zrI jAnakI manOhara
Sahityam
Pallavi
zrI jAnakI manOhara zrI rAghava hari
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O Lord Sri Ragahava – One who has stolen the heart of Sri Janaki! O Lord Hari!
Anupallavi
nA jAlini nIvE telisi
namrAnanuDauTakEmi¹ kAraNamu (zrI)
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namrAnanuDauTakEmi¹ kAraNamu (zrI)
Having known Yourself my grief, what is the reason for You to avoid - become bent faced - me?
Charanam
nE sEyu duSkarma dEvata
nI sannidhini nilva sAgenO
nI sEva nilvaganElara²
nIrajAkSa tyAgarAja sannuta
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nI sannidhini nilva sAgenO
nI sEva nilvaganElara²
nIrajAkSa tyAgarAja sannuta
Could the deity of evil deeds done by me stand in Your holy presense? otherwise, \twhy should my services to You halt? O Lotus Eyed! O Lord well-praised by this Thyagaraja!
Renditions
Variations
- 2 nilvaganElarA – nilvadElarA : nilvaganElarA - is the appropriate word.
Commentary
- 1 namrAnana – face bent down – normally this is indicative of humbleness or shyness or shame. But one who is indicted of crime bends his head in shame. Also, one might bend his head in order avoid eye-contact with a loathsome, but unavoidable, person.
- In the chraNa, Sri Thyagaraja asks ‘could the deity of my evil deeds stand in Your presence?’. Therefore, Lord’s bent-face may mean that because of the deity of evil deeds could stand in the holy presence of the Lord, He is avoiding eye-contact.
- In some books, it is given as ‘the deity of evil deeds is hiding the Lord’. Though this may be a correct interpretation, the statement of Sri Thyagaraja is not that of ‘hiding’ but ‘avoiding eye contact’.