Tyagaraja Series Kriti : celimini jalajAkSu Raaga yadukulakambhOji

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SrI:

SrI raghunandana parabraHmaNe namaH

Kriti celimini jalajAkSu

Raaga yadukulakambhOji

In the kRti ‘celimini jalajAkSu’ – rAga yadukulakAmbhOji, srI tyAgarAja describes the message of prahlAda addressed to devotees of Lord who have access to Him.

Pallavi:

celimini jalaj(A)kSu kaNTE ceppar(a)yyA mIru

Anupallavi:

palumAru mrokkedanu dayatO palukar(a)yyA entO (ce)

CaraNam 1:

sara cApamu karamunan(i)Di merayun(a)yyA entO

karuNA rasamu niNDina kannul(a)yyA (ce)

CaraNam 2:

jUDa jUDa manasu karageDu sumukhuD(a)yyA

bhaktula jADa telisi mATal(A)DeDu ANuD(a)yyA (ce)

CaraNam 3:

sRGgAruni bAsi mEnu cikken(a)yyA hari

ceGgaTa munnE nA madi cikken(a)yyA (ce)

CaraNam 4:

nA lOni jAlini palka jAlan(a)yyA

hari mIlO mIrE telisi marmam(i)yyar(a)yyA (ce)

CaraNam 5:

tyAgarAja sakhuD(a)ni talatun(a)yyA

mIru bAguga nA(y)aGgalArpu bApar(a)yyA (ce)

 

 

Gist

O Devotees of Lord! You please inform about my love if You see Lord Hari. I salute You many a times; please inform about my deep love. He would shine wielding bow and arrow in His hands; He has eyes brimming with much nectar of grace. He is such a benevolent faced that more one beholds Him, the more the mind would melt; He is clever who utters by understanding the manner (indication) of the devotees. My body has emaciated by being separated from the Charming One; my mind is already caught in the hands of Lord SrI Hari. I am unable to convey my inner grief; Alas! please convey to the Lord the secret (of my mind) by knowing yourselves. I consider Him to be the friend of tyAgarAja; you please nicely relieve my grief.

Word-by-Word Meaning:

P O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! You (mIru) please inform (cepppu) (cepparayyA) about my love (celimini) if You see (kaNTE) Lord hari – the Lotus (jalaja) Eyed (akSa) (jalajAkSa)(jalajAkSu).

A O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! I salute (mrokkedanu) You many a times (palumAru); You please (dayatO) inform (paluku) (palukarayyA) about my deep (entO) love if You see Lord hari – the Lotus Eyed.

C1 O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! He would shine (merayunu) (merayunayyA) wielding (iDi) bow (cApamu) and arrow (sara) in His hands (karamuna) (karamunaniDi); O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! He has eyes (kannulu) (kannulayyA) brimming (niNDina) with much (entO) nectar (rasamu) of grace (karuNA); You please inform about my love if You see Lord hari – the Lotus Eyed.

C2 O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! He is such a benevolent faced (sumukhuDu)

(sumukhuDayyA) that more one beholds (jUDa jUDa) Him, the more the mind (manasu) would melt (karageDu); O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! He is clever (jANuDu) (jANuDayyA) who utters (mATalu ADeDu) (mATalADeDu) by understanding (telisi) the manner (or indication) (jADa) of the devotees (bhaktula); You please inform about my love if You see Lord hari – the Lotus Eyed.

C3 O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! My body (mEnu) has emaciated (cikkenu) (cikkenayyA) by being separated (bAsi) from the Charming One (sRGgAruDu) (sRGgAruni); O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! my (nA) mind (madi) is already (munnE) caught (cikkenu) (cikkenayyA) in the hands (cengaTa) (literally near) of Lord srI hari; You please inform about my love if You see Lord hari – the Lotus Eyed.

C4 O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! I am unable (jAlanu) (jAlanayyA) to convey (palka) my (nA) inner (lOni) grief (jAlini); O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! Alas (hari)! please convey (iyyu) (iyyarayyA) (literally give) to the Lord the secret (marmamu) (marmamiyyarayyA) (of my mind) by knowing (telisi) yourselves (mIlO mIrE); You please inform about my love if You see Lord hari – the Lotus Eyed.

C5 O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! I consider (talatunu) (talatunayya) Him to be (ani) the friend (sakhuDu) (sakhuDani) of tyAgarAja; O Devotees (ayyA) of Lord! you (mIru) please nicely (bAguga) relieve (bApu) (bAparayyA) my (nA) grief (angalArpu) (literally lamentation) (nAyangalArpu); You please inform about my love if You see Lord hari – the Lotus Eyed.

Notes –

C2 – The word endings of ‘karageDu’ and ‘mATalADeDu’ have been taken from the books of CR and ATK as these are the typical Telugu usage.

C5 – talatunayya – this is how it is given in all the books other than that of TKG, where it is given as ‘dalaturayya’ (talaturayya). However, the meaning taken in the book of TKG is that of ‘talatunayya’. Accordingly, the same has been adopted. Any suggestions???

Additional Comments By SrI V Sadagopan:

This Kriti has the sanchAri bhAvam (feeling state) of AvirAha sakti or the sufferings of a bhaktA who wails over his separation from the Lord and cries out in anguish. The NaayikA bhAvam of AndaL in NaachiyAr Thirumozhi (NTM) is to be remembered here. In the various decades of NTM, AndaL expresses Her pain and suffering over her vislEsham (separation) from Her Lord and sends the birds (AchAryans) and the clouds to Her Lord to explain Her unbearable sufferings and asking them to bring back Her Lord to Her side and unite Her with Him. In another decad of NTM, She pitifully explains Her feeble state due to Her separation from Her Lord and asks Her close playmates (ThOzhis) to go to Her Lord’s side and bring back anything associated with Him (TuLasi, dust consecrated by His feet) and unite that with Her so that She can survive the unbearable sorrow. AndaL is a woman and the consort of the Lord and hence it was natural to assume the NaayikA bhAvam and appeal to Her Lord for union (samslEsham). Swamy NammAzhwAr and Thirumangai AzhwAr assumed the NaayikA bhAvam, although they were males, to express their anguish born out of separation from their Lord in moving Paasurams.

In this Yadhukula KaambhOji kriti, Saint ThyAgarAja follows the path of AndaL and the two AzhwArs and assumes the NaayikA bhAvam to express his pain and asks every devotee around whether they have seen her Lord Raamachandran. For easy identification, SwamigaL in the NaayikA mood describes her Lord as the Raghuveeran with bows and arrows in His hands. ThyAgarAja Naayaki briefs the devotees about the dhivya soundharyam and KalyANa guNams of Her Lord for easy identification of her Lord by the devotees, who are requested to go on the journey to find her Lord and bring Him back to her. She describes her own miserable status to them and begs them to convey her unbearable suffering to her Lord resulting from the separation from Him. She says: “I am reduced much in body and my mind is not under my control and I can not coherently explain my distress. I have regarded Him as my NaaThan. Please hurry to His side and press on Him the need for Him to rush to my side to save me from utter disasterâ€. This mind set (avirAha sakti) is recognized as one of the higher states of devotion of a true bhakthA. ThyAgarAja SwamigaL has experienced this desperate moments, when he felt abandoned by the Lord and expressed his anguish & suffering in moving kritis. Some of them are:

 

yendhu dhAginADO? (Where has He hidden Himself?): Raagam ThOdi yenta pApinaiti? (What a Sinner I have become?): Raagam GouLipantu yEmani vEgintunE Sri Raama? (How can I live and endure): Raagam HusEni Nannu viDachi (Do not leave me and go. I cannot bear your separation even for half a minute): Raagam ReethigouLai Sri Raama JayarAma SrungArarAma (Oh Raama of matchless beauty! Why do You not take note of my suffering?): Raagam MadhyamAvati

anDhuNDakanE vEgE vacchEdhani naapai (Oh Raaghavaa! If You should forget me in the company of Your chosen, what could I do?): Raagam PantuvarALi

The intensity of sufferings of the great bhakthAs exemplified by Thirumangai AzhwAr, when as ParakAla Naayaki she feels abandoned by the Lord of ThiruppullANi dhivya dEsam, are echoed by Saint ThyagarAja while he experiences separation for Lord Raamachandra.

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/celimini.doc

 

PDF:

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

 

AUDIO

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