Lyrics and meaning for Taala Beku Takka Mela Beku

[HarishankarK]

Dear rasika members,

Request you to provide me with the lyrics and meaning for the Purandara Dasa song Taala Beku Takka Mela Beku.

Thanks and Regards
Harish

[HarishankarK]

i got the lyrics from google !

Pallavi
tāḷa bēku takka mēḷa bēku



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[edit] Anupallavi
śānta vēḷe bēku gānavannu
kēḷabēkembavarige

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[edit] Charanam 1
yatiprāsavirabēku gatige nillisabēku
rati pati pitanoḷu ati prēmavirabēku

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[edit] Charanam 2
gaḷa śuddavirabēku tiḷidu pēḷalubēku
kaḷavaḷa biḍabēku kaḷe mukhavirabēku

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[edit] Charanam 3
aritavarirabēku haruṣa heccalibēku
guru madhva purandara viṭhalana paradaiva enabēku


I need the meaning now - please help - those who know Kannada (hope it is Kannada)

Thanks

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tALa bEku takka mELa bEku shAMta /pa/
vELe bEku gAnava kELabEkeMbuvarige /anupa/

jatiprAsavirabEku gatige nillisabEku
ratipatipitanoLu ati prEmavirabEku /1/

gaLa shuddhavirabEku tiLidu pELalu bEku
kaLavaLa biDabEku kaLemuKhavirabEku /2/

aritavarirabEku haruSha hecchalibEku
puraMdara viThThalane paradaivavenabEku /3/

Meaning of the song:

One who wants to listen (kELa bEkeMbuvarige) to the melody music (gAnava)
he should have leisure (shAMta) time (vELe) and that music should have
good background (mELa bEku)) music with (takka) perfect beats/percussion (tALa bEku)

Should be stopped (nillisabEku) at correct place (gatige)
of rhyming words (jatiprAsavirabEku),
should have affection (prEmavirabEku) towards shrimannarayana
(rati - God of love, pati - husband (kAma), pita - father)

voice (gaLa) should be perfect (shuddhavirabEku) and
express the words (pELalu bEku) by understanding (tiLidu)
singer should be away (biDabEku) from tensions (kaLavaLa)
face should have radiance (kaLemuKhavirabEku)

Singer should have knowledge (aritavarirabEku) of what he is singing
Listners should be delighted (haruSha heccalibEku) by his singing
He should say (paradaivavenabEku) there is non other than Shri Purandara Vittala

{found on the net}

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This kriti is in kannda.Sri PurandaradAsaru composed mainly in kannada

[HarishankarK]

Thanks a lot - very useful - one sees clearly why he is called Sangeetha Pitamaha

[srivilliputtur]

sir/s,
one small correction. the word is gaanavana pElabEnkembuvarige-meaning: to the one who intends to sing. ( not kelebeku)
aritavarirabEku- this word refers to the listeners and says, the listeners must be well learned. ( a suggestion is also seemed to be hinted at - that the performer must know his audience before he sings. an eg: no use of a RTP when the listeners are just being introduced to music).the last lines instil the poet's mind in our hearts ie, the performer shall perform/sing with equal interest whether for an audience of 4 or 40 or 400 or 4000-- that is because, he shall always bear in mind that he sings not for himself-not for the audience-but for PurandaraVittala, who is the source and substratum of all(Paradeiva)
another interesting feature to note is the 'dvitiyaaksharapraasa' which is very beautiful in this song.

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tALa bEku takka mELa bEku shAMta /pa/
vELe bEku gAnava kELabEkeMbuvarige /anupa/

The pallavi and anupallavi refer to the listener and not to the singer.The word 'tALa'
means'to contain[control],to restrain,'{other thoughts}
The word'mELa' means.'assembly,gathering'.
It is 'kELabEkeMbuvarige'
Many books were refered to get the correct sAhitya,including the
book published by 'SrI Purandara Dasara nAlkaneya ShatamAnOtsava SamAramBhada samiti'

[classicallover]

I have heard this song with quite a different pathantara and lyrics. It is very much possible that the lyrics have undergone lots of transformations and distortions in the last 500 years.

We sing this song in Bhairavi, Trishra Triputa or also Adi tala. The focus of the song is on the lakshanas of a singer or bhajanist without which he can neither derive divine pleasure nor inspire divinity in others . He doesn't allude anything to listeners. The listeners and others who cannot sing, get their instructions in another song - " Kaliyugadolu Harinamava nenedare " .

The songs of our yesteryear composers should never be seen in just the practical light of today. There is always a philosophical inner meaning to each of them which has definitely its influence and relevance to today's life.

In this particular song, Dasaru says that the maanava janma given by God is a very rare and important opportunity to plead for permanent moksha . He offers allusions of the human life to a song.

He says-
- this life is a song. You must sing it properly.
- for singing it, first you require good rythmic cycles ( taala ) and a suitable spouse ( takka mela ).
- you must have a clear conscience through which you will speak good ( gala shuddhi ) and clearly without hurting anybody ( tilidu helalu ).
- you should not be tense with worries ( kalavala bidabeku ) and always have a pleasant countenance ( kalemukha irabeku )
- the words should be beautifully phrased with alankaara ( yatipraasa irabeku )
- and your deeds should fall in line with the kaalapramaana of life ( time & tide ) ( gatige nillisabeku )
- always have love for God & see him in everything and everyone ( ratipatipitanolu atimoha irabeku), ( so don't have other mohas like craving for other's money, women , property and things )
- lead an austere life and always do good thinking that you are doing to God ( haridaasanaagalu beku )
- be happy and give happiness to others ( harusha hechchalu )
- you must be have the confidence and conviction in yourself and in God ( vittalanalli sthira chitta irabeku )

Only if you do as above, you will have lead a meaningful life ( paropakaaraardham idam shariiram ) gaining the love, affection and respect from all in the society.

Hence the song goes-

Pallavi

Taala beku, takka mela beku - gaanavanu helavanembavarige ||

Anupallavi

Gala shuddhi irabeku, tilidu helalu beku , kalavala bidabeku , kalemukha irabeku ||

Charanam

Yatipraasa irabeku, gatige nillisabeku, ratipati pitanolu atimoha irabeku
Haridaasanaagalu beku , harusha hechchalu beku ,
Garudagamana siri purandara vittalanalli sthirachitta irabeku ||

Please note the yatipraasa in the song. Having said it, Dasaru would not have ignored it while composing his song .

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Taala beku, takka mela beku - gaanavanu *helavanembavarige* {?}

[mukta]

Beautiful explanation.

[classicallover]

As I have already pointed out, words & meanings would have undergone many changes in structure & meanings. Don't go by modern spoken Kannada of today. I understand that "helavanembavaru" doesn't just mean "teller or narrator" as in today's Kannada it also meant "singer" in those years. Even today, old age speakers of tamil say " oru paattu chollungo" instead of -'oru paattu paadungo' . Also "viruttam chollungo" . So same concept must have been prevalent in Kannada of those times.

[varsha]

I understand that "helavanembavaru" doesn't just mean "teller or narrator" as in today's Kannada it also meant "singer" in those years.

your understanding is wrong on both sides of the "also"

'kELabEkeMbuvarige' is the correct word there , in the song .
helava btw is a community or caste or whatever we may want to call it .
here is this krithi by - IMHO- the ultimate interpreter of Dasar Padas .
http://www.mediafire.com/?3d8s9aei7dii00i

absolutely adept singing of all the words and phrases .

[Sreeni Rajarao]

heLava also means a person with a disability of movement, particularly walking (kunta is the common word in kannaDa).

I do not think this word (and in this context) is being used in this song at all.

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Srini Rajarao avarige::
This was what I meant in post #9.'helava'/'heLava' is 'cripple'.
How does 'mELa' mean 'spouse'?

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Smt Savitri avare,

I agree with your interpretation, completely.

Spouse for mELa does not make sense at all. mELa as in background music (as you have interpreted) or "accompaniment" makes perfect sense.

[varsha]

on second thought.
pElabEnkembuvarige makes more sense . apologies.

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*pElabEnkembuvarige*
'pELabEkembuvarige'

[HarishankarK]

The version i have listened to is Smt R Vedavalli's and brilliantly rendered in Hamsanandi with a lovely tempo
This song featured as a final number in one of her Podhigai tv Saturday 09:00 am concerts. The whole concert is a lovely one and video is available in youtube and audio in sangeethapriya.
Thanks