zrI rAmadAsa dAsOham
Sahityam
Pallavi
zrI¹ rAma dAsa dAsOham² ana
nIraja nEtra nIkEla sandEhamu³
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nIraja nEtra nIkEla sandEhamu³
When I declare ‘I am the servant of devotees of Lord Sri Rama’, O Lotus Eyed! why should You have doubt?
Charanams Combined
gaTTu kAna rAni guNTA rAma
paTTuka⁴ dATa nI pEru teppaNTa (zrI)
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paTTuka⁴ dATa nI pEru teppaNTa (zrI)
O Lord Rama! The Worldly Existence is an ocean, the banks of which could not be seen; Your name is said to be the raft for fording it (the ocean) resolutely.
kAmAdi⁵ nakra bAdha tIrpa
rAmayya nI cEti cakramu lEdA (zrI)
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rAmayya nI cEti cakramu lEdA (zrI)
O Lord Ramayya! In order relieve us from the troubles of the alligators of desire etc., isn’t there the discus of Your hand?
cala cittamanu⁶ alalaku rAma
celagu nI vAma hastamu vairiyagunu (zrI)
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celagu nI vAma hastamu vairiyagunu (zrI)
O Lord Rama! For the waves called the fickle mindedness, Your shining left hand is the enemy.
mada matsaramulanu gajamulaku nI
pada kamalAGkuza⁷ rEkha aGkuzamu (zrI)
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pada kamalAGkuza⁷ rEkha aGkuzamu (zrI)
For (control of) the elephants called arrogance and envy etc., the curved line(s) (OR outlines) of Your Lotus feet is/are the goad or hook.
zOkAdulanu parvatamulaku nI
karAGkita vajra rEkha vajaramu (zrI)
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karAGkita vajra rEkha vajaramu (zrI)
For (shattering) the mountains called the grief etc., the well-marked strong (OR curved/forked) line(s) of your hand is/are the thunder-bolt(s).
ahamanu jaDatvamaNaci brOva
sahajamau nI cEti zaramulu lEvA (zrI)
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sahajamau nI cEti zaramulu lEvA (zrI)
In order to protect us by sub-duing the idiocy called egotism, aren’t there the natural arrows of Your hands?
duS⁸-karmamanu koNDalegaya sEya⁹
niS-kalmaSa pavanajuDuNDu¹⁰ sadaya[11] (zrI)
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niS-kalmaSa pavanajuDuNDu¹⁰ sadaya[11] (zrI)
O Merciful Lord! In order to make the mountains called wicked actions to fly away, the blemish-less Anjaneya – son of Wind God is there.
janana maraNamanu suDini[12] nilpa
ghanamaina nIyAjna kAdanu vaDini[12] (zrI)
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ghanamaina nIyAjna kAdanu vaDini[12] (zrI)
In order to stop the vortex called birth and death, isn’t there Your powerful rule over time?
jAtikokaru kUDinAramu[13] prIti
cEta telusukoNTimi nAma sAramu[13] (zrI)
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cEta telusukoNTimi nAma sAramu[13] (zrI)
One from each caste or creed have assembled together and have lovingly understood the essence of Your name.
pannuga bhavamati ghOramu[14] rAma
ninnu vinAnya daivamulanu[14] kOramu (zrI)
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ninnu vinAnya daivamulanu[14] kOramu (zrI)
O Lord Rama! The nice (looking) Ocean of Worldly Existence is (indeed) very frightening; we shall not beseech any God other than You.
varaguNa rAjAdhi rAja rAma
parama pAvana pAlita tyAgarAja (zrI)
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parama pAvana pAlita tyAgarAja (zrI)
O Chief of Kings! O Lord Rama with blessed Qualities! O Supremely Holy Lord! O Protector of this Thyagaraja!
Renditions
Variations
- General – the ordering of Charanas vary in the books.
- 2 dAsOham ana – dAsOham
- 3 sandEhamu – sandEham
- 4 paTTuka – paTTukO
- 5 kAmAdi – kAmAdulanu
- 6 cittamanu alalaku - cittamanu alalakunu
- 8 duSkarmamulanu - duSkarmamanu
- 9 sEya - rAma
- 10 pavanujuDuNDu - pavanujuDuNDa
- 13 kUDinAramu – sAramu : kUDinAram - sAram
- 14 ghOramu – daivamulanu kOramu : ghOram – daivamu kOram
References
Commentary
- 1 zrI rAma dAsa dAsOham – this may be also taken as ‘disciple of Bhadrachala Ramadasa’; Sri Thyagaraja mentions the Sri Ramadasa’s name in the Kritis ‘bRndAvana lOla’ – raga tODi and ‘kSIra sAgara zayana’ – rAga dEva gAndhAri
- 5 kAmAdi - kAma, krOdha, lObha, mOha, mada, mAtsarya
- 7 aGkuza rEkha – This may either refer to the curved lines of the feet of the Lord or the outline(s) (rEkha ) of the Lord’s feet which generally resembles a hook.
- 11 sadaya – this may also be attached to the word ‘pavanajuDuNDu ’ to mean ‘Anjaneya is there mercifully’.
- 12 suDi - vaDini : suDi-vaDi - is whirl-pool. However, as ‘vaDini ’ is given separately and in the noun form, it has been translated as ‘time’. However, the exact meaning of the word is not clear.