Sri Tyagaraja Kriti Series: Kriti: balamu kulamu Raga: Saveri

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SrI:

SrI raghunandana parabraHmaNe namaH

Song balamu kulamu

raaga sAvEri

In the kRti 'balamu kulamu’ – rAga sAvEri, srI tyAgarAja extols the nature of true devotion.

 

Pallavi:

balamu kulumu Ela rAma

bhakti kAraNamu

velayu sakala siddhul(e)lla

veNTa vaccu gAni mEnu (balamu)

 

CharaNam 1:

nITa kAki mInu munuga

niratam(u)daya snAnamA

tETa kanulu konga gUrca

dEva dEva dhyAnamA (balamu)

 

CharaNam 2:

 

patramulanu mEyu mEka

balamaina upAsamA

citra pakSul(e)gaya sUrya

candrulaku sAmyamA (balamu)

 

Charanam 3:

guhala vESa kOTul(u)NTE

guNamu galgu maunulA

gahanamunanu kOtul(u)NTE

ghanamau vana vAsamA (balamu)

 

 

 

Charanam 4:

 

jangamamulu paluka(k)uNTE

sangatigA maunulA

angamu muyyani bAlulu

apuDu digambarulA (balamu)

 

Charanam 5:

 

valacu tyAgarAja varadu

vara bhaktulu sEyu bhakti

celagu sakala janulak(e)lla

cellina kAs(au)nugA (balamu)

 

Gist

O Lord of celestials! Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one. If a crow or fish takes a dip in water, would it ever amount to morning ablution? If a stork seemingly concentrates its clear eyes (on the lookout for catch) would it amount to meditation? Is leaf grazing a goat observing severe fasting? If peacocks fly, can they equal the Sun and Moon?

If, in the caves, there are ochre garb wearers, would they amount to virtuous ascetics? If, in the forests, there are monkeys, would it amount to serious dwelling in the forest (in pursuit of austerities)? If the jangama do not talk, would it amount congregational observance of vow of silence (of sages)! In that case, would naked children be called naked mendicants (of jaina or buddha sect)?

The loving devotion as practiced by the blessed devotees towards the benefactor of this tyAgarAja, is indeed the shining currency (for redemption) for all people.

 

Word-by-word Meaning

P Of what avail (Ela) bodily (mEnu) strength (balamu) or lineage (kulamu)

(kulamuyEla)? But (gAni), as a consequence (kAraNamu) (literally for the reason) of devotion (bhakti) to Lord rAma, all (ella) (sakala) the shining (velayu) super-natural powers (siddhulu) (siddhulella) would come (vaccu) behind (veNTa) one.

C1 If a crow (kAki) or fish (mInu) takes a dip (munuga) in water (nITa), would it ever (niratamu) amount to morning (udaya) (niratamudaya) ablusion (snAnamu) (literally bath)? O Lord (dEva) of celestials(dEva)! If a stork (kOnga) (seemingly) concentrates (gUrca) its clear (tETa) eyes (kanulu) (on the lookout for catch) would it amount to meditation (dhyAnamA)? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one.

C2 Is leaf (patramulanu) grazing (mEyu) a goat (mEka) observing severe (balamaina) fasting (upAsamA)? If peacocks (citra pakSulu) fly (egaya), can they equal (sAmyamA) the Sun (sUrya) and Moon (candruDu) (candrulaku)?

Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one.

 

C3 If, in the caves (guhala), there are (uNTE) ochre garb wearers (vESa kOtulu) (kOTuluNTE), would they amount to virtuous (guNamu galgu) ascetics (maunulA)? If, in the forests (gahanamunanu), there are (uNTE) monkeys (kOtulu) (kOtuluNTE) would it amount to serious (ghanamaina) dwelling (vAsamA) in the forest (vana) in pursuit of austerities? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one.

C4 If the jangama (jangamamulu) do not talk (balukakuNTE), would it amount congregational (sangatigA) observance of vow of silence (maunulA) of sages! In that case (apuDu) (literally then) would naked (angamu muyyani) (literally limbs uncovered) children (bAlulu) be called naked mendicants (digambarulA) (literally direction-clad) (of jaina or buddha sect)? Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one.

 

C5 The loving (valacu) devotion (bhakti) as practiced (sEyu) by the blessed (vara) devotees (bhaktulu) towards the benefactor (varada) (varadu) of this tyAgarAja, is indeed (aunugA) the shining (celagu) currency (cellina kAsu) (kAsaunugA) (literally coins for paying up) (for redemption) for all (sakala) (ella) people (janulaku) (janulakella); Of what avail bodily strength or lineage? But, as a consequence of devotion to Lord rAma, all the shining super-natural powers would come behind one.

 

Notes:

 

P - siddhulu – eight-fold siddhi - aNiman – become minute as atom; laghiman – extreme lightness; prApti – reach anything (moon with the tip of finger); prAkAmya – irresistible will; mahiman – illimitable bulk; IshitA – supreme dominion; vashitA – subjugating by magic; kAmAvashAyitA – suppressing all desires:

 

Source – Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary.

aNiman, laghiman, prApti, prakAmya, mahiman, IshitA and vashitA and garimA – making oneself heavy at will – Source tamizh pingala nigaNDu.

 

C1 - nITa kAki - Though the translation has been made on the same line as given in the books of TKG, CR and TSV/AKG, a doubt arises. ‘nIru kAki’ (tamizh nIr kAkkai) (cormorant) whose food is fish dives into water to get its prey. ‘nIru kAki’ and ‘mInu’ belong to the same category having habitat in and around water; ‘kAki’ and mInu’ are not in the same category. Further, the word ‘munuga’ itself means ‘taking a dip in water’. Therefore, a doubt arises whether the srI tyAgarAja means ‘nIru kAki’ by ‘nITa kAki’ – but in such case it should be ‘nITi kAki’. Any suggestions???

 

nIru kAki - Phalacrocorax carbo -Great Cormorant; Phalacrocorax fuscicollis- Indian Cormorant and Phalacrocorax niger - Little Cormorant. For more information, please visit site –

http://www.wildlifeindia.co.uk/birding-india/indian-bird-checklist.html

 

C1 - gUrca – (kUrca) Upper part of the nose between eyebrows where yogic concentration is made.

 

C2 – upAsamu - In yOgic practices, fasting and survival on leaves alone is one of the stages. In srImad bhAgavataM – Book 4 – Chapter 9 – the prescription to dhruva by sage nArada is to – eat a fruit at the end of each three nights during first month; eat grass or leaves every sixth day during the second month; take water only every ninth day during the third month; inhale air only every twelfth day during the fourth month; control breath fully during the fifth month;

 

C2 - citrapakSulu – In the book of TKG, this word has been translated as ‘fire-fly’; in the books of CR and TSV/AKG, this has been taken to mean ‘birds’ in general. The word for ‘fire-fly’ or ‘glow-worm’ is ‘miNuguru purugu’ or jyOtiringaNamu (telugu) and ‘prabhA kITa’ or ‘jyOtiringa’ or jyOtirgana’ (saMskRta). The peacock in telugu is ‘citra pakSamu’ (citra pattraka in Sanskrit). In view of the following word ‘egaya’ - meaning ‘fly’ - indicates the reach of flight and not the fluorescence as applicable to fire-flies. It is a fact that peacock cannot fly too high or too far. Accordingly, ‘citra pakSulu’ has been translated as peacock’. Any suggestions???

 

C4 - jaMgamamu – In the book of CR, this is given as ‘beggars in the garb of Saivite Devotees’. According to the website –

http://www.kamat.com/econtent/reviews/books/uchalya.htm a jaMgama is ‘a priest belonging to Lingaya community; a wandering ascetic’. They are stated to involve in petty thefts for livelihood. To know more about them, please visit the site. According to the website - http://www.experiencefestival.com/jangama - jaMgama is ‘a term used by Vira Saivites, originally to name their mendicant, renunciates who walked as homeless sadhus, uplifting others. Now, an order of Vira Saivite teachers’.

 

C4 - digambara – it is also one of the names of Supreme Lord – direction-clad – quarters as garment. In the bikSATana avatAra, Lord siva comes as digambara - For a brief on the story please visit the web site http://www.shaivam.org/index.html But, here, as the word is used in plural form, srI tyAgarAja seems to mean digambara of jaina or buddha sects.

 

Additional Comments By SrI V. Sadagopan:

This kriti is set in the morning raagam of SaavEri (SaavE reeyAha irukkum rAgam) which is very popular with the Composers. SaavEri is the Janya rAgam of the 15th MeLa KarthA, Maayaa MaaLava GouLai. Its aarOhaNa/avarOhaNams are:

S R1 M1 P D1 S, S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S

Saint ThyAgarAja exposes the emptiness of pompous displays of Bhakti and asks a lot of rhetorical questions about the fruits of such wasted Bhakti. He instructs us that one can acquire all siddhis one wants through practice of true and unostentatious bhakti to Lord Raamachandra. He asks us to be happy in the company of Lord Raamachandra and asks us to believe without doubt that all blessings will shower on one who is engaged in devotional service to Him.

 

The examples that Swamy gives for driving his points home are reflections of true concerns of a realized saadhakar appealing to many, who get lost in various egotistic pursuits in the name of bhakti.

 

SwamigaL asks: Can Million fireflies glowing at night intermittently make up for the effulgence of the Sun and the Moon? Can the mere consumption of the leaves by a goat confer on it the benefits of upavAsam? If little ones run around with cloth, will they become equal toan avadhUta (one who has abandoned even clothing to illustrate his virakti and vishaya vairAgyam)? Can we equate the simple folks adorning ochre robe and living in caves to true sanyAsis? Can we accept that the monkeys living in the forest are practicing the third Aasramam (Vaanaprastha Aasramam)? Is the dipping of its head by a crow and the immersion of the fish in water equivalent to ritual snAnam in the morning? Is the silence adopted by the beggars (Jangamas) during their alms seeking equal to the mounam (silence) practiced by a sidhda purushan?

 

Sadhguru SwamigaL gives a resounding NO to all these questions and asserts that only true Raama Bhakti open to all without class, gender or material wealth or bodily strength, can confer siddhis on the seeker thru its own matchless power.

 

This condemnation of hollow worship (without bhakti) and observance of rituals in a mechanistic way is a theme that Saint ThyagarAja would revert to in number of his kritis. Examples of such kritis are: (1) Raama ! neeyeDa prEma rahitulaku naama ruchi telusunA? (Raagam Karahara Priyaa, (2) UrakE galgunA (Sahaanaa), (3) NaLinalOchana ninnu gAka yanyulanammi narajanma meeDErunA? (MadhyamAvati), (4) Kanugonu soukhyamu Kamalajukaina galgunA? (Naayaki), (5) Padhavi nee sadh-bhaktiyu gaguDE? (SaaLaga Bhairavi), (6) adhi kaadhu bahajan, Manasaa! (Yadhukula KaambhOji), (7) TeliyalEru, Raama! BhaktimArgamunu (DhEnukA), (8) Kalinarulaku (KuntalavarALi) and many more. In additional kritis, our Sadhguru Swami will expose the futility of bare learning, practice of arts, reliance of astrology and will beg to Lord Ramachandra to confer on him the highest of Bhaktis (Viz)., Saatvika Bhakti.

 

Raama DhAsan,

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

 

NOTE: Those who prefer to have a PDF or WORD document copy of this write-up can download either of the format from the following links:

 

WORD doc:

http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/word_docs/ balamu_kulamu.doc

 

PDF:

http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/pdf/balamu_kulamu.pdf

 

AUDIO

http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/audio/ balamukulamu_BombaySisters.mp3

 

http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/audio/ balamukulamuSRamanathan.mp3