 Raga: balahamsa
Tala: Adi
pallavi
daNDamu bETTEnurA kOdaNDapANI! CUDarA
anupallavi
aNDaja suvAhana! MArtANDa candralOcana!
kUNDalIshayana brahmANDanAyaka nIku
caraNam
pErukA pratiShTakA UrakA ninnu nammiti?
UruvAru vIdhivAru Oka jAtivAru kAru
dArini cEyibaTTi brOvumu
tyAgarAjArcita nIku
Meaning of words::
nIku: to you
bETTEnura : I offer
daNDamu : my prostrations of respect
cUDara/jUDara: Please glance at me!
aNDaja suvAhana : One who rides on Garuda!
mArtANDa candra lOcana: whose two eyes are the sun and the moon
kUNDalIshayana: one who reclines on the serpent
brahmANdanAyaka: Lord of all creation
pErukA: was it for name
pratiShTaka: was it for great prestige
Uraka: was it in vain
ninnu nammiti?: that I believed in you?
UruvAru: those of the town
vIdhivAru: or of the same street
Oka jAti vAru kAru: are not of the same type
dArini: I have surrendered unto you
cEyibaTTi : hold me by the hand
brOvumu: and protect me
tyAgarAjArcita: object of Tyagaraja's worship
Meaning:
O one who wields the bow by name Kodanda, I offer my prostration of respect! Please glance at me!
One who rides on the bird Garuda! One whose two eyes are the sun and the moon! One who reclines on the serpent! One who is the Lord of the Universe, to you, (O one who wields the bow by name Kodanda, I offer my prostration of respect! Please glance at me!)
Was it for name or prestige or was it in vain that I believed in you? Those who belong to the same town or street are all not of the same type! I have surrendered unto you! Uplift me by extending your hand to grasp mine! Object of Tyagaraja's worship, to you, (O one who wields the bow by name Kodanda, I offer my prostration of respect! Please glance at me!)
Notes:
This kriti is written with dAsya bhAva or a feeling of servitude to the divine. Equating Rama to Vishnu, Tyagaraja asks Him to come to his aid. The reference to the Lord's mount Garuda is said to be an indirect hint at the Gajendra episode, when the Lord rushed on Garuda on hearing the elephant king crying for help. Similarly, the reference to all people of the town and street being of different temperaments is said to allude to the trouble-makers in Tyagaraja's life. However, most interpretations look upon this as a plea to the Lord that not all men are evil in Kaliyuga and that the Lord must protect those few who are devout.
The book Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja gives the opening line as daNDamu bETTEdanura. But we have retained the conventional line here.
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Composition : daNDamu bETTEnurA
