Sri Tyagaraja Kriti Series: Kriti:daNDamu beTTedanurA Raga:balahaMsa

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SrI:

SrI raghunandana parabraHmaNe namaH

Song daNDamu beTTedanurA

raaga balahaMsa

 

In the kRti ‘daNDamu beTTedanurA’ – rAga balahaMsa, srI tyAgarAja asks Lord to show him the path by holding his hand.

Pallavi:

daNDamu peTTedanurA

kOdaNDa pANi jUDarA

Anupallavi:

aNDaja su-vAhana

mArtANDa candra lOcana

kuNDali sayana

brahmANDa nAyaka nIku (daNDamu)

CaraNam

pErukA pratiSThakA UrukA ninnu nammiti

UruvAru vIdhivAru oka jAtivAru kAru

dArini ceyi paTTi brOvumu

tyAgarAj(A)rcita nIku (daNDamu)

 

Gist

O Lord kOdaNDa pANi! O Lord who has garuDa as his blessed carriage! O Lord who has Sun and Moon as His eyes! O Lord reclining on Sesha! O Lord of the Great Universe! O Lord worshipped by this tyAgarAja! I salute You; Please look at me.

Did I believe You for the sake of name and fame or standing? The people of this town and even people of this street are not of one kind; please protect me by holding my hand en-route.

Word-by-word Meaning

P O Lord kOdaNDa pANi – one who wields (pANi) bow kOdaNDa! I salute (daNDamu peTTedanurA) You. Please look (jUDarA) at me.

A O Lord who has garuDa – one born from egg (aNDaja) as his blessed carriage (su vAhana)! O Lord who has Sun (mArtANDa) and Moon (candra) as His eyes (lOcana)! O Lord reclining (Sayana) on SeSa - snake (kuNDali)! O Lord (nAyaka) of the Great Universe (brahmANDa)! O Lord kOdaNDa pANi! I salute You (nIku); Please look at me.

C Did I believe (nammiti) You (ninnu) for the sake of name and fame (UrukA pErukA) or standing (pratiSThakA)? The people of this town (UruvAru) and even people of this street (vIdhivAru) are not (kAru) of one (oka) kind (jAtivAru); please protect (brOvumu) me by holding (paTTi) my hand (ceyi) en-route (dArini); O Lord worshipped (arcita) by this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjArcita)! O Lord kodaNDa pANi! I salute You (nIku); Please look at me.

 

Notes –

P - daNDamu peTTedanurA – this is how it is given in all the books other than that of TKG wherein it is given as 'daNDamu peTTEnurA’. This needs to be checked. Any suggestions ???

A – aNDaja – garuDa has a very important postion in Hindu legends. For details of garuDa purANa – http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/gpu/gpu02.htm

A – mArtANDa - Please refer to zrImad bhAgavataM, Book 5, Chapter 20, verse 44 – “ Because the sun-god appeared in this lifeless (inanimate) egg (as the Cosmic Being), the appellation of mArtaNDa (mRtE aNDa bhava:) has been applied to him (ever) since. He is (also) called hiraNyagarbha inasmuch as he (the sun) represents the embryo (located) in (the centre of) the golden egg (of this universe).

C – UrukA pErukA – A colloquial usage for name and fame.

C – jAti vAru kAru – People do not have similar disposition as srI tyAgarAja.

Additional Comments By SrI V Sadagopan:

Balahamsa is a janya Raagam of the 28th MeLa Raagam, Harikambhoji. There are 7 kritis by Saint ThyagarAja in this raagam. Its AarOhaNa-avarOhaNams are:

S R2 N1 P D2 S-S N2 D2 P M1 R2 M1 G3 S.

Here, ThyAgaraja SwamigaL states his qualifications as a nishkAmya bhaktan, who did not seek name or fame or other perishable boons from the Lord, which will gain the attention of the ordinary folks, who vary in their tastes and temperaments. He expresses his vandhanams to the Lord in endearing nAmAs (Garuda Vaahaana! Sesha Sayana! BrahmANda Naayaka (Lord of the entire BrahmANdam)! MaarthaNDa chandra Lochana (Lord having the Moon and the Sun as His eyes)! He begs the Lord to take him by His hand and lead him to the right path landing him in Moksham. In the companion Vandhanam piece, Vandhanamu Raghunandhana set in Raaga Sahaana, ThyAgaraja Swamigal is more expansive about his relationship with the Lord and His NishkAmya Bhakti while asking the Lord to show the right path to Sri VaikunTham. He says: “Salutations to You Raghunandhana! Oh Fulfiller of the desires of devotees! Oh Giver of Prosperity! Oh Indweller in the heart of Lakshmi! Oh Raama, whose glories are sung by the sages! I have heard of Your Vaibhavam, have reposed my faith in You, have sought Your refuge and prayed for Your presence. I will not give up my devotion to You. I am Your Own and will not beg of others. I pray that You may come to me, accept my TaambUlam and bless me with boons and speak to me. Your name brings one welfare, leads one always on the right path and is the abode of divinity. Oh Ocean of Mercy, who had made ThyagarAja's heart Your home, come quick.

In both these Vandhana Kritis, ThyAgarAja SwamigaL expresses his ananya bhakti (single minded devotion to Raama), ananya gatitvam (not having any other recourse for saving him), Mahaa ViswAsam (unshakable faith in Raama as his saviour and his paramaprEmai for the Lord. These are lakshaNams of an ideal SaraNAgathan. SwamigaL points out that his disinterest in perishable name and fame that attracts the common folks and states that his focus is on travelling on the right path to reach the Lord's Supreme abode and to offer blemishless, eternal kaimkaryam for the Lord there. The crisp statement in which he differentiates his desires from common folks is: adiyEn is not counting on You for name (pErukaa), fame (pratishDakA) or for the approbation of the people (Urukaa). He points out that the interests of the people of the place and the street are so variable and run one extreme to the other. I do not want these. I want some thing which is lasting and free from all blemishes (Viz) eternal, blemishless Kaimkaryam to You! Please bless me with that boon!

Dasan

Oppiliappan Koil V 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/daNDamu.doc

PDF:

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

AUDIO

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

YOUTUBE LINK (Sri MD Ramanathan)