Exploring the song "nagumomu ganaleni"
Of the many devotional songs written by Tyagaraju, the song "Nagumomu ganaleni..." is truly a gem, incomparable in its beauty, meter, and profound meaning. Dr. Balamuralikrishna's rendition (in some old cassette) of the song is very emotive and moving. Equally beautiful is the version sung by Bhanumati (a poly-math!). Sometimes it is difficult to decipher Tyagaraju's songs because they were written almost two hundred years ago. A huge gulf exists between the Telugu of the bygone era and today's lingua. One needs to know Sanskrit also, to truly understand these songs. Many of the errors in pronunciation (diction) can be avoided by learning these two languages thoroughly. One encounters similar difficulties with the melodious, kaleidoscopic poetry of Annamacharya.
Nagu=smiling; momu = face; ganaleni = unable to see; na=mine; jali=state of pity; telisi = having known, cognizant; nanu = me; brova = to save; rarada= won't you come? Sri raghuvara = Sri Rama
Nagaraja dhara = Krishna, the one who lifted Govardhana Mountain*; needu = your; parivaramu = friends, family members; ella = all; oogi = bowed sequentially, in succession, in a row, one after another; bodhana = pleading; jese = doing; varalu = people; gaare = aren’t they; itulu = thus, in this way; undire = be, remain; nee = your;
Khagaraju = Jatayu†; nee = your; aa (ya)nati = command, order, instruction; vini = having heard; vega = swiftly; jana = left; ledoo = not (did not?); gaganaaniki = to the sky; ilaku = to (from) the earth; bahu = very, extreme; durambani = being far; nadoo = then, that day; jagamele = world ruling; paramatma = supreme soul; evarito = with whom, to whom?; moralidido = will I plead; vaga = anger, neglect; jupaku = do not show; taalanu = can not bear; nannelukora = take me into your rule, protect me, have grace upon me; Tyagaraja nuta = praised by Tyagaraja.
The scene is that of Sita's abduction. Jatayu comes to the rescue of the unconscious Sita and fights valiantly with Ravana till his last breath. This moment in Ramayana is perhaps the most poignant, rather heart-breaking one. The gods in the sky are jubilant, because the event marks the beginning of the downfall of Ravana. At the same time, the gods are also keenly aware that they are witnessing a distressed Lakshmi. Does Jatayu take to his wings after hearing the command from Lord Vishnu? Does the enormous distance between the earth and sky overwhelm him? Does he wait for the command from Rama? Does Jatayu really need the specific instruction from Maha Vishnu? Perhaps yes. And no. In the following line, Tyagaraju addresses the Lord with two titles – the World Ruler and the Supreme Soul. In the bhakti tradition, it is axiomatically accepted that Vishnu has the supreme authority on everything and he can dictate whatever action is appropriate with his intention (samkalpa). The only exception to this rule is: some times the wish of an ardent devotee will override the intention of Vishnu. Also, the Lord is considered as transcendent and therefore has myriad ways of acting at his disposal - some involving explicit intention and some without intention. (Cf. In the Vamana-avatara He simply extends His foot to reach the entire sky, no explicit intent is involved. See my earlier blog on Annamayya’s kirtana, “Brahma kadigina padamu”.)
In one sense, Sita did not need Jatayu's help. Sita was none other than Maha Lakshmi, a goddess with enormous powers. If Sita wanted, She herself would have confronted Ravana. In Ramayana, primary importance is given to Sri Rama. The king of asuras, Ravana obtained a boon from Brahma that no god could defeat or kill him in combat. The Lord came to the earth to lead the life of a human and confronted Ravana as a (mere) human being. In all the avatars (ex: the ten avatars), there is one common thread - the avatar (avatara) is the source of power, life, beauty, and perfection. Other characters may be present during the life of an avatara (such as Lakshmana, Balarama) but they play a supporting role, always in consonance with the principal character (of the avatara). The supporting characters tend to be silent or dormant, very rarely exhibiting their extraordinary powers. This interesting principle has been explained by several Indian philosophers. Thus, at the time of Sita's abduction, both Sita and Lakshmana behave just as human beings, never asserting their true powers. Lord Vishnu bears enormous suffering in all the avatars; but He has to endure much pain and distress in the Rama avatar. Here, as soon as he became adolescent he was off to help Viswamitra. After marriage, both Sita and Rama moved to live in the forest. After Ravana's death, Rama and Sita were separated again after the coronation. One may ask why did Vishnu accept the Rama avatar? Of all the trinity, Brahma - Vishnu - Maheswara, Vishnu again and again took avatars and sought to help the mankind. No one can be considered as compassionate as Hari. I used the original Sanskrit word avatara instead of the often-used word "incarnation". One of the well-known philosophers suggested the English word "manifestation" as an equivalent word for "avatar". (See J. Krishnamurti's 'Truth and Actuality'). Since Lord Vishnu is no mortal, perhaps it would be incorrect to interpret the ten avatars as ten incarnations. The Sanskrit etymology gives the meaning as “the star descending to the earth”.
The origin of das-avatar (via Ambareesha) is an interesting tale in the Hindu mythology (purana) studded with many iridescent insights into religion (See Srimad-Bhagavatam). It is a story par excellence.
[This was originally posted at Sulekha while I was just beginning to learn Carnatic music and dive deep into Telugu poetry. Then I did not have much access to the reference works of Sanskrit and Telugu. Now much more information is available on the Internet including some rare original Telugu works on Jayadeva and Kshetrayya. Though I could edit this post after more than a decade – I leave it unchanged. I am posting here on the Google blog site for the larger audience across the continents. I have only one remark to add: At the outset we witness the sad face of the great composer, pleading Lord Rama for a “manifestation of His smiling kind face”. Yet in the second stanza, we stumble upon an utterly human Rama with a dejected, sorrowful face; like all the mortals He too experiences the pain of (wife) Sita’s loss. Sadly there is no smiling face in this entire song. The situation is too profound, very moving – one sheds tears upon hearing this song. It seems Tyagaraju was sad because he saw Lord’s face in his inner recesses of heart. But for some reason that instant Sri Rama’s face was overcast with sorrow (due to the abduction of Sita).
I wonder whether many artists truly internalize and assimilate the total depth and meaning of the context. Great pundits (ex: Madhusudana Saraswati, Dr. P.S. Sastri) and Paramahamsa Sri Ramakrishna knew about real pathos, bhakti, and love (sringara). We may pretend to know real art, beauty, or truth. But only a select few can touch “that beauty”. Sadly many singers do not understand this great composition; nor can they feel the true profundity of this marvelous piece. I’ve diligently read Telugu poetical Ramayana and other texts many times; I try to find any errors in this interpretation but I could not. Several devotees expressed their anguish at the plight of Sita and Rama in the forest, getting separated, and sad without any help from nature or people. The situation continues till Anjaneya enters the scene. The Lord need not undertake such a painful avatara but for the loving compassion towards His devotees, rishis, and helpless citizens. Copyright 2007, 2021 by the author]
(For Further Reading: 1. Tyagaraja kirtana, “brova bharama” 2. Bhaskara Ramayanamu,
*We have two instances where the Lord (Narayana, Krishna) lifted mountains. The first event happened in Kurma-avatara. The second time Lord Krishna lifts the Govardhana to protect the gopis from the onslaught of Indra’s wrath, of scarring thunderstorms, hails, and disastrous cyclonic storms.
† Invoking Garuda here in this instance does not seem appropriate. If we read Maha-Bharata and Ramayana, we come to know the extraordinary prowess of Garuda. He brought Amrita to release his mother (Vinati) from slavery, that too after valiantly fighting Lord Indra. We again witness his swift action (in Ramayana) on the battlefield to instantly neutralize the snake poison.
