Thyagaraja Kriti - Nija Marmamula - Raga Umaabharanam

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

nija marmamula-umAbharaNaM

In the kRti ‘nija marmamulanu’ – rAga umAbharaNaM, SrI tyAgarAja asks why the Lord is deluding even those who are devoted to chanting His names.

P nija marmamulanu telisina vArini
nIv(a)layincEd(¹E)makO ²rAma

A aja gaja rakshaka ³gaja carm(A)mbar-
(A)di ⁴daiva bhEdamula lIla kalga jEsina nI (nija)

C Sruti SAstra purANa-⁵vid(A)di
⁶shaNmata nishThula ⁷nAma parAdula
⁸kshiti patulan kumatulugA jEsina
⁹kshEma tyAgarAja nuta SrI ¹⁰manOhara (nija)

Gist
O Lord rAma! O Lord who has stolen the heart of lakshmI - praised by this tyAgarAja!

I know not why You make even those who have understood (Your) true secrets languish?

I know not why You make even those languish who have understood Your true secrets - who created the grand sport of differences of deities of brahmA, vishNu and Siva?

I know not why You make even those languish who have understood the true secrets of Your joy in deluding -
(a) those learned in vEdAs, SAstra, epics etc.,
(b) those dedicated to six-fold forms of worship,
(c) those devoted to chanting of Your names, and
(d) the kings?

Word-by-word Meaning

P O Lord rAma! I know not why (EmakO) You (nIvu) make even those (vArini) who have understood (telisina) (Your) true (nija) secrets (marmamulanu) languish (alayincEdi) (nIvalayincEdEmakO)?

A O Lord rAma! I know not why You make even those languish who have understood Your (nI) true secrets - who
created (kalga jEsina) the grand sport (lIla) of differences (bhEdamula) of deities (daiva) of –
brahmA (aja), vishNu – the protector (rakshaka) of gajEndra – the elephant (gaja) and (Adi) (literally etc.) Siva – one who has elephant (gaja) skin (carma) as his garment (ambara) (carmAmbarAdi)?

C O Lord rAma! I know not why You make even those languish who have understood the true secrets of Your joy (kshEma) (literally comfort) in deluding (kumatulugA jEsina) (literally making fools of) –
those learned (vid) in vEdAs (SrUti), SAstra, epics (purANa) etc. (Adi) (vidAdi),
those dedicated (nishThula) to six-fold forms of worship (shaNmata), those devoted (parAdula) to chanting of Your names (nAma), and
those kings – Lords (patulan) of the Earth (kshiti)?
O Lord who has stolen (hara) the heart (manas) (literally mind) (manOhara) of lakshmI (SrI) - praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja!

Notes –
Variations –
¹ – EmakO – EmokO. The word 'EmakO' is appearing in the kRti 'rAma nannu brOva' – rAga harikAmbhOji also. Therefore, the same word has been accepted here also.

The word ‘EmakO’ (or 'EmokO') is not found in the dictionary. From the context, it is clear that it means ‘for what reason’. The nearest word is ‘EmiTiko’ meaning ‘I know not why’. May be this is the colloquial version of ‘EmiTikO’.

² – rAma – SrI rAma.

⁴ – daiva – gauNa : In the present context, ‘daiva’ seems to be appropriate. In fact, 'gauNa' may be an interpolation.

⁵ – vidAdi – vivAdi - vidhAdi. In the present context, ‘vidAdi’ is the appropriate word.

⁸ – kshiti patulan ku-matulugA - kshiti patulankumatulgA – kshitipatulangamatulugA : 'kshiti patulan ku-matulugA' is the appropriate word.

⁹ – kshEma – SrIda. In the present context, ‘kshEma’ seems to be appropriate for connecting to the pallavi.

¹⁰ – manOhara – manOhara nI.

References –
³ – gaja carmAmbara – elephant skin as garment - Refers to slaying of gajAsura by Lord Siva

⁶ – shaNmata – six-fold forms of worship – Siva, vishNu, Sakti, kumAra, gaNapati, sUrya.

Comments -
⁷ – nAma parAdula – those devoted to chanting of Your names. Here, 'Adulu' does not necessarily mean 'etc' or 'and others'.

⁸ - kumatulugA jEsina – made fools – In the kRti 'manasA mana sAmarthyamEmi' – rAga vardhani, SrI tyAgarAja mentions two specific instances of how the Lord (rAma) cast His spell of illusion to change the course of events – (1) the decision of King daSratha to make rAma as crown prince thwarted by the very agency of kaikEyi who was otherwise well-disposed towards rAma, and (2) the stance of sugrIva who had given up hope of ever getting back his family deprived of by his elder brother vAli. But for these two instances, the purpose of divine incarnation might not have been accomplished.

This is in keeping with the statement of Lord in SrImad-bhagavad-gItA (Chpater 7) about the inexorable nature of mAyA –

daivI hyEshA guNamayI mama mAyA duratyayA
mAmEva yE prapadyantE mAyAm-EtAM taranti tE 14

"Verily this divine illusion of Mine, constituted of the guNAs, is difficult to cross over; those who devote themselves to Me alone, cross over this illusion." (Translation by Swami Swarupananda)

However, SrI tyAgarAja states that even those devoted to the Lord (nAma parAdulu) have not been spared by the illusion of the Lord – that is, in fact, the thrust of this kRti – nija marmamulanu telisina vArini nIvu alayincEdi – You make even those who understand the truth (and adopt the path of bhakti) to languish – why?

Please also refer to the dOha of Saint kabir –‘mAya mahA ThagnI’


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. निज मर्ममुलनु तॆलिसिन वारिनि
नी(व)लयिञ्चे(दे)मको राम

अ. अज गज रक्षक गज चर्माम्ब(रा)दि
दैव भेदमुल लील कल्ग जेसिन नी (निज)

च. श्रुति शास्त्र पुराण-वि(दा)दि
षण्मत निष्ठुल नाम परादुल
क्षिति पतुलन् कुमतुलुगा जेसिन
क्षेम त्यागराज नुत श्री मनोहर (निज)

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. நிஜ மர்மமுலனு தெலிஸின வாரினி
நீ(வ)லயிஞ்சே(தே3)மகோ ராம

அ. அஜ க3ஜ ரக்ஷக க3ஜ சர்மாம்ப3(ரா)தி3
தை3வ பே4த3முல லீல கல்க3 ஜேஸின நீ (நிஜ)

ச. ஸ்1ருதி ஸா1ஸ்த்ர புராண-வி(தா3)தி3
ஷண்மத நிஷ்டு2ல நாம பராது3ல
க்ஷிதி பதுலன் குமதுலுகா3 ஜேஸின
க்ஷேம த்யாக3ராஜ நுத ஸ்ரீ மனோஹர (நிஜ)

நிச மருமங்களினை யறிந்தவரையும்
நீ அலையச்செய்வதனோ, இராமா?

பிரமன், கரியைக் காத்தோன், கரித்தோலையணிந்தோன் முதலான
தெய்வங்களின் வேறுபாடெனும் திருவிளையாடலை உண்டாக்கிய உனது
நிச மருமங்களினை யறிந்தவரையும்
நீ அலையச்செய்வதனோ, இராமா?

தியாகராசனால் போற்றப் பெற்றோனே! இலக்குமி மனம் கவர்வோனே!
மறைகள், சாத்திரங்கள், புராணங்கள் ஆகியவற்றினில் தேர்ந்தோரையும்,
அறுமத நெறி நிற்போரையும், (உனது) நாமத்தினில் திளைப்போரையும்,
புவியாள்வோரையும், மதியிழந்தோராக்கிய (உனது) களிப்பின்
நிச மருமங்களினை யறிந்தவரையும்
நீ அலையச்செய்வதனோ, இராமா?

கரியைக் காத்தோன் - அரி
கரித்தோலையணிந்தோன் - அரன்
அறு மதங்கள் - அரி, அரன், சக்தி, முருகன், கணபதி, சூரியன் ஆகியோரின் வழிபாடு
மதியிழந்தோராக்கிய - மாயையெனும் திருவிளையாடலினால்

Telugu

ప. నిజ మర్మములను తెలిసిన వారిని
నీవలయించేదేమకో రామ

అ. అజ గజ రక్షక గజ చర్మాంబరాది
దైవ భేదముల లీల కల్గ జేసిన నీ (నిజ)

చ. శ్రుతి శాస్త్ర పురాణ-విదాది
షణ్మత నిష్ఠుల నామ పరాదుల
క్షితి పతులన్ కుమతులుగా జేసిన
క్షేమ త్యాగరాజ నుత శ్రీ మనోహర (నిజ)

Kannada

ಪ. ನಿಜ ಮರ್ಮಮುಲನು ತೆಲಿಸಿನ ವಾರಿನಿ
ನೀವಲಯಿಂಚೇದೇಮಕೋ ರಾಮ

ಅ. ಅಜ ಗಜ ರಕ್ಷಕ ಗಜ ಚರ್ಮಾಂಬರಾದಿ
ದೈವ ಭೇದಮುಲ ಲೀಲ ಕಲ್ಗ ಜೇಸಿನ ನೀ (ನಿಜ)

ಚ. ಶ್ರುತಿ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ ಪುರಾಣ-ವಿದಾದಿ
ಷಣ್ಮತ ನಿಷ್ಠುಲ ನಾಮ ಪರಾದುಲ
ಕ್ಷಿತಿ ಪತುಲನ್ ಕುಮತುಲುಗಾ ಜೇಸಿನ
ಕ್ಷೇಮ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ನುತ ಶ್ರೀ ಮನೋಹರ (ನಿಜ)

Malayalam

പ. നിജ മര്മമുലനു തെലിസിന വാരിനി
നീവലയിഞ്ചേദേമകോ രാമ

അ. അജ ഗജ രക്ഷക ഗജ ചര്മാമ്ബരാദി
ദൈവ ഭേദമുല ലീല കല്ഗ ജേസിന നീ (നിജ)

ച. ശ്രുതി ശാസ്ത്ര പുരാണ-വിദാദി
ഷണ്മത നിഷ്ഠുല നാമ പരാദുല
ക്ഷിതി പതുലന്‍ കുമതുലുഗാ ജേസിന
ക്ഷേമ ത്യാഗരാജ നുത ശ്രീ മനോഹര (നിജ)

Updated on 23 Apr 2009