unna tAvuna

ghaNTa cApu tyAgarAja telugu kRti

Sahityam

unna tAvuna-nuNDaniyyadu vAna
urumulaitE venaka tiyyadu

This rain will not let us remain at this place; and, the roaring of thunder will not abate.

suDi gAli¹ yODa juTTi²
vaDi vaDigA vAnalaitE koTTi (yunna)

The whirl wind is twirling the boat and the rain is pouring down very violently.

ODalO randhramu kaligEyI
vanitala-kevvaru saliga³

A fissure has developed in the boat! Now, who is the refuge for these damsels?

kanulakendu kAna rAdu
gati⁴ kALindi⁵ manakika mIdu (yunna)

Nothing is visible to the eyes; and we are doomed in the river Kalindi.

mati pOvu dAri janirammA⁶ apuDE
madamimpa⁷ valadaNTinammA (unna)

The damsels acted the way their minds dictated; I told you then itself, ‘it is not appropriate to be conceited’.

manamokkacO⁸ kUDa rAdu
praLaya mananidigA vEru lEdu

We should not gather at one side (in the boat); this indeed is what dissolution is, nothing else.

rAja vadanalu rArammA tyAga-
rAja sakhuni jUDarammA (unna)

O Moon Faced damsels! Come, look at Krishna, friend of Thyagaraja.

In some books, Charana 1 is given as Anupallavi.
¹ suDi gAli – sUTi gAli: suDi gAli - is appropriate.
² ODa juTTi vaDi vaDigA vAnalaitE– ODa juTTi vaDigA vAnalaitE - ODa juTTi juTTi vaDi vAnalaitE
³ saliga – salige - saliga - is appropriate.
⁶ janirammA – pOyirammA
⁷ madamimpa valadaNTinammA – madaminta vaddaNTinammA

    '''This Kriti forms part of dance drama 'Nauka Charitram' - Tha Boat Story '''.

Background – The Gopis meet Krishna at the Yamuna river and travel in a boat happily. In their excitement of meeting Krishna, Gopis become proud thinking that Krishna is their property. In order to remove their proudiness, Krishna creates a storm in the river and as the boat is tossed about.
⁴ gati kALindi – The word ‘gati ’ generally means ‘refuge’. In colloquial terms, it means ‘doom’ when referring to a disastrous situation. Accordingly, ‘doom’ has been adopted in keeping with the context.
⁵ kAlindi – River Yamuna. It is also stated that Balarama made a channel from river Yamuna (by his plough) which was called Kalindi.
⁸ manamokkacO kUDa rAdu – we should not assemble in one place. This may also refer to the decision of Gopis to assemble at the river side for frolicking with Krishna also – we should not have aseembled in one place’.