paramAtmuDu

paramAtmuDu¹ veligE² muccaTa bAga telusukOrE³
Show Word Meanings
Know unerringly the grandeur with which the Supreme Lord is effulgent!
hariyaTa haruDaTa surulaTa narulaTa
akhilANDa kOTulaTayandarilO⁴ (parama)
Show Word Meanings
They say He is - Lord Vishnu, Lord Siva, celestials, men, entire millions of universes – know unerringly the grandeur with which the Supreme Lord is effulgent in all these.
gaganAanila tEjO-jala bhU-mayamagu
mRga khaga naga taru kOTulalO
saguNamulO⁵ viguNamulO⁶ satatamu
sAdhu tyAgarAjAdiyAzritulalO (parama)
Show Word Meanings
Know unerringly the grandeur with which the Supreme Lord is ever effulgent - in millions of (animate and inanimate) animals, birds, mountains and trees which are made up of (five) elements - the space, air, fire, water and earth; with (three) qualities and bereft of or beyond qualities; and in this pious Thyagaraja and others who have sought refuge in Him.
  • 2 veligE – velugu
  • 5 saguNamulO viguNamulO – sagaNamulalO viguNamulalO
  • 4 andarilO – As perishable (kSara ) and imperishable (kUTastha – akSara ). In this regard, please refer to Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 14, verses 16 and 17-
    • “There ar two puruSas in the world – the Perishable and the Imperishable. All beings are the Perishable, and the Kutastha is called the Imperishable.
    • But (there is) another, the Supreme Purusha, called the Highest Self, the Immutable Lord, who pervading the three worlds, sustain them.” (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)
  • 6 viguNa – Even if translated as ‘bad qualities’, it can still apply to the Supreme Lord. This is clear from Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 10, verse 36 –
    • “I am the gambling of the fraudulent, I am the power of the powerful; I am the victory, I am effort, I am Sattva of the Sattvika.” (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)
  • 1 paramAtmuDu – Normally Paramatman’ is indicated by ‘It’ – neuter gender. However, here Sri Thyagaraja uses ‘masculine gender’. Therefore, it has been translated as ‘He’.
  • 3 telusukOrE – this Kriti is addressed to his (Thyagaraja’s) mind.
  • 5 saguNamulO viguNamulO – this can be taken as ‘with form’ – (Saguna) and ‘without form’ – (Nirguna) also.
  • 6 viguNa – This can be taken as ‘without qualities’ or ‘bad qualities’. However, considering the previous word ‘saguNa ’ – ‘with guna’, ‘viguNa ’ has been translated as ‘bereft of gunas’.