Translation required - Thevaram (Bhairavi, Adi)

[gomzy2584]

My humble Namaskarams to all the great Gurus and rasikas of this forum.

Could anybody please help me with the translation of following lyrics - of Sri. Thirugnanasambhandar's thevaram composition (Ragam : Bhairavi, Thalam : Adi) ?

yAmAmAn^I yAmAmA yAzIkAmA kANAkA
kANAkAmA kAzIyA mAmAyAn^I mAmAyA.
yAkAyAzI kAyAkA thAyArArA thAyAyA
yAyAthArA rAyAthA kAyAkAzI yAkAyA.
thAvAmUvA thAchAkA zIn^AthAn^I yAmAmA
mAmAyAn^I thAn^AzI kAchAthAvA mUvAthA.
n^ErakazAmitha yAchazithA yEnaniyEnani LAyuzikA
kAziyuLAnina yEninayE thAzichayAthami zAkaranE.

Thank you in advance.

[Rajani]

Dear Gomzy, if you can read Tamil, a detailed explanation is here:

http://thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/onepa ... Field=3117

[gomzy2584]

Thanks Rajani. But unfortunately I can't read Tamil.

Is there an English translation as well ?

[Rajani]

The site's English translation seems still under construction. Here is my take (based on the Tamil one given):

These verse are of a particular type of Chitra-kavi called "maalai-maatram" i.e. each 2 lines is a palindrome. A "maalai" garland has two parts each of which is a mirror-reflection of the other and hence the Tamil name.

yAmAmA - Are we (men) capable of much?
n^I yAmAm - You are the most powerful!
mA yAzI - O one playing a big Veena!
kAmA - O handsome one like Manmatha!
kANAkA - O one seen wearing snakes!
kANAkAmA - O one who made Manmatha disappear (die)!
kAzIyA - O resident of Sirgazhi!
mAmAyA - O great deluder ( or one who manifests as Vishnu)!
n^I mAmAyA - You please destroy my delusion.

yAkA - O embodiment of Vedic Yagas!
yAzI -O Veena-player!
kAyA - O one who takes a form (for devotees to adore)
kAthA - O destroyer!
yArAr - Whoever it is,
A thAyAyAy - you are the birth-giving mother
AyA - O inscrutable one!
thAr Ar AyA - You have the Aathi flower as your garland!
thAkAyA - O one who enchanted the Rishi's wives!
kAzIyA - O resident of Sirgazhi!
kA yA - Protect (us) from everything (that is evil)!

[Rajani]

thAvA mUvA - O one who never dies or ages!
thAchA - O one attained through the ten (paths)!
kAzIn^AthA - O lord of Sirgazhi!
n^I yAmA - O one dancing in the night (Yaama) which everyone else avoids!
mA - O great one!
mA mAyAn^I - O one having the great animal (bull, elephant) as vehicle(yaanam)!
thAn^AzI - O one like the ocean in generosity!
kA chA - Save (me) from death!
thA, vA - Give (me boons), come!
mU vAthA - You are the ancient five elements such as the wind.


n^ErakazAm - which destroy straight-forwardness, integrity 2
ithayAchazi - O destroyer of the evils/faults of the heart 1
thAyEnaniyE - Only you can take on the good role of a mother! 3
naniL - O one intent on doing good! 4
Ayuzi kA - Protect (us) at the time of despair! 5

kAziyuLAnin - of the lord of Sirgazhi 7
naiyE ninayE - to those melting and contemplating (thus) 8
thAzichayA - no degradation shall occur 9
thamizAkaranE - (thus says) Sambandar the abode of Tamil! 6.

Please read the last verse in the order of numbers to make sense of the English version

[aaaaabbbbb]

Rajani,

When I saw your post#2

I was disappointed.

Now I am happy that you have

translated the composition beautifully.

Thank you

Regards.

[Rajani]

Thank you Savitriji

[gomzy2584]

Thank you for the detailed translation Rajani ji.

[rshankar]

Rajani! A very complex concept couched in even more complex language! Thank you for unraveling it! Beautiful.

[Rajani]

Ravi, thanks. But the credit really goes to the great Tamil scholar who has unravelled it from classical Tamil to contemporary Tamil. Translating the latter to English is not too difficult.

The first verse alone has been explained by Kanchi Mahaswami in one of the Deivathin Kural books, so I was familiar with and dared to delve.