations

• ¹ nammi – namma
• 6 zaraNamanuTa - zaraNanuTa : zaraNamanuTa - is the appropriate word.
• ⁸ Usara bhUmi – USara : Usara is the Telugu version of Sanskrit word ‘USara ’ and therefore, appropriate.
• ¹² paricArakulakabbunA - paricArakulabbunA : parcArakulakabbunA is the appropriate word.

Commentary

• ² kOGgavaNTi dhyAnamu – The crane waits patiently, as if meditating, in order to catch a fish.

• ³ doGga magaDu – a paramour. In some books, this has been translated as ‘if implicit faith is placed on a bad husband/thief husband, will he show right path?’ – by taking the word ‘doGga ’ (thief) separately.

• ³ doGga magaDu is to be taken together to mean ‘paramour’. The meaning given in the book of CR is ‘if a woman places implicit faith in lewd paramour, will he show right path?’ which seems to be appropriate.

• ³ doGga magani – In Hindu system, the married life is considered a stepping stone for salvation. In the Durga Sapta Sati, Argala Stotram, the following verse is relavant –

• patnIM manOramAM dEhi manOvRttAnusAriNIM | tAriNIM durga saMsAra sAgarasya kulOdbhavAM || 22 ||

• “Grant me a delightful and obliging wife born in such a high family to enable me to ford the difficult ocean of Worldly Existence.”

• Therefore, infidelity would go against the very purpose of marriage. This is what Sri Thyagaraja highlights.

• ⁴ gaGga lOniyODa – the name ‘Rama’ is called ‘Taraka Nama’ which enables one to ford the ocean of Worldly existence; can a mere boat – even if it is in the river Ganga – do the job?

• ⁵ naGga nAcula – In some books, this has been translated as ‘man blinded by lust’; in some other books as ‘wily wicked woman’; or as ‘prostitute’. Because of the mention of ‘cupid’ subsequently, it tends to convey such a meaning as given in the books.

• However, as per telugu dictionary, ‘naGga nAci ’ means ‘hypocrite’; ‘naGga nAci tanamu ’ means ‘feigned simplicity’. Therefore, it becomes difficult to give meanings as given in the said books.

• ⁷ jnAnOpadEzamu – Sri ThyagarAja sarcastically asks ‘who will initiate one who feigns surrender - will the cupid do so?’

• ⁹ gaGgarAvi – Hibiscus (Thespesia) Populneus – the wood of the tree is worthless; Poovarasu – Tamizh; pariza (parISa) – Sanskrit.

• ⁹ gaGga-rAvi – Hindus worship the ‘peepal’ (azvattha) – Fig tree - Ficus Religiosa – which is called ‘rAvi ’ in telugu. Buddha attained Nirvana under a fig tree. Sri Thyagaraja puns on the word ‘rAvi ’. Furthermore, ‘Ganga’ added to ‘Ravi’ seems to make it sacred.

• ¹⁰ bUruga – Bombax heptaphylla – silk cotton - Tamizh – Ilavam; zAlmali – Sanskrit.

• ¹¹ tirumaJjana vibhavamu – Like in a drama, where the audience are the real enjoyers and not the actors, those who witness the Thirumanjana of the Lord are the blessed ones and not necessarily those performing the Thirumanjana in a mechanical manner.