Thyagaraja Kriti - Sugunamulae - Raga Chakravaakam

Transliteration–Telugu
Transliteration as per Modified 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 kh g gh n/G
c ch j jh n/J (jn – as in jnAna)
T Th D Dh N
t th d dh n
p ph b bh m
y r l L v
S sh s h

suguNamulE-cakravAkaM

In the kRti ‘suguNamulE ceppukoNTi’ – rAga cakravAkaM (tALa rUpakaM), SrI tyAgaraja states that he has not carried out any meritorious acts other than chanting Lord’s names.

pallavi
suguNamulE ceppukoNTi
sundara raghu rAma

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anupallavi
¹vagal(e)runga lEka(y)²iTu
³vattuv(a)nucu ⁴dur-AsacE (suguNa)

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caraNam
⁵snAn(A)di su-karmambulu
⁶vEd(A)dhyayanambul(e)ruga
SrI nAyaka kshamiyincumu
SrI tyAgarAja nuta (suguNa)

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Gist

• O Handsome Lord raghu rAma!
  
• O Consort of lakshmI! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!
  
  
  • I just keep chanting Your virtues.
    
  • Not knowing any other method (Or not knowing Your tricks), I just keep chanting Your virtues, with the vain hope that, at least by this method, You would manifest.
    
  • I do not know meritorious acts like dip in holy rivers etc., or vEda recitation; kindly bear with me.

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Word-by-word Meaning

pallavi
suguNamulE ceppukoNTi
sundara raghu rAma

O Handsome (sundara) Lord raghu rAma! I just keep chanting (ceppukoNTi) (literally say) Your virtues (suguNamulE).

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anupallavi
vagalu-erunga lEka-iTu
vattuvu-anucu dur-AsacE (suguNa)

Not knowing (erunga lEka) any other method (vagalu) (Or not knowing Your tricks) (vagalerunga), I just keep chanting Your virtues, with the vain hope (dur-AsacE) that (anucu), at least by this method (iTu), You would manifest (vattuvu) (literally come) (vattuvanucu).

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caraNam
snAna-Adi su-karmambulu
vEda-adhyayanambulu-eruga
SrI nAyaka kshamiyincumu
SrI tyAgarAja nuta (suguNa)

I do not know (eruga) meritorious acts (su-karmambulu) like dip in holy rivers (snAna) etc. (Adi) (snAnAdi) or vEda recitation (adhyayanambulu) (vEdAdhyayanambuleruga);
Kindly bear with me (kshamiyincumu), O Consort (nAyaka) of lakshmI (SrI)! O Lord praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja!
O Handsome Lord raghu rAma! I just keep chanting Your virtues.

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Notes –
Variations -
³ – vattuvanucu – vaddanucu - vaddunanucu. In the present context, ‘vattuvanucu’ is appropriate.

⁶ – vEdAdhyayanambu – vEda dhyAnambu – dAnAdyayanambu. In view of the word ‘vEda’, ‘adhyayana’ seems to be appropriate. Accordingly, ‘vEdAdhyayanambu’ has been adopted.

Comments -
¹ – vagalerunga – ‘vaga’ means ‘method’, ‘pretence’, ‘deception’ etc. In some books, this word, in the sense of ‘deception’, has been attributed to the Lord. However, in my opinion, it should refer to SrI tyAgarAja himself, in the sense of ‘method’, particularly, in view of ensuing word ‘durAsacE’ - see note below. However, both versions have been given.

² – iTu – In some books, this word has been translated as 'here'. However, in my opinion, this word would mean 'by this method' of chanting the names of the Lord. This is amplified in the caraNa, wherein SrI tyAgarAja clarifies that he does not know other meritorious deeds nor recitation of vEdAs. Obviously the SrI tyAgarAja emphasises 'chanting of names' as the only effective method. In the kRti 'nI bhakti bhAgya sudhA', SrI tyAgarAja enunciates – 'vEdOktambau karmamu veta galgu gatAgatamau' – ' The path of (religious) rites as propounded in vEda results in distressing repeated births and deaths'.

⁴ – durAsacE – Here, the word ‘durAsa’ does not mean ‘evil desire’, but ‘overly desire’ hence ‘vain hope’.

⁵ – snAnAdi – dip in holy rivers – please also refer to kRti ‘kOTi nadulu’ wherein SrI tyAgarAja states that wandering for rivers to take holy dip is futile because the holy rivers themselves are present at the feet of the Lord.

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Devanagari

ऎ,कॆ,चॆ.. - e,ke,ce..(short);
ए,के,चे.. - E,kE,cE..(long);
ऐ,कै,चै.. - ai,kai,cai..;
ऒ,कॊ,चॊ.. - o,ko,co..(short);
ओ,को,चो.. - O,kO,cO..(long);
औ,कौ,चौ.. -au,kau,cau..;

प. सुगुणमुले चॆप्पुकॊण्टि
सुन्दर रघुराम

अ. वग(लॆ)रुंग लेक(यि)टु
वत्तु(व)नुचु दु(रा)सचे (सु)

च. स्ना(ना)दि सु-कर्मम्बुलु
वे(दा)ध्ययनम्बु(लॆ)रुग
श्री नायक क्षमियिञ्चुमु
श्री त्यागराज नुत (सु)

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Tamil

க,ச,ட,த,ப - 2-ख छ ठ थ फ; 3-ग ड द ब; 4-घ झ ढ ध भ
(ச3 - ஜ)
ஸ1 श - शिव - சிவன்
ரு2 ऋ - कृप - கிருபை

ப. ஸுகு3ணமுலே செப்புகொண்டி
ஸுந்த3ர ரகு4ராம

அ. வக3(லெ)ருங்க3 லேக(யி)டு
வத்து(வ)னுசு து3(ரா)ஸசே (ஸு)

ச. ஸ்நா(னா)தி3 ஸு-கர்மம்பு3லு
வே(தா3)த்4யயனம்பு3(லெ)ருக3
ஸ்ரீ நாயக க்ஷமியிஞ்சுமு
ஸ்ரீ த்யாக3ராஜ நுத (ஸு)

(உனது) நற்பண்புகளையே சொல்லிக்கொண்டேன்,
அழகிய இரகுராமா!

(வேறு) வகைகளறியாது, இப்படியாவது,
(நீ) வருவாயென, வீண் ஆசைகொண்டு,
(உனது) நற்பண்புகளையே சொல்லிக்கொண்டேன்,
அழகிய இரகுராமா!

(புனித) நீராடல் முதலான நற்செயல்களும்,
மறையோதல் ஆகியவையும் அறியேன்;
திருமகள் நாயகனே! பொறுத்தருளுமய்யா,
தியாகராசன் போற்றுவோனே!
(உனது) நற்பண்புகளையே சொல்லிக்கொண்டேன்,
அழகிய இரகுராமா!

வகைகள் - சூழ்ச்சிகள் என்றும் பொருள் கொள்ளலாம்.

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Telugu

ప. సుగుణములే చెప్పుకొంటి
సుందర రఘురామ

అ. వగలెరుంగ లేకయిటు
వత్తువనుచు దురాసచే (సు)

చ. స్నానాది సు-కర్మంబులు
వేదాధ్యయనంబులెరుగ
శ్రీ నాయక క్షమియించుము
శ్రీ త్యాగరాజ నుత (సు)

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Kannada

ಪ. ಸುಗುಣಮುಲೇ ಚೆಪ್ಪುಕೊಂಟಿ
ಸುಂದರ ರಘುರಾಮ

ಅ. ವಗಲೆರುಂಗ ಲೇಕಯಿಟು
ವತ್ತುವನುಚು ದುರಾಸಚೇ (ಸು)

ಚ. ಸ್ನಾನಾದಿ ಸು-ಕರ್ಮಂಬುಲು
ವೇದಾಧ್ಯಯನಂಬುಲೆರುಗ
ಶ್ರೀ ನಾಯಕ ಕ್ಷಮಿಯಿಂಚುಮು
ಶ್ರೀ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ನುತ (ಸು)

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Malayalam

പ. സുഗുണമുലേ ചെപ്പുകൊണ്ടി
സുന്ദര രഘുരാമ

അ. വഗലെരുങ്ഗ ലേകയിടു
വത്തുവനുചു ദുരാസചേ (സു)

ച. സ്നാനാദി സു-കര്മമ്ബുലു
വേദാധ്യയനമ്ബുലെരുഗ
ശ്രീ നായക ക്ഷമിയിഞ്ചുമു
ശ്രീ ത്യാഗരാജ നുത (സു)

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Updated on 29 Jan 2011