A Translation of "mivalla guna" Song

Translation of "mivalla guna"

Is there any flaw (defect)

In your (personality) qualities? 

(Is there any defect, any imperfection

that can be ascribed to you, Sri Rama?)

Whatever defects (or deficiencies) there are -

They are all solely due to me, (O) Lotus petal eyed One!

If the gold does not reach 24 carat purity

(If the gold cannot be refined to maximum purity)

What’s the point in wailing and complaining

To the goldsmith?

If the mother can’t bear the labor pains

Of her daughter, why get angry at her 

Errant son-in-law?

Perhaps, in some earlier birth

I did not give (donate) to deserving person(s)

(Did not indulge in generous charitable acts)

Forgot to pray, then what’s the point in complaining 

To the gods now?

Luminous (shining)

You, whose feet are praised by Tyagaraja -

You have helped my love and mind

Remain steady and grow 

(You have helped my bhakti stay firm)

[I dedicate this translation to Dr. Balamuralikrishna. For many singers and music connoisseurs (particularly of Carnatic style), he was the guru in absentia. He taught us the emotional touch in vocal music, precision with diction, and how to convey the real meaning behind each word and phrase. That our birth places are separated by a mere distance of 36 miles, just half-an-hour's drive is something I would cherish forever. Foolishly I dream like the  (proximate) wild creeper on a Sandalwood tree, that perhaps I too can sing as sweetly as the great genius and child prodigy. I have seen many articles written on him including several pieces in the Telugu newspapers. Here I will add only two sentences: He was a versatile consummate artist reaching extraordinary heights in literature, music composition, and singing. Truly the legendary musician can only be compared with the Trinity in Carnatic music. He was a rare phenomenon, that occurs only once in several centuries. We will definitely remember him fondly through his works and new ragas. How lucky is our generation! We got to see and know (about) the great ones in Indian philosophy, Hindu (Sanatana) Dharma, Indian music, literature, and dance. Copyright 2024 by the author]  

Lyrics of "tiru venkatadhisa jagadisa" with English Transliteration

శ్రీశైల వాసా ....శేషాద్రి వాసా....

గరుడాద్రి వాసా ..వెంకటాద్రీశా...

నారాయణాద్రీశ..వృషభాద్రి వాసా ...

వృషశైల వాసా...

సర్వ లోకేశా...ఆ ఆ ఆ ఆ

తిరువెం (వేం) కటాధీశ , జగదీశా...

కరుణ నేలగ రావే, కమలేశా..ఆ..ఆ..

తిరువెంకటాధీశ , జగదీశా...

కోటి గొంతులు నిన్ను గోవింద యని పిలువ

కోటి చేతులు నీకు కోరి జోతలు చేయ,

కోరికలు తీర్చేటి కొంగు బంగారమై 

కొండలేడింటిపై కొలువు దీరేవయ్య

పాతకమ్ముల దీర్చు పంచ ధారల నడుమ 

బహు పుణ్యప్రదమైన స్వామి హ్రద తీరాన 

ఆనంద నిలయాన అందాన కొలువున్న 

ఆనందరూప మామ్మాదరింపగ రావె 

శివ  రూపమీవంచు చెప్పుదురు కొందరు 

ఆదిశక్తి వటంచు అందురింకొందరు 

నారాయణుండంచు నమ్ముదురిం కొందరు

మూడు శక్తులుగూడ ముచ్చటౌ రూపమ్ము  

SreeSaila vaasaa ....Saeshaadri vaasaa.... garuDaadri vaasaa ..veMkaTaadreeSaa... naaraayaNaadreeSa..vRshabhaadri vaasaa ... vRshaSaila vaasaa... sarva lOkaeSaa...aa aa aa aa tiruveM (vaeM) kaTaadheeSa , jagadeeSaa... karuNa naelaga raavae, kamalaeSaa..aa..aa.. tiruveMkaTaadheeSa , jagadeeSaa... kOTi goMtulu ninnu gOviMda yani piluva kOTi chaetulu neeku kOri jOtalu chaeya, kOrikalu teerchaeTi koMgu baMgaaramai koMDalaeDiMTipai koluvu deeraevayya paatakammula deerchu paMcha dhaarala naDuma bahu puNyapradamaina svaami hrada teeraana aanaMda nilayaana aMdaana koluvunna aanaMdaroopa maammaadariMpaga raave Siva roopameevaMchu cheppuduru koMdaru aadiSakti vaTaMchu aMduriMkoMdaru naaraayaNuMDaMchu nammuduriM koMdaru mooDu SaktulugooDa muchchaTau roopammu

(shanumukha priya ragam)

[అధీశ = Lord, Great King, Emperor; జగదీశ = Lord of

the Universe;

jotalu = salutation with clasped hands, holding clasped hands overhead (?); hrada = deep waters, about waist deep, deep lake or part of a river.

There are a number of "classic" songs on Pedda Venkanna (as many of us fondly call the Lord of Seven Hills). These songs are known to many and as children we listened to these through a nearby loudspeaker during festive seasons. Such songs were also played before the evening first show (6:00 pm) in theaters. We do not know their authorship - these masterpieces are beyond the usual measures of money, authorship, and popularity. They stand on their own intrinsic merit. Great composers and vocalists like Ghantasala (ఘంటసాల) imparted life and soul to such songs.

Who can say the Lord would not listen and respond to such soul-stirring outpourings from Srirangaratnam, Susheela, M S Subbulakshmi, or Leela? Just a word of caution for the younger singers here: Foremost learn all the Telugu consonants and vowels; and then the double and triple consonants. Go to the Internet and learn to speak all the aspirated hard consonants (ex: dha, pha,). Do not commit errors in diction; do not say a soft consonant “da” as “dha” or vice versa. The Devi of Learning (Sarada) will get hurt every time we do such infractions – it does not matter whether we do it knowingly or unknowingly. That is the reason why we must listen to only great singers like Ghantasala and learn Telugu/Sanskrit only from really qualified scholars. Later I may look into the meaning of this song in greater details.] Copyright 2023 by the author 

The Indian Cucumber

Indian Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus)

For me gardening is a hobby – an activity that keeps my fingers nimble and body free of aches. I try to grow plants with minimal inputs like some of the best (and brilliant) Indian farmers. On the Internet, particularly on YouTube there are many nice videos that explain about gardening, about growing anything except hair on the head. I learned gardening from my mother with a rusty kitchen spatula (the tool used to turn dosas) and watching countless amateur gardeners. Luckily I got good training from horticulture professors also. In these posts I try to put out useful information for the readers. In some instances I’ve kindled interest in a few friends too. I do not have the last word on any plant or gardening technique. We all learn by sharing our failures and knowledge with others. At most hobbyists try to share fun and joy around. That’s all.

Now let us come to this unique simple vegetable. We call it “Dosa-kaya (దోసకాయ)” in Telugu. There is another closely related variety of this spherical fruit (vegetable) in south India. That one is more like the American football in shape, sort of an ellipsoid but has the same yellowish color when fully ripened. Here, many years ago all the Indian vegetables used to be very precious and scarce. There used to be one Asian grocery store and all the Asian countries’ culinary spices and vegetables (Korean, Indian, etc.) were lumped into one little store or corner isle. There we would find some eggplants and one or two Indian vegetables – that too if we were lucky. Now much has changed and we have several grocery stores catering exclusively to Indian customers. So, now we have the luxury of getting betel leaves, dosakaya, and many other things from the subcontinent. 

I find growing this vine (creeper) much easier than the common American cucumber. Compared to the ubiquitous common cucumber, this Indian dosakaya is pest free and asks for very little extra care. Originally we got this plant through pure chance. I must have sprinkled a few seeds into the pot during winter. Due to the snow and severe chilly weather there is no outdoor gardening in winters here. We keep several indoor (container) plants for flowers (hibiscus, jasmine, crossandra, geranium, etc.), couple of herbs (marjoram), and some foliage plants. Ideally one should plant the seeds in tiny pots with peat moss (coconut peat, vermiculite) about four weeks before the spring. That way we get heads up and can have nice three months for this dosakaya vine to grow. Anyway, we got several seedlings growing nicely in the indoor plant. In the beginning we didn’t know anything. I could not identify the plant because we never had any contact with this strange vine. It went on growing by leaps and bounds.

So, one day I just transplanted the seedlings to a nice big pot with a bit of compost. I added a tomato steel cage to provide some support for the wandering vine. Suddenly we found ourselves with tiny yellow flowers and small round yellow colored fruits. In Telugu kids used to call this vegetable as “nakka dosakaya”. That is it is referred as “Fox Dosakaya”. This may be because the farmer collects all the green fruits and puts them into a big pit in the ground. They are covered with dry leaves for a bit of ripening process. Eventually the fruit gets yellow color and now it is ready for the market. The fox also lives and raises its family in a cave or underground burrow. Hence the name “nakka dosakaya (నక్క దోసకాయ)”!    

We mostly use this vegetable to make subji with dal or chutney. The reader can find lots of recipes on the Internet. Also in many Andhra marriages this dosakaya is served as a freshly made hot pickle. Normally people use the pickle for three or four days and usually it gets exhausted by then. Not like the other pickles like mango, gongura, lime, citron, red chilli, tamarind, or amla. But with the advent of fridge one can keep this dosakaya pickle also for months without any spoilage or dulling of taste. 

This humble vegetable has quite a few medicinal uses. It acts as diuretic and is beneficial for urinary troubles (burning, dripping). The fruit is helpful for treating piles and easing thirst. In some situations the patient is advised to limit the intake of fluids (especially heart patients). Fully ripened fruit may produce diarrhea, so one should be careful. Antidotes for dosakaya are: ginger, saunf, salt, honey, black pepper powder, wheat flour, and ganuga seeds decoction. Tender dosakaya works for nausea and it boosts energy. Seeds and seed powder are also useful for medicinal purposes. Earlier seeds were used for typhus fever. Copyright 2023 by the author

Lyrics of "dhirunaku vanadhi" Song

సాహిత్యము: భక్త రామదాసు  (1620 -1688)

ధీరునకు వనధి గంభీరునకు దుష్ట సంహారునకు 

ఘనమణీ హారునకును 

హర కర్పూర నీహార హీరా పటీర తారాళి కీర్తి విస్తారునకును  

జయ మంగళం - సదా (నిత్య) శుభ మంగళం 

మంగళము రామునకు మహిత శుభ నామునకు 

మంగళము సీతా సమేతునకును  

మంగళము సుర మకుట మణి లలిత పాదునకు

మంగళము క్షీరాబ్ధి  మందిరునకు

ఆద్యునకు బ్రహ్మాది వేద్యునకు  దుర్మద భేద్యునకు భవరోగ వైద్యునకు 

సద్యః ఫల ప్రదునకాద్యంత రహితునకు విద్యా వివేక జన హృద్యునకును 

జయ మంగళం - నిత్య శుభ మంగళం 

జైత్రునకు సౌమిత్రి మిత్రునకు  భక్త వన చైత్రునకు నవ పద్మ నేత్రునకును 

మిత్ర వంశాబ్ధి సన్మిత్రునకు 

సుర వినుత  పాత్రునకు జగద వని సూత్రునకును 

జయ మంగళం - సదా శుభ మంగళం 

dheerunaku vanadhi gaMbheerunaku dushTa saMhaarunaku ghanamaNee haarunakunu hara karpoora neehaara heeraa paTeera taaraaLi keerti vistaarunakunu jaya maMgaLaM - sadaa (nitya) Subha maMgaLaM maMgaLamu raamunaku mahita Subha naamunaku maMgaLamu seetaa samaetunakunu maMgaLamu sura makuTa maNi lalita paadunaku maMgaLamu ksheeraabdhi maMdirunaku aadyunaku brahmaadi vaedyunaku durmada bhaedyunaku bhavarOga vaidyunaku sadya@h phala pradunakaadyaMta rahitunaku vidyaa vivaeka jana hRdyunakunu jaya maMgaLaM - nitya Subha maMgaLaM jaitrunaku saumitri mitrunaku bhakta vana chaitrunaku nava padma naetrunakunu mitra vaMSaabdhi sanmitrunaku sura vinuta paatrunaku jagada vani sootrunakunu jaya maMgaLaM - sadaa Subha maMgaLaM

 

(I gathered the lyrics from Gollapudi Book and Mrs. Vedavathi Prabhakar’s rendition.

Often I get annoyed for not knowing many 'Arati' songs. As part of the traditional puja, devotional songs are included in the end while offering the "camphor flame" to Lord Rama. Over the years it seems I neglected Sri Bhakta Ramadasu (Gopanna) and his extraordinary output of devotional songs (kirtanas). Dr. Balamurali spent his last days singing Ramadasu's compositions. How lucky he was and how fortunate to remember Rama's name!

In the Carnatic music tradition there are many composers besides the trinity (Tyagaraju, Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri). The saying "Art is long and Life is short" comes to mind. Thus, for our own convenience and bound by time constraints we tend to dwell on only a few songs. Or, mostly emphasize the songs taught by our teachers. But here is a gem - this composition riveted my attention for ten days. First to learn the tune properly and second to grasp each word (phrase) and its meaning. Smt. Vedavathi did an excellent job of rendition. She must be congratulated for bringing out this rare composition to the wider public. Copyright 2023 by the author) Vedavathi rendition

Furry Friend (A Rainy day Poem)

Furry Friend

Innocence or 

Carefree attitude

Some get it, some don’t

It’s not something you acquire

Or, learn gradually

When I stepped out

It was totally overcast

Drab, gloomy, soggy

You might say

It’s a rainy day – to put it simply

But as I ventured out

With a light umbrella

There I came across

A light brown jovial dog

Man’s best friend -

A Terrier perhaps

You got to see

Its sprightliness, playfulness

It stomped on the puddles

Rolled on the wet grass

Played to its heart’s content

On the muddy brown waters

The owner didn’t mind it either

There 

In the drizzle, halting rain

We three

Enjoyed the outdoors

I could see my 

Middle school days

Vividly on my mental screen

Then and there in the coastal

Village 

We had distinct seasons

Six to count

Summer means just hot 

Blistering scorching vertical 

Rays with cool jasmine aroma filled

Nights and mangoes

Rainy season with downpours

Puddles, tanks with croaking frogs

Brown slippery muddy streets

Once we had a rainy day holiday

The distant pupils couldn’t make it

Treading wearily thro’ the slippery

Muddy farms’ edges

So

Mother asked me to go and study

At the tuition master’s house

Just less than a block down the lane

I rushed out in the drizzle

Weaving through the little puddles

And then slipped on the viscous mud

And fell again not once, but thrice

Every time soiling the clothes

Mom got annoyed

Got a little angry

“No, you aren’t going anywhere

In this rain. Stay home with underwear.”

She had so many dirty clothes -

Washing ‘em during monsoon

Isn’t an easy chore

I was housebound with nobody

To play, no fun to spend time

Those were the days

In the village

No radio, no TV, no cell phones

No PDA’s, no iPhone either

Confined to two rooms

With my sister and mom

What a marvelous rainy day!

I miss those days

I miss my sister and mother

I also miss our

Pure white Pomeranian

That would never miss

A dusting in the roadside dirt

After a thorough shampoo bath in the canal

But I am glad for those

Sweet memories

Couldn’t have asked for better parents

Or siblings – they all loved me dearly   

Copyright 2023 by the author

Lyrics of "pibare rama rasam" Song

పిబరే రామరసమ్ 

పిబరే రామరసమ్ - రసనే 

దూరీకృత పాతక సంసర్గం 

పూరిత నానావిధ ఫలవర్గమ్ 

జనన మరణభయ శోకవిదూరం 

సకల శాస్త్ర నిగమాగమ సారమ్ 

పరిపాలిత సరసిజ గర్భాణ్డం

పరమ పవిత్రీకృత పాషణ్డం

శుద్ధ పరమ హంసాశ్రమ (హంస ఆశ్రమ) గీతం 

శుక శౌనక కౌశిక ముఖ పీతమ్ 

पिबरे राम रसम् 

पिबरे राम रसम् - रसने 

दूरीकृत पातक संसर्गम् 

पूरित नानाविध फलवर्गम् 

जनन मरणभय शोक विदूरं  

सकल शास्त्र निगमागम सारम् 

परिपालित सरसिज गर्भाण्डम् 

परम पवित्रीकृत पाषाण्डम् 

शुद्ध परम हंसाश्रम गीतं 

शुक शौनक कौशिक मुख पीतम् 

pibarae raamarasam^ pibarae raamarasam^ - rasanae dooreekRta paataka saMsargaM poorita naanaavidha phalavargam^ janana maraNabhaya SOkavidooraM sakala Saastra nigamaagama saaram^ paripaalita sarasija garbhaaNDaM parama pavitreekRta paashaNDaM Suddha parama haMsaaSrama (haMsa aaSrama) geetaM Suka Saunaka kauSika mukha peetam^

Dr. Balamuralikrishna's rendition

M. S. Subbulakshmi's voice

(How to explain and explore this devotional song? It is not easy to go into its depths. But its simple exhortation to utter Sri Rama's name continuously, incessantly, and without any apparent reason - is enough for any beginner.  We'll look into each phrase carefully later. Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra Swamy assured one thing - by invoking his guru's name in each song, he assured "timelessness" to all his compositions. We cannot say who is greater, is it the guru? Or, is the disciple greater than the guru? For us, both are very helpful in our arduous journey. Copyright 2023 by the author) 

కరోనా ఘాతము (Corona's Blow) - A Telugu Poem on Corona

కరోనా ఘాతము (కవన వీడ్కోలు)

లేదు 

ఇప్పుడు ఇనగంటి (ఇనకంటి) కుటుంబం లో 

మా సూరీడు 

ఎప్పుడూ నిండు మొగముతో, తెల్ల జుత్తుతో

పెన్సిల్ మీసముతో, తెల్ల చొక్కా పైజమా వేస్తే 

గుల్జార్ లా ఉండేవారు  

నవ్వుతూ మాట్లాడు కొనేవాళ్ళం

ఉద్వేగ భరిత వాదోపవాదాలు

జోకులు, అప్పుడప్పుడు నన్ను

ఆట పట్టించే వారు

అంతలోమర్చిపోయే వాళ్ళం 

ఇప్పటికి

కళ్ళలోజ్ఞాపకాలు సినిమా బొమ్మాల్లా

కదుల్తాయి -

శ్రీశైలములో కరివేన సత్రములో 

కలిసి భోంచేయడం

పెళ్ళికి ముందూ, పెళ్ళికి తర్వాత కూడా 

చాలా సార్లు నాగపూర్ స్టేషన్లో బండి ఎక్కించడమూ 

లేని రిజర్వేషన్లు, బెర్త్ సృష్టించడమూ మా ‘భైయా’ కే సాధ్యము 

ఎన్ని విషయాలు చర్చించుకునే వాళ్ళము -

ముళ్ల మొక్కలు దగ్గర్నుంచి, రాజకీయాలు, విజ్ఞానము 

ఆరోగ్య శాస్త్రము, సాహిత్యము 

ఎక్కడ దొరుకుతారు - అటువంటి అపురూప వ్యక్తి?

నాల్గు భాషలు క్షుణ్ణముగా ఎవరికి తెలుసు ఈనాడు?

ఎవరితో మాట్లాడ గలము ఇప్పుడు 

నాగపూర్ పోతుకూచి సుబ్రహ్మణ్య శాస్త్రి గారి గురించి

ఎవరికి అర్ధ మవుతాయి? ఈ నిగూఢ రహస్యాలు 

ప్రపంచంలోనే మహా ఉంటే పదిమంది ఉంటారు

మీ ఆత్మ

ఇప్పుడు ఎక్కడ ఉన్నా 

పరమ శాంతి సుఖాలతో సుందర ఉద్యానవనాల

ఫల పుష్ప రసాల పిక కపూత శ్రేణి భరిత లతా కుంజములలో

పచ్చపొలాల మధ్య నదీ ప్రవాహాల లాహరిలో సఖులతో 

ఆనంద డోలికలలో 

విహరించుగాక 

తదుపరి -

“అహం బ్రహ్మాస్మి” సిద్ధి కల్గు గాక!

Copyright 2020 by the author

English Translation of this poem was posted here at Corona's Blow