neraga thalai mele thogaiyondru katti

[raghavasimhan]

Can someone post the sahitya for the krithi "neraga thalai mele thogaiyondru katti" which Needamangalam Bhagavathar mentions here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNakuFph-qM

[ajaysimha]

nice question, @raghavasimhan.

this is the anupallavi line from an interesting krithi by oothukadu venkata kavi

"OrAnnoruvan kuzhalUdum tiruDaningu" in arabhi ragam set to adi talam

as per the bhagavatham story line goes,
this song denotes the incident of baby krishna starting his navaneetha chowrya leelai

as per this line is concerned, I have heard 3 versions
1. nErAgat-talaimElE tOghaiyonru kaTTi (to tie) neTRiDai Aduginra nIlamai chuTTi (ornament)
2. nErAgat-talaimElE tOghaiyonru kaTTi (to tie)neTRiDai Aduginra nIlamai chooTTi (to wear)
3. nErAgat-talaimElE tOghaiyonru kATTi (to show) neTRiDai Aduginra nIlamai chooTTi (to wear)

also there comes a line in charanam,
vEyukkum pEyukkum bhEdam teriyAdapaDi veNNaittArum enru kETTa paiyan
can anyone explain what does it mean??

i have uploaded a recording sung by bombay hari mama
video: https://youtu.be/WEqQcN8Q57w (oran oruvan - arabhi - adi | oothukadu venkata kavi)
lyrics: https://karnatik.com/c8611.shtml

regards,
ajay simha

[raghavasimhan]

Thanks @ajaysimha. I think the first version is the correct one as described by Needamangalam Krishnamurthy Bhagavathar in the video link I attached. In fact he mocks the other two.

[raghavasimhan]

Regarding the charanam, my interpretation is this: Krishna does not know the difference between the letters 've' and 'pe'. Why? The answer is in the next line. If they give him Vennai (butter), he eats it and asks for the girl (Pennai). The Mahakavi follows from the theme of the Madhyama Kalam of the anupallavi 'andharangamudan gopi nAnendral avasara thali kattum gunathavan' (If someone tells him that I am a gopika, he ties mangalsutra immediately to them; so he is always looking for a gopika to prank and play with).
Another interpretation would be 'Krishna does not know the difference between bamboo (Vey) and a ghost (Pey)'. But it absolutely makes no sense here. So it should be 'veyukkum' (not 'Veyukkum'; not dhIrga) and 'peyukkum'.

That is what I make of it; if any error please feel free to correct me.

[ajaysimha]

yes this makes sense. thanks @raghavasimhan