Telugu Song on Shirdi Sai with Translation

పదే పదే నీ పాదములపై వ్రాలి 

పరితపింతునో ఓ సాయి నాధా  | పదే | 

తెలియక కొన్ని(యు) తెలిసి కొన్నియు 

తెలివి లేక పలు దుష్కృతముల్ 

దురితము లెన్నో చేసితి (మున్ను) సాయి  

పశ్చాత్తాపమే గతియై నేడు         | పదే | 

బ్రహ్మము తెలియదు బ్రహ్మానంద మెఱుగ 

పరబ్రహ్మ మేరీతి కాంతునో 

మిణుగురు పురుగై పరిభ్రమింతు 

దారిలేని ఈ విషయారణ్యమునన్ | పదే | 

ధ్యానము కుదరదు, యోగము రాదు 

తన్మయత్వమె కృప సేయరాదా ?

నీ నామమె నా మదిలో నిల్పుము 

నీ చూపుయే నాకు శ్రీరామ రక్ష  Copyright 2022 by the author

padae padae nee paadamulapai vraali 

paritapiMtunO O saayi naadhaa  | padae | 

teliyaka konni(yu) telisi konniyu 

telivi laeka palu dushkRtamul^ 

duritamu lennO chaesiti (munnu) saayi  

paSchaattaapamae gatiyai naeDu         | padae | 

brahmamu teliyadu brahmaanaMda me~ruga 

parabrahma maereeti kaaMtunO 

miNuguru purugai paribhramiMtu 

daarilaeni ee vishayaaraNyamunan^ | padae | 

dhyaanamu kudaradu, yOgamu raadu 

tanmayatvame kRpa saeyaraadaa ?

nee naamame naa madilO nilpumu 

nee choopuyae naaku Sreeraama raksha 

Again and again

I prostrate at your feet

And meditate with anguish

O Sai, O Lord

Some (I did) without knowing

Some more I indulged knowingly

Lacking wisdom I committed

Many bad acts

Did many sins (earlier) – Sai

Today my only 

Refuge is contrition, repentance

I do not know

What is Brahman 

Never felt the (true) great ecstasy (Brahma-ananda)

How will I ever discover the Para-Brahman?

I

Keep on wandering like

A firefly

(Lost)

In this pathless forest

Filled with all distracting objects

Cannot keep focused 

On the Dhyana

Never able to

(I cannot)

Learn the (real) Yoga

Won’t you bestow the “essence of meditation”?

(Always keep your name in my mind)

Let your name stay ensconced in my mind

Your glance is my protective shield

Like Sri Rama’s blessed assurance Copyright 2022 by the author

(This is a faithful translation keeping the meaning and feeling intact. Obviously the melody and sound of the Telugu original could not be transcreated.)

English Translation of "nii pada pankaja" Song

Translation of "nii pada pankaja" Song 

(I dwell and meditate on)

On Your lotus-like feet's dust (sand)

On Your compassionate mascara filled

Moonlight dripping eyes

(Perhaps You are to be found)

In the comforting words of poets like Potana

In the imaginations and thoughts of Kalidasa

(You are dispersed)

In sweet melodies, feelings filled with love,

In the lilting waves of caring thoughts

In the sweet harmonies of vina

In the lotus-like hearts of rishis like Narada

(Perhaps You're)

The exuding smile with the light of moonlight

In the autumn (Sarad-ritu)

Seated on a spotless white swan

You are the love of Brahma

You are the all encompassing

Knowledge shining like a Milky Way

(Our mothers and teachers taught us a few “gems” of poems to help us in learning. Learning, that is the ‘operative’ word here. Not just mugging up some facts, stories, or even theorems and vomiting up dry bits of knowledge in the final (Board) examinations. Learning involves understanding, getting to the essence of a poem, and applying the information in real life situations. For example, you learn the Newton’s laws of motion and apply to the making of a ‘toy rocket’. Or, learn the phenomenon of buoyancy and use it to measure the density of milk (Lactometer). To facilitate learning and impart us with necessary discipline and confidence, we invoke Ganesa, Sarada, and Lord Siva. And, how do we do it? We recite one or two Telugu poems (or Sanskrit Slokas) at the beginning. During our high school final year preparations, my friend and I would recite poems on Sarada before sitting for a late night study session. Luckily our distractions in those were few and far away: The film songs blaring from local movie theaters’ loudspeakers or marriage events. Or we would be awakened at 4:00 a.m. with a cabaret song from a neighboring café. There was a time in the distant past when the modern TV and social media were non-existent, leaving pupils with ample opportunity to concentrate on studies. To get a glimpse of Saraswati Devi, we rely on Vedas and Puranas. Here I paraphrase the words of Sri Paramacharya: As Dakshinamurti, Siva holds (rather He is the embodiment of) the qualities of pure wisdom (symbolized by white crystal-like color), peace, meditation, and jnana (the higher intellect). He is also covered with white ash (similar to the glistening soft fresh snow flakes), long tresses, and wears the crescent moon. Sarada is considered as the sister of Lord Siva similar to Parvati being the sister of Narayana. She has the same qualities of pure knowledge, soft smiling demeanor, and white dress (sari).  She always exudes the happiness (joy) of the sparse clouded moonlit nights of “autumn” (sarad-ritu శరదృతువు). Hence we refer the goddess of learning as Sarada.) Audio and Telugu lyric links:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62L32NiJsIEhttp://pattri-pulu.blogspot.com/2020/12/original-song-on-sarada-ni-pada-pankaja.html
Copyright 2020 by the author

Original Song on Sarada "nI pada pankaja"

నీ పద పంకజ సైకతలో

నీ కరుణారస కాటుక చంద్రికలో

పోతనాది సత్కవుల ఊరడిలో

కాళిదాస కల్పన ఊహలలో

రాగములో అనురాగములో

మధురిమ భావన లాహరిలో

మంజుల వీణా వినాదములో

నారదాది ముని హృత్కమలములో 

శరదిందుల కాంతి సుహాసినివో

విమల స్వేత హంసారూఢివో

చతురానన ప్రియ సఖివో

నిఖిల విజ్ఞాన విశాల పాల పుంతవో

nii pada pankaja saikatalO

nii karunaarasa kaaTuka candrikalO

pOtanaadi satkavula uuraDilO

kaaLidaasa kalpana uuhalalO

raagamulO anuraagamulO

madhurima bhaavana laaharilO

manjula viiNaa vinaadamulO

naradaadi muni hRutkamalamulO

Saradindula kaanti suhaasinivO

vimala svEta hamsaaruuDhivO

caturaanana priya sakhivO

nikhila vijnaana viSaala paala puntavO

(Some time back I composed this original song on Mata Sarada Devi. I uploaded the audio to YouTube with my own voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62L32NiJsIE  The Telugu lyrics were also posted at my blog at Sulekha but I cannot find it now. So I give the Telugu lyrics here. I'll post the English translation in the next post here. Much of my musical repertoire (particularly devotional songs) is limited to Ramadasu, Tyagaraja, and Annamayya. Only a few songs related to the Mother are in my tool box. Music as well as bhakti is very wide and limitless.) Copyright 2020 by the author

English Translation of "E peruto ninu" Song

By what name

Will I beckon you? (O Sai)

How will I

Pray to you, in what form?

Your threshold -

Always shines with

(Shines everyday with) 

(Garlands of)

Newly bloomed white lotuses

(Our persistent)

Small small wishes,

Sundry demands

Endless are our anguishes

If we ever get a respite

Even for a minute

It’s only due to your grace

Burdensome and difficult 

Are our lives

Filled with wants and riches

(We’re encumbered with)

A long life with daily crises

(I don’t know)

Whether it is due to a curse

Or, accrued (bad) karma

Ravaged are our bodies 

With disease

Innumerable crores of living beings

Struggling 

And

Dispersed thro’ the continents

Do not, do not forget us

Please do not ignore us –

We are your faithful servers

All my chants and penances -

Are they all fruitless?

Will only a pure heart

Can discover you?

Why pine to reach you?

Why make a fruitless (useless) effort?

Aren’t all my endeavors, music, and poems

(Are) due to the mist

Out of your flower-like miracles!  Copyright 2020 by the author

(This is an English translation of the Telugu lyric "ఏ పేరుతొ నిను" on Sri Sai. The original Telugu song came out spontaneously without my deliberate effort. The Guru came to me in a very strange circumstance ( as if to rescue a lost child). Faith is not easy for most (bookish) learned people because they are burdened with too much knowledge – both useful and useless. This writer too had a very trying and testing set of incidents; they attempted to teach me gently the value of “true and time tested original Sanatana dharma”. Though I could have edited and modified some of the phrases – I deliberately refrained from doing so. I let the original inspiration be my infallible guide. I hope the Telugu song will help others in their path to spiritual progress.)