Dear friends,
Having heard this song hundreds of times from childhood, I have an issue every time the words are mispronounced by anyone. And as perhaps it is to be expected, rarely is a rendition 100% correct. I have found issues with instrumental versions, as well as vocal ones (including the version sung in the Balasaraswati documentary). I have tried my best to put together what I think is the correct version, keeping Kannada grammar and syntax in mind. Here it is:
Harvard Kyoto Convention
a A i I u U R RR lR lRR e ai o au M H
k kh g gh G c ch j jh J T Th D Dh N t th d dh n p ph b bh m y r l v z S s h
yamunA kalyANi cApu Composer: vyAsarAya
pallavi
kRSNa nI bEganE bArO
anupallavi
bEganE bArO mukhavannu tOrO
(kRSNa nI bEganE bArO)
caraNa 1
kAlalandigE gejje nIladabAvuli
nIlavarNane nATyavAduta bArO
(kRSNa nI bEganE bArO)
caraNa 2
uDiyalli uDugejje beraLalli uMgura
koraLalli hAkida vaijayaMtimAlE
(kRSNa nI bEganE bArO)
caraNa 3
kAzi pItAmbara kaiyalli koLalu
pUsIda zrIgandha maiyyOLagamma
(kRSNa nI bEganE bArO)
caraNa 4
tAyige bAyalli jagavannE tOrida
jagadOddhAraka namma uDupi zrI kRSNa
(kRSNa nI bEganE bArO)
Meaning:
kRSNa nI bEganE bArO – oh, Krishna, please come quickly!
bEganE bArO mukhavannu tOrO – Come quickly and show your face!
kAlalandigE gejje nIladabAvuli – with beautiful anklets on your feet, sapphire armlets,
nIlavarNane nATyavAduta bArO – oh blue-hued one, come with dancing steps!
uDiyalli uDugejje beraLalli uMgura – wearing a waist band with bells, a ring on your finger,
koraLalli hAkida vaijayaMtimAlE –round your neck, the Vyjayanti mala,
kAzi pItAmbara kaiyalli koLalu – (wrapped round your waist) a yellow coloured silk garment from Kashi, holding the flute in your hand.
pUsIda zrIgandha maiyyOLagamma –the sandal paste applied on your body exudes fragrance.
tAyige bAyalli jagavannE tOrida – you who revealed the whole universe in your mouth to your mother,
jagadOddhAraka namma uDupi zrI kRSNa – you are the saviour of the world, dear Krishna of our Udupi!
I also found a fine article explaining the higher meanings hidden in this simple prayer:
http://web.archive.org/web/200711041117 ... c1298.html
My own take on the song is that in his ecstasy, the sage prays to the very young Krishna and the feeling is only vatsalya bhava. Therefore the only episode on his mind is the way Krishna shows the whole universe in his mouth to his mother. Thoughts of the subsequent episodes like Draupadi vastrapaharana, lifting the Govardhana, taming Kaliya, and such heroic acts are far from his mind. Well, this is my take on it.
