bantu reeethi koluvu

Tyagaraja submits an application for a job with Rama through this poem. Tyagaraja, inspired by Hanuman, now applies to the same post as Hanuman, the servant of Rama. Even though this keerthana does not mention Hanuman, Tyagaraja actually refers to Hanuman's characteristics and describes the ecstacy which Hanuman experiences, by seeking those characteristics from Rama as a part of the job benefits, :).

It is popularly known that Hanuman is an incarnation of Shiva himself. Shiva is called Tyagaraja, the King of sacrifices. So in every poem of his, Tyagaraja, when the poet ends with "Tyagaraja", the poet is actually refering to Shiva and at the same time expressing his own feelings.

Click here for Balamurali Krishna's rendition of the song


బంటు రీతి కొలువీయ వయ్య రామ
Bantu reethi koluviyyavayya rama
Word-Word:
బంటుbantu= servant; రీతిreethi=like/ way; కొలువీయవయ్యkoluviyyavayya(koluvu+iyyava+ayya)=(job+give+sir)give the job, Sir; రామrama= Rama
Meaning:
Servant-like job, give me Sir, Rama!
Discussion:
Please give me the job of a servant with you O Rama!


తుంట వింటి వాని మొదలైనమదాదుల గొట్టి నేల కూలజేయు నిజ
Thunta Vinti Vani modalaina mada
dula gotti nela koolajeyu nija
Word-Word:
తుంటవింటి వానిthuntavintivani(thunta+vintivani)= (mischievious+archer) Cupid; మొదలైనmodalaina= start with, etc.;
మదాmada=arrogance/lust; దులdula= itch; (mada+aadula)  mada+ఆదులaadula= (arrogance+etc.) other vices;గొట్టిgotti=hit; నేలnela= ground; కూలkoola= to shatter down;జేయుjeyu= to do; నిజnija= truthful;
Meaning:
Cupid's started arrogance etc.
to hit and shatter down to ground, such truthful/sincere....(servant post...)
Discussion:
Modalaina has two meaning. One is "start with", the other is "etc.".While most of the translations take the meaning of "modalaina" as etc./others, I think the context actually means "start with". There are more than one reason for that. Firstly, if it were etc., that would mean that Tyagaraja would have meant to shatter Cupid along with the arrogance down to ground. Cupid is not evil, it is the lust that overpowers love that is evil . So Tyagaraja would not have refered to shattering Cupid but to the lust.
Tyagaraja here says that the lust and other vices is started by Cupid, the mischievious archer. "A sincere servant can hit that lust and shatter it to ground. To such a sincere servant post, I apply". It is this sentence that suggests that Hanuman is refered. Hanuman is known to be a Chaste Celibate. So Tyagaraja is refering to the main characteristic of Hanuman. It is as if Tyagaraja is asking Rama to appoint him as servant, and by default Rama's servant is known to have shattered lust to ground. Tyagaraja is indirectly seeking strength to shatter lust.

రోమాంచమనే, ఘన కంచుకము
రామ భక్తుడనే, ముద్రబిళ్ళయు
రామ నామమనే, వర ఖఢ్గమి
విరాజిల్లునయ్య, త్యాగరాజునికే
Ramanchamane ghana kanchukamu
rama bhakthudanu mudra billayu
Rama namamane vara khadgami
Virajillunayya Tyagarajunike
Word-Word:
రోమాంచమనేromanchamane(romanchamu+ane)= goosebump causing joy+as said/like, ఘనghana= great; కంచుకముkanchukamu= armour;
రామrama= rama; భక్తుడనేbhakthudane(bhakthudu+ane)= devotee+as said;ముద్రmudra= seal;బిళ్ళయుbillayu= coin;
రామrama=rama; నామమనేnamamane(namamu+ane)= name+as said/like; వరvara= boon; ఖఢ్గమిkhadgamu= sword;
విరాజిల్లునయ్యrajillunayya= will shine/suit, త్యాగరాజునికేtyagarajunike= to Tyagaraja only;
Meaning:
Goosebump rising joy, which is like the great armor;
"Rama's devotee" saying seal coin;
Rama's name which is like a boonful sword
(all these) will shine/suit only Tyagaraja
Discussion:
Here Tyagaraja describes what benefits Rama's servants get as soon as they are appointed. It is a common practise, especially for King's servant to be given an armor, a royal seal and a sword as part of the job. So Tyagaraja indirectly pleads that he be bestowed with hair-rising-Joy as armor that makes one oblivious to any inflicted pain, the official seal of a "devotee" tag that gets respect, and finally the sword of Rama's name that can destroy strongest of internal spiritual enemies. He finally says that "all these servant costume will suit only Tyagaraja". Another reason for me thinking that Hanuman is refered is the Universal fact that no devotee is greater than Hanuman in devotion. Tyagaraja uses the word " ONLY". Thus suggesting Hanuman.

I would appreciate comments and suggestions regarding the translation.


References:

[1]http://www.shivkumar.org/music/bantureethi.pdf
[2]http://tyagarajakeertana.blogspot.com/2012/05/tyagaraja-keerthanas-bantu-reethi.html
[3]Paluri Shankarnarayana" Telugu to English Dictionary"

Thera teeyaga rada...

.....Thera theeyaga rada.....

This is a wonderful Thyagaraja Kirthana. This has been long due to my friend who actually brought this wonderful keerthana to my notice. An excellent composition especially so true for those who are blinded by the negative aspects of envy,anger and hatred.

తెర తీయగా రాదా లోని
తిరుపతి వెంకట రమణ మత్సరమను
tera tīyaga rādā 1lōni
tirupati vēṅkaṭa ramaṇa matsaramanu

word to word meaning
తెర thera= curtain; తీయగా theeyaga= to remove , open ; రాదా raada=would not come, లోని looni=inner;
తిరుపతి వెంకట =Tirupathi's Venkata; రమణ Ramana= beautiful, a beauty, మత్సరమను= envy,hate,grudge

Meaning:
The inner curtain of anger/animosity would not open or remove, Oh! Tirupathi's Beautiful Venkata!

Discussion:
I just love the way Tyagaraja hints at what his angony is at various levels of this stanza.I took a fiction writing class some time back and was told that the best way to intrigue the reader is to give little by little information at each sentence, so that the reader would be curious to know what comes next. The most avid readers would agree. Tyagaraja first says alarmingly, the curtain would not open! So we are intrigued as to what does he mean by curtain does not open???Just when you try to think what it could be,(a technical problem???hahaha), he then adds in the word , "looni" at the end of the sentence. Its as if he says, you ignorant people, I don't mean it literally!!! He in fact makes life easy for us to interpret his meaning.
As soon as we know that he is talking about an inner curtain, he tells Tirupathi's Venkata ( and us too!) what his inner curtain is-------Matsaramu" envy,animosity and grudge", the negative feelings. The meaning for "matsaramu"=envy, jealousy, malice, animosity, enmity, hatred, spite!!!I bet there is no negative feeling not described by the word! Hats off to Telugu. The meaning by itself is awesome and Tyagaraja's poetry/literature makes it all the more enjoyable!

పరమ పురుష ధర్మాది మోక్షముల
పార దోలుచున్నది నా లోని....(....)
parama పురుష dharmaadi mōkṣamula
pāra-dōlucunnadi naa looni....tera tīyaga rādā 1lōni.....

Word-to-word meaning:
పరమ parama= the highest, the excellent, the principal; పురుష purusha=Male; ధర్మాది dharma= Moral and religious duty, (aadi=etc., others of same category) మోక్షముల= mōkṣamula= emancipation/salvation;
పార దోలుచున్నది pāra-dōlucunnadi= to drive away or off; నా లోని= my inner .........
Meaning:
Oh! Supreme one!,My inner curtain is driving away the moral and other good deeds for emancipation...
Discussion:
So going from where we left last, in his previous stanza, Tyagaraja put forth his problem to Tirupathi's Venkateswara. So if one wonders why is he agonising about his inner curatin of envy/negative feelings, for them he describes his problem in detail here. In the process of telling to the Supreme One, that the actual problem is not the curtain being there, but that this curtain of envy is driving away the moralities for emancipation.
I seriously admire poets! Especially in this Keerthana, I greatly enjoy when Tyagaraja goes on with his last line culminating into the first stanza....as "naaaa looni thera teeyaga raada..." this time saying directly, for the more ignorant ones who did not get the meaning in the first stanza that "his inner curtain" would not remove.

మత్స్యముయకలి కొని కలముచే
మగ్నమైన రీతున్నది
అచ్చమైన దీప సన్నిధిని మారుగా
అడ్డబడి చేర ఛి నట్టున్నది ....తెర ......
3matsyamuyākali koni kālamucē
magnamaina rītinunnadi
accamaina dīpa sannidhini marug-
aḍḍabaḍi ceracinaṭṭunnadi (tera)

Word-to Word meaning:
మత్స్యము matsyamu= fish; యకలి yākali= hunger; కొని koni= become; కలము kālamu= ship; చే cē= beacuse of;
మగ్నము=plunged,immersed,drowned, మైన= has become; రీతున్నది( reeti+unnadi)= seems to be(=unnadi) the way (reeti)
అచ్చము= clear,pure మైన=there దీప= diya/candle సన్నిధిని= vicinity,proximity మారుగా= instead of
అడ్డబడి=to fall as a screen the way; చేర=to destroy ఛి నట్టున్నది=seems to be like
Meaning:
Just as a hungry fish is drowned by the ship, and a pure candle is obstructed and destroyed

Discussion:
I find it a little difficult in interpreting these analogies. Any help would be appreciated. Going by my understanding, Tyagaraja , in his conversation with the Lord, tells Venkatewara that to him, his inner curtain prevention him from emancipation is the same way as a hungry fish ( hungry for emancipation) in search of food stumbles upon a ship ( the negative feelings, matsaramu) and is drowned. Similarly, a pure candle whose purpose is to give light( light of purity and good) is obstructed and destroyed. In these analogies, we can see that Tyagaraja feared that his curtain of negative feelings would obstruct his search/emancipation and eventually lead to his destruction/death.

ఇర వొందగ భుజించు సమయమున
ఈగ తగులు రీతున్నది
హరి ధ్యానము సేయు వేల చిత్తము
అన్త్యాజు వద్దకు పోయినట్టున్నది (తెర....
2. iravondaga bhujiyiñcu samayamuna
īga tagulu rītinunnadi
hari dhyānamu sēyu vēḷa cittamu
antyaju vāḍaku pōyinaṭṭunnadi (tera)
Word-to-word meaning:
ఇరవొందగ( iravu+pondaga)=place +gotten; భుజించు= to eat; సమయమున= at that time;
ఈగ= housefly; తగులు= to touch/hit; రీతున్నది= the same way
హరి= Hari ధ్యానము= concentration సేయు= to do; వేల= time చిత్తము= mind
అన్త్యాజు=one of lower caste; వద్దకు=near; పోయినట్టున్నది= similar to going to; (తెర....

Meaning:
It( the curtain obstructing the emancipation) is as if, after going home and sitting down to eat, a housefly is touching( the food) and as if during meditation on Hari, the mind is on the low class people.

Discussion:
Here TyagaRaja describes that when a housefly keeps roaming around when we are trying to enjoy food (emancipation)at home, we are as helpless in enjoying the fruits of Dharma and other emancipation ways, when the housefly of negative feelings( envy,hatread) roams around us. Similarly, the curtain obstructing emancipation is also as if the thoughts on low people obstruct the meditation on Lord.
I could not quite well understand the word ఇరవొందగ (iravondaga).I split it into iruvu and pondaga but still does not make much sense to me. I might be missing something. Help would be appreciated. Another aspect I observed is that Tyagaraja actually took the meditation on God and thoughts obstructing the meditation as an analogy and not the sole purpose. This clears air about the common misconception that meditation alone might lead to emancipation.


వాగురమని తెలియక మృగ గణములు వచ్చి తగులు రీతున్నది
వేగమే ని మతముననుసరించిన త్యాగరాజ నూట మద మత్సరమను... తెర......
3. vāguramani teliyaka 4mṛga gaṇamulu
vacci tagulu rītinunnadi
5vēgamē 6nī matamunanusariñcina
tyāgarāja nuta mada matsaramanu (tera)

Word- to word meaning:
వాగుర vāgura= net, trap; మని mani=as told; తెలియక teliyaka= without knowing; మృగ గణములు mṛga gaṇamulu=the animal herd; వచ్చి vacci = came; తగులు tagulu= to be caught,entangled; రీతున్నది rītinunnadi= seem to be the same way as
వేగమే= quickly,urgently, as soon as possible, ని=your; మతము=doctrine,belief,idea,religion అనుసరించిన= if followed; త్యాగరాజ నూత=praise; మద= mind; మత్సరమను= envy... తెర......
Meaning:
it is as if , not knowing that it is trap, the animal herd came to the trap and got entangled. Your religion shall quickly be followed by Tyagaraja.
Discussion:
So Tyagaraja continues the analogy, just as the ignorant animal herd gets entangled into the trap unknowingly, one gets trapped into the negative feelings. Tyagaraja sees the urgency in which he has to follow the religion of God. He finally ends the keerthana clarifying that the mind and its negative feelings are the curtain that cannot be removed.

This has been my interpretation from my understanding from the meanings of the words. I could have gone wrong. I welcome comments/discussions so that I can improve my interpretation/ understanding.



References:

[1] A Telugu-English dictionary By P. Sankaranarayana,Google books
[2] http://sahityam.net/wiki/Main_Page
[3] http://www.karnatik.com/article006.shtml