Thyagaraja Kriti - Sujana Jeevana - Raga Kamas

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

sujana jIvana-kamAs

In the kRti ‘sujana jIvana’ – rAga kamAs, SrI tyAgarAja sings praises of the Lord.

P sujana jIvana rAma suguNa ¹bhUshaNa rAma

A bhujaga bhUshaN(A)rcita budha jan(A)van(A)tmaja²
vandita Srita ³candana ⁴daSa turanga mAm-ava (sujana)

C ⁵cAru nEtra SrI kaLatra SrI ramya gAtra
tAraka nAma su-caritra daSaratha putra
tArak(A)dhip(A)nana ⁶dharma pAlaka
tAraya raghuvara nirmala tyAgarAja sannuta (sujana)

Gist
O Lord rAma – the very life of virtuous people! O Lord adorned with virtues!

O Lord worshipped by Lord Siva! O Protector of the men of wisdom! O Lord worshipped by brahmA! O Lord who is wish tree for those dependent! O Lord who comes in the lineage of ikshvAku!

O Beautiful Eyed! O Lord who has lakshmI as Consort! O Lord whose body is delightful to lakshmI! O Lord whose name carries across the Ocean of Worldly Existence! O Lord with virtuous conduct! O Son of King daSaratha! O Moon Faced! O Protector of dharma! O Lord raghuvara! O Blemish-less! O Lord well-praised by this tyAgarAja!

Please protect me.
Please carry me across the Ocean of Worldly Existence.

Word-by-word Meaning

P O Lord rAma – the very life (jIvana) of virtuous people (sujana)! O Lord rAma – one who is adorned (bhUshaNa) with virtues (suguNa)!

A O Lord worshipped (arcita) by Lord Siva – adorned (bhUshaNa) (bhUshaNArcita) with serpents (bhujaga)! O Protector (avana) of the men of wisdom (budha jana)!
O Lord worshipped (vandita) by brahmA (Atmaja) (janAvanAtmaja)! O Lord who is wish tree (candana) (literally most excellent) for those dependent (Srita)! O Lord who comes in the lineage of ikshvAku (daSa turanga) (literally ten horses)! Please protect (ava) me (mAM) (mAm-ava);
O Lord rAma – the very life of virtuous people! O Lord rAma – one who is adorned with virtues!

C O Beautiful (cAru) Eyed (nEtra)! O Lord who has lakshmI (SrI) as Consort (kaLatra)! O Lord whose body (gAtra) is delightful (ramya) to lakshmI (SrI)!
O Lord whose name (nAma) carries across (tAraka) the Ocean of Worldly Existence! O Lord with virtuous conduct (su-caritra)! O Son (putra) of King daSaratha!
O Moon – Lord (adhipa) of stars (tAraka) – Faced (Anana) (tArakAdhipAnana)! O Protector (pAlaka) of dharma!
O Lord raghuvara! O Blemish-less (nirmala)! O Lord well-praised (sannuta) by this tyAgarAja! Please carry me across (tAraya) the Ocean of Worldly Existence;
O Lord rAma – the very life of virtuous people! O Lord rAma – one who is adorned with virtues!

Notes –
Variations –
¹ – bhUshaNa rAma – bhUshaNa.

² – Atmaja vandita – aja vandita : 'Atmaja', by itself, is used to refer to kAma (cupid). In the present context the meaning 'cupid' does not seem to be appropriate, but 'brahmA' may be appropriate. 'brahmA' is called 'AtmabhU'. It is not clear whether SrI tyAgarAja uses 'Atmaja' to mean 'AtmabhU'.

⁶ – dharma pAlaka – dharma pAlana.

References –
⁶ – dharma pAlaka – The following verses from SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, ayOdhyA kANDa, Chapter 21 refer –

dharmO hi paramO lOkE dharmE satyaM pratishThitaM
dharma-saMSritam-apy-Etat pitur-vacanam-uttamaM
saMSrutya ca pitur-vAkyaM mAtur-vA brAhmaNasya vA
na kartavyaM vRthA vIrA dharmam-ASritya tishThatA 41, 42

“Indeed righteousness is paramount in this world (and) truthfulness is rooted in piety. This command of my father too is supreme in that it is based on righteousness. Having plighted one’s word to do the bidding of one’s father, mother or a brAhmaNa, O gallant lakshmaNa, he who takes his stand on righteousness should not falsify it.”

Please also refer to - vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, ayOdhyA kANDa, Chapter 21

Comments -
³ – candana – Generally, this word means 'excellent'. However, in conjunction with the preceding word 'Srita', it would mean, 'wish-tree'. SrI tyAgarAja uses 'Srita mandAra', 'Srita pArijAta' in other kRtis. Accordingly, it has been translated here. The five celestial (wish) trees are – mandAra, pArijAtaka, santAna, kalpa vRksha, hari candana.

⁴ – daSa turanga – As per Monier’s Dictionary, daSa aSva (daSASva) - means ‘of a son of ikshvAku’; therefore, it seems SrI tyAgarAja uses this term (by substituting ‘aSva’ with ‘turanga’) to mean one of the lineage of ikshvAku.

As per SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, uttara kANDa, Chapter 99, SrI rAma performed ten-thousand horse sacrifices and vAjapEya sacrifices.

In some books, this has been taken to mean ‘one who has garuDa as vehicle’; ‘turanga’ has been frequently used by SrI tyAgarAja to mean ‘moving fast’ - eg ‘khaga turanga’ where ‘khaga’ means ‘garuDa’; here the qualifying word is ‘daSa’ which does not mean garuDa.

⁵ – cAru nEtra – this epithet may be applied to lakshmI also (cAru nEtra SrI kaLatra) and translated as ‘O Consort of the beautiful-eyed lakshmI’.


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. सुजन जीवन राम सुगुण भूषण राम

अ. भुजग भूष(णा)र्चित बुध ज(ना)व(ना)त्मज
वन्दित श्रित चन्दन दश तुरंग मा(म)व (सुजन)

च. चारु नेत्र श्री कळत्र श्री रम्य गात्र
तारक नाम सु-चरित्र दशरथ पुत्र
तार(का)धि(पा)नन धर्म पालक
तारय रघुवर निर्मल त्यागराज सन्नुत (सुजन)

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. ஸுஜன ஜீவன ராம ஸுகு3ண பூ4ஷண ராம

அ. பு4ஜக3 பூ4ஷ(ணா)ர்சித பு3த4 ஜ(னா)வ(னா)த்மஜ
வந்தி3த ஸ்1ரித சந்த3ன த3ஸ1 துரங்க3 மா(ம)வ (ஸுஜன)

ச. சாரு நேத்ர ஸ்ரீ களத்ர ஸ்ரீ ரம்ய கா3த்ர
தாரக நாம ஸு-சரித்ர த3ஸ1ரத2 புத்ர
தார(கா)தி4(பா)னன த4ர்ம பாலக
தாரய ரகு4வர நிர்மல த்யாக3ராஜ ஸன்னுத (ஸுஜன)

நல்லோரின் வாழ்வே, இராமா!
நற்குணங்களையணிவோனே, இராமா!

அரவணிவோனால் தொழப்பெற்றோனே!
அறிஞர்களைக் காப்போனே! தான்தோன்றியால்
வந்திக்கப் பெற்றோனே! அண்டியோருக்கு வேண்டியதருள்வோனே!
இக்குவாகு குலத்தோனே! என்னைக் காப்பாய்;
நல்லோரின் வாழ்வே, இராமா!
நற்குணங்களையணிவோனே, இராமா!

அழகிய கண்களோனே! மா மணாளா! இலக்குமி விரும்பும் உடலோனே!
தாரக நாமத்தோனே! நன்னடைத்தையோனே! தசரதன் மைந்தா!
மதி வதனத்தோனே! அறங்காப்போனே!
கடத்துவிப்பாய், இரகுவரா! களங்கமற்றோனே!
தியாகராசனால் போற்றப் பெற்றோனே!
நல்லோரின் வாழ்வே, இராமா!
நற்குணங்களையணிவோனே, இராமா!

அரவணிவோன் - சிவன்
தான்தோன்றி - பிரமன்
இக்குவாகு - இரகு குல முன்தோன்றல்
தாரக நாமம் - 'இராமா' எனும் நாமம் பிறவிக் கடலைக் கடத்துவிப்பதனால்
கடத்துவிப்பாய் - பிறவிக் கடலினைக் கடத்துவிப்பாய்

Telugu

ప. సుజన జీవన రామ సుగుణ భూషణ రామ

అ. భుజగ భూషణార్చిత బుధ జనావనాత్మజ
వందిత శ్రిత చందన దశ తురంగ మామవ (సుజన)

చ. చారు నేత్ర శ్రీ కళత్ర శ్రీ రమ్య గాత్ర
తారక నామ సు-చరిత్ర దశరథ పుత్ర
తారకాధిపానన ధర్మ పాలక
తారయ రఘువర నిర్మల త్యాగరాజ సన్నుత (సుజన)

Kannada

ಪ. ಸುಜನ ಜೀವನ ರಾಮ ಸುಗುಣ ಭೂಷಣ ರಾಮ

ಅ. ಭುಜಗ ಭೂಷಣಾರ್ಚಿತ ಬುಧ ಜನಾವನಾತ್ಮಜ
ವಂದಿತ ಶ್ರಿತ ಚಂದನ ದಶ ತುರಂಗ ಮಾಮವ (ಸುಜನ)

ಚ. ಚಾರು ನೇತ್ರ ಶ್ರೀ ಕಳತ್ರ ಶ್ರೀ ರಮ್ಯ ಗಾತ್ರ
ತಾರಕ ನಾಮ ಸು-ಚರಿತ್ರ ದಶರಥ ಪುತ್ರ
ತಾರಕಾಧಿಪಾನನ ಧರ್ಮ ಪಾಲಕ
ತಾರಯ ರಘುವರ ನಿರ್ಮಲ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ಸನ್ನುತ (ಸುಜನ)

Malayalam

പ. സുജന ജീവന രാമ സുഗുണ ഭൂഷണ രാമ

അ. ഭുജഗ ഭൂഷണാര്ചിത ബുധ ജനാവനാത്മജ
വന്ദിത ശ്രിത ചന്ദന ദശ തുരങ്ഗ മാമവ (സുജന)

ച. ചാരു നേത്ര ശ്രീ കളത്ര ശ്രീ രമ്യ ഗാത്ര
താരക നാമ സു-ചരിത്ര ദശരഥ പുത്ര
താരകാധിപാനന ധര്മ പാലക
താരയ രഘുവര നിര്മല ത്യാഗരാജ സന്നുത (സുജന)

Updated on 25 Apr 2009