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Enta muddo - Tyagaraja Kritis (Eng)

Pallavi

enta muddō enta sogasō
evari valla varṇimpa tagunē
How charming and how pretty!
By whom is it possible to describe it?

Anupallavi

enta vāralaina kāni kāma1
cintākrāntu-laināru
No matter how great people are,
they became besieged by thoughts of lust!

Charanam

atta mīda kanulāsaku dāsulai2
satta bhagavata vēsulairi
dutta pāla ruci3 teliyu sāmyamē
dhurīṇuḍau tyāgarāja nutuḍu (enta)
Ever fearing their mother-in-laws, having become slaves to lust,
(but) they put on the appearance of true devotees of the Lord;
it is indeed like the pot knowing the taste of its contents – milk; how charming and how pretty is the Lord - praised by this Thyagaraja – who bears burden of the Universe! By whom is it possible to describe it?

Variations

  • 1kāma – kānta

Commentary

  • 2atta mīda kanulu – being slave to lust, and thence to the wife, one does not dare transgress orders of mother-in-law. Therefore, whatever they do, they watch whether it has the approval of their mothers-in-law.
  • 3dutta pāla ruci – Container cannot know the taste of its contents. Tamil siddhar ‘siva vAkkiyar’ has stated same as under -
    • சுட்ட சட்டி சட்டுவம் கறிச்சுவை யறியுமோ? (பாடல் 497)
    • suTTa saTTi saTTuvam kaRiccuvaiyaRiyumO’ – will the clay pot and ladle know the taste of curry? [Siddhar Vakkiyam]
    • When read in conjunction with Anupallavi wordings – ‘minds besieged by lust’ (kāma cintākrāntulu), this would mean that those whose minds are beseiged by lust – but pretend to be true devotees - cannot know the beauty of indwelling Lord. Similar sentiment is expressed in the kRti ‘rāma nīyeḍa’ – rāga karaharapriya –
    • kāmini vēṣa dhāriki sādhvī naḍatalēmaina telusunā
    • “Can a person playing the role of a woman know anything about the conduct of a chaste woman?”
    • Sri Thyagaraja defines the true devotee in the Kriti 'bhakuni cāritramu' – rāga bēgaḍa as follows –
    • āsakti lēka tā kōrucu jīvanmuktuḍai ānandamunondu
      bhaktuni cāritramu vinavē
    • "Listen to the conduct of the devotee of Lord Sitarama who, devoid of all attachments, seeking (the Indwelling Lord) by himself, attains bliss by becoming Living Free."