Thyagaraja Kriti - Vinaayakuni - Raga Madhyamavathi

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

vinAyukuni-madhyamAvati

In the kRti ‘vinAyakuni valenu’ – rAga madhyamAvati, SrI tyAgarAja sings praises of Mother kAmAkshi.

P vinAyakuni valenu brOvavE ninu
vinA vElpul(e)varammA

A anAtha rakshaki SrI kAmAkshi
su-jan(A)gha mOcani SaMkari janani (vinAyakuni)

C1 ¹nar(A)dhamulakunu varAl(o)sagan-
²(u)NDramulai bhU-sur(A)di dEvatalu
³rAyiDini jenda rAdu daya
jUDa rAdA kAncI pur⁴(A)di nAyaki (vinAyakuni)

C2 ⁵pitAmahuDu jana hit(A)rthamai
ninnu tA teliya vEDa tALimi gala
avatAram(e)tti(y)ikanu tAmasamu
sEya tALa jAlamu nat(A)rti hAriNi (vinAyakuni)

C3 purAna dayacE ⁶girAlu mUkuniki
rA jEsi brOcu rAja dhari
tyAgarAjuni hRdaya ⁷sarOjam(E)lina
rAma sOdari ⁸parA Sakti nanu (vinAyakuni)

Gist
O Mother SrI kAmAkshi – the Protector of destitutes! O Reliever of the sins of pious people! O Mother who causes Auspiciousness! O Presiding Deity of the town of kAnci! O Reliever of the distress of those who worship You! O Wearer of (digit of) the Moon! O Mother parA Sakti - Sister of Lord SrI rAma - who rules the Lotus of the heart of this tyAgarAja!

Which God is there for us other than You?

Because You bestowed boons to base people, it is not appropriate that brAhmaNas, celestials and others should be troubled by being tormented; won't You deign to show mercy on us?

Because brahmA, for the sake of welfare of the people, prayed to You so that he could know You, having taken a peaceful form, if You still delay (to show mercy), we will not be able to withstand.

You, earlier, mercifully protected a dumb by restoring his speech.
Please protect me like Your son vinAyaka.

Word-by-word Meaning

P Please protect (brOvavE) me like (valenu) Your son vinAyaka (vinAyakuni); O Mother (ammA)! which (evaru) (literally who) God(s) (vElpulu) (vElpulevarammA) is/are there for us other than (vinA) You (ninu)?

A O Mother SrI kAmAkshi – the Protector (rakshaki) of destitutes (anAtha)! O Reliever (mOcani) of the sins (agha) of pious people (su-jana) (sujanAgha)! O Mother (janani) who causes (kari) Auspiciousness (SaM) (SaMkari)!
Please protect me like Your son vinAyaka; O Mother! which God is there for us other than You?

C1 Because You bestowed (osaganu) boons (varAlu) to base (adhamulakunu) people (nara) (narAdhamulakunu),
it is not appropriate (rAdu) that brAhmaNas (bhU-sura), celestials (dEvatalu) and others (Adi) (bhU-surAdi) should be troubled (rAyiDini jenda) by being tormented (uNDramulai) (literally being steamed like a rice ball) (varAlosaganuNDramulai);
won't You deign (rAdA) to show (juDa) mercy (daya) on us, O Mother who is the Presiding (Adi) (literally first or ancient) Deity (nAyaki) of the town (pura) (purAdi) of kAnci?
Please protect me like Your son vinAyaka; O Mother! which God is there for us other than You?

C2 Because brahmA (pitAmahuDu), for the sake (arthamai) of welfare (hita) (hitArthamai) of the people (jana), prayed (vEDa) to You (ninnu) so that he (tA) could know (teliya) You (ninnu),
having taken (etti) a peaceful (tALimi gala) (literally having patience) form (avatAramu), if You still (ikanu) (avatAramettiyikanu) delay (tAmasamu sEya) (to show mercy), we will not be able (jAlamu) to withstand (tALa);
O Reliever (hAriNi) of the distress (Arti) of those who worship (nata) (natArti) You!
Please protect me like Your son vinAyaka; O Mother! which God is there for us other than You?

C3 O Wearer (dhari) of (digit of) the Moon (rAja) who, earlier (purAna), mercifully (dayacE) protected (brOcu) by restoring (rA jEsi) speech (girAlu) to a dumb (mUkuniki)!
O Mother parA Sakti - Sister (sOdari) of Lord SrI rAma - who rules (Elina) the Lotus (sarOjamu) (sarOjamElina) of the heart (hRdaya) of this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuni)!
Please protect me (nanu) like Your son vinAyaka; O Mother! which other God is there for us other than You?

Notes –
Variations –
² – uNDramulai – In all the books, it is given as 'uNDarAmulai'. However, there seems to be no such word ‘uNDarAmu’ in telugu. The nearest word is ‘uNDramu’ or ‘uNDrAyi’ which means a ‘a ball of rice flour boiled in steam’ – a cake offered to Lord vinAyaka – in tamizh, it is called ‘kozhukkaTTai’ . Therefore, the word seems to have been corrupted. This should be ‘uNDramulai’. SrI tyAgarAja seems to pun on the word ‘uNDramu’ because this dish is favourite of Lord vinAyaka whom he is referring to in the kRti.

³ – rAyiDini – rAyaDini’. The correct telugu word is ‘rAyiDi’ and the same has been adopted.

⁶ – girAlu mUkuniki rA jEsi – In all the books it is given as ‘girAlu mAkuniki rA jEsi’.

‘mAku’ in telugu means ‘tree’; ‘girAlu rA jEsi’ means ‘restoring speech’; restoring speech is possible only for a dumb and not to tree. Therefore from the wordings of the caraNa it is very clear that the Mother granted speech to a dumb person. The saMskRta and telugu word for ‘dumb’ is ‘mUka’ and therefore ‘mUkuniki’ is the appropriate word here; the classical work ‘mUka panca SAti’ is a very famous composition in praise of Mother kAmAkshi.

Please also visit the website to get more details about mUka kavi as explained by kAnci mahAsvAmi candraSEkharEndra sarasvati

In the Dikshitar kRti ‘SrI kamalAmbikayA kaTAkshitOhaM’ – rAga SankarAbharaNa, he states ‘mUka mukhya vAkpradayA’ – ‘She endowed speech to the dumb’.

In saundarya lahari, SlOka 98, it is stated ‘mUkAnAmapi kavitA kAraNatayA’ – ‘because it enables even a dumb to become a poet’. kALidAsa, by birth is stated to be a dumb whose speech was restored by kALi.

⁷ - sarOja mElina – sarOjamElaina : sarOjamElina - is the appropriate word because ‘sarOjamElaina’ does not convey any meaning.

References –
⁸ – parA Sakti – “This is the general name of Mother in lalitA sahasranAmaM, meaning ‘The Supreme Power’. However, ‘parA’ is also a name of Mother – meaning 'The transcendent Word’. This also means ‘above the other lower stages of speech known as paSyanti, madhyamA and vaikharI – these three ‘paSyanti’ (speech in the inaudible stage), ‘madhyamA’ (speech in the middle stage of its expression) and ‘vaikharI’ (uttered audible speech) are also other names of the mother.” (lalitA sahasranAmam – translation by Swami Tapasyananda)

For a discourse of Kanchi Paramacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswati on ‘parA’

Comments -
¹ – narAdhamulakunu varAlosaga – Because you bestowed boons to base people ... - The exact context of this statement is not known.

⁴ – Adi nAyaki – this is how it is given in all the books. However, in my humble opinion this should be ‘adhi nAyaki’ – ‘the presiding deity’ because kAmAkshi is considered as the presiding deity of kAncIpuram. In the absence of any confirming version, it has been translated as ‘Adi nAyaki’.

⁵ – pitAmahuDu – The exact location of this episode where brahmA prays to kAmAkshi to attain peaceful form is to be traced. There is an interesting article which states that - brahmA worshipped kAmAkshi at kAncIpuram

Another story that Adi SankarAcArya was the one who made the Mother assume SAnta svarUpa by establishing SrI cakra

There is yet another story that Adi SankarAcArya pacified the kAli – situated near kAmAkshi
kAmAkshi
kAnci mahAtmyam


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. विनायकुनि वलॆनु ब्रोववे निनु
विना वेल्पु(लॆ)वरम्मा

अ. अनाथ रक्षकि श्री कामाक्षि
सु-ज(ना)घ मोचनि शंकरि जननि (वि)

च1. न(रा)धमुलकुनु वरा(लॊ)सग-
(नु)ण्ड्रमुलै भू-सु(रा)दि देवतलु
रायिडिनि जॆन्द रादु दय
जूड रादा काञ्ची पु(रा)दि नायकि (वि)

च2. पितामहुडु जन हि(ता)र्थमै
निन्नु ता तॆलिय वेड ताळिमि गल
अवतार(मॆ)त्ति(यि)कनु तामसमु
सेय ताळ जालमु न(ता)र्ति हारिणि (वि)

च3. पुरान दयचे गिरालु मूकुनिकि
रा जेसि ब्रोचु राज धरि
त्यागराजुनि हृदय सरोज(मे)लिन
राम सोदरि परा शक्ति ननु (वि)

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. வினாயகுனி வலெனு ப்3ரோவவே நினு
வினா வேல்பு(லெ)வரம்மா

அ. அனாத2 ரக்ஷகி ஸ்ரீ காமாக்ஷி
ஸு-ஜ(னா)க4 மோசனி ஸ1ங்கரி ஜனனி (வி)

ச1. ந(ரா)த4முலகுனு வரா(லொ)ஸக3-
(னு)ண்ட்3ரமுலை பூ4-ஸு(ரா)தி3 தே3வதலு
ராயிடி3னி ஜெந்த3 ராது3 த3ய
ஜூட3 ராதா3 காஞ்சீ பு(ரா)தி3 நாயகி (வி)

ச2. பிதாமஹுடு3 ஜன ஹி(தா)ர்த2மை
நின்னு தா தெலிய வேட3 தாளிமி க3ல
அவதார(மெ)த்தி(யி)கனு தாமஸமு
ஸேய தாள ஜாலமு ந(தா)ர்தி ஹாரிணி (வி)

ச3. புரான த3யசே கி3ராலு மூகுனிகி
ரா ஜேஸி ப்3ரோசு ராஜ த4ரி
த்யாக3ராஜுனி ஹ்ரு2த3ய ஸரோஜ(மே)லின
ராம ஸோத3ரி பரா ஸ1க்தி நனு (வி)

விநாயகனைப் போன்று காப்பாயம்மா;
உன்னையன்றி கடவுளர் யாரம்மா?

அனாதைகளைக் காப்பவளே! காமாட்சி!
நல்லோர் பாவம் களைபவளே! மங்களமருளும் தாயே!
விநாயகனைப் போன்று காப்பாயம்மா;
உன்னையன்றி கடவுளர் யாரம்மா?

1. மனிதரில் இழிந்தோருக்கு (நீ) வரங்களளிக்க,
வெந்து, அந்தணரும், தேவர்கள் மற்றோரும்
துயருறலாகாது; தயை
செய்யலாகாதா? காஞ்சிபுரத் தலைவியே!
விநாயகனைப் போன்று காப்பாயம்மா;
உன்னையன்றி கடவுளர் யாரம்மா?

2. தாதை, மக்களின் நன்மைக்காக,
உன்னைத் தானறிய வேண்ட, அமைதியான
வடிவெடுத்து, இனியும் தாமதம் செய்தால்
தாளவியலோம், பணிந்தோர் துயர் களைபவளே!
விநாயகனைப் போன்று காப்பாயம்மா;
உன்னையன்றி கடவுளர் யாரம்மா?

3. முன்பு, தயவுடன், பேச்சு மூங்கைக்கு
வரச்செய்தருளிய பிறையணிபவளே!
தியாகராசனின் இதயக் கமலத்தினை யாளும்
இராமனின் சோதரியே! பரா சக்தியே! என்னை
விநாயகனைப் போன்று காப்பாயம்மா;
உன்னையன்றி கடவுளர் யாரம்மா?

தாதை - பிரமன்
மூங்கை - ஊமை

Telugu

ప. వినాయకుని వలెను బ్రోవవే నిను
వినా వేల్పులెవరమ్మా

అ. అనాథ రక్షకి శ్రీ కామాక్షి
సు-జనాఘ మోచని శంకరి జనని (వి)

చ1. నరాధములకును వరాలొసగ-
నుండ్రములై భూ-సురాది దేవతలు
రాయిడిని జెంద రాదు దయ
జూడ రాదా కాంచీ పురాది నాయకి (వి)

చ2. పితామహుడు జన హితార్థమై
నిన్ను తా తెలియ వేడ తాళిమి గల
అవతారమెత్తియికను తామసము
సేయ తాళ జాలము నతార్తి హారిణి (వి)

చ3. పురాన దయచే గిరాలు మూకునికి
రా జేసి బ్రోచు రాజ ధరి
త్యాగరాజుని హృదయ సరోజమేలిన
రామ సోదరి పరా శక్తి నను (వి)

Kannada

ಪ. ವಿನಾಯಕುನಿ ವಲೆನು ಬ್ರೋವವೇ ನಿನು
ವಿನಾ ವೇಲ್ಪುಲೆವರಮ್ಮಾ

ಅ. ಅನಾಥ ರಕ್ಷಕಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಕಾಮಾಕ್ಷಿ
ಸು-ಜನಾಘ ಮೋಚನಿ ಶಂಕರಿ ಜನನಿ (ವಿ)

ಚ1. ನರಾಧಮುಲಕುನು ವರಾಲೊಸಗ-
ನುಂಡ್ರಮುಲೈ ಭೂ-ಸುರಾದಿ ದೇವತಲು
ರಾಯಿಡಿನಿ ಜೆಂದ ರಾದು ದಯ
ಜೂಡ ರಾದಾ ಕಾಂಚೀ ಪುರಾದಿ ನಾಯಕಿ (ವಿ)

ಚ2. ಪಿತಾಮಹುಡು ಜನ ಹಿತಾರ್ಥಮೈ
ನಿನ್ನು ತಾ ತೆಲಿಯ ವೇಡ ತಾಳಿಮಿ ಗಲ
ಅವತಾರಮೆತ್ತಿಯಿಕನು ತಾಮಸಮು
ಸೇಯ ತಾಳ ಜಾಲಮು ನತಾರ್ತಿ ಹಾರಿಣಿ (ವಿ)

ಚ3. ಪುರಾನ ದಯಚೇ ಗಿರಾಲು ಮೂಕುನಿಕಿ
ರಾ ಜೇಸಿ ಬ್ರೋಚು ರಾಜ ಧರಿ
ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜುನಿ ಹೃದಯ ಸರೋಜಮೇಲಿನ
ರಾಮ ಸೋದರಿ ಪರಾ ಶಕ್ತಿ ನನು (ವಿ)

Malayalam

പ. വിനായകുനി വലെനു ബ്രോവവേ നിനു
വിനാ വേല്പുലെവരമ്മാ

അ. അനാഥ രക്ഷകി ശ്രീ കാമാക്ഷി
സു-ജനാഘ മോചനി ശങ്കരി ജനനി (വി)

ച1. നരാധമുലകുനു വരാലൊസഗ-
നുണ്ഡ്രമുലൈ ഭൂ-സുരാദി ദേവതലു
രായിഡിനി ജെന്ദ രാദു ദയ
ജൂഡ രാദാ കാഞ്ചീ പുരാദി നായകി (വി)

ച2. പിതാമഹുഡു ജന ഹിതാര്ഥമൈ
നിന്നു താ തെലിയ വേഡ താളിമി ഗല
അവതാരമെത്തിയികനു താമസമു
സേയ താള ജാലമു നതാര്തി ഹാരിണി (വി)

ച3. പുരാന ദയചേ ഗിരാലു മൂകുനികി
രാ ജേസി ബ്രോചു രാജ ധരി
ത്യാഗരാജുനി ഹൃദയ സരോജമേലിന
രാമ സോദരി പരാ ശക്തി നനു (വി)

Updated on 21 Feb 2009