Thyagaraja Kriti - Manasu Vishaya - Raga Naata Kuranji

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

manasu vishaya-nATakuranji

In the kRti ‘manasu vishaya naTa’ – rAga nATakuranji, SrI tyAgarAja exhorts his mind not to be deceived by indulging in sense objects.

pallavi
¹manasu vishaya naTa viTulak(o)sangitE
mA rAmuni kRpa kalugunO manasA

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anupallavi
²tana talup(o)kar(i)NTiki tIsi peTTi
tA kukkalu tOlu rIti kAdO (manasu)

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caraNam
³taviTiki rankADa pOyi kUTi
⁴tapile kOti konipOyin(a)Tu kAdO
ceviTiki(n)⁵upadESincin(a)Tu kAdO
SrI tyAgarAja nutuni talacaka (manasu)

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Gist

O My Mind!

• If mind is given away to the licentious objects of senses, will the grace of our rAma be attainable?


• Isn’t it like removing one’s own (house) door, fixing it in another’s house, and then, self chasing away the dogs (from entering own open house)?


• Isn’t it similar to (a woman) has gone for committing adultery for bran, and her food vessel is carried away by a monkey?


• Isn’t it similar to initiating a hearing impaired?


• Therefore, instead of thinking of the Lord praised by this tyAgarAja, if mind is given away to the licentious objects of senses, will the grace of our rAma be attainable?

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Word-by-word Meaning

pallavi
manasu vishaya naTa viTulaku-osangitE
mA rAmuni kRpa kalugunO manasA

O My Mind (manasA)! If mind (manasu) is given away (osangitE) to the licentious (naTa viTulaku) (literally fornicators) (viTulakosangitE) objects of senses (vishaya),
will the grace (kRpa) of our (mA) rAma (rAmuni) be attainable (kalugunO) (literally to be born)?

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anupallavi
tana talupu-okari-iNTiki tIsi peTTi
tA kukkalu tOlu rIti kAdO (manasu)

Isn’t it (kAdO) like (rIti) -
removing (tIsi) one’s own (tana) (house) door (talupu), fixing (peTTi) (literally place) it in another’s (okari) house (iNTiki) (talupokariNTiki), and then,
self (tA) chasing away (tOlu) the dogs (kukkalu) (from entering own open house)?
O My Mind! If mind is given away to the licentious objects of senses, will the grace of our rAma be attainable?

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caraNam
taviTiki rankADa pOyi kUTi
tapile kOti konipOyina-aTu kAdO
ceviTiki-upadESincina-aTu kAdO
SrI tyAgarAja nutuni talacaka (manasu)

Isn’t it (kAdO) similar to (aTu) (a woman) has gone (pOyi) for committing adultery (rankADa) for bran (taviTiki) and her food vessel (kUTi tapile) is carried away (konipOyina) (konipOyinaTu) by a monkey (kOti)?
isn’t it (kAdO) similar (aTu) to initiating (upadESincina) a hearing impaired (ceviTiki) (ceviTikinupadESincinaTu)?
O My Mind! Instead of thinking (talacaka) of the Lord praised (nutuni) by this tyAgarAja, if mind is given away to the licentious objects of senses, will the grace of our rAma be attainable?

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Notes –
Variations –
³ – taviTiki – This is how it is given in all the books and has been translated as ‘for bran’. The telugu and tamizh word for 'bran' is ‘tavuDu’. Taking into account the ensuing word ‘kUDu’ (kUTi) which means ‘food’, 'bran' does not seem to be the correct word because it is not used for food for humans – it is an animal feed. However, bran is used as a fuel in villages. Therefore, in keeping with traditional meaning of the kRti given in the books, it has been translated as 'for bran'.

In telugu, there is a similar word ‘tavida' - coarse cereal rAgi – Eleusine coracana – used by poor people as staple diet – normally gruel called kUDu ‘kUzh’ (in tamizh) is made of this cereal. In tamizh, ‘tavandu’ means ‘cereal’.

However, the declension for ‘tavida’ would be ‘tavidaku’ and not 'taviTiki’.

⁴ – tapile – tapila : The correct word is ‘tapela’. The equivalent tamizh word is ‘tavalai’ or ‘tapalai’.

References –
¹ – manasu vishaya naTa viTulakosangitE – Offering the mind to the licentious sense objects – mind running after sense-objects. In the kRti ‘nijamuga nI mahima’ – rAga SahAna, SrI tyAgarAja states –

buddhiyanu tallini vishaya viTulaku
prodduna osagi paikamulu ArjincE siddhulu

“...(so called) ‘accomplished persons’ who earn money by offering throughout the day the mother called intellect to the licentious objects of senses..”

Please refer to discourse of kAnci mahAsvAmi on ‘mind control’

Please also refer to - Mind as rein

Comments -
² – tana talupu okariNTiki tIsi peTTi tA kukkalu tOlu rIti – securing another's house at the cost of one's own. This may be interpreted in two ways - (1) preaching others to secure their mind (house) while leaving exposed one’s own mind; (2) handing over the reins of mind to the senses in pursuit of their objects and then trying to exercise control over the mind. The second one is more relevant to the current topic.

³ – taviTiki rankADa pOyi kUTi tapile kOti konipOye – while gone for committing adultery for securing food, food vessel (probably along with food) stolen away by monkey – Even before one want is secured, another want cropping up – a perpetuity of corruption for wants and desires.

⁵ – upadESincina – The preceptor initiates the disciple by uttering sacred mantra or syllables in his ears. Therefore, a hearing impaired cannot be initiated in the prescribed manner. Implication - impossibility of controlling the mind given to enjoyments - because it becomes impervious (deaf) to positive suggestions.

This kRti is addressed to the mind (manasA) and all the exhortations are about losing control over the mind. Therefore, by implication, SrI tyAgarAja is telling the mind 'I cannot allow you to go your way in pursuit of sense objects, because I want to have the grace of Lord rAma. Therefore, accepting my suggestions, remain engaged in thinking of the Lord'.

Great Teachers do not directly preach to the World. They use the method exemplification and/or 'Atma garhaNa' (self depreciation). Accordingly, it is possible that SrI tyAgarAja is indeed addressing his own mind to remain restrained. Alternatively, he may be exhorting – through his medium - the Worldly minded to keep their minds under control in order to obtain the grace of Lord.

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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. मनसु विषय नट विटुल(कॊ)संगिते
मा रामुनि कृप कलुगुनो मनसा

अ. तन तलु(पॊ)क(रि)ण्टिकि तीसि पॆट्टि
ता कुक्कलु तोलु रीति कादो (मनसु)

च. तविटिकि रंकाड पोयि कूटि
तपिलॆ कोति कॊनिपोयि(न)टु कादो
चॆविटिकि(नु)पदेशिञ्चि(न)टु कादो
श्री त्यागराज नुतुनि तलचक (मनसु)

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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. மனஸு விஷய நட விடுல(கொ)ஸங்கி3தே
மா ராமுனி க்ரு2ப கலுகு3னோ மனஸா

அ. தன தலு(பொ)க(ரி)ண்டிகி தீஸி பெட்டி
தா குக்கலு தோலு ரீதி காதோ3 (மனஸு)

ச. தவிடிகி ரங்காட3 போயி கூடி
தபிலெ கோதி கொனிபோயி(ன)டு காதோ3
செவிடிகி(னு)பதே3ஸி1ஞ்சி(ன)டு காதோ3
ஸ்ரீ த்யாக3ராஜ நுதுனி தலசக (மனஸு)

மனத்தினை விடய களவொழுக்கத்தினருக்கு அளித்தால்,
எமது இராமனின் கிருபை யுண்டாகுமோ, மனமே?

தன் கதவை பிறர் வீட்டிற்குப் பெயர்த்து வைத்து,
தான், நாய்களை விரட்டுதல் போன்றாகாதோ?
மனத்தினை விடய களவொழுக்கத்தினருக்கு அளித்தால்,
எமது இராமனின் கிருபையுண்டாகுமோ, மனமே?

தவிட்டுக்கு வேசியாடச் செல்ல, கூழ்ப்
பானையை குரங்கு கொண்டுபோனது போன்றாகாதோ?
செவிடனுக்கு உபதேசித்தது போன்றாகாதோ?
தியாகராசனால் போற்றப் பெற்றோனை நினையாது,
மனத்தினை விடய களவொழுக்கத்தினருக்கு அளித்தால்,
எமது இராமனின் கிருபையுண்டாகுமோ, மனமே?

விடயம் - புலன்களால் அறிப்படுபவை
விடய களவொழுக்கத்தினர் - விடயங்களின் நுகர்ச்சிக்கு, வரம்போ, முறைமையோ இன்மையால், களவொழுக்கத்திற்கு ஈடாகுமென.
நாய்களை விரட்டுதல் - திறந்தவீட்டில் நுழையும் நாய்கள்

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Telugu

ప. మనసు విషయ నట విటులకొసంగితే
మా రాముని కృప కలుగునో మనసా

అ. తన తలుపొకరింటికి తీసి పెట్టి
తా కుక్కలు తోలు రీతి కాదో (మనసు)

చ. తవిటికి రంకాడ పోయి కూటి
తపిలె కోతి కొనిపోయినటు కాదో
చెవిటికినుపదేశించినటు కాదో
శ్రీ త్యాగరాజ నుతుని తలచక (మనసు)

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Kannada

ಪ. ಮನಸು ವಿಷಯ ನಟ ವಿಟುಲಕೊಸಂಗಿತೇ
ಮಾ ರಾಮುನಿ ಕೃಪ ಕಲುಗುನೋ ಮನಸಾ

ಅ. ತನ ತಲುಪೊಕರಿಂಟಿಕಿ ತೀಸಿ ಪೆಟ್ಟಿ
ತಾ ಕುಕ್ಕಲು ತೋಲು ರೀತಿ ಕಾದೋ (ಮನಸು)

ಚ. ತವಿಟಿಕಿ ರಂಕಾಡ ಪೋಯಿ ಕೂಟಿ
ತಪಿಲೆ ಕೋತಿ ಕೊನಿಪೋಯಿನಟು ಕಾದೋ
ಚೆವಿಟಿಕಿನುಪದೇಶಿಂಚಿನಟು ಕಾದೋ
ಶ್ರೀ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ನುತುನಿ ತಲಚಕ (ಮನಸು)

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Malayalam

പ. മനസു വിഷയ നട വിടുലകൊസങ്ഗിതേ
മാ രാമുനി കൃപ കലുഗുനോ മനസാ

അ. തന തലുപൊകരിണ്ടികി തീസി പെട്ടി
താ കുക്കലു തോലു രീതി കാദോ (മനസു)

ച. തവിടികി രങ്കാഡ പോയി കൂടി
തപിലെ കോതി കൊനിപോയിനടു കാദോ
ചെവിടികിനുപദേശിഞ്ചിനടു കാദോ
ശ്രീ ത്യാഗരാജ നുതുനി തലചക (മനസു)

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Updated on 15 Jun 2009