Thyagaraja Kriti - Elaavataara - Raga Mukhaari

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

ElAvatAra-mukhAri

In the kRti ‘ElAvatAramettukoNTivi’ – rAga mukhAri or sAlakabhairavi, SrI tyAgarAja ecstatically wonders about the purpose of the incarnation of the Lord.

P El(A)vatAram(e)ttukoNTivi
Emi kAraNamu rAmuDai

A Alamu sEyuTakA ayOdhya
pAlana sEyuTakA O rAghava (Ela)

C ¹yOgulu ²jUcuT(a)ndukA bhava
rOgula ³brOcuT(a)ndukA Sata
rAga ratna mAlikalu racincina tyAga-
rAjuku ⁴varam(o)saguT(a)ndukA (Ela)

Gist
O Lord rAghava!

Why did You incarnate as Lord rAma? What is the reason?

Is it for waging war? Or is it for ruling over ayOdhya?

Is it for the purpose that the ascetics could behold You? or is it for the purpose of protecting those afflicted by the disease of Worldly Existence? or is it for the purpose of bestowing boon on this tyAgarAja who has composed garlands of hundreds of exquisite rAgas?

Word-by-word Meaning

P Why (Ela) did You incarnate (avatAramu ettukoNTivi) (ElAvatAramettukoNTivi) as Lord rAma (rAmuDai)? What (Emi) is the reason (kAraNamu)?

A Is it for waging (sEyuTakA) (literally do) war (Alamu)? Or is it for ruling (pAlana sEyuTakA) over ayOdhya (ayOdhya)?
O Lord rAghava! Why did You incarnate as Lord rAma? What is the reason?

C Is it for the purpose (andukA) that the ascetics (yOgulu) could behold (jUcuTa) (jUcuTandukA) You? or
is it for the purpose (andukA) of protecting (brOcuTa) (brOcuTandukA) those afflicted by the disease (rOgula) of Worldly Existence (bhava)? or
is it for the purpose (andukA) of bestowing (osaguTa) boon (varamu) (varamosaguTandukA) on this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuku) who has composed (racincina) garlands (mAlikalu) of hundreds (Sata) of exquisite (ratna) (literally precious stones) rAgas?
why did You incarnate as Lord rAma? what is the reason?

Notes –
Variations -
General – In some books, the alternative rAga is given as 'sAlaka bhairavi'.

¹ – yOgulu jUcuTandukA – yOgulanu jUcuTakA : 'yOgulu jUcuTandukA' means ‘in order yOgis could behold’; ‘yOgulanu jUcuTakA’ – means ‘to look up the yOgis’.

From vAlmIki rAmayaNa it is clear that the sages and ascetics were anxiously waiting for arrival of SrI rAma to relieve their problems with rAkshasas. Therefore, it is in the interest of the yOgis that SrI rAma embodied and not vice-versa. Therefore 'yOgulu jUcuTandukA' seems to be appropriate.

Please also refer to kRti ‘muddu mOmu’ rAga sUryakAntaM wherein SrI tyAgarAja describes the ecstasy of the ascetics in beholding the Lord.

² – jUcuTandukA – jUcuTakA.

³ - brOcuTandukA – brOcuTakA

⁴ - varamoguTandukA – varamosanguTakA.


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. ए(ला)वतार(मॆ)त्तुकॊण्टिवि
एमि कारणमु रामुडै

अ. आलमु सेयुटका अयोध्य
पालन सेयुटका ओ राघव (ए)

च. योगुलु जूचु(ट)न्दुका भव
रोगुल ब्रोचु(ट)न्दुका शत
राग रत्न मालिकलु रचिञ्चिन त्याग-
राजुकु वर(मॊ)सगु(ट)न्दुका (ए)

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. ஏ(லா)வதார(மெ)த்துகொண்டிவி
ஏமி காரணமு ராமுடை3

அ. ஆலமு ஸேயுடகா அயோத்4ய
பாலன ஸேயுடகா ஓ ராக4வ (ஏ)

ச. யோகு3லு ஜூசு(ட)ந்து3கா ப4வ
ரோகு3ல ப்3ரோசு(ட)ந்து3கா ஸ1த
ராக3 ரத்ன மாலிகலு ரசிஞ்சின த்யாக3-
ராஜுகு வர(மொ)ஸகு3(ட)ந்து3கா (ஏ)

ஏன் அவதரித்தாயோ?
என்ன காரணமோ, இராமனாக?

போர் புரிவதற்கோ? அயோத்தியை
ஆள்வதற்கோ? ஓ இராகவா!
ஏன் அவதரித்தாயோ?
என்ன காரணமோ, இராமனாக?

யோகியர் (உன்னைக்) காண்பதற்கென்றோ? பிறவிப்
பிணியாளிகளைக் காப்பதற்கென்றோ? நூற்றுக் கணக்கான
ராக இரத்தின மாலைகளைப் புனைந்த
தியாகராசனுக்கு வரமருள்வதற்கென்றோ?
ஏன் அவதரித்தாயோ?
என்ன காரணமோ, இராமனாக?

Telugu

ప. ఏలావతారమెత్తుకొంటివి
ఏమి కారణము రాముడై

అ. ఆలము సేయుటకా అయోధ్య
పాలన సేయుటకా ఓ రాఘవ (ఏ)

చ. యోగులు జూచుటందుకా భవ
రోగుల బ్రోచుటందుకా శత
రాగ రత్న మాలికలు రచించిన త్యాగ-
రాజుకు వరమొసగుటందుకా (ఏ)

Kannada

ಪ. ಏಲಾವತಾರಮೆತ್ತುಕೊಂಟಿವಿ
ಏಮಿ ಕಾರಣಮು ರಾಮುಡೈ

ಅ. ಆಲಮು ಸೇಯುಟಕಾ ಅಯೋಧ್ಯ
ಪಾಲನ ಸೇಯುಟಕಾ ಓ ರಾಘವ (ಏ)

ಚ. ಯೋಗುಲು ಜೂಚುಟಂದುಕಾ ಭವ
ರೋಗುಲ ಬ್ರೋಚುಟಂದುಕಾ ಶತ
ರಾಗ ರತ್ನ ಮಾಲಿಕಲು ರಚಿಂಚಿನ ತ್ಯಾಗ-
ರಾಜುಕು ವರಮೊಸಗುಟಂದುಕಾ (ಏ)

Malayalam

പ. ഏലാവതാരമെത്തുകൊണ്ടിവി
ഏമി കാരണമു രാമുഡൈ

അ. ആലമു സേയുടകാ അയോധ്യ
പാലന സേയുടകാ ഓ രാഘവ (ഏ)

ച. യോഗുലു ജൂചുടന്ദുകാ ഭവ
രോഗുല ബ്രോചുടന്ദുകാ ശത
രാഗ രത്ന മാലികലു രചിഞ്ചിന ത്യാഗ-
രാജുകു വരമൊസഗുടന്ദുകാ (ഏ)

Updated on 04 Mar 2009