Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Thyagaraja Kriti - Nidhi Chala Sukhama - Raga Kalyani

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

nidhi cAla-kalyANi

In the kRti ‘nidhi cAla sukhamA’ – rAga kalyANi (tALa miSra cApu), SrI tyAgarAja asks his mind to consider which is better – wealth or service to the Lord.

pallavi
nidhi cAla sukhamA rAmuni
sannidhi sEva sukhamA 1nijamuga palku manasA


anupallavi
dadhi navanIta kshIramulu 2ruciyO
dASarathi dhyAna bhajana sudhA rasamu 2ruciyO (nidhi)


caraNam
3dama Samam(a)nu gangA snAnamu sukhamA
kardama dur-vishaya kUpa snAnamu sukhamA
4mamata bandhana yuta nara stuti sukhamA
5su-mati tyAgarAja nutuni kIrtana sukhamA (nidhi)


Gist

  • O My Mind!

  • Tell me truthfully -

    • whether wealth is very comforting or the service in the holy presence of Lord SrI rAma comforting?
    • Are curd, fresh butter and milk etc. tasty or the nectarine juice of meditation and bhajana of dASarathi tasty?
    • Is a bath in the (holy) river ganga called (practice of) self control and tranquility comforting or a bath in the water of well called the filthy, evil natured objects of senses comforting?
    • Is extolling humans bound by egotism comforting or singing songs of the pure minded Lord praised by this tyAgarAja comforting?



Word-by-word Meaning

pallavi
nidhi cAla sukhamA rAmuni
sannidhi sEva sukhamA nijamuga palku manasA

O My Mind (manasA)! Tell me (palku) truthfully (nijamuga) whether wealth (nidhi) is very (cAla) comforting (sukhamA) or the service (sEva) in the holy presence (sannidhi) of Lord SrI rAma (rAmuni) comforting (sukhamA)?


anupallavi
dadhi navanIta kshIramulu ruciyO
dASarathi dhyAna bhajana sudhA rasamu ruciyO (nidhi)

Are curd (dadhi), fresh butter (navanIta) and milk (kshIramu) etc. (kshIramulu) tasty (ruciyO) or the nectarine (sudhA) juice (rasamu) of meditation (dhyAna) and bhajana of Lord rAma - son of King daSaratha (dASarathi) - tasty (ruciyO)?
O My Mind! Tell me truthfully whether wealth is very comforting or the service in the holy presence of Lord SrI rAma comforting?


caraNam
dama Samamu-anu gangA snAnamu sukhamA
kardama dur-vishaya kUpa snAnamu sukhamA
mamata bandhana yuta nara stuti sukhamA
su-mati tyAgarAja nutuni kIrtana sukhamA (nidhi)

Is a bath (snAnamu) in the (holy) river ganga called (anu) (practice of) self control (dama) and tranquility (Sama) (Samamanu) comforting (sukhamA) or
is a bath (snAnamu) in the water of well (kUpa) called the filthy (kardama) evil natured objects of senses (dur-vishaya) comforting (sukhamA)?
is extolling (stuti) humans (nara) bound by (bandhana yuta) (literally with the fetter of) egotism (mamata) comforting (sukhamA) or
is singing songs (kIrtana) of the pure minded (su-mati) Lord praised (nuta) (nutuni) by this tyAgarAja comforting (sukhamA)?
O My Mind! Tell me truthfully whether wealth is very comforting or the service in the holy presence of Lord Sri rAma comforting?


Notes –
Variations
2 – ruciyO – rucO.

4 – mamata – mamatA.

References
3 - dama Sama – Six Virtues – shaDguNa sampat – Sama - control upon his own mind; dama - control upon his physical body; titiksha - forbearence for the odds and evens of the nature; samAdhAna - equanimity of all beings and having a sympathetic mind; uparati - indifference with a sAkshi type of mind; Sraddha - sincere adherence to the words of guru and SAstrAs, by word and deed.

Comments -
1 - nijamuga – truthfully. Use of this word is significant. It is a pointer to the inner conflict which we face in decision making on moral issues. In this regard the following verse in kaTha Upanishad is relevant –

SrEyasca prEyasca manushyam Etastau
samparItya vivinakti dhIra:
SrEyO hi dhIrO(a)bhi prEyasO vRNItE prEyO
mandO yOga-kshEmAd-vRNItE (I-ii-2)

“The preferable and the pleasurable approach man. The man of intelligence, having considered them, separates the two. The intelligent one selects the electable in preference to the delectable; the non-intelligent one selects the delectable for the sake of the growth and protection (of the body etc).” (Translation by Swami Gambhirananda)

5 – sumati – this epithet may be applied to SrI tyAgarAja also.



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. निधि चाल सुखमा रामुनि
सन्निधि सेव सुखमा निजमुग पल्कु मनसा

अ. दधि नवनीत क्षीरमुलु रुचियो
दाशरथि ध्यान भजन सुधा रसमु रुचियो (नि)

च. दम शम(म)नु गंगा स्नानमु सुखमा
कर्दम दुर्विषय कूप स्नानमु सुखमा
ममत बन्धन युत नर स्तुति सुखमा
सुमति त्यागराज नुतुनि कीर्तन सुखमा (नि)


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. நிதி4 சால ஸுக2மா ராமுனி
ஸன்னிதி4 ஸேவ ஸுக2மா நிஜமுக3 பல்கு மனஸா

அ. த3தி4 நவனீத க்ஷீரமுலு ருசியோ
தா3ஸ1ரதி2 த்4யான ப4ஜன ஸுதா4 ரஸமு ருசியோ (நி)

ச. த3ம ஸ1ம(ம)னு க3ங்கா3 ஸ்நானமு ஸுக2மா
கர்த3ம து3ர்விஷய கூப ஸ்நானமு ஸுக2மா
மமத ப3ந்த4ன யுத நர ஸ்துதி ஸுக2மா
ஸு-மதி த்யாக3ராஜ நுதுனி கீர்தன ஸுக2மா (நி)

செல்வம் மிக்கு சுகமாமோ அன்றி இராமனின்
சன்னிதி சேவை சுகமாமோ? உண்மையாகச் சொல்வாய், மனமே!

தயிர், வெண்ணெய், பால் ஆகியவை சுவையாமோ?
தாசரதியின் தியானம், பஜனையெனும் அமுதச் சாறு சுவையாமோ?
செல்வம் மிக்கு சுகமாமோ அன்றி இராமனின்
சன்னிதி சேவை சுகமாமோ? உண்மையாகச் சொல்வாய், மனமே!

மனவொடுக்கம், மனவமைதியெனும் கங்கை நீராடல் சுகமாமோ?
அருவருப்பான, தீய விடயங்களெனும் கிணற்று நீராடல் சுகமாமோ?
அகந்தைக் கட்டுண்ட மனிதர்களின் புகழ்ச்சி சுகமாமோ?
நல்லுள்ள, தியாகராசன் போற்றுவோனின் கீர்த்தனை சுகமாமோ?
செல்வம் மிக்கு சுகமாமோ அன்றி இராமனின்
சன்னிதி சேவை சுகமாமோ? உண்மையாகச் சொல்வாய், மனமே!

சன்னிதி - சமுகம்
தாசரதி - இராமன்
பஜனை - இறைவனின் புகழைப் பாடும் கூட்டு வழிபாடு
விடயங்கள் - புலன்களால் நுகரப் படுபவை
நல்லுள்ள - இறைவனையோ, தியாகராசரையோ குறிப்பதாகக் கொள்ளலாம்


Telugu

ప. నిధి చాల సుఖమా రాముని
సన్నిధి సేవ సుఖమా నిజముగ పల్కు మనసా

అ. దధి నవనీత క్షీరములు రుచియో
దాశరథి ధ్యాన భజన సుధా రసము రుచియో (ని)

చ. దమ శమమను గంగా స్నానము సుఖమా
కర్దమ దుర్విషయ కూప స్నానము సుఖమా
మమత బంధన యుత నర స్తుతి సుఖమా
సుమతి త్యాగరాజ నుతుని కీర్తన సుఖమా (ని)



Kannada

ಪ. ನಿಧಿ ಚಾಲ ಸುಖಮಾ ರಾಮುನಿ
ಸನ್ನಿಧಿ ಸೇವ ಸುಖಮಾ ನಿಜಮುಗ ಪಲ್ಕು ಮನಸಾ

ಅ. ದಧಿ ನವನೀತ ಕ್ಷೀರಮುಲು ರುಚಿಯೋ
ದಾಶರಥಿ ಧ್ಯಾನ ಭಜನ ಸುಧಾ ರಸಮು ರುಚಿಯೋ (ನಿ)

ಚ. ದಮ ಶಮಮನು ಗಂಗಾ ಸ್ನಾನಮು ಸುಖಮಾ
ಕರ್ದಮ ದುರ್ವಿಷಯ ಕೂಪ ಸ್ನಾನಮು ಸುಖಮಾ
ಮಮತ ಬಂಧನ ಯುತ ನರ ಸ್ತುತಿ ಸುಖಮಾ
ಸುಮತಿ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ನುತುನಿ ಕೀರ್ತನ ಸುಖಮಾ (ನಿ)



Malayalam


പ. നിധി ചാല സുഖമാ രാമുനി
സന്നിധി സേവ സുഖമാ നിജമുഗ പല്കു മനസാ

അ. ദധി നവനീത ക്ഷീരമുലു രുചിയോ
ദാശരഥി ധ്യാന ഭജന സുധാ രസമു രുചിയോ (നി)

ച. ദമ ശമമനു ഗങ്ഗാ സ്നാനമു സുഖമാ
കര്ദമ ദുര്വിഷയ കൂപ സ്നാനമു സുഖമാ
മമത ബന്ധന യുത നര സ്തുതി സുഖമാ
സുമതി ത്യാഗരാജ നുതുനി കീര്തന സുഖമാ (നി)



Updated on 02 Jun 2010

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

In the introduction (meaning part) you have mentioned it as "Sri thyaagaraajar asks is mind which is comforting". Actually Sri thyaagaraajar asks the king's servant who tells that king wants thyaagaraajar to sing a verse on him. He is retaliating to the order. Please correct it. Proof lies in the last part os charanam ie. nara stuti sukhama?

V Govindan said...

Sir,
Please note the word 'manasA'. This kRti is addressed to his mind. All the stories about the King's servants are not found in the kRti. Therefore, there is no way of assuming that this was sung in so and so occasion. I do not go by the stories - only by what is given in the kRti. Therefore, there is no need for correction.
V Govindan

Unknown said...

Thank You for posting this Sir.
Guru NochurJi would say that what Thyagaraja attained came out as song (rather than singing and attaining the Absolute). That is why the lyrics are so divine sweet and melting. Blessed indeed.

Anonymous said...

Excellent . Thanks a lot

Sriram Venkateswaran Iyer said...

Thanks a lot for this translation. God bless

Unknown said...

Perfect reference to Kathopanishad.Thanks for this explanation

Anonymous said...

Great