Sri Tyagaraja Kriti Series: Kriti: cEsinadella Raga:tODi

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SrI:

SrI raghunandana parabraHmaNe namaH

Kriti: cEsinadella

Raga: tODi

In the kRti ‘cEsinadella maracitivO’ – rAga tODi, SrI tyAgarAja reminds Lord what all He did at the request of his devotees; they why He is not listening to him?

Pallavi

cEsinad(e)lla maracitivO O rAma rAma

Anupallavi

Asa konn(a)TTi nann(a)layincuTaku munu (cEsina)

Charanam

Alu nIkaina bhakturAl(a)nucu nADu

pAlu mAlaka ravi bAluni celimiyu (cEsina)

Charanam

bhASa tappakanu vibhISaNuni korak(A)di

SESaDagu tammuni pOSincamani rAju (cEsina)

Charanam

rAma SrI tyAgarAja prEm(A)vatAra sItA

bhAma mATalu delpa bhIm(A)njanEya brahma (cEsina)

Gist

O Lord rAma rAma -the embodiment of the Supreme Love of this tyAgarAja! In order to harass me – one enamoured by You, have you forgotten what all You did earlier? (1) considering sItA to be Your worthy devotee, that day You made friendship with sugrIva unhesitatingly (for finding out sItA); (2) in order to redress the grievances of vibhISaNa, You directed Your brother and made vibhISaNa the King of lanka without failing on Your Word; (3) as the terrible AnjanEya conveyed to You the words of Your spouse sItA, You made him brahma.

Word-by-word Meaning

P O Lord rAma rAma! Have you forgotten (maracitivO) what all (ella) You did (cEsinadi) (cEsinadella)?

A O Lord rAma rAma! In order to harass (alayincuTaku) (literally make wander) me (nannu) – one enamoured (Asa konnaTTi) by You, have you forgotten what all You did earlier (munu)?

C1 O Lord rAma rAma! Have You forgotten, that considering (anucu) sItA (Alu) (literally she) to be Your worthy (nIkaina) devotee (bhakturAlu) (bhakturAlanucu), the friendship (celimiyu) You made unhesitatingly (pAlu mAlaka) with sugrIva – son (bAluni) of Sun (ravi), that day (nADu) (for finding out sItA)?

C2 O Lord rAma rAma! Have You forgotten that, in order to redress the grievances (koraku) of vibhISaNa (vibhISaNuni), unfailingly (tappakanu) on Your Word (bhASa), You directed (pOSincamani) Your brother (tammuni) – who is indeed Adi SESa (SESaDagu) (korakAdi) – and made him (vibhISaNa) the King (rAju) of lanka?

C3 O Lord rAma -the embodiment (avatAra) of the Supreme Love (prEma) (prEmAvatAra) of this tyAgarAja! have You forgotten that, as the terrible (bhIma) AJjanEya (bhImAnjanEya) conveyed (delpa) to You the words (mATalu) of Your spouse (bhAma) sItA, You made him brahma?

Notes ­

C3 -AnjanEya brahma cEsina – In SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, there is no such reference that hanumAn was made brahmA. In Yuddha kANDa (Chapter 1), SrI rAma embraces hanumAn as a reward for finding out sITA. In uttara kANDa (whose authenticity to be part of SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa is disputed), Chapter 108, hanumAn declines to accompany SrI rAma to heaven and prays to allow him to stay in the Earth till the name of SrI rAma is sung. Though as per popular belief, hanumAn was bestowed the brahmA-hood by SrI rAma – the authority for such a belief needs to be ascertained.

The following verses of SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – yuddha kANDa – Chapter 1 are relevant in this regard –

ahaM ca raghuvaMzazca lakSmaNazca mahAbala: |

vaidEhyA darSanEnAdya dharmata: parirakSitA: ||

idaM tu mama dInasya manO bhUya: prakarSati |

yadihAsya priyAkhyAturna kurmi sadRzam priyaM ||

ESa sarvasvabhUtastu pariSvaGgO hanumata: |

mayA kAlamimaM prApya dattastasya mahAtmana: ||

ityuktvA prItihRSTAGgO rAmastaM pariSvajE |

hanumantaM kRtAtmAnaM kRtakAryamupAgataM || 11 – 14 ||

“By finding out sItA, the raghu dynasty as well as myself and the valiant lakSmaNa too, have been rightly saved today. But it squeezes my conscience further, hopeless as I am, to think that I am not able to do a pleasant act befittingly to the bearer of these good tidings. Let me at least embrace this magnanimous hanumAn since in the present circumstances, this is all that is easily obtained from me. Thus saying, rAma vibrating with joy, clasped hanumAn in his arms who, master of himself, his mission fulfilled, had returned.â€

The following verses of SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa – uttara kANDa – Chapter 108 are also relevant ­

jIvitE kRtabuddhistvaM mA pratijnAM vRthA kRthA: | matkathA: pracariSyanti yavallOkE harIzvara || 33 || tAvad ramasva suprItO madvAkyamanupAlayan | 34 – half ||

Lord SrI rAma said to hanumAn –

“You have made up your mind to live (on this Earth), so do not let your promise go in vain. O best among monkeys, as long as my tales circulate on this earth, so long, live happily in compliance with my words.â€

For full details of the story of hanumAn, please visit site –

http://www.ramayana.com/hanuman.htm

Additional Notes by Sri V. Sadagopan:

This is an Amarsha-rOsha-rOshOkti kriti composed in a mood of remonstrance, anger and grievance. Oh the embodiment of Vaatsalyam to Your devotees! You have made me toss and turn by not appearing before me, Your passionate bhaktan.

Is it possible that You have forgotten the many compassionate acts of Yours earlier in responding to other BhakthAs of Yours, when they sought Your protection? Saint Thyagaraja feels that the Lord has abandoned him and behaves in ways not consistent to His svaroopam (inherent nature as Dayaa Moorthy) and svabhAvam (natural disposition). The Saint cites three instances, where His Lord went to extraordinary lengths to recognize and honor those, who sought His protection.

The first case cited by the Saint was that of the friendship pact that the Lord made with the Monkey King, Sugreevaa (Sugreeva Sakhyam) in return for the promises made by Sugreeva to locate the place where the Lord's consort was hidden by RaavaNaa. The Saint asks the Lord: Have you forgotten Your souseelyam and soulabhyam to Sugreeva, one of Your Bhakthas, who sought Your protection from harassment by His brother, Vali? How come adiyEn does not qualify for a similar treatment by You, when You know that I consider You as my Bandhu ratnam (most exalted kith and kin) and I have an abusive brother.

The second case cited by the Saint was the abahya pradhanam given to vibhishana, the brother of His arch enemy, raavanan without any hesitation. The Saint taunts the Lord and asks Him whether He has forgotten the acceptance of vibhishanaa as a saranagathan and protecting him and ultimately making him the king of Lankaa, while He was indifferent to him. The saint asks the Lord in sorrow as to why he is behaving in such a strange manner towards him by ignoring his firm devotion (sthira Bhakti). He asks the Lord why his blemishless bhakti was not recognized and why he is not being treated as equal to other bhakthas like vibhishanaa.

The third case cited by the Saint is that of the intense display of affection shown by his Lord to Bhaktha hanumaan in response to the good news brought by him about Sita's place of incarceration in Lanka and his delivery of the message of his Lord to sita piratti. Lord Raamachandra tightly embraced hanuman for his kaimkaryam to express His gratitude. The saint complains in this context that he deserves better treatment than what he is experiencing at the hands of his Lord and asks Him whether He has forgotten the vaatsalyam shown by Him to HanumAn for his devoted service. The Saint states that the Lord is his jeevaadhAram, Balam, chittAnandham and every thing. While that is the case, the Saint asks Raama why He ignores a true bhaktan like him and did not extend the same affectionate treatment accorded to His other BhakthAs. Oh Raama Raama! Have You forgotten all of Your compassionate treatment and vaatsalyam displayed to other bhakthAs? Have you forgotten these and decided to ignore me and make me suffer? Thus the Saint remonstrated and expressed his grievance to the Lord.

He protested at the indifference of His Lord and reminded Him that meditation on His holy feet was the very life and nourishment for him and that he is forlorn and begged Him to remove his sorrows with affection (SrIpatE neepAdha chintana jeevanamu –NaagaswarALi kriti). You are forgetting me but I can not forget You and the grace of Yours, which is not easily attained (marachu vaadanaa? Raama Ninu! Madhana -janaka-- SrI nijamuga naachEnta jErini gaani, raani needaya ThyAgarAjanuta—Kedara Raaga kriti). In a spirit of protest, ThyAga Brahmam tightly questions the Lord for the reasons for Him to behave so unnaturally towards him as His devoted Bhaktan.

Dasan

Oppiliappan Koil V Sadagopan

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