meaning for karuNAlaya nidhiyE

[Lakshman]

Another rasika has requested this. Would someone please provide the meanng? Thanks.

karuNAlaya nidhiyE. rAgA: hindOLa/bilahari. rUpaka tALA. Vedanayakam Pilai.

P: karuNAlaya nidhiyE dinamum un caraNAmbujam gatiyE
A: sarva bhEda vinOda kAraNA parama sAdhaka bhava nivAraNa
C1: nidam veLukka veLukka ven dUshu nimiSam tOrum niraiyumO mAshu
adu pOl endan aghamurum Ashu aghalavE un aruL oLi vIshu
akhila kOTi vishAla karpita sakala jIva dayALa arputa
2: ingen seigaigaL yAvum nikirSTam enakkup-puNNIyam enrum aniSTam
bhangam tIrkkil unakkuNDO kaSTam paramanE aruLAyO udariSTam
bhAramAgavE paNNUm bAdhakam tIravE nI seivai sAdhakam
3: amala bhAskara kOTi svrUpA akhaNDa saccidAnanda pratApA
nimala vEda vEdAnta nirUpA nirvikarpa niranjana dIpA
nIta pUraNa nilaya mancitA vEdanAyakan idaya ranjita

[rshankar]

I will post the meaning in a bit.

[rshankar]

Lji,

Here is the pallavi, anupallavi and first caraNam. I need clarification regarding some words in the second caraNam (I have sent you an email). As with other compositions of Sri Vedanayakam Pillai, this too is pregnant with philosophical meaning.

EDIT - I redid my translation based on input from RSachi, and CML, and I added the next two caraNam, based on the scanned pages that Lji supplied. I am sure there will be a lot of discussion on this - while non-denominational, I do see a lot of influence of Hindu philosophy here (like the concept of saguNa, and nirguNa, svarUpa, and nirUpa etc.).

pallavi
karuNAlaya nidhiyE dinamum un caraNAmbujam gatiyE
Repository (nidhiyE) and abode (Alaya) of compassion, your (un) lotus (ambujam)-like feet (caraNa) are my only succor (gatiyE) at all times/daily (dinamum).

anupallavi
sarva bhEda vinOda kAraNa parama sAdhaka bhava nivAraNa (karuNA nidhiyE…)
(Repository of compassion) who has caused/created (kAraNa) all (sarva) differentiated existences (bhEda) as an amusing play (vinOda), and is the remover (nivAraNa) of the ills that beset this worldly existence (bhava) by being the most (parama) accomplished/practiced (sAdhaka) one (your lotus-like feet are my only succor at all times).

caraNam 1
nidam veLukka veLukka ven dUshu nimiSam tOrum niRaiyumE mAshu
adu pOl endan agamuRum Ashu aghalavE un aruL oLi vIshu
akhila kOTi vishAla kaRpita sakala jIva dayALa aRbuta (karuNAlaya nidhiyE…)
Please spread (vISu) the light (oLi) of your (un) grace (aruL) so that my (endan) faults (ASu) [1] that reside (uRum) in my mind (agam) may vanish (agalavE) just like (pOl) stains (mASu adu) that reaccumulate – like white (veN) dust (dUSu) [2] that fills up/spreads everywhere (niRaiyumE) within minutes (nimisham tOrum), despite being cleaned/cleared/clarified (veLukka veLukka) [3] everyday (nidam). Amazing/wonderful (arputa/adbhuta) (repository of compassion) who is who is merciful (dayALa) to all (sakala) living forms (jIva) that exist in the entire (akhila kOTi) and wide (viSAla) creation (karpita) (your lotus-like feet are my only succor at all times).

caraNam 2
ingen seyalgaL yAvum nikirSTam yenakku puNNiyam enRum aniSTam
bhangam tIrkkil unakkuNDO naSTam paramanE aruLAyO udriSTam
bhAramAgavE paNNum padakam tIravE nI seyvai sAdhakam (karuNAlaya nidhiyE…)
All (yAvum) my (en) actions (seyalgaL) here (ingu) [4] appear to be petty/mean/small (nikirshTam), and acquiring virtue or religious merit (puNNiyam) seems to be unfavorable (anishTam) for me (yenakku) at all times (enRum). Now, is there (uNDO) a loss (nashTam) you (unakku) will suffer if you were to remove (tIrkkil) my defects (bhangam)? My lord (paramanE)! Please grant (aruLAyO) me your perception (drishTam) [5]. You (nI) please extend (seyvai) your assistance (sAdhakam) so that the burdensome (bhAramAgavE) sins (pAdakam) that I commit (paNNum) are destroyed/removed (tIravE) (repository of compassion, your lotus-like feet are my only succor).

caraNam 3
amala bhAskara kOTi sorUpA akhaNDa saccidAnanda pratApA
nimala vEda vEdAnta nirUpA niRvikaRpa niranjana dIpA
nIta pUraNa nilayam ancita vEdanAyakan idaya ranjita (karuNAlaya nidhiyE…)
One with a form (sorUpA) that is more immaculate (amala) than countless (kOTi = crore) suns (bhAskara)! One who is famed (pratApA) as the unfragmented/unending (akhaNDa) symbol of existence (sat), thought (cit) and joy (Ananda)! The spotless (nimala)and formless one (nirUpA) described in sacred texts (vEda vEdAnta)! One who is an unwavering (niRvikaRpa) blaze/light (dIpA) beyond passion and emotion (niranjana)! (Repository of compassion), abode (nilayam) that is complete (pUraNa) with justice (nIta) [6], the distinguished (ancita) delighter (ranjita) of the heart (idaya) of the composer, vEdanAyakan (your lotus-like feet alone are my succor).

FOOTNOTES
[1] ASu can mean fault, ego, mean thoughts etc...a brilliant use here...
[2] No idea what this white dust is
[3] While veLukka means to whiten, literally, I think, here, the composer is using it in the sense of making inner/hidden meanings manifest/clear
[4] ‘Here’ as ‘in this world’
[5] I am not aware that ‘udriSTam’ (or possibly ‘unriSTam’) is a word
[6] I have no idea what nIta pUraNa means – I have translated contextually, based off of nIti

[Lakshman]

The lyrics in post 1, caraNa 2, have been edited.

[Rsachi]

Ravi, may I offer my thoughts on the composer's meaning in this fine prayer.
God creates (kAraNa) the differentiated existence 'bhEda' as a 'vinOda' or Lila. There is otherwise no explanation for this misleading illusion of differences.
Now for the parama sAdhaka, again God alone shows the way of liberation. He is therefore the 'bhava nivAraNa'.

[rshankar]

RSachi - you may be correct - I always have issues with these compositions, because as written, to my (perhaps westernized) mind, parama sAdhaka is an adjective and bhava nivAraNA is the noun. To me, if parama sAdhaka were to be treated as a noun, wouldn't it be parama sAdhakA? Like I said, I may have completely misundertood the structure here.

And I also failed to point out, that in keeping with all of Sri Vedanayakam Pillai's (who, IIRC was a Christian) compositions, this one is also addressed to a non-denominational Supreme Being.

[Rsachi]

Ravi, oh really, very interesting that Sri Pillai was a Christian! But clearly, he was influenced as this line shows by the BHEDA ABHEDA Concept of the Bhakti movement.

In Sanskrit, to describe God or the worshipped as kAraNa, nivAraNa is quite common. In fact the famous Aratrika of Ramakrishna composed by Swami Vivekananda is full of such usage.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khandana_Bhava–Bandhana)

There are two aspects. TAraka, sAdhaka, etc. refer to a doer- direct effort. But God can induce, empower and influence apart from directly doing. And so the more comprehensive kAraNa etc. The second aspect is that words like sAdhaka are used as adjectives and also parts of compound nouns. sAdhaka-bhava-nivAraNa is one such example.

[rshankar]

I agree - but I have recently become aware that the words/rules from sanskRt may not apply directly to other languages like tamizh (sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't...)
I do hope that some of our experts like Rajani, Arasi, Keerthi or Punarvasu (to name a few) will give their opinion....

[cmlover]

It must be agamuRum (mind (agam) uRum (residing))...

[cmlover]

nidam veLukka veLukka veN thUshu nimiSam tOrum niRaiyumO

You can interpret more appropriately as..
As every day (nidam) it progrssively brightens (veLukka veLukka) the white atmosphere (veN thUshu) every minute (nimiSam tOrum) it fills (niRaiyumO).....

[PUNARVASU]

I agree - but I have recently become aware that the words/rules from sanskRt may not apply directly to other languages like tamizh (sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't...)
I do hope that some of our experts like Rajani, Arasi, Keerthi or Punarvasu (to name a few) will give their opinion....

Yes ,Rshankar.in Sanskrit, the sambhOdhana for 'rAma' is '(hE) rAma', whereas in tamizh, it will be 'rAmA'.
As Rsachi pointed out it will be 'parama sAdhaka bhava nivAraNa' in Sanskrit ,while if you Tamilse it , it can be either parama sAdhakA, bhava nivAraNA' or 'parama sAdhaka bhava nivAraNA'
Other experts may have better explanations to offer. I may be corrected if wrong.