Monday, May 28, 2007

Thyagaraja Kriti - Tanayuni Brova - Raga Bhairavi

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

tanayuni brOva-bhairavi

In the kRti ‘tanayuni brOva janani’ – rAga bhairavi, SrI tyAgarAja asks the Lord to come to his rescue as a mother always does for her child.

P tanayuni brOva janani vaccunO
talli vadda bAluDu pOnO

A ina kul(O)ttama 1I rahasyamunu
erigimpumu mOmunu 2kanupimpumu (tanaya)

C vatsamu veNTa dhEnuvu canunO
vAridamunu kani pairulu canunO
3matsya kaNTiki viTuDu veDalunO
mahini tyAgarAja vinuta rammu telpumu (tanaya)

Gist
O The Most Eminent of Solar Dynasty! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!
In the Earth, would the mother come to protect her child or would the child approach the mother?
Please reveal this secret to me; please show me Your face.
Would the cow go behind the calf? would the crops go looking for the cloud? would the paramour go to (the place of) his woman? please come and tell me.

Word-by-word Meaning

P Would the mother (janani) come (vaccunO) to protect (brOva) her child (tanayuni) (literally son) or would the child (bAluDu) (literally boy) approach (vadda pOnO) (literally go near) the mother (talli)?

A O The Most Eminent (uttama) of Solar (ina) Dynasty (kula) (kulOttama)! please reveal (erigimpumu) (literally make known) this (I) secret (rahasyamunu) to me; please show (kanupimpumu) me Your face (mOmunu);
Would the mother come to protect her child or would the child approach the mother?

C Would the cow (dhEnuvu) go (canunO) behind (veNTa) the calf (vatsamu)?
would the crops (pairulu) go (canunO) looking for (kani) the cloud (vAridamunu)?
would the paramour (viTuDu) go (veDalunO) to (the place of) his woman (matsya kaNTiki) (literally fish eyed)?
O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja! please come (rammu) and tell (telpumu) me;
in the Earth (mahini), would the mother come to protect her child or would be child approach the mother?

Notes –
Variations –
2 – kanupimpumu – kanipimpumu.

References –
3 – matsya kaNTi – matsya akshi – (literally Fish Eyed).
Incidentally, as per Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary, this word also refers to plant with botanical name ‘solanum indicum’. Traditionally used as Indian Ayurvedic Medicine for Asthma, dry & spasmodic cough and chest pains. – Source - http://www.healasthma.com/herbs.html

Comments -
1 – I rahasyamunu – this secret – refers to the questions posed in caraNa.
The answer to the three questions posed in caraNa are ‘no’ – the cow does not go behind the calf – the cow leads; crops do not go on the look out of clouds – the clouds come; the paramour does not go to the place of his beloved – she comes to him. The implication is that the Lord should be benevolent to the devotee, otherwise any amount of effort by the devotee will not fructify.


Devanagari Version

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. तनयुनि ब्रोव जननि वच्चुनो
तल्लि वद्द बालुडु पोनो

अ. इन कु(लो)त्तम ई रहस्यमुनु
ऎरिगिम्पुमु मोमुनु कनुपिम्पुमु (त)

च. वत्समु वॆण्ट धेनुवु चनुनो
वारिदमुनु कनि पैरुलु चनुनो
मत्स्य कण्टिकि विटुडु वॆडलुनो
महिनि त्यागराज विनुत रम्मु तॆल्पुमु (त)


Tamil Version with Meaning

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. தனயுனி ப்3ரோவ ஜனனி வச்சுனோ
தல்லி வத்3த3 பா3லுடு3 போனோ

அ. இன கு(லோ)த்தம ஈ ரஹஸ்யமுனு
எரிகி3ம்புமு மோமுனு கனுபிம்புமு (த)

ச. வத்ஸமு வெண்ட தே4னுவு சனுனோ
வாரித3முனு கனி பைருலு சனுனோ
மத்ஸ்ய கண்டிகி விடுடு3 வெட3லுனோ
மஹினி த்யாக3ராஜ வினுத ரம்மு தெல்புமு (த)


மகனைக் காக்க, ஈன்றவள் வருவாளோ
(அன்றி) தாயிடம் சிறுவன் செல்வானோ?

பரிதி குலோத்தமா! இந்த இரகசியத்தினை
விளக்குவாய்; (உனது) முகத்தினைக் காட்டுவாய்;
மகனைக் காக்க, ஈன்றவள் வருவாளோ
(அன்றி) தாயிடம் சிறுவன் செல்வானோ?

கன்றின் பின் பசு செல்லுமோ?
முகில் தேடி பயிர்கள் செல்லுமோ?
கயற்கண்ணியிடம் காதலன் செல்வானோ?
தியாகராசனால் போற்றப் பெற்றோனே! வாரும்; தெரிவியும்;
புவியில் மகனைக் காக்க, ஈன்றவள் வருவாளோ
(அன்றி) தாயிடம் சிறுவன் செல்வானோ?


Telugu Version

ప. తనయుని బ్రోవ జనని వచ్చునో
తల్లి వద్ద బాలుడు పోనో

అ. ఇన కులోత్తమ ఈ రహస్యమును
ఎరిగింపుము మోమును కనుపింపుము (త)

చ. వత్సము వెంట ధేనువు చనునో
వారిదమును కని పైరులు చనునో
మత్స్య కంటికి విటుడు వెడలునో
మహిని త్యాగరాజ వినుత రమ్ము తెల్పుము (త)


Kannada Version

ಪ. ತನಯುನಿ ಬ್ರೋವ ಜನನಿ ವಚ್ಚುನೋ
ತಲ್ಲಿ ವದ್ದ ಬಾಲುಡು ಪೋನೋ

ಅ. ಇನ ಕುಲೋತ್ತಮ ಈ ರಹಸ್ಯಮುನು
ಎರಿಗಿಂಪುಮು ಮೋಮುನು ಕನುಪಿಂಪುಮು (ತ)

ಚ. ವತ್ಸಮು ವೆಂಟ ಧೇನುವು ಚನುನೋ
ವಾರಿದಮುನು ಕನಿ ಪೈರುಲು ಚನುನೋ
ಮತ್ಸ್ಯ ಕಂಟಿಕಿ ವಿಟುಡು ವೆಡಲುನೋ
ಮಹಿನಿ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ವಿನುತ ರಮ್ಮು ತೆಲ್ಪುಮು (ತ)


Malayalam Version

പ. തനയുനി ബ്രോവ ജനനി വച്ചുനോ
തല്ലി വദ്ദ ബാലുഡു പോനോ

അ. ഇന കുലോത്തമ ഈ രഹസ്യമുനു
എരിഗിമ്പുമു മോമുനു കനുപിമ്പുമു (ത)

ച. വത്സമു വെണ്ട ധേനുവു ചനുനോ
വാരിദമുനു കനി പൈരുലു ചനുനോ
മത്സ്യ കണ്ടികി വിടുഡു വെഡലുനോ
മഹിനി ത്യാഗരാജ വിനുത രമ്മു തെല്പുമു (ത)

Updated on 02 Oct 2008

9 comments:

Srivatsan Laxman said...

I recently came-upon your blogs - tyAgarAja vaibhavam and guru guha vaibhavm in particular - and found it very interesting. I anticipate that your blog will be an important reference for many. Thanks a lot!!

Unknown said...

I recently came-upon your blogs - tyAgarAja vaibhavam and guru guha vaibhavm in particular - and found it very interesting and informative. can you post the notation for the same kriti
savithri krishnan

V Govindan said...

Madam,
My blog postings are purely from bhakti point of view. I am not musically qualified. Therefore, I am unable to provide notation.
Kindly pardon me.

V Govindan

Sethu Subramanian said...

I wonder why Thyagaraja mentioned "matsya kaNTiki" (fish-eyed) woman--paramour in the same context as the cow-calf, crops-clouds pairs . They are not in the same cadre, obviously. If the answer to the question "will the paramour visit his lover-woman?" is "no", it implies the lover-woman will (or has to) come to the paramour like the cow tending to the calf and the clouds obliging the crops with the needed rain. The lover-woman on the other hand provides a "generally prohibited" illicit service . She is equated with the noble cow and the benevolent clouds. First, I think it is a bad comparison and second the mention of illicit love is out of place in the bhakti-laden kriti. Your comments?

V Govindan said...

Sri nArada,

Sri tyAgarAja is a very complex personality. He is at once anurAga bhakti laden and sarcastic. This kRti is one of those kRti bordering on sarcasm - but not exactly. The three examples are not in the same category - I fully agree with you - excepting that the answer for all the three is 'no'.

There are other kRtis also where Sri tyAgarAja uses words which - so called civilised people - do not use in public speaking. But we must look at his kRtis from the point of view of his audience. His sole audience is Sri rAma (of course with sItA and lakshmaNa) and none else. He did not compose these kRtis for others to sing but to express his anguish. The exact relationship that existed between him and the God is known either to himself or to the God. Therefore, it may not be appropriate for us to evaluate Sri tyAgarAja from mundane point of view of simple vAggEyakkAra. He is more than vAggEyakkAra - for him music was a means of communication to his chosen deity. The addressee knows better - and we are not the addressee(s).

Best wishes,
V Govindan

Sethu Subramanian said...

Mr. Govindan:
Thanks for your reply. However, I don't consider that as the whole story. Thyagaraja has dealt with mundane issues in many kritis which were addressed to common folks---like ringing bells and doing pUja without pure mind (manasu nilpa) going to various kshetras thinking that is a sure path to salvation, the reference to gangA sAgaram (?)---toddy (?) in cakkani rajaand several others. These were not for the purpose of self-castigation (I may be wrong on this) since he was not considering such prohibited practices. Nor was there a need to bring such issues to his sole audience (Rama). One reason for these admonitions could be to be a maverick and discipline the society around him without personally confronting them in arguments. Pl read my article in my blog here: http://periscope-narada.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post.html

Anonymous said...

Hello,

In MATSYA KANTIKI, the MATSYA is fish and not a woman. People incorrectly, relate MATSYA to woman because, of the word VITUDU. VITUDU is generally, used in conjunction with prostitutes. TECHNICALLY, VITUDU means, someone who buys. Thats all. Someone who buys!!
So, Sri Tyagaraja meant, "in the context of buying a fish", will the fish go to the buyer or the buyer goes to the fish. Please remember, he did not say, "will the fisherman go to the fish or the fish goes to the fisherman". In the Krithi's context, what the saint is saying is "the fisherman can go and buy, only when the fish arrives".

The other thing is: In this Krithi, the saint has given all examples of mother and son. So, at any cost, he will not bring a prostitute and the VITUDU. Even if, for a moment, we thought, it was prostitute, prostitutes never go to men. Men go to prostitutes. So, to relate VITUDU in the prostitute angle, is not correct.

Hope that helps.

V Govindan said...

Sir,
I have not used the word 'matsya kaNTi' to mean a prostitute - only as a woman. And viTUDu as a paramour. Therefore, it is a combination of man and woman as lovers. You are right that prostitutes are visited, but in case of lovers, it can be either way. However, the woman is always seen to go out to meet her lover in order to avoid a scandal.

You may also note that Goddess pArvati is called 'mInAkshi' which is same as 'matsya kaNTi'. The meanings which I have given are the ones which are found the books I referred to. I have given the obvious meanings.

SrI tyAgarAja is often not reticent about his comments - as may be seen from many of his kRtis. Therefore, I don't think the meanings are per-se wrong - yes, it may not suit our sensibilities.

V Govindan

LATHASPC said...

Ohhh wonderful is the blog ,thanks 😊,namaskaram ,thanks for the dialogue too ,a music lover ,