Neyveli Santhanam - 1.2 - tera teeyaga rAdA - gowLipantU - mArgazhi mahA utsavam 2008

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 G
c ch j jh 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
z S s h

tera tIyaga-gauLipantu

In the kRti ‘tera tIyaga rAdA’ – rAga gaulipantu, zrI tyAgarAja entreats the Lord veGkatEza to remove the screens of envy etc covering his Self.

P tera tIyaga rAdA lOni
tirupati veGkaTa ramaNa matsaram(a)nu

A parama puruSa dharm(A)di mOkSamulu
pAra dOlucunnadi nA lOni (tera)

C1 matsyamu(y)Akali goni kAlamucE
magnamaina rItin(u)nnadi
accamaina dIpa sannidhini marug-
(a)DDabaDi ceracinaTT(u)nnadi (tera)

C2 irav(o)ndaga bhujiyiJcu samayamuna
Iga tagulu rItin(u)nnadi
hari dhyAnamu sEyu vELa cittamu
antyaju vADaku bOyinaTT(u)nnadi (tera)

C3 vAguram(a)ni teliyaga mRga gaNamulu
vacci tagulu rItin(u)nnadi
vEgamE nI matamun(a)nusariJcina
tyAgarAja nuta mada matsara(m)anu (tera)

Gist
O Lord veGkaTa ramaNa of tirupati! O Supreme Lord! O Lord who is praised by this tyAgarAja who has, qucikly, adhered to Your path!
Won’t You uncover the inner screen called envy which drives away the four-fold human pursuit beginning with righteous actions to emancipation?
It is as if (1) to satiate hunger, the fish plunging in the hands of death (by biting the bait); (2) a screen obstructing the clear, lighted, holy presence of the Lord and imprisoning Him; (3) while one is eating food nicely, a fly is found in the food; (4) when immersed in the meditation of Lord hari, the mind wandering about in the streets of low people; (5) herds animals falling into a snare without knowing it to be one.

Word-by-Word Meaning

P O Lord veGkaTa ramaNa of tirupati ! Won’t You (rAdA) uncover (tIyaga) the inner (lOni) screen (tera) called (anu) envy (matsaramu) (matsaramanu)?

A O Supreme (parama) Lord (puruSa)! it (envy) drives (dOlucunnadi) away (pAra) the four-fold human pursuit beginning with (Adi) righteous actions (dharma) (dharmAdi) to emancipation (mOkSamu) (mOkSamula); won’t You uncover my (nA) inner (lOni) screen of envy?

C1 It is (unnadi) as if (rItini) (rItinunnadi), to satiate (goni) hunger (Akali), the fish (matsyamu) (matsyamAkali) plunging (magnamaina) in the hands of death (kAlamucE) (by biting the bait);
it is (unnadi) as if (aTTu) a screen (marugu) obstructing (aDDabaDi) the clear (accamaina) lighted (dIpa) holy presence (sannidhi) of the Lord and imprisoning (ceracina) (ceracinaTTunnadi) Him;
therefore, O Lord veGkaTa ramaNa of tirupati ! won’t You uncover my inner screen called envy?

C2 It is (unnadi) as if (rItini) (rItinunnadi), while (samayamuna) one is eating food (bhujiyiJcu) nicely (iravondaga), a fly (Iga) is found (tagulu) in the food;
it is (unnadi) as if (aTTu), when (vELa) immersed in the meditation (dhyAnamu sEyu) of Lord hari, the mind (cittamu) wandering about (bOyina) (bOyinaTTunnadi) in the streets (vADa) of low people (antyaju);
therefore, O Lord veGkaTa ramaNa of tirupati ! won’t You uncover my inner screen called envy?

C3 O Lord! It is (unnadi) as if (rItini) (rItiyunnadi) the herds (gaNamulu) animals (mRga) falling (vacci tagulu) into a snare (vAguramu) without knowing (teliyaga) it to be one (ani) (vAguramani);
O Lord who is praised (nuta) by this tyAgarAja who has, quickly (vEgamE), adhered to (anusariJina) Your (nI) path (matamu) (literally opinion) matamunanusariJcina)!
won’t you uncover my screens of (anu) pride (mada) and envy (matsaramu) (matsaramanu)?

Notes -
P - lOni tera – the screens – also called six-fold enemies (SaDripulu) – kAma, krOdha, lObha, mOha, mada, mAtsarya which prevents one from realizing the Self.
A - dharmAdi mOkSamulu – the four aims of existence or human pursuit (puruSArtha) – performance of one’s duty (dharma), acquirement of wealth (artha), gratification of desires (kAma), final emancipation (mOkSa).
C3 - mRga gaNamulu – this specifically refers to the herd of deers.