saarasa nEtra - Lyrics

saarasa nEthra

raagam: shankaraabharaNam

29 dheera shankaraabharaNam mela Aa: S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S Av: S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S

taaLam: aadi Composer: Tyaagaraaja Language: Telugu

pallavi

sArasa nEtra pAraguNa samAja shikSA gOddharaNa

caraNam

pApa gambhIra samIraNa pAmara pAlita pAvana nAma caraNa tApasa mAnasa su-bhrama rAnakha rAghava mA ramaNa yOgi vandya pAhi hE sAgarArti haraNa rAga lObha dUra shrI tyAgarAja pOSaNa

Meaning: O Lotus Eyed! O Lord of abundant virtues! O Lord who protected the gajEndra – the elephant! O Lord who redeemed his mother! O Wind that blows away the clouds of multitues of sins! O Lord who protected the ignorant! O Lord who is famous as having a holy name! O Lord who is the honey-bee hovering over the lotus of hearts of ascetics! O Sinless One! O Lord rAghava! O Beloved of lakSmI! O Lord worshipped by ascetics! O Lord who relieved the distress of the Lord of Oceans, please protect me; O Lord who is away from attachment and avarice! O Nourisher of this tyAgaraja!

Word-by-word:

pallavi - O Lotus (sArasa) Eyed (nEtra)! O Lord of abundant (apAra) (nEtrApAra) virtues (guNa)! O Lord who protected (zikSa) the gajEndra – the elephant (sAmaja)! O Lord who redeemed (uddharaNa) his mother (gO) (gOddharaNa)!

caraNam - O Wind (samIraNa) that blows away the clouds (abhra) of multitues (gaNa) (gaNAbra) of sins (pApa)! O Lord who protected (pAlita) the ignorant (pAmara)! O Lord who is famous (caNa) as having a holy (pAvana) name (nAma)!

O Lord who is the honey-bee (su-bhramara) hovering over the lotus (sArasa) of hearts (mAnasa) (literally minds) of ascetics (tApasa)! O Sinless One (anagha) (subhramarAnagha)! O Lord rAghava! O Beloved (ramaNa) of lakSmI (mA)!

O Lord worshipped (vandya) by ascetics (yOgi)! O (hE) Lord who relieved (haraNa) the distress (Arti) of the Lord of Oceans (sAgara) (sAgarArti), please protect (pAhi) me;

O Lord who is away (dUra) from attachment (rAga) and avarice (lObha)! O Nourisher (pOSaNa) of this tyAgaraja!

O Lotus Eyed! O Lord of abundant virtues! O Lord who protected the gajEndra – the elephant! O Lord who redeemed his mother!

Notes – P – sAmaja zikSa – In the book of TKG, this is taken as 'destroyer of mighty elephant of kaMsa'. There is no word in the kRti to indicate such a meaning. As 'zikSa' has a secondary meaning 'helping', 'bestowing', it has, accordingly been translated here.

P – gOddharaNa – In the book of TKG, this is taken as 'one who lifted the gOvardhana hill'. There is no word in the kRti to indicate such a meaning. As 'gO' means 'mother' in a secondary sense, it has, accordingly been translated here.

C – pAmara – Generally this means 'wicked'. However, this word also means 'ignorant'. Keeping the context in view, it has accordingly been translated.

C – sAgarArti haraNa – the exact significance of this epithet is not clear.