SrI tyAgarAja kriti 7 -allakallOlamu -Saurashtram Raga

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SrI:

SrI rAmacandra parabrahmaNe namaH

 

 

Krithi 7

Song allakallOlamu

Raaga saurASTraM

 

In the kRiti ‘allakallOlamAyennama’ – rAga saurASTraM, the gopis pray to yamunA dEvi to save them from the deluge of rain and wind.

(Background – This is part of the dance-drama ‘nauka charitraM’ – The Boat Story. The gOpis meet kRSNa at the YamunA River and travel in a boat happily. In their excitement of meeting kRSNa, gOpis become proud thinking that kRSNa is their property. In order to remove their pride, kRSNa creates a storm in the river and as the boat is tossed about, the boat develops a crack. Consequently, they are on the verge of being drowned. After all their attempts to reach the shore failed, they pray to yamunA dEvi in this kRti.)

 

Pallavi

 

allkallOlam(A)yenamma yamunA dEvi

mA(y)Artul(e)llanu dIrpa(v)amma

Anupallavi

 

mollalacE pUjiJci mrokkedamu brOvum(a)mma

 

Charanam1

 

mAru bAriki tALa lEka(y)I rAja

kumAruni deccitim(i)ndAka

tArumArAye bratuku tattaLiJcunad(e)ndAka (alla)

 

 

 

 

Charanam 2

 

gAli vAnalu niNDArAye mA panul(e)lla

gEli sEyuTak(e)DamAye

mAlimitO mamm(E)lu magani(y)eDabAyenAye (alla)

 

Charanam 3

 

sommul(e)lla nIk(o)sagedam(a)mma yamunA dEvi(y)I

sumukhuni gaTTu jErpum(a)mma

emme kAni balimini(y)Ela deccitim(a)mma (alla)

 

Charanam 4

 

naLina bhavuDu vrAsina vrAlu(y)eTlaina gAni

nAthuDu bratiki(y)uNTE cAlu

praLayamul(a)yyenu(y)E pani cEsina bhAmalu (alla)

 

Charanam 5

 

dEhamul(e)llan(o)sagedam(a)mma O dEvi kRSNa

dEvuni gaTTu jErpum(a)mma

mOhan(A)Gguni mEmu mOsa buccitim(a)mma (alla)

 

 

Charanam 6

 

mEm(o)kkaT(e)ncha pOtim(a)mma mA pali dEvuD-

(E)mEmO(y)eJcukonnADamma

rAmarO srI tyAgarAj(A)ptuni bAyam(a)mma (alla)

 

 

Gist

 

O yamunA dEvi!

(1) It has all resulted in utter confusion; please relieve us from all our troubles.

2) We salute You worshipping with jasmine flowers; please protect us.

(3) Being love-lorn, we brought this prince (of BrindhAvanam) upto this place; but, our plans have been thrown into disorder; how long shall we be in distress?

(4) The wind and rain have intensified; all our actions have given room for ridicule; we had to be separated from our husbands who were looking after us with affection.

(5) We offer You all our ornaments; please reach this handsome prince safely to the shore; why at all did we bring Him forcibly here?

(6) Whatever may have been written by brahmA regarding our fate, it is enough if our Lord remains alive; whatever action is undertaken by the damsels, it became disastrous.

(7) We offer all our bodies; somehow get our Lord kRSNa to the safety of the shore; we have deceived the Lord of charming limbs.

(8) While we thought something, the Lord who protects us has thought something totally different; but, we, damsels will not be separated from kRSNa -the benefactor of tyAgarAja.

 

Word-by-word Meaning

 

P O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted (Ayenamma) in utter confusion (allakallOlamu) (allakallOlamAyenamma); O dEvi (amma)! Please relieve (dIrpu) (dIrpavamma) us from all (ellanu) our (mA) troubles (Artulu) (mAyArtulellanu);

 

A O dEvi (amma)! We salute (mrokkedamu) You worshipping (pUjinchi) with jasmine flowers (mollalacE); please protect (brOvumu) (brOvumamma) us.

O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

C1 Being love-lorn - unable (lEka) to bear (tALa) the troubles (bAriki) of the cupid (mAru) – we brought (deccitimi) this (I) (lEkayI) prince (rAja kumAruni) upto this place (indAka) (deccitimindAka); but our plans (bratuku) (literally livelihood) has been thrown into disorder (tArumArAye); how long (endAka) shall we be in distress (tattaLiJcunadi) (tattaLiJcunadendAka)?

O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

C2 The wind (gali) and rain (vAnalu) have intensified (niNDArAye); all (ella) our (mA) actions (panulu) (panulella) have given room (eDamAye) for ridicule (gEli sEyuTaku) (sEyuTakeDamAye); we had to be separated (eDabAyanAye) from our husbands (magani) (maganiyeDabAyanAye) who were looking after (Elu) us (mammu) (mammElu) with affection (mAlimitO);

O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

C3 O yamunA dEvi (amma)! we offer (osagedamu) You (nIku) (nIkosagedamamma) all (ella) our ornaments (sommulu) (sommulella); O dEvi (amma) please reach (jErpumu) (jErpumamma) this (I) (dEviyI) handsome one (sumukhuni) shore (gaTTu); O dEvi (amma)! why (Ela) at all (kAni) did we (emme) (literally any woman) bring (deccitimi) (deccitimamma) Him forcibly (balimini) (baliminyEla) here? O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

C4 Whatever (eTlaina) may have been (gAni) written (vrAsina) by brahmA –one who resides (bhavuDu) in Lotus (naLina) - in our fate (vrAlu) (literally writing) (vrAluyeTlaina), it is enough (cAlu) if our Lord (nAthuDu) remains (uNTE) alive (bratiki) (bratikiyuNTE); whatever (E) action (pani) is undertaken (cEsina) by the damsels (bhAmalu), it became (ayyenu) disastrous (praLayamulu) (praLayamulayyenuyE) (literally dissolution – at the end of the Universe); O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

C5 O dEvi (amma)! We offer (osagedamu) all (ellanu) our bodies (dEhamulu) (dEhamulellanosagedamamma);O dEvi (amma)! somehow reach (jErpumu) (jErpumamma) this Lord (dEvuni) kRSNa shore (gaTTu); O dEvi (amma)! we (mEmu) have deceived (mOsa buccitimi) (mOsabuccitimamma) the Lord of charming (mOhana) limbs (aGguni) (mOhanAGguni); O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

C6 O dEvi (amma)! While we (mEmu) thought (eJca pOtimi) (pOtimamma) something (okkaTi) (mEmokkaTeJca), the Lord (dEvuDu) who protects (pAli) us (mA) has thought (eJcukonnADu) something totally different (EmEmO) (dEvuDEmOyeJcukonnADamma); but O dEvi (amma)! we, the damsels (rAma) (rAmarO) will not be separated (bAyamu) from the benefactor (Apta) of tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjAptuni); O yamunA dEvi! It has all resulted in utter confusion; O dEvi! Please relieve us from all our troubles.

 

Notes –

General – ‘amma’ ending in the kRti is not uniform, somewhere it is given as ‘amma’ and elsewhere as ‘ammA’. All the books have different versions of ‘amma’ at every occurrence. Therefore, for uniformity sake ‘amma’ has been given in all places. This needs to be checked.

 

A – Anupallavi is as given in the book of ATK and TSV/AKG. However, the whole of anupallavi is shown as part of pallavi in the book of TKG. This needs to be checked.

 

A – molla – A kind of jasmine (Mullai) - jasminum multiflorum or jasminum pubescens.

 

C1 – bAriki – In telugu there are two distinct words ‘pAri’ and ‘bAri’ which have different meanings – ‘pAri’ means ‘time’, ‘season’; ‘bAri’ means ‘troubles’. Though both these words seem to fit in the present context, ‘bAri’ seems to be more appropriate. Therefore, as given in the books the meaning of ‘bAriki’ has been adopted. This needs to be checked.

 

C6 – rAmarO – This is how it is given in the books of TKG and ATK. However, in the book of TSV/AKG, this is given as ‘bhAmarO’. This needs to be checked.

 

Additional Comments By SrI V Sadagopan :

Nauka charitram means “The story of a Boatâ€. Saint ThyagarAja created this musical dance drama (gEya Naatakam) about the boat trip down the Yamuna river by young KrishNa and an entourage of charming Gopis, who wanted to enjoy His company. The Lord was persuaded to go with them. They adored Him. During the early part of the boat ride on Yamunaa, the gopis make fun of KrishNa regarding His youth and lack of experience with water sports like boating and swimming. They become bloated with pride about their own beauty. KrishNa wishes to teach them a lesson. He creates a storm in the middle of the river and the boat begins to shake and water gets in. Gopis now worry about their mistake in taking young KrishNa on this boat trip and pray to Yamuna Devi to protect their ward and take the boat safely to the shore. Nothing happens. Then they realize that that they are mere mortals, who should seek the protection of ParamAtma sitting next to them. KrishNa wants to prolong their agony a little more and suggests that they take off their clothes and plug the holes in the boat so that they all won’t drown in the dangerous storm. The Gopis get rid of their pride and fall at the feet of the Lord and the storm commanded by KrishNa stops and the bright sun shine breaks out and the boat reaches the shore safely. The Gopis eulogize the Lord for rushing to their rescue and curing them of their pride and conceit.

 

The kriti of the day is one of the Nauka Charitra Naatakam and is sung when the scared Gopis pray to YamunA Devi to protect them and their charge from drowning. Nauka Charitram has 21 kritis set in 13 RaagAs in different poetic meters. SourAshtam, PunnAga VarALi, Chenchurutti, KaambhOji, MukhAri are some of the 13 RaagAs that Saint ThyagarAja has used in this Geya Naatakam.

 

A Kucchipudu dance version of one of the songs of Nauka Charitram can be seen at this Youtube link:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=FD-UewyNtNs

 

Sri BalamuraLi Krishna, Srimathy Charumathi Raamachandran have choreographed this dance drama and have presented it to RasikAs.

Audio is available at

http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/audio/7alakallola.mp3

 

SrI KrishNAya Thubhyam Nama:

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/Kriti7_allakallOlamu.doc

PDF: http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/pdf/Kriti7_allakallOlamu.pdf