Lyrics and meaning of agni sandhi kauttuvam

Place to go if you want to ask someone identify raga, tala, composer etc or ask for sāhitya (lyrics) or notations or translations.
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rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Lyrics and meaning of agni sandhi kauttuvam

Post by rshankar »

The words in red font are lyrics, while the rest represent mnemonic syllables or jatis. I am not sure that the jatis as transcribed are correct. I have made corrections to the lyrics based on the audio track from the link posted in footnote 6.

tAtai tai tatat- tAm takkiNNam tAkiNam kiNam takkiNam
agni dikkinil Ayudha shaktiyum aja vAhana suvAhA
pakkuva dEvI samEta sarvAhuti bhOjana kartAvin

tattA dhimi takadhimi tadhimita taddhimi takA takA vAdyam
simha lIlai nATTa rAgam
sA rI gA mA pA dhA nI sA* sA* nI pA mA rI
nrtta jANu tripatAkattODu kAngUlam hastam
mattApaNa tALam
tOkedi kedi jAkedi kedijA kedijA
tattaka taka kollipaNNoDu agni sandhi kavuttuvamE
takkitataka tAkiTatak tattak kiTataka
takku tikkutakkiTTa tomkiTa kitakaTan
tamkiTa tattikkitAm tatta tAtatta


This piece of poetry (kauttuvam) [1], presented with (ODu) the melody (paN) called kolli [2], and rhythm cycle (tALam) called mattApaNa tALam [3], describes the crossroads (sandhi) of agni (the fire god) who is in the south east (akki) direction (dikinil), whose instrument (vAdyam) is called takA takA [4], who holds the power (Saktiyum) from all weapons (Ayudha), rides (vAhana) a goat (aja) accompanied by (samEta) his consort, the perfect (pakkuva) [5] svAhA (suvAhA dEvi) [6], and accepts/consumes (bhOjana kartA) everything (sarva) that is offered to the gods (Ahuti), the tales (lIlai) are of the lion (simha), the rAgam, nATTai, the dance, jANu, and the hand gestures/hastas (hastam), tripatAka (on the left) and kAngUla (kAngUlam) on the right [7].

FOOTNOTES
[1] kauttuvam is a corruption of kavitvam – poetry
[2] I am not aware if kolli paN is the same as nATTai rAgam
[3] I have no idea what this tALam is
[4] I wonder if this is an onomatopoeic description of the way fire burns (daga daga)
[5] I am not sure if the word I hear is pakkuva
[6] suvAhA here represents agni’s consort, one of the daughters of daksha prajApati, and not the act of accepting of oblations, as choreographed in this piece
[7] I got the right and left hand from the SlOka that preceded the kauttuvam in the link above

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