kA guhA - kOsala - kOTISwara ayyar

[prashant]

Could I request a translation of this song? Thanks in advance.

Lyrics are here: http://www.karnatik.com/c1859.shtml

[rshankar]

Prashant - I will listen to Sri Rajam's rendition and make some corrections to the lyrics and post the meaning shortly.

[VK RAMAN]

Ravi: Is Sri Rajam's audio copyrighted. If not, I like to listen too.

[Lakshman]

Here is what I have:

kA guhA. rAgA: kOsala. tALA: rUpaka

P: kA guhA SaNmukhA nIyE gati idEtati
A: AguvAhana sOdarA deivAnai vaLLi manOhara manOhara
C: sAlavE pAncAla kOsalAdi nADengum nIDavE nin
shIlamE soliyE innum pala shentamizh isai pADavE
nin kAlan aNugAmalE kaliyAl naliyAmalE ekkAlum
kavi kunjaradAsanai kaNNin imai pOlE

[rshankar]

Prashant - here goes, with corrections to the version posted by Lji (and the one in karnatk.com which is uncannily similar to Lji's version).

Sri VKR, Sri S. Rajam's version is from a commercial release.

As I heard Sri Rajam sing, I wondered if this was the impassioned plea of Sri KI to be granted more time to sing the praises of his ishTa dEvata, or, at least given enough time to complete songs in all the mELakartA's for his magnum opus, the kandagAnAmRtam. Since kOsalam is the 71st mELam, he must have felt particularly vulnerable to premature death, since he had come so far - I wonder if he felt a premonition that lead to this plea.

If possible, I request Vijisubra or other disciples of Sri Rajam to share Sri Rajam's view on this.

pallavi
kA guhA shaNmug(kh)A nIyE gati idE tati

Please protect (kA) me, oh murugA (guhA)! Oh six (shaN)-faced (mug(kh)A) one, you alone (nIyE) are my succor (gati)! This indeed (idE) is a suitable time (tari) [1].

anupallavi
AkuvAhana sOdarA deivAnai vaLLi manOharA (kA guhA...)

Oh brother (sOdarA) of the Lord who has a bandicoot/rat (Aku) as a vehicle (vAhana), and is the delighter (manOharA) of dEvasEnA (dEvAnai) and vaLLi, (please protect me...)

caraNam
sAlavE pAncAla kOsalAdi nADangum nIDavE
nin SIlamE soliyE innum pala Sentamizh isai pADavE
kAlan aNugAmalE kaliyAl neLiyAmalE ekkAlum
kavi kunjaradAsanai kaNNin imai pOlE (kA guhA...)

(Please protect me) the servant/accolyte (dAsan) of my grandfather, the poet (kavi), Sri kunjara bharati, just like (pOlE) the eye (kaNNin)-lids (imai) protect the eyes [2], by ensuring that time/death (kAlan) doesn't get close to me (aNugAmalE), and I am not tortured (neLiyAmalE) by the consequences of kaliyuga/fate (kaliyAl), so that I am able to compose/sing (pADavE) several (pala) more (innum) songs (iSai) speaking about/describing (SolliyE) your (nin) sterling character (SIlamE) in the beautiful (Sen) language of tamizh to ensure that your fame spreads (SAlavE) [3] to and becomes permanent (nIDavE) even in far-flung countries/lands (nADangum) like pAncAlam [4], kOsalam [5] and others (Adi).

[1] It was hard to figure out if this word was 'tari' - that I have translated contextually to mean 'to bear in mind', OR if it was 'sari' - which would mean 'appropriate' - I opted for the former because it fits in with my concept of the tenor of the whole song BUT papers from Lji show it to be 'tati' (EDITED text accordingly)
[2] The eyelids protect something very precious - vision - so, the composer's request here is that he be protected as if he were as precious as the eye/vision
[3] I have translated 'SAlavE' contextually to mean 'spread - far and wide', but I think literally it means, 'in excess', or 'to abound'
[4] pAncAlam was the part of India that draupadi hailed from
[5] kOsalam - also the rAga mudra, is the part of the country that kausalya, rAma's mother, came from

[Lakshman]

I have the copy original handwritten manuscript copy of Kotishvara Iyer's kritis by vid.Rajam as well as the later version of the printed book.
The last word is difficult to transliterate in english. It could be idEdati, idEtati, idEtadi, idEtadhi. idEdadi or idEdadhi. I don't understand the specific meaning of the word in any case.

[rshankar]

Lji - it is 'tati' - which I think means suitable time...I have edited my post accordingly.

[Lakshman]

Thanks rshankar.

[arasi]

Ravi,
Yes, my dictionary says 'takka samayam' too. Has it come from the sanskrit tat (that) implying tadaiva lagnam?
Lakshman,
You have the songs in S. RAjam's writing too!

[Lakshman]

arasi: I do have a xerox copy of the handwritten notations by vid.S.Rajam for these kritis