Evaru Teliyanu Poyyedaru - Tyagaraja Kritis (Eng)

Pallavi

1evaru 2teliyanu poyyedaru vivaramu lēni pūjalu jēsedaru evaru teliyanu-poyyedaru vivaramu-lēni pūjalu jēsedaru

Who has understood (what true devotion is)? people perform non-descript (all sorts of) worships.

Charanams Combined

1. mudamuna parula rūkalaku para sudatulakāśiñci tā kūḍuṭaku udaramu nimpuṭa-koraku cāla ūranūra 3tirigedarāvaraku (evaru) 2. konna tottula māṭa mīra lēka anna tammula talli taṇḍrula nēram- ennuṭē pani kāni sāramaina pannaga śayana nī padamu nammedarā (evaru) 3. ālu biḍḍalanu nammedaru vārik- āśiñci parula kompalu muñcedaru kāluni valla niṇḍāru rāma kaṣṭamu jendi bhuvini puṭṭedaru (evaru) 4. peddalatō kallalāḍi rāma buddhi lēni dhanikula tā vēḍi vaddana vāritō mōḍi iṭlu proddu pōvuṭa kāni patitula kūḍi (evaru) 5. īsuna mariyāda lēdu niṇḍu kāsu kalgina vānikanniṭa vādu āsa nīyeḍa kalga pōdu nija dāsulu evarō kana cēta kādu (evaru) 6. pannuga 4manakē śaktiyani 5anni 6kallalanucunu doṅga bhakti anna idēṭi virakti rāma kanna taṇḍri idiyā pēda yukti (evaru) 7. 7yōgulu mēneruga lēka 8tamakē gatiyani dhyāninturu gāka bhōgi śayana ēlukōka rāma tyāgarājunipai nīkiṅka parākā (evaru) 1. mudamuna parula rūkalaku para sudatulaku-āśiñci tā kūḍuṭaku udaramu nimpuṭa-koraku cāla ūranu-ūra tirigedaru-āvaraku (evaru) 2. konna tottula māṭa mīra-lēka anna-tammula talli-taṇḍrula nēramu-ennuṭē pani kāni sāramaina pannaga śayana nī padamu nammedarā (evaru) 3. ālu biḍḍalanu nammedaru vāriki-āśiñci parula kompalu muñcedaru kāluni-valla niṇḍāru rāma kaṣṭamu-jendi bhuvini puṭṭedaru (evaru) 4. peddalatō kallalu-āḍi rāma buddhi-lēni dhanikula tā vēḍi vaddu-ana vāritō mōḍi iṭlu proddu pōvuṭa kāni patitula kūḍi (evaru) 5. īsuna mariyāda lēdu niṇḍu kāsu-kalgina-vāniki-anniṭa vādu āsa nīyeḍa kalga-pōdu nija dāsulu evarō kana cēta-kādu (evaru) 6. pannuga manakē śakti-ani anni kallalu-anucunu doṅga bhakti anna idi-ēṭi virakti rāma kanna-taṇḍri idiyā pēda yukti (evaru) 7. yōgulu mēnu-eruga-lēka tamaku-ē gati-ani dhyāninturu gāka bhōgi śayana ēlukōka rāma tyāgarājunipai nīku-iṅka parākā (evaru)

1. Hankering after others’ wealth and others’ women, and in order to secure these for themselves and for the purpose of filling their stomach, people happily wander much from place to place till that time (till they secure these); who has understood (what true devotion is)? 2. Unable to contravene the words of their wives, excepting for making it their job only to take note of the faults of their brothers and parents, O Lord reclining on Sesha - the snake! did they ever believe Your nectarine feet? who has understood (what true devotion is)? 3. People believe their wives and children; having loved them, they ruined others' families; O Lord Rama! people are born in this World after having undergone considerable suffering in the hands of Lord of Death; who has understood (what true devotion is)? 4. O Lord Rama! uttering falsehood with elders, (they) beseeching stupid rich people, and resenting those who advise them against such behaviour - excepting for time passing away in this manner by joining the company of those fallen, who has understood (what true devotion is)? 5. Because of envy or anger, people do not have of propriety of conduct; for that person who has a lot of wealth, it is argument about everything; people would not cultivate love towards You; they would not be able to discern who the true devotees are; who has understood (what true devotion is)? 6. Thinking nicely that they alone have all the powers and practicing pretentious devotion declaring 'everything is false' - O Father! what kind of dispassion is this? O Lord Rama, my Father who begot me! Is this the method adopted by me - poor man? who has understood (what true devotion is)? 7. However, ascetics would meditate bereft of body consciousness being worried as to what their fate is; O Lord reclining on Sesha – the snake! O Lord Rama! instead of governing, why do You still have unconcern towards this Thyagaraja? who has understood (what true devotion is)?

Variations

• ²teliyanu poyyedaru, jēsedaru - teliyanu poyyēru - jēsēru - teliya poyyēru - jēsēru
• ³tirigedarāvaraku - tirigērāvaraku
• ⁶kallalanucunu, idiyā – kallanucunu’, idā

Commentary

• General – The whole of the kRti is contextual in nature; further zrI tyAgarAja is bringing out many situations – not necessarily related to one another. Therefore, it may not be possible to bring out the correct meanings in the absence of any knowledge about the circumstances in which this kRti was composed.
• ¹evaru teliyanu poyyedaru – 'who has understood?' - the purport of these words is to be seen from the angle of 'devotion' as mentioned in CharaNa 2 – 'nī padamu nammedarā' (did they believe in Your feet?) and in Charana 5 – 'āsa nīyeḍa kalga pōdu' (they will not cultivate love towards You) and the oblique reference to himself (Sri Thyagaraja) – 'is this my method?' (idiyā pēda yukti). Therefore, these words (evaru teliyanu poyyedaru) have translated as 'who has understood what true devotion is?' This is more so because, excepting for Charana 4, no other Charana can be meaningfully joined to the Pallavi.
• ⁴manakē śakti – The purport of these words is not clear. As Sri Thyagaraja mentions about 'pretentious ones' (doṅga bhakti) in this Charana, this might not refer to 'Eight Supernatural powers – aṇimādi', but merely strength or power.
• ⁵anni kallalanucu – This refers to 'māyā vāda'; in the present context this refers to those who practice pretentious devotion (doṅga bhakti).
• ⁷Yogugu (first half of Charana) – the exact significance of the first half of the Charana is not clear. The books have taken contradictory views – in some books, it is taken to mean ‘True devotees (or Yogis) will meditate on you considering you to be their refuge’; however, in other books, the meaning given is ‘those false Yogis without knowing the real nature of their material body and what their fate will be, engage themselves in meditation’.
• ⁸tāmakē gati – This can be split either as 'tamaku+ē+gati' or 'tamakē+gati'; In either case, the purport of these words is not very clear, though this has been translated as ‘being worried as to what their fate is'.