ikshvAku kula tilaka - bhadrAcala rAmadAsu

[Enna_Solven]

See the discussion here:
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16516

Here is where I got it from and made some spelling corrections. [edit] There are some spelling and stanza order differences from Lji's version.
http://www.sangeetasudha.org/ramadasu/index.html

pallavi
ikshvAku kula tilaka ika naina palukavE rAmacandrA
nannu rakshimpa kunnanu rakshaku levarinka rAmacandrA
Oh Ramachandra, the noblest person of Ikshvaku dynasty, if you don’t protect me, who else is there for me?

anupallavi
cuTTu prAkaramulu somputo gaTTisti rAmacandrA
A prAkAramula ku baTTe padi vELa varahAlu rAmacandrA
I got the ramparts around the temple built, spending ten thousand varahAalu (money denomination), Oh Ramachandra.

caraNam
gOpura manTapAlu kuduruga gaTTisti rAmacandrA
nanu krottaga cUDaga nittari brOvumu rAmacandrA
I got the pavilions built in the towers.
Please don’t treat me as a stranger. Protect me, Oh Ramachandra.

bharatunaku cEyisti paccala patakamu rAmacandrA
A patakanunaku paTTe padi vEla varahAlu rAmacandrA
I offered an emerald medallion to Bharata, spending ten thousand varahAlu, Oh Ramachandra.

Satrujnunaku cEyisti bangAru molatrAdu rAmacandrA
A molatrATiki paTTe mohareelu padivElu rAmacandrA
I presented a gold belt to Satrughna, spending ten thousand moharilu, Oh Ramachandra.

lakshmaNunaku cEyisti mutyAla patakamu rAmacandrA
A patakamunaku paTTe padi vEla varahAlu rAmacandrA
I presented a beautiful pearl medallion to Lakshmana spending ten thousand varahAlu, Oh Ramachandra.

seetammaku cEyisti cintAku patakamu rAmacandrA
A patakamunaku paTTe padi vEla varahAlu rAmacandrA
I offered a valuable ornament to Mother Sita, costing ten thousand varahAlu, Oh Ramachandra.

vAhanamulu meeku varusato cEyisti rAmacandrA
jaganmOhana sankeLLu vEsiri rAmacandrA
I presented vahanas (vehicles) to each one of you, but my legs are chained, oh Lord that entices the whole universe.

kaliki turAyi neeku merupuga cEyiste rAmacandrA
neevu kulukucu tirigEdavu evarabba sommani rAmacandrA
I presented you a pretty and glittering plume with which you go about in all pride. Do you think you inherited all this treasure?

mee tanDri daSaratha mahArAju peTTenA rAmacandrA
lEka mee mAma janaka mahArAju pampena rAmacandrA
Did emperor Dasaratha, your father, present you with all these ornaments? Or, did emperor Janaka, your father-in-law send them to you, Oh Ramachandra?

abba tiTTitinani AyAsa paDavaddu rAmacandrA
ee debbala kOrvaka abba tiTTitinayya rAmacandrA
Pardon me, don’t be weary. I blamed you because I was not able to bear the torture, Oh Ramachandra.

ETi challina neeLLAye nA bratuku rAmacandrA
nEnu adhamurAlu kanTe anyAyamaitini rAmacandrA
My life has become useless like the water sprinkled on a river. I became worse than the most down trodden, Oh Ramachandra.

sarkAru paikamu truNamuga enchaka rAmacandrA
debbalu tinalEnu apputeerpumayya rAmacandrA
I didn’t consider that the government money was so precious, while spending it for you. Now, I cannot bear the lashes any more. Redeem me from this debt, Oh Ramachandra.

kausalya putruDa daSaratha tanayuDa rAmacandrA
kAvu kshEmamuga bhadradri nelakonna Sri rAmacandrA
Oh son of Dasaratha and Kausalya, you established your self well in Bhadrachalam. Please save me.

bhaktu landarini paripAlincEDi Sri rAmacandrA
neevu kshEmamuga Sri rAmadAsuni Elumu rAmacandrA
Oh Ramachandra, you are the savior of all devotees. Please protect and take care of Sri Rama dasu.

[vs_manjunath]

Thanks for this posting. Really a heart melting song ! We really don't know how hard were the lashes he received for building the temple.

[aaaaabbbbb]

It is said that Bhakta Ramadasu had to stay in a crouched position during his stay in jail.
The place where he was jailed is still existing in Golconda fort.It is carved out of a hillock
and it is difficult to imagine how he stayed there.
In c5, 'seetammaku cEyisti cintAku patakamu' means 'got a medallion with a design of tamarind
leaves for Mother Seeta'.
[It is unimaginable, how in those days such an intricate design could be made by hands.]
In c6, 'vAhanamulu meeku varusato cEyisti rAmacandrA
jaganmOhana sankeLLu vEsiri rAmacandrA' means 'presented vahanas (vehicles) to each
one of you, but my legs are chained,Enticer of The World' [jaganmohana]
In c11, 'sarkAru paikamu truNamuga enchaka' means 'Oh!Lord,Do not count the government
money as mere grass'

[Enna_Solven]

I have been to Golconda fort and seen the drawings that was supposed to have been carved by Sri Ramadasu with his finger nails on the soft rock of his cell walls.

[vs_manjunath]

I also had been to Golconda fort and have seen the place where Sri Bhadrachala Ramadasu was imprisoned. After Dr MBK's LP on BR's compositions, i purchased a telugu book which contains BR's life as well as his compositions.Much before this LP, MSS & GNB had popularised "eNagAnu rAma bhajana" in Pantuvarali( MSS was on an EP). yE maiyya rAma(Kambodhi) is a favourite of Nedunuri. DKJ has popularised "rAma daya jUdave " in Dhanyasi. Each song is so unique full of emotions as demonstrated by the above song.

Saint Tyagaraja must have mentioned abt Sri Ramadasu in quite a no. of compositions, two compositions immediately comes to my mind:
(a) kshIra sAgara shayanA naNu( dEva gAndhari)
(b) kaligiyunte gAdha(kIravAni)

In both these songs, charanam refers to Sri Ramadasu. BR being an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Saint Tyagaraja might have enjoyed all his emotive compositions and might have got motivated.

[rshankar]

This is one of my dad's favorite compositions...
IIRC, the context of this song is: Sri Ramadasa was given a certain amount of gold and sent on the king's business. Instead, he spent the money on the temple in bhadrAcalam, and was imprisoned when the king heard about it. In this song, Sri rAmadAsa is giving account for the money he spent...he mentions all the kainkaryamulu that he's performed, and lays out what each of them costs: the ramparts around the temple, the pavillions in the towers, the cintAku patakamu for sItA, paccala patAkamu for bharata, the mutyAla patakamu for lakshmaNa, the bangAru molatrAdu for SatRughna, the glittering ornament for rAma, vAhanas for all of them etc....He then says 'idu ellAm unga appA vITTu sottA, illai unga mAmanArtAn koDuttArO?' (is this your inheritance from you father, or did all this come from your father-in-law?) - when you know that I had to spend this money on you and sItA and your brothers, how can you let me suffer at the mercy of the king?

[vs_manjunath]

In a strange co-incidence the Rishimukh magazine publ by Art of Living( Sri Sri Ravishankarji ) has covered this Bhadrachalam temple in the present issue. I am enjoying this song in the background of the said article. It has been my long desire to visit this temple. I hope it will happen in the near future.

[aaaaabbbbb]

rshankar ji,
You are right.
It feels as if Bhakta Ramdasu is conversing with Sri Rama.