Songs and meanings

[Badri]

Hello All,

This is my first post here...I joined just today, although I have been following some of the posts here off and on.

Knowing little of a language is more terrible than knowing nothing of it, I think. Although a Tamilian, I can get by speaking Telugu rather well, but I am stumped when it comes to deciphering the meanings of some of the songs of Annamacharya or Tyagaraja. And with both these composers, as with many others I am sure, there is richness and depth of meaning and we would be truly able to appreciate their songs only when we know them. After all these were not songs composed sitting at leisure, for the express purpose of composing. They were outpourings of their bhava and anubhava.

In this context, can someone help me with the meaning of the following songs:

1. Manujudai Putti (Annamacharya)
2. Podagantimayya (Annamacharya)

[meena]

If u want the meaning for sree tyagaraja's songs, i can help u with it.

Manujudai Putti
Meaning:
Lord Venkateshwara is compared with precious gems in the form of Krishnavatar Leelas. Mother Yasoda is kissing the Bala Krishna (muDugare yasODa) and he is submerged in her kisses like in a tub of pearls (mungidi muTyamu). Like a ruby (mAnikyam) he is shining and for kamsa the demon he is strong as a diamond(Vajram). His consort RugminiÕs lips are like Coral (pagadam). When he is Govarda Giridhari, he is like gOdEDiga (a brown stone). He is wearing vaidUryam (another precious stone) in between his sanku and chakra. When he is dancing on the head of kAlinga, the serpant king, he glows like pushyaraga (yellow sapphire) and when he is Lord Venkateshwara, he is like indra nIlam (blue sapphire). On the whole he is like all the precious gem stones, always helping the devotees.


Podagantimayya
Meaning:
We have got a glance of you O great one!
Don’t ever depart from us
Your intention is to take care of us,
You came to our succour on your own
You are the treasure realised by our elders and given to us (this may be a reference to his mother Lakkamamba, as she used to sing of the glories of Chenna Kesava of Madupur, her birthplace, while feeding Annamayya).
You respect us, you realise our thirst and quench it, O dark cloud,
You are the Srinivasa nearby, right in our hearts,
You are the divine pArijAtam that became ours just by our meditating upon it,
You protect us till we develop steadfastness like the hard mature core of wood,
You are the kAmadhEnu to save us and satisfy our desires, (in another song, the composer says that while kAmadhEnu gives whatever one desires, good, bad or indifferent, Srinivasa gives only that which is good).
You are the one who protects this earth,
You are the accessible chant that prevents us from going astray,
You are the ultimate medicine to put down all our ills and ailments,
You are the soul companion, who will never stop following us, (Srinivasa is so compassionate and concerned with his devotees that he follows them around)
O Venkatanatha, you have won us over!

[Badri]

If u want the meaning for sree tyagaraja's songs, i can help u with it.

Manujudai Putti
Meaning:
Lord Venkateshwara is compared with precious gems in the form of Krishnavatar Leelas. Mother Yasoda is kissing the Bala Krishna (muDugare yasODa)

Thanks Meena, but I am not quite sure if Manujudai putti would have that meaning...these are the lyrics to the song...

manujuDai puTTi manujuni sEvinci anudinamunu dukkhamantanEla

juTTeDu kaDupukai joranicoDu cocci paTTEDu kUDigai pati mAli
puTTina cOtikE porali manasu viTTi vaTTi lampaTamu vadala neraDu gAna

andarilO puTTi andarilO jEri andari rUpamulaDudAnai
antamaina shRi venkaTAdrisu sEvinci antarAni padamu andenu aDugAna

[meena]

sorry, i have posted the meaning for muddugArE yashOdA.

I do not have meaning for this one. sorry

The meaning for Manujudai putti -Having been born as a mortal- and other few sree Annamacharya's songs meaning can be found in the book titled- Songs of Three Great South Indian Saints by William J. Jackson.

[Badri]

From what Telugu I know, I think it is a fairly philosophical song...probably talking about the difficulties that we encounter leading a materialistic life and how only worshipping Sri Venkateshwara is the remedy or something to that effect, but it would really be nice to get the exact line-by-line meaning so when you sing it, you can feel the full force of the song.

[RR]

sbadri99,
This is a nice topic. Agree 100% with you on understanding meaning to fully appreciate a song. (On another thread, we have been discussing this aspect recently.)

Thanks, meena, for 'muddugaare'.

Can I get the meaning for 'maanasa sancharare'?

[Badri]

Maanasa Sancharare

Composer: Sadashiva Brahmendra, a great mystic and yogi
Language: Sanskrit
Raagam: Shyaamaa

Pallavi
Maanasa Sancharare
Brahmani Maanasa Sancharare

Charanam 1
Madasikhi pinchaalankruta chikure
Mahaneeya kapola vijitha mukure || Maanasa Sancharare ||

Charanam 2
Sri Ramani Kucha Durga Vihaare
Sevaka jana mandira mandaare || Maanasa Sancharare ||

Charanam 3

Paramahamsa mukha Chandra chakore
Paripooritha murali ravadhare || Maanasa Sancharare ||


Meaning
The devotee wants his mind to go on a pilgrimage round the Brahmam. Let the mind go about the sikha (shirojas=hair) of the Lord decorated with the Peacock’s fine feathers! Let the mind be with the Lord who goes around Goddess Lakshmi Devi and whose visage outwits the brightness of the mirror! Ascetics see this brightness as a Chandra Chakora (bright coloured parrot, meaning, festivity to the eyes). Let the mind be filled with the Lord who is a Kalpavriksha in hearts of His devotees. Let the mind complete the pilgrimage with the flow of the music from the Lord’s flute.

[Badri]

I found another text meaning of Manasa Sancharare...guess this is a lot more detailed than the earlier one, and more accurate too... so I am posting it here.

Oh, Mind ! Undertake your pilgrimage in the Brahmam !

The hairlock of Brahman, is adorned with the plumes of an exhilarated peacock (mada sikhi)!
The cheeks of the Supreme One outwit the brightness of a mirror !

He sports around in the fort of the breast-hillocks of Mahalakshmi (Sri). For his devotees, He is a Kalpavriksha in the court yard (mandira Mandaare)

Supreme ascetics (paramahamsa) delight in that face-moon (mukha chandraa) as a partridge bird (chakore - with obvious reference to the chakora bird that thirsts for moonlight)

Oh, Mind! May your pilgrimage be complete in this Brahman that fills everything with the flow of the music from His flute(murali) ! !

Mod Msg: Please uncheck 'Disable BBcode' for the text formatting (italics,etc) to work.. I have done it for this post.

[RR]

Thanks a lot. Someone told me that the film song 'mounathil vilayaadum manasaatchiye' (Kannadhasan's brilliant lines sung by BMK - also set in Sama) has its meanings inspired from 'maanasa sancharare'.. Looks like it's true only for the raga.

[blackpearl]

Hi ya'll!!!

Can anybody translate Muthuswamy Dikshitar Krithi : Neelakantam Bhaje??? Of coarse in english!
This would be great!!!!

Thanx alot

U'rs

Blackpearl

Here the lyrics:

Neelakantam Kedaragowla raaga Roopaka taala Sanskrit

Pallavi:
Neelakanttam bhajeeham sathatham
Neerajaasanaadi nutham (Nee)

Anupallavi:
Bala Kuchaambaa Sahitham
Baala chandra Seevitham
Seela Guru guru Poojutham
Sree – Kadamba Vana naatham (nee)

Charanam:
Akshaya Roopa Akhanda Kaaveri
Theerottha Raabhi mukham pancha mukham
Rakshita bhaktha pramu kham

Nakshathresha Shekharam
Nama Roopa Vichihra thara dhaksha thara meeswaram
Kedara gowla priyakaram

Dakshina Kaashi puram Danditha Kaama thripuram
Dhakshaathrayaavara Haram Dayaa Karam Kamalakaram (nee)