TransliterationTelugu

_______________________________________________________ Transliteration as per Harvard-Kyoto (HK) Convention (including Telugu letters Short e, Short o) a A i I u U R RR lR lRR e E ai o O au M (H or :) (e short | E Long | o short | O Long) k c T t p y z kh g gh G ch j jh J Th D Dh N th d dh n ph b bh m r l L v S s h (jn as in jnAna)

balamu kulamu-sAvEri
In the kRti 'balamu kulamu rAga sAvEri, zrI tyAgarAja extols the nature of true devotion. P balamu kulumu Ela rAma bhakti kAraNamu velayu sakala siddhul(e)lla veNTa vaccu gAni mEnu(balamu) nITa kAki mInu munuga niratam(u)daya snAnamA tETa kanulu koGga gUrca dEva dEva dhyAnamA (balamu) patramulanu mEyu mEka balamaina upAsamA citra pakSul(e)gaya sUrya candrulaku sAmyamA (balamu) guhala vESa kOTul(u)NTE guNamu galgu maunulA gahanamunanu kOtul(u)NTE ghanamau vana vAsamA (balamu) jaGgamamulu paluka(k)uNTE saGgatigA maunulA aGgamu muyyani bAlulu apuDu digambarulA (balamu) valacu tyAgarAja varadu vara bhaktulu sEyu bhakti celagu sakala janulak(e)lla cellina kAs(au)nugA (balamu)

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Gist

O Lord of celestials! Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord Rama, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. If a crow or fish takes a dip in water, would it ever amount to morning ablusion? If a stork seemingly concentrates its clear eyes (on the lookout for catch) would it amount to meditation? Is leaf grazing a goat observing severe fasting? If peacocks fly, can they equal the Sun and Moon? If, in the caves, there are ochre garb wearers, would they amount to virtuous ascetics? If, in the forests, there are monkeys, would it amount to serious dwelling in the forest (in pursuit of austerities)? If the jaGgama do not talk, would it amount congregational observance of vow of silence (of sages)! In that case, would naked children be called naked mendicants (of jaina or buddha sect)? The loving devotion as practiced by the blessed devotees towards the benefactor of this tyAgarAja, is indeed the shining currency (for redemption) for all people. Word-by-word Meaning P Of what avail (Ela) bodily (mEnu) strength (balamu) or lineage (kulamu) (kulamuyEla)? But (gAni) , as a consequence (kAraNamu) (literally for the reason) of devotion (bhakti) to Lord rAma, all (ella) (sakala) the shining (velayu) super-natural powers (siddhulu) (siddhulella) would come (vaccu) behind (veNTa) one. C1 If a crow (kAki) or fish (mInu) takes a dip (munuga) in water (nITa), would it ever (niratamu) amount to morning (udaya) (niratamudaya) ablusion (snAnamu) (literally bath)? O Lord (dEva) of celestials(dEva)! If a stork (kOGga) (seemingly) concentrates (gUrca) its clear (tETa) eyes (kanulu) (on the lookout for catch) would it amount to meditation (dhyAnamA)? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. C2 Is leaf (patramulanu) grazing (mEyu) a goat (mEka) observing severe (balamaina) fasting (upAsamA)? If peacocks (citra pakSulu) fly (egaya), can they equal (sAmyamA) the Sun (sUrya) and Moon (candruDu) (candrulaku)? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. C3 If, in the caves (guhala), there are (uNTE) ochre garb wearers (vESa kOtulu) (kOTuluNTE), would they amount to virtuous (guNamu galgu) ascetics (maunulA)? If, in the forests (gahanamunanu), there are (uNTE) monkeys (kOtulu) (kOtuluNTE) would it amount to serious (ghanamaina) dwelling (vAsamA) in the forest (vana) in pursuit of austerities? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. C4 If the jaGgama (jaGgamamulu) do not talk (balukakuNTE), would it amount congregational (saGgatigA) observance of vow of silence (maunulA) of sages!

In that case (apuDu) (literally then) would naked (aGgamu muyyani) (literally limbs uncovered) children (bAlulu) be called naked mendicants (digambarulA) (literally direction-clad) (of jaina or buddha sect)? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. C5 The loving (valacu) devotion (bhakti) as practiced (sEyu) by the blessed (vara) devotees (bhaktulu) towards the benefactor (varada) (varadu) of this tyAgarAja, is indeed (aunugA) the shining (celagu) currency (cellina kAsu) (kAsaunugA) (literally coins for paying up) (for redemption) for all (sakala) (ella) people (janulaku) (janulakella); Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. Notes P - siddhulu eight-fold siddhi - aNiman become minute as atom; laghiman extreme lightness; prApti reach anything (moon with the tip of finger); prAkAmya irresistible will; mahiman illimitable bulk; IzitA supreme dominion; vazitA subjugating by magic; kAmAvazAyitA suppressing all desires : Source Moniers Sanskrit Dictionary. aNiman, laghiman, prApti, prakAmya, mahiman, IzitA and vazitA and garimA making oneself heavy at will Source tamizh piGgala nigaNDu. C1 - nITa kAki - Though the translation has been made on the same line as given in the books of TKG, CR and TSV/AKG, a doubt arises. nIru kAki (tamizh nIr kAkkai) (cormorant) whose food is fish dives into water to get its prey. nIru kAki and mInu belong to the same category having habitat in and around water; kAki and mInu are not in the same category. Further, the word munuga itself means taking a dip in water. Therefore, a doubt arises whether the zrI tyAgarAja means nIru kAki by nITa kAki but in such case it should be nITi kAki. Any suggestions ??? nIru kAki - Phalacrocorax carbo -Great Cormorant; Phalacrocorax fuscicollis- Indian Cormorant and Phalacrocorax niger - Little Cormorant. For more information, please visit site www.wildlifeindia.co.uk/birding-india/indian-bird-checklist.html C1 - gUrca (kUrca) Upper part of the nose between eyebrows where yogic concentration is made. C2 upAsamu - In yOgic practices, fasting and survival on leaves alone is one of the stages. In zrImad bhAgavataM Book 4 Chapter 9 the prescription to dhruva by sage nArada is to eat a fruit at the end of each three nights during first month; eat grass or leaves every sixth day during the second month; take water only every ninth day during the third month; inhale air only every twelfth day during the fourth month; control breath fully during the fifth month; C2 - citrapakSulu In the book of TKG, this word has been translated as fire-fly; in the books of CR and TSV/AKG, this has been taken to mean birds in general. The word for fire-fly or glow-worm is miNuguru purugu or jyOtiriGgaNamu (telugu) and prabhA kITa or jyOtiriGga or jyOtirgana (saMskRta). The peacock in telugu is citra pakSamu (citra pattraka in Sanskrit). In view of the following word egaya - meaning fly - indicates the reach of flight and not the fluorescence as applicable to fire-flies. It is a fact that peacock cannot fly too high or too far. Accordingly, citra pakSulu has been translated as peacock. Any suggestions ???

C4 - jaMgamamu In the book of CR, this is given as beggars in the garb of Saivite Devotees. According to the website http://www.kamat.com/econtent/reviews/books/uchalya.htm a jaMgama is a priest belonging to Lingaya community; a wandering ascetic. They are stated to involve in petty thefts for livelihood. To know more about them, please visit the site. According to the website - http://www.experiencefestival.com/jangama jaMgama is a term used by Vira Saivites, originally to name their mendicant, renunciates who walked as homeless sadhus, uplifting others. Now an order of Vira Saivite teachers. C4 - digambara it is also one of the names of Supreme Lord direction-clad quarters as garment. In the bikSATana avatAra, Lord ziva comes as digambara - For a brief on the story please visit the web sitehttp://www.shaivam.org/index.html But, here, as the word is used in plural form, zrI tyAgarAja seems to mean digambara of jaina or buddha sects.

Devanagari

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English with Special Characters

pa. balamu kulamu la rma bhakti kraamu velayu sakala siddhu(le)lla vea vaccu gni mnu ca1. na kki mnu munuga nirata(mu)daya snnam ta kanulu koga grca dva dva dhynam (ba) ca2. patramulu myu mka balamaina upsam citra paku(le)gaya srya candrulaku smyam (ba) ca3. guhala va ku(lu) guamu galgu maunul gahanamunanu ktu(lu) ghanamau vana vsam (ba)

ca4. jagamamulu paluka(ku) sa gatig maunul agamu muyyani blulu apuu digambarul (ba) ca5. valacu tygarja varadu vara bhaktulu syu bhakti celagu sakala janula(ke)lla cellina ksaunug (ba)
Telugu

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Tamil

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Kannada

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Malayalam

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Assamese

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Bengali

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Gujarati

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Oriya

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Punjabi

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Y~S E`xkx ELI IyjM ]~m ]~m _is`gs (d) M2. aZgxkx g~hx g~E dkg` Cxasngs uMZ aEox(k~)Ih nyji M`^zkEx nsgigs (d) M3. Ixpk m~o ESx(kx)XS IxXgx IkIx g`xks Ip`gx``x EYx(kx)XS K`g m` msngs (d) M4. OLIggxkx akxE(Ex)XS nLIuYIs g`xks ALIgx gxhu` dskxkx AaxUx u]Igdjxks (d) M5. mkMx YisIjsO mj]x mj eEYxkx n~hx euEY M~kIx nEk O`xk(E~)kk M~uk` Esn`xIs (d)