Tyagaraja (1767 - 1847 / India)

Raga: shrIranjani


Tala: dEshAdi

pallavi
bhUvini dAsuDanE pErAsacE bOnkulADitinA budhamanOhara

anupallavi
avivEka mAnavula gOri kOri aDDudrOva trOkkitinA brOvavE

caraNam
cAla saukhyamO kaShTamO nEnu jAlijEnditinA sarivArilO
pAlamuncina nITamuncinA padamulE gati tyAgarAjanuta

Word to word meaning:

pErAsacE : with the greed to
anE : be known as
dAsuDu: your devotee
bhuvini: in this earth
bOnkulADitinA: did I lie?
budha manOhara: Oh one who enchants the wise?

gOri kOri: asking favours from
avivEka: ignorant
mAnavulu: men
aDDudrOva trOkkitinA: did I traverse crooked paths?
brOvavE: protect me

nEnu jAlijEnditinA: did I think
tsAla saukhyamO: of good times
kaShTamO: or difficult times?
sarivArilO: for people like me
pAlamuncina : what if you bathe me in milk
nItamuncina : or water?
padamulE gati: your feet are my only refuge

Meaning:

Oh one who enchants the wise, did I lie out of greed to be known as your foremost devotee on this earth?

Did I traverse crooked paths and lower myself by begging from base individuals? Protect me!

Did I ever bother about profit or loss? For people like me, to whom your feet are the only refuge, whether we bathe in milk or water it is all the same.