Thyagaraja Kriti - Neeku Tanaku - Raga Begada

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

nIku tanaku-bEgaDa

In the kRti ‘nIku tanaku RNa’ – rAga bEgaDa (tALa miSra cApu), SrI tyAgarAja tells Lord that He has a duty to protect devotees.

pallavi
nIku tanaku ¹RNa RNI bhAvamu ²lEd(a)nEru

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anupallavi
lEka nIkE daya lEdO SrI rAma (nIku)

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caraNam 1
cinna nAD(A)diga cittam(a)ndu nela-
konna vADavai nA kOrika sAgak(u)NTE (nIku)

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caraNam 2
karagi karagi pAda kamalamandu vrAla
³karuNintun(a)ni nApai kannada jEsitE (nIku)

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caraNam 3
I ⁴janmamuna nAdu pUjala gaikoni
rAjillu ⁵SrI tyAgarAjuni maracitE (nIku)

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Gist

O Lord SrI rAma - the shining One!

• People say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us. Or else, is it that You have no compassion towards me?
  
• Though You are the One who is established in my mind right from my childhood, if my wish remains unfulfilled, no wonder, people say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us.
  
• When I prostrated at Your Feet Lotus crying much, having promised ‘I shall protect’, if You show disregard towards me, no wonder, people say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us.
  
• Having accepted my worship in this life, if You forget this tyAgarAja, no wonder, people say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us.

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Word-by-word Meaning

pallavi
nIku tanaku RNa RNI bhAvamu lEdu-anEru

People say (anEru) that there is no (lEdu) (lEdanEru) feeling (bhAvamu) of indebtedness - debt (RNa) and debtor (RNI) - between us - You (nIku) and me (tanaku).

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anupallavi
lEka nIkE daya lEdO SrI rAma (nIku)

People say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us;
O Lord SrI rAma! Or else (lEka), is it that You (nIkE) have no (lEdO) compassion (daya) towards me?

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caraNam 1
cinna nADu-Adiga cittamandu nela-
konna vADavai nA kOrika sAgaka-uNTE (nIku)

Though You are (vADavai) the One who is established (nelakonna) in (andu) my mind (cittamu) (cittamandu) right from (Adiga) my childhood (cinna nADu) (nADAdiga),
if my (nA) wish (kOrika) remains unfulfilled (sAgaka uNTE) (sAgakuNTE),
people say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us.

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caraNam 2
karagi karagi pAda kamalamandu vrAla
karuNintunu-ani nApai kannada jEsitE (nIku)

When I prostrated (vrAla) at (andu) Your Feet (pAda) Lotus (kamalamu) (kamalamandu) crying much (karagi karagi) (literally melting),
having promised (ani) (litearally said) ‘I shall protect’ (karuNintunu) (karuNintunani), if You show disregard (kannada jEsitE) towards me (nApai),
people say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us.

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caraNam 3
I janmamuna nAdu pUjala gaikoni
rAjillu SrI tyAgarAjuni maracitE (nIku)

Having accepted (gaikoni) my (nAdu) worship (pUjala) in this (I) life (janmamuna),
if You forget (maracitE) this tyAgarAja (SrI tyAgarAjuni),
people say that there is no feeling of indebtedness between us - You the shining One (rAjillu) - and me.

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Notes –
Variations –
² – lEdanEru – lEdanedaru.

³ – karuNintunani – karuNincedanani : In the present context, 'karuNintunani’ is appropriate.

⁴ – janmamuna – jagamuna.

⁵ – SrI tyAgarAjuni – tyAgarAjuni.

References –
¹ – RNa RNI – debt – debtor – to know about the three kinds of debts that every person has, as prescribed in Hindu scriptures, please refer - three kinds of debts - 1; three kinds of debts - 2

Comments -
¹ – RNa RNI – debt – debtor - A promise made is also known as ‘debt’ (RNa). From the wordings of caraNa 3, it is clear that having accepted (gaikoni) the worship (pUjala) of the devotee, the Lord becomes indebted to protect the devotee. Therefore, in my opinion, the ‘feeling of indebtedness’ towards each other (between the Lord and the devotee) and the redemption of the promise to protect the devotee is what SrI tyAgarAja seems to refer as ‘RNa and RNI bhAvamu’. Therefore, ‘RNa-RNI bhAvamu’ has been translated as ‘feeling of indebtedness’.

The duty (debt) of the devotee is to be in the service of the Lord, and the duty (debt) of the Lord is to protect such devotees – mutual indebtedness.

Please refer to Tiruvarutpa of Ramalinga Adigal (Tamil Website) – ivarkkum enakkum (இவர்க்கும் எனக்கும்)– 4496 to 4500 wherein the Saint sings in a similar vein.

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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. नीकु तनकु ऋण ऋणी भावमु ले(द)नेरु

अ. लेक नीके दय लेदो श्री राम (नी)

च1. चिन्न ना(डा)दिग चित्त(म)न्दु
नॆलकॊन्न वाडवै ना कोरिक साग(कु)ण्टे (नी)

च2. करगि करगि पाद कमल(म)न्दु व्राल
करुणिन्तु(न)नि नापै कन्नड जेसिते (नी)

च3. ई जन्ममुन नादु पूजल गैकॊनि
राजिल्लु श्री त्यागराजुनि मरचिते (नी)

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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. நீகு தனகு ரு2ண ரு2ணீ பா4வமு லே(த3)னேரு

அ. லேக நீகே த3ய லேதோ3 ஸ்ரீ ராம (நீ)

ச1. சின்ன நா(டா3)தி3க3 சித்த(ம)ந்து3
நெலகொன்ன வாட3வை நா கோரிக ஸாக3(கு)ண்டே (நீ)

ச2. கரகி3 கரகி3 பாத3 கமல(ம)ந்து3 வ்ரால
கருணிந்து(ன)னி நாபை கன்னட3 ஜேஸிதே (நீ)

ச3. ஈ ஜன்மமுன நாது3 பூஜல கை3கொனி
ராஜில்லு ஸ்ரீ த்யாக3ராஜுனி மரசிதே (நீ)

உனக்கும் எனக்கும் கடன் - கடனாளி
எண்ணம் இல்லையென்றனர்

அல்லது உனக்கே தயை இல்லையோ, இராமா?
உனக்கும் எனக்கும் கடன் - கடனாளி
எண்ணம் இல்லையென்றனர்

1. சிறு வயது முதலாக (எனது) உள்ளத்தினில்
நிலைபெற்றவனாகியும், எனது கோரிக்கை ஈடேறாவிடில்,
உனக்கும் எனக்கும் கடன் - கடனாளி
எண்ணம் இல்லையென்றனர்

2. உருகியுருகி திருவடித்தாமரையினில் வீழ,
'கருணை புரிவேன்' என்று, என்னைப் புறக்கணித்தால்,
உனக்கும் எனக்கும் கடன் - கடனாளி
எண்ணம் இல்லையென்றனர்

3. இப்பிறவியினில் எனது வழிபாடுகளை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டு,
தியாகராசனை மறந்தால்,
ஒளிரும் உனக்கும் எனக்கும் கடன் - கடனாளி
எண்ணம் இல்லையென்றனர்

கடன் - கடனாளி எண்ணம் - (ஒருவருக்கொருவர்) கடன்பட்டிருத்தல்.

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Telugu

ప. నీకు తనకు ఋణ ఋణీ భావము లేదనేరు

అ. లేక నీకే దయ లేదో శ్రీ రామ (నీ)

చ1. చిన్న నాడాదిగ చిత్తమందు
నెలకొన్న వాడవై నా కోరిక సాగకుంటే (నీ)

చ2. కరగి కరగి పాద కమలమందు వ్రాల
కరుణింతునని నాపై కన్నడ జేసితే (నీ)

చ3. ఈ జన్మమున నాదు పూజల గైకొని
రాజిల్లు శ్రీ త్యాగరాజుని మరచితే (నీ)

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Kannada

ಪ. ನೀಕು ತನಕು ಋಣ ಋಣೀ ಭಾವಮು ಲೇದನೇರು

ಅ. ಲೇಕ ನೀಕೇ ದಯ ಲೇದೋ ಶ್ರೀ ರಾಮ (ನೀ)

ಚ1. ಚಿನ್ನ ನಾಡಾದಿಗ ಚಿತ್ತಮಂದು
ನೆಲಕೊನ್ನ ವಾಡವೈ ನಾ ಕೋರಿಕ ಸಾಗಕುಂಟೇ (ನೀ)

ಚ2. ಕರಗಿ ಕರಗಿ ಪಾದ ಕಮಲಮಂದು ವ್ರಾಲ
ಕರುಣಿಂತುನನಿ ನಾಪೈ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜೇಸಿತೇ (ನೀ)

ಚ3. ಈ ಜನ್ಮಮುನ ನಾದು ಪೂಜಲ ಗೈಕೊನಿ
ರಾಜಿಲ್ಲು ಶ್ರೀ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜುನಿ ಮರಚಿತೇ (ನೀ)

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Malayalam

പ. നീകു തനകു ഋണ ഋണീ ഭാവമു ലേദനേരു

അ. ലേക നീകേ ദയ ലേദോ ശ്രീ രാമ (നീ)

ച1. ചിന്ന നാഡാദിഗ ചിത്തമന്ദു
നെലകൊന്ന വാഡവൈ നാ കോരിക സാഗകുണ്ടേ (നീ)

ച2. കരഗി കരഗി പാദ കമലമന്ദു വ്രാല
കരുണിന്തുനനി നാപൈ കന്നഡ ജേസിതേ (നീ)

ച3. ഈ ജന്മമുന നാദു പൂജല ഗൈകൊനി
രാജില്ലു ശ്രീ ത്യാഗരാജുനി മരചിതേ (നീ)

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Updated on 12 Jan 2010