sonnadai kEL kanna

[smala]

If possible, please post lyrics to this beautiful piece. I can get a few lines and phrases but not all of it. Sung by Udayalur Sri Kalyanaraman at the 2010 Feb Alangudi festival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4slcDtKk0A

[Lakshman]

sonnadaik-kEL. rAgA: nATa. Adi tALA. Composer: Uttukadu Venkatakavi.

P: sonnadaik-kEL (ayyanE) kaNNA un turu turutta viSamattanam yAvaiyum marandu en shol uNarndu nAn
A: munnam nam Uril gOkulattil munaindunakku vanda iDargaLai eNNi brndAvanamidil kudi
pugha vandOmEgOpAlA vaLariLa matiyE matimukha nidhiyE enaduDal uyirE yadukula nidhiyE
C: iDarillA ivvUril kizhakkilum terkkilum vaDakkilum shenrukoL AnAl tavariyum kuDa dishai shellAdE
gOpAlA angE kuTramuLLa iDamenum eccarikkai seidEnE pakSamuLLa endanuyir acyutanE inimEle

[smala]

Thanks again Sri Lakshman-ji for this one.

Ravi, hope you can get to this darling of a piece as well, the gentle admonishing is so delectable.

[rshankar]

Sure - but I have a question for Lji - in the caraNam, looks like a word is missing - I think it should be ...AnAl tavariyum kUDa mErku diSai SellAdE...

[Lakshman]

rshankar: I checked the book but there is no such word (mErku) as you have stated. The song is in Rasaganam part 2, pg 41.

[Rajani]

I think "kuDa disai" means the West. It is used in one of the Tirumaalai songs of Tondaradipodi Azhwar. "kuDa disai muDiyai vaithu, guNa disai paadam neeTTi"

[smala]

Sri Lakshman-ji - please can you listen to the youtube link given in my first post - Sri Kalyanaraman's version seems different from the lyrics posted.

[smala]

I will listen to it but the text that I posted is from Needamangalam Krishnamurti Bhagavatar's book of Uttukadu Venkatakavi's songs.

Sri Lakshman-ji, the lyrics posted above are very beautiful. Am eagerly awaiting Ravi's translation. Just wondering if there is another version as well. This second one seems a little more coloquial, talks more of the antics of mischievous kannan.

[Lakshman]

There is another song with similar starting words. Here is the text:

sonnadaik-kEL. rAgA: kAmavardhini. Adi tALA.

P: sonnadaik-kEL kaNNA tOm takiTa tiri tAka tana tOmena arava paDamADum ayyA
A: tinnavum veNNaiyum selvamum tAnirukka selvamum sIrum annai nAnirukka punnakaiyum
nannaghaiyum kATTi pOdAdena oru kuzhalisaik-kUTTi innavena ariyA uLam mITTi ennghamum niraivAi iraivA
C: allai ayalmanai senru kaLavADum tollai vazhakkukku nI pOgAdE avar solla vandak-kOLuraigaL
illai enru solvadu tUyavan nI unakkadu AghAdE pullaik-kaDai tAngi mella ashai pODum ponnAna
pashumandai nIngAdE kaNNA ellai vanam tANDip-pOgAdE pOnAl iruLAgum pOdu tangalAgAdE
sonna sollai mIrum endan piLLai enru solla tONum paDi naDavAdE sonna sollai taDavAdE

[smala]

Thank you so much Sri Lakshman-ji. Is this also composed by Venkata Kavi?

[Lakshman]

yes it is.

[rshankar]

Here is my attempt at translating the first one. I think in this yaSOdA is cautioning krishNa to not head out west in the direction of mathura...

pallavi
sonnadaik-kEL (ayyanE) kaNNA un turu turutta viSamattanam yAvaiyum marandu en shol uNarndu nAn (Sonnaidai kEL...)

My dear little one/krishNa (kaNNA/ayyanE), please forget all (yAvaiyum) of your (un) impatient (turuturutta) and mischievous nature (viSamatanattai) for a moment and listen carefully/pay attention (kEL) to what I (nAn) tell you (Sonnadai).

anupallavi
munnam nam Uril gOkulattil munaindunakku vanda iDargaLai eNNi brndAvanamidil kuDi puga vandOmE gOpAlA vaLar iLa matiyE matimukha nidhiyE enaduDal uyirE yadukula nidhiyE (Sonnadai kEL…)

Thinking of/considering (eNNi) the troubles (iDargaLai) that actively (munaindu) came your way (unakku) in our (nam) village (Uril) of gOkul (gOkulattil) in the past (munnam), we have come (vandOmE) to establish/take up residence (kuDi puga) in this (idil) town called brindAvan (brindAvanam), my darling cowherd (gOpAlA) who is like the growing/waxing (vaLar) crescent (iLa) moon (mat(d)iyE), a treasure (nidhiyE) with a face (mukha) that rivals the moon (mat(d)i), the life-force (uyirE) that animates my (endau) body (uDal), the treasured one (nidhiyE) of the entire yAdava (yadu) clan (kula). (So, please listen to me carefully…)

caraNam
iDarillA ivvUril kizhakkilum terkkilum vaDakkilum shenrukoL AnAl tavariyum kuDa dishai shellAdE
gOpAlA angE kuTramuLLa iDamenum eccarikkai seidEnE pakSamuLLa endanuyir acyutanE inimEle (Sonnadai kEL...)
In this (iv) town (Uril) that is devoid of (illA) trouble/problems (iDar), you are free to go (SenRukoL) and play in the southern (terkkilum), the eastern (kizhakkilum) and the northern (vaDakkilum) directions, BUT (AnAl), even by mistake (tavariyum), do not head (SellAdE) in the western (kuDa) direction (diSai) [1]. Oh krishNa (gOpAlA), I did warn you (eccarikkai SeidEnE) that (enRu) over in that direction (angE) the place (iDam) was dangerous/evil (kuTRamuLLa). So, my (endau) precious (uyir) [2] firm little one (acyutanE), please (listen to what I say) henceforth (inimElE).

FOOTNOTES
[1] To the west of brindAvan was mathura (actually southwest, if I read the map correctly)
[2] uyir literally means life – in this context, it refers to krishNa being more precious than life to yaSOdA

EDITED based on Rajani's original comment echoed by Arasi.

[arasi]

Ravi,
I agree with Rajani. It is kuDa diSai--all other diSais are there.kuDa diSai means mERku. It is not kUDa belonging to the previous word.
Krishna will agree too.

[rshankar]

Thanks - I will change it...I did not see Rajani's post - SORRY!

[Rajani]

That was so beautiful - Ravi. Thank you. Is Yasoda warning Krishna, out of fear of Kamsa?

[rshankar]

Rajani - Thanks! And I guess the warning is w.r.t. kamsa - unless she is warning him of kaLiyan. As I understand it, these songs are part of a 'gEya nATakam' - so context is everything.

[rshankar]

Here is my attempt at translating the other composition of Sri OVK - In this one, yaSOdA is trying to divert krishNa's attention from stealing butter from the neighbors by asking him to herd cattle instead - but she wants to make sure that he doesn't wander too far away. Looks like she would have loved to put on an ankle bracelet with a positioning device on him (just like all of us would like to - thank God for cell phones with GPS)

pallavi
sonnadaik-kEL kaNNA tOm takiTa tiri tAka tana tOmena arava paDamADum ayyA

My precious krishNa (kaNNA)! The lord (ayyA) who dances (ADum) on the hood (paDam) of the snake (arava) kALiya to the SorkaTTu that go (enru) 'tOm takiTa tiri taka tOm', pray listen (kEL) to what I say (Sonnadai).

anupallavi
tinnavum veNNaiyum selvamum tAnirukka selvamum sIrum annai nAnirukka punnagaiyum nannagaiyum kATTi pOdAdena oru kuzhalisaik-kUTTi innavena ariyA uLam mITTi ennagamum niraivAi iraivA

When there is (tAn irukka) butter (vaNNaiyum) and bounty (Selvamum) [1] to eat (tinnavum), and I (nAn), your beautiful (Selvamum SIrum) mother (annai) am here (irukka), I want you to entirely fill up (niRaivAi) my (en) soul/heart (agamum) as you stir (mITTi) my innocent/unknowing (innavena ariyA) heart (uLam) with the soulful music (iSai) you summon (kUTTi) from that (oru) flute (kuzhal) of yours, as if flashing (kATTi) your smile (punnagaiyum) and splendor (nannagai) were not sufficient (pOdAdena), my Lord (iraivA).

caraNam
allai ayalmanai senru kaLavADum tollai vazhakkukku nI pOgAdE
avar solla vandak-kOLuraigaL illai enru solvadu tUyavan nI unakkadu AgAdE
pullaik-kaDai tAngi mella ashai pODum ponnAna pashumandai nIngAdE
kaNNA ellai vanam tANDip-pOgAdE pOnAl iruLAgum pOdu tangalAgAdE
sonna sollai mIrum endan piLLai enru solla tONumpaDi naDavAdE sonna sollai taDavAdE

I request you (nI) to not get involved (pOgAdE) in the problems (tollai vazhakkuku) of stealing (kaLavADum) from the houses (mania) of the ladies (allay) in the neighborhood (ayal) that you enter (Senru), for refuting (illai enru Solvadu) the tales/charges (kOLuraigaL) they (avar) come (vandu) here to make (Solla) is not appropriate (adu AgAdE) for you (unakku), since you (nI) are pure one (tUyavan). This horde/herd (mandai) of wonderful/precious (ponnAna) [1] cows (paSu) that the grass (pullai) last so long (kaDai tAngi) and slowly (mella) chew (aSai pODum) on it will not go away (nIngAdE), so you do have to herd them. But please do not go (pOgAdE) beyond (tANDi) the forest (vanam) at the edge (ellai) of the town, and if you do end up (pOnAl) there, it will not do (AgAdE) to wait (tangal) until it gets dark (iruLAgum pOdu). Now, do not behave (naDavAdE) in a fashion that will make me think that (tOnumpaDi) my (endan) son (piLLai) is bound to violate (mIrum) my word (Sonna Sol); please do not disregard/dismiss (taDavAdE) what I say (Sonna Sollai).

[arasi]

Very nice song Ravi.
allai means vERu (other); so allai ayal manai means neigboring houses (meaning other than our home)--tautological, as akkam pakkam.

[smala]

Two birds of somewhat different feathers, these two compositions treat us to Yasoda's point of view -- motherly directives, cloaked in mild censure, issued to a willfully errant child, a known prankster who loves to play hooky. Appreciate the double trouble, Ravi.

What is the gEya nATakam?

[rshankar]

What is the gEya nATakam?

An opera

[smala]

An opera

Was hoping you'd elaborate on the kind of opera, the "gEya" part.

[rshankar]

Very nice song Ravi.
allai means vERu (other); so allai ayal manai means neigboring houses (meaning other than our home)--tautological, as akkam pakkam.

Thanks for the correction...

S-P: AFAIK, gEya nATakam is the term for an opera...Sri OVK is supposed to have written several of these, but I am not sure if the songs have been preserved in that format like the ones of Sri Arunacala Kavi (rAmanATakam), Sri Tyagaraja (naukA caritam and prahlAda bhakti vijayam) or Sri GKB (nandanAr caritram) etc...

[ksrimech]

Krishna will agree too.

Yes