Thyagaraja Kriti - Chani Todi Tevae - Raga Hari Kaambhoji

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

cani tODi tEvE-harikAmbhOji

In the kRti ‘cani tODi tEvE’ – rAga harikAmbhOji, SrI tyAgarAja asks his mind to fetch the Lord.

P cani ¹tODi tEvE O manasA

A ²kanikaramutO kani karam(i)Di cira
kAlamu sukham(a)nubhavimpa vEgamE (cani)

C patitula brOcE ³paTT(A)dhikArini
⁴paramArtha mata ⁵vasishTh(A)nusArini
dyuti nirjita Sata ⁶Sambar(A)rini
⁷dhurINa tyAgarAja hRc-cArini (cani)

Gist
O My Mind!

Go and fetch (the Lord).

Go quickly and fetch the Lord so that I may enjoy happiness for a long time beholding Him, holding His hand kindly; (OR) Go quickly and, finding the Lord, holding His hand with kindness, fetch Him so that I may enjoy happiness for a long time.

Go and fetch –
(a) the holder of the appellation of saving the fallen people,
(b) the adherer of the sage vasishTha - who follows the path leading to true knowledge, (OR) the distinguished adherer of the path leading to true knowledge,
(c) the Lord whose lustre surpasses a hundred cupids, and
(d) the Lord who abides in the heart of the servant tyAgarAja; (OR) the Lord who abides in the heart of this tyAgarAja.

Word-by-word Meaning

P O My Mind (manasA)! Go (cani) (literally going) and fetch (tODi tEvE) (the Lord).

A O My Mind! Go quickly (vEgamE) and fetch the Lord so that I may enjoy (anubhavimpa) (literally experience) happiness (sukhamu) (literally comfort) (sukhamanubhavimpa) for a long (cira) time (kAlamu) beholding (kani) Him, holding (iDi) His hand (karamu) (karamiDi) kindly (kanikaramutO).
OR
O My Mind! Go quickly (vEgamE) and, finding (kani) the Lord, holding (iDi) His hand (karamu) (karamiDi) with kindness (kanikaramutO), fetch Him so that I may enjoy (anubhavimpa) (literally experience) happiness (sukhamu) (literally comfort) for a long (cira) time (kAlamu).

C O My Mind! Go and fetch –
the holder (adhikArini) (literally an official) of the appellation (paTTa) (paTTAdhikArini) of saving (brOcE) the fallen people (patitula),
the adherer (anusArini) of the sage vasishTha (vasishThAnusArini) - who follows the path (mata) leading to true knowledge (paramArtha), (OR) the distinguished (viSishTa) adherer (anusArini) of the path (mata) leading to true knowledge (paramArtha),
the Lord whose lustre (dyuti) surpasses (nirjita) a hundred (Sata) cupids (pradyumna) - enemy (ari) of demon Sambara (SambarArini), and
the Lord who abides (cArini) (literally roaming) in the heart (hRt) (hRc-cArini) of the servant (dhurINa) (literally beast of burden) tyAgarAja; (OR)
the Lord (dhurINa) (literally chief) who abides (cArini) in the heart (hRt) (hRccArini) of this tyAgarAja.

Notes –
Variations –
⁵ – vasishTha – viSishTa.

References –
⁵ – vasishTha – yOga vAsishTha is a treatise on vEdAnta written by sage vasishTha. The sage taught this yOga to his pupil SrI rAma. Brief on ‘yOga vAsishTha’.

⁶ – SambarAri - Demon Sambara was killed by pradyumna – (son of kRshNa) – also known as kAmadEva (cupid reborn).

Comments –
¹ – tODi tEvE – tODi teccu – means ‘to fetch’; tEvE – addressing form for a female companion.

² – kanikaramutO kani karamiDi – In some books, this has been translated as ‘seek Him eagerly and lead Him to me with due respect’; in other books, this has been applied to the Lord ‘He may clasp my hand compassionately’. As this kRti is in nAyikA bhAva, it should be applied to the mind; this is further substantiated by the word ‘fetch’.

³ – paTTAdhikAri – Generally this is translated as ‘king’. However, this word seems to have been used in the sense of ‘birudu’ – ‘appellation’; accordingly, it has been translated as ‘holder of the appellation of saving the fallen’.

⁴ – paramArtha mata – In the website referred below (General note), this has been taken to mean ‘surrender’ (SaraNAgati). However, when read in conjunction with ‘vasishTha’ (given in all the books excepting one wherein 'viSishTa' is given), this may mean the philosophy as prescribed in ‘yOga vAsishTha’ (treatise attributed to sage vasishTha) which is more advaitic in approach.
If ‘viSishTa’ is correct, then ‘surrender’ may be the appropriate meaning for 'paramArtha mata'. However, the word ‘paramArtha’ is defined differently by the followers of advaita, dvaita and viSishTAdvaita. Therefore, those who differed from the point of view of 'paramArtha mata' as defined in yOga vAsishTha, could have introduced the word 'viSishTa' – thus a possible interpolation.

⁷ – dhurINa – Generally, this word is applied to the Lord – ‘one who carries the burden’ or ‘chief’, ‘master’ etc. However, in one of the books, this has been applied to SrI tyAgarAja – servant tyAgarAja. From the flow of the language, this may also apply to SrI tyAgarAja. Therefore, both meanings are given.

General – A discussion on this kRti.


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. चनि तोडि तेवे ओ मनसा

अ. कनिकरमुतो कनि कर(मि)डि चिर
कालमु सुख(म)नुभविम्प वेगमे (च)

च. पतितुल ब्रोचे प(ट्टा)धिकारिनि
परमार्थ मत वसि(ष्ठा)नुसारिनि
द्युति निर्जित शत शम्ब(रा)रिनि
धुरीण त्यागराज हृ(च्चा)रिनि (च)

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. சனி தோடி3 தேவே ஓ மனஸா

அ. கனிகரமுதோ கனி கர(மி)டி3 சிர
காலமு ஸுக2(ம)னுப4விம்ப வேக3மே (ச)

ச. பதிதுல ப்3ரோசே பட்(டா)தி4காரினி
பரமார்த2 மத வஸிஷ்(டா2)னுஸாரினி
த்3யுதி நிர்ஜித ஸ1த ஸ1ம்ப3(ரா)ரினி
து4ரீண த்யாக3ராஜ ஹ்ரு2ச்-சாரினி (ச)

சென்றழைத்துவாடி, ஓ மனமே!

கனிவுடன், கண்டு, கரம்பற்றி, பல
காலம் சுகமனுபவிக்க, விரைவில்
சென்றழைத்துவாடி, ஓ மனமே!

வீழ்ந்தோரைக் காக்கும் பட்டமேந்துவோனை,
மெய்யறிவு நெறி நிற்கும், வசிட்டரின் வழி நடப்போனை,
ஒளியில், நூறு சம்பரன் பகைவனை வென்றோனை,
உலக பளு சுமக்கும், தியாகராசனின் இதயத்தில் உலவுவோனை,
சென்றழைத்துவாடி, ஓ மனமே!

மெய்யறிவு நெறி நிற்கும் - வசிட்டரைக் குறிக்கும்
வசிட்டரின் வழி நடப்போன் - வசிட்டர் இராமனின் ஆசான்
சம்பரன் பகைவன் - பிரத்தியும்நன் - மன்மதனின் மறுபிறவி
உலக பளு சுமக்கும் - இறைவனைக் குறிக்கும்

Telugu

ప. చని తోడి తేవే ఓ మనసా

అ. కనికరముతో కని కరమిడి చిర
కాలము సుఖమనుభవింప వేగమే (చ)

చ. పతితుల బ్రోచే పట్టాధికారిని
పరమార్థ మత వసిష్ఠానుసారిని
ద్యుతి నిర్జిత శత శంబరారిని
ధురీణ త్యాగరాజ హృచ్చారిని (చ)

Kannada

ಪ. ಚನಿ ತೋಡಿ ತೇವೇ ಓ ಮನಸಾ

ಅ. ಕನಿಕರಮುತೋ ಕನಿ ಕರಮಿಡಿ ಚಿರ
ಕಾಲಮು ಸುಖಮನುಭವಿಂಪ ವೇಗಮೇ (ಚ)

ಚ. ಪತಿತುಲ ಬ್ರೋಚೇ ಪಟ್ಟಾಧಿಕಾರಿನಿ
ಪರಮಾರ್ಥ ಮತ ವಸಿಷ್ಠಾನುಸಾರಿನಿ
ದ್ಯುತಿ ನಿರ್ಜಿತ ಶತ ಶಂಬರಾರಿನಿ
ಧುರೀಣ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ಹೃಚ್ಚಾರಿನಿ (ಚ)

Malayalam

പ. ചനി തോഡി തേവേ ഓ മനസാ

അ. കനികരമുതോ കനി കരമിഡി ചിര
കാലമു സുഖമനുഭവിമ്പ വേഗമേ (ച)

ച. പതിതുല ബ്രോചേ പട്ടാധികാരിനി
പരമാര്ഥ മത വസിഷ്ഠാനുസാരിനി
ദ്യുതി നിര്ജിത ശത ശമ്ബരാരിനി
ധുരീണ ത്യാഗരാജ ഹൃച്ചാരിനി (ച)

Updated on 13 Apr 2009