Lyrics and Meanings (Keerthana)

Śhrī Purandharadhāsa was in a way, the founder of Kīrthana form which it its melody is based on technical compositions like Gītha whose purpose is to elucidate Rāga forms and Thāḷa patterns. The emphasis in the Kīrthanas is on its aesthetic excellence and that is why it is considered as the most important part of Karnātic classical music. It was the genius of Śhrī Purandharadhāsa that created Kīrthanas on the basis of which Kruthi form was evolved.

The great master composers who came after Śhrī Purandharadhāsa faithfully followed the tradition and form which he established. The Rāga and Thāḷa aspects are followed by composers like Dīkṣhitar and Śhāma Śhāsthri and purely Rāga aspects by composers like Kśhethragna. But it was Thyāgarāja who brought out the fullest measure all the three aspects – Rāga, Bhāva and Thāḷa of the tradition, founded by Śhrī Purandharadhāsa.

Rāga: Gauri (Hindhusthāni)/Hamsānandhi.

Thāḷa: Ādhi

Composer: Swāthi Thiruṇāḷ

Language - Hindhi

Meanings: Word By Word: Team Ambalam

Meanings –Overall: T.K.Govinda Rao

Alignment, Diacriticals & consequent spelling changes, Language & grammar editing, if any and necessary, of existing meaning: Team Ambalam

Pallavi:

Śhankara Śhrīgiri Nātha Prabhuke Nrtthya Virājitha Chithrasabhā mein

Charaṇam  1:

Bhasma Thrinḕthra ghale Rundamāla Bhuthanake Sanga Nāchatha Bhringi

Charaṇam  2:

Tvanana Thanana Nanana Ghungrū Bāje Dheva Muni Sabhā Gagana Virāje 

Charaṇam  3:

Dhrukuṭaddhīm Thadhīm Thadhidhrunna Koṭi Madhan Jāku Dekhe So Lāje

Charaṇam 4:
Tha Thai Thakiṭa Thaka Śhruti Gathi Rāje Padhmanābha Mana Kamala Virāje

Meanings:

Pallavi:

Śhankara Śhrīgiri Nātha Prabhuke Nritthya Virājitha Chithrasabhā mein

Śhankara – the auspicious one;

Śhrīgiri - mountains;

Nātha – the lord of

Prabhu ke – of the lord;

Nritthya – dance;

Virājitha – seated in; or being in;

Chithrasabhā – the hall for arts:  mein – in:

In the Chitrasabha, lord Śhankara-the god of the mountains is dancing.

Charaṇam 1:

Bhasma Thrinethra Khale Rundamala Bhuthanake Sanga Nachatha Bhrngi

Bhasma – Sacred ash;

Thri – three; nethra – eyes;

ghale – on the neck; 

Runḍa – skull;

māla – chain;

Bhūthanake – the ghosts;

Saṅga – with the;

Nāchatha – dances;

Bhruṅgi – the attendant of Śhiva

With the holy ash and third eye on the forehead, the garland of skulls adorning the neck, he dances along with Bhruṅgi and other bhūtha gaṇa-s.

Charaṇam 2:

Tvanana Thanana Nanana Ghungrū Bāje Dheva Muni Sabhā Gagana Virāje 

Tvanana Thanana Nanana – sounds of the anklet;

 Ghungrū – anklet;

Bāje – tinkles;

Dheva – god;

Muni – sage;

Sabhā – assembly;

Gagana – sky;

Virāje – seated;

The celestials and ascetics appear on the sky, playing the instruments with the sound of thanana-thanana and ghum-ghum'.

Charaṇam 3:

Dhrukuṭaddhīm Thadhīm Thadhidhrunna Koṭi Madhan Jāku Dekhe So Lāje

Dhrukuṭaddhīm Thadhīm Thadhidhrunna –beats for the dance;

Koṭi - a crore;

Madhan – Cupid; 

Jāku – having gone;

Dekhe – to see;

So – those;

Lāje - ashamed

Even the crores of cupids feel ashamed witnessing Śhiva dancing beautifully to the beats of Dhrukuta dhim-dhrnna .

Charaṇam 4:
Tha Thai Thakiṭa Thaka Śhruti Gathi Rāje Padhmanābha Mana Kamala Virāje

Tha Thai Thakiṭa Thaka – dance beats;

Śhruti – pitch, melody;

Gathi – movement;

Rāje – be there;

Padhmanābha – name of Viṣhṇu ;

Mana – in the mind;

Kamala – lotus;

Virāje – seated.

With the perfect melody and laya, he dwells in the mind (lotus like) of lord Padhmanābha.

Rāga: Gambhīranāṭṭai

Thāḷa: Khaṇḍa Chāpu
Composer: Ūthukkāḍu Vénkaṭasubbaiyyar
Language: Sanskrit

Meaning – Word by word: Team Ambalam

Meaning –Overall: forum hub

Alignment, Diacriticals & consequent spelling changes, Language & grammar editing, if any and necessary, of existing meaning: Team Ambalam

Pallavi

Śhrī Vighna Rājam Bhaje- Bhajeham Bhajeham
Bhajeham Bhaje - Thāmiha
(Śhrī Vighna)

Anupallavi

Santhathamaham Kunjaramukham
Śhankarasutham Śhankari Sutham - Thāmiha
Santhathamaham Dhanthi
Sundhara Mukham - Antha
Kanṭhaka Sutham - Śhiva
Śhankari Sutham - Thāmiha  

Charaṇam 1

Sevitha Surendhra Mahanīya Guṇaśhīlam
Japatha Samādhhi Sukha Varadha - Anukūlam
Bhavitha Suramaṇi Gaṇa Bhaktha Paripālam
Bhayankara Viṣhaṅga Māthaṅga Kulakālam
(Śhrī Vighna)

Charaṇam 2

Kanaka Keyūra Hārāvaḷi Kalitha
Gambhīra Gowragiri Śhobham Suśhobham
Kāmādhi Bhaya Bharitha Mudha Madha
Kalikaluṣha Kanṭhitham Akhanda Prathāpam - Prathāpam
Sanaka Śhukha Nāradha Pathanjali Parāśhara
Mathaṅga Munisaṅgha Sallāpam - Sallāpam
Sathya Paramabja Nayanapramudha Mukthikara
Thathvamasi Nithya Nigamādhi Swarūpam
(Śhrī Vighna)

Meanings:

Pallavi

Śhrī Vighna Rājam Bhaje- Bhajeham Bhajeham
Bhajeham Bhaje - Thamiha
(Śhrī Vighna)

Śhrī Vighna Rājam – the lord Gaṇeśha; Bhaje- bow to;

Bhajeham Bhajeham – Bhajeham Bhaje - I bow to;
Thamiha – to him here
(Śhrī Vighna)

I bow to lord Ganeshā. Verily, I seek refuge in that lord who is the remover of all obstacles.

Anupallavi

Santhathamaham Kunjaramukham
Śhankarasutham Śhankari Sutham - Thāmiha
Santhathamaham Dhanthi
Sundhara Mukham - Antha
Kanṭhaka Sutham - Śhiva
Śhankari Sutham - Thāmiha 

Santhatham aham – always I;

Kunjaramukham – the elephant faced one;

Śhankara sutham – the son of Śhiva; Sutham - son

Śhankari Sutham –the son of Pārvathi;

Thamiha - to him here;
Santhathamaham  - always I; 

Dhanthi – the tusk;
Sundhara Mukham – beautiful faced one;

Andhakānthaka Sutham – the son of the destroyer of the demon Andhaka

Ever I beseech him who bears the head of an elephant; Who is the son of lord Śhankara (the destroyer of the demon Andhaka) and devi Śhankari/Parvati.

Charaṇam 1

Sevitha Surendhra Mahanīya Guṇaśhīlam
Japatha Samādhhi Sukha Varadha - Anukūlam
Bhavitha Suramaṇi Gaṇa Bhaktha Paripālam
Bhayankara Viṣhaṅga Māthaṅga Kulakālam
(Śhrī Vighna)

I pray to him) who is worshipped by Indira-the foremost among the suras/devas; Who is the abode of virtues;

Who grants boons to his devotees (who approach him through recitation & penance-culminating in Samādhhi);

Who is meditated upon by devas, rishis & other devotees; Who is the cause of destruction of poisonous evil (personified as a mad elephant)*

Charaṇam 2

Kanaka Keyūra Hārāvaḷi Kalitha
Gambhīra Gowragiri Śhobham Suśhobham
Kāmādhi Bhaya Bharitha Mūḍha Madha
Kalikaluṣha Kanṭhitham Akhanda Prathāpam - Prathāpam
Sanaka Śhukha Nāradha Pathanjali Parāśhara
Mathaṅga Munisaṅga Sallāpam - Sallāpam
Sathya Paramabja Nayanapramudha Mukthikara
Thathvamasi Nithya Nigamādhi Swarūpam
(Śhrī Vighna)

Kanaka Keyūra Hārāvaḷi Kalitha - who is bedecked with ornaments of gold
Gambhīra – vigilant;

Gaura giri - the white mountain, Kailāsa

Śhobham - the adornment of;

Suśhobham - resplendent
Kāmādhi – lust etc.; Bhaya – fear;

Bharitha – full of;  Mūḍha – not rational;

 Madha – arrogance;
Kalikaluṣha – sin, dirt;

Kanṭhitham – enemy;

Akhanda Prathāpam – all powerful; (Prathāpam)
Sanaka Śhukha Nāradha Pathanjali Parāśhara Mathaṅga Muni – names of all sages;

saṅga – with;

Sallāpam – happy moments; (Sallāpam)
Sathya Paramābja - the sea of truth ;

Nayanapramudha – the lotus eyed;

Mukthikara- bestower of salvation
Thathvamasi – you are that;

Nithya – eternal;

Nigamādhi Swarūpam - embodiment of the ultimate truth
(Śhrī Vighna)

I pray to him, who is bedecked with ornaments of gold, that ever vigilant lord, Who is the adornment of Kailāsa; Who is the antithesis of lust (kāma), Arrogance (madha), irrationality (mūḍha) and who dispels fear/bhaya( as he is the all-powerful, courageous one; Who is praised by saints like Sanaka,  Śhuka, Nāradha, Pathanjali, Parāśhara and Mathaṅga; Who is the embodiment of the ultimate truth and bestower of salvation-verily I bow to that lotus-eyed lord!

Note: Often Vāggeyakāras(composers) portray sin/pāpa as a wild elephant-who is out of control. The godhead represents a counter-force to destroy this mad elephant of sin. Another instance is in 'jagadhānandakāraka' (Thyāgarāja's first Pancharathna in nāṭa) wherein the last charaṇa describes Śhrī rāma as 'pāpagaja nrisimha'or the lion (pun on Viṣhṇu's Narasimhāvathāra also here!) Who destroys the 'mad elephant’ of sin. In fact as I translate this I find a very fine imagery centered around the elephant (mathanga/kunjara) in this kīrthana. Lord Ganeśha is indeed 'kunjara-mukha'; in the phrase māthaṅgakula kāla -the image of a wild elephant, representing sin and finally you find the term 'māthaṅga' as the name of māthaṅga muni.