Andha rama soundariyam-kedara gowlai

[HarishankarK]

Please = Lyrics and meaning needed for Andha rama soundariyam yennaall - Arunachala kavirayar's kedara gowlai keerthanai - for all three madhyama kalams (as rendered by Dr. KVN ji)

Thanks a lot

[Lakshman]

anda rAma saundaryam. rAgA: kEdAragauLa. Adi tALA.

P: anda rAma saundaryam ennAl arindu shollap-pOmO ammA
A: gandham mEvum aravinda malarum avar kAlukku nigharAmO kaikkuttAn shollappOmO
C1: UruNda maNi muzham kAlukku vanamaiyavar uDaiya akSayatUNi ErkkumE
tiraNDa perum toDai iraNDukkum eTTu dishaiyAnana tudikkaiyum tOrkkumE
varinda maravuri iDaiyum naTanaiyum kaNDOr manadai ellAm urukki vArkkumE
tAntramAi ulagirunda vayiTrukku sari shollak-kuDumO yArkkumE
virinda mArbukkiNai bhUmi aghalam kANum viLangum kazhuttukku nEr iLangamugE pUMum
paranda bhujangaLukku mEru malaiyE nANum pArkkap-pArkkap-padinAyiram kaNgaL vENum
2: atishayamuDan paLa paLavenrilagu kaNNADi nigharttaga pOlamum
matigal oru shatakOTikku mElAna mangaLa malar mukhak-kOlamum
gati enreDuttavarkku padiyum nidhiyum tarum karuNA nayana vishAlamum
kudikoLum pavaLa vAyum shiru naghaiyum kurumandahAsa vilOlamum
pudu malaiyinil vizhum ponnaruviyaippOlum bhU maNi mArbinil puraLumuppuri nAlum
edirillAda kOdaNDamum oru kAlum ezhuda vENDumenrAl AmO manmatanAlum
3: perutta tAmarai ishai pOlE oLi perugiya mEni shingAramum
varitta sindhUra rEkhaiyum puruvamum vaLarnda neTri vistAramum
parutta tirumuDi vENiyum vENiyil pashun-tuLava malar hAramum
taritta tiruvAzhi koDuttun shEdiyai taniyE ennuDan shonna sAramum
tirutti sholla oru vAyillai oru vAyE terindum teriyAmalum shonnEn nI poruppAyE
orukkAlE uNDavar mahimai nI arivAyE unakkut-teriyum vEdam tanakkut-teriyum tAyE

[rshankar]

This is a tough one - I have heard caranam 3, so it was easier to get started with that. I have a question mark against uNDavar, because I do not know what it means. I have translated it contextually. I will attempt the other shortly.

This looks like a dialogue between hanumAn and sItA in the aSOka vATikA.

pallavI:

My lady (ammA)! I do not think that I am qualified to appreciate (arindu) and describe (Sollap-pOmO) the beauty (saundaryam) of that (anda) prince of ayOdhyA, Lord SrI rAmA!

anupallavI:

He is so handsome, will even a fragrant (gandham mEvum = filled with fragrance) lotus (aravinda) flower (malarum) compare/match (nigar AgumO) his (avar) feet (kAlukku) that offers refuge to countless devotees? Or equal at least his hands (kaikkut-tAn)? Can it be said so (SollpOmO)? I think not!

caraNam 3:
This is how he appeared to me as he gave (koDuttu) me generously (tiruvAzhi) what he was wearing (dharitta) - his signet ring - and explained to me (Seidiyai) about you (un): The beauty (SingAramum) of his lustrous (oLi perugiya) skin/complexion (mEni) like (pOlE) that of the famed (iSai) big (perutta) lotus (tAmarai); beautifully arched eyebrows (puruvamum) framing the expanse (vistAramum) of his lengthy (vaLarnda) forehead (neTri) with a lovely line (rEkhaiyum) of kuMkum (sindhUra) drawn (varitta) in the center (the nAmam); his thick/dense (parutta) hair (tirumuDi) arranged in matted locks (vENiyum); a garland (hAramum) made of flowers (malar) and green (paSun) basil/tuLasi (tuLava) leaves in his matted locks (vENi). What can I say? I am not possessed (illai) of the faculties of speech (vAyi) necessary to repeat (tiruppi Solla) the essence (sAramum) of what he told (Sonna) me (ennuDan) in secret (taniyE). However, I have told you (SonnEn) what I was capable of (terindum - that which I understood; teriyAmalum - that which I did not know/understand), so I beg for your forbearance (poruppAyE)! It is possible (orukkAlE) that you (nI) already know/realize (arivAyE) the greatness (mahimai) of that Lord (uNDavar??). No! I am certain you (unakku) know about it (teriyum), my mother (tAyE), even as I am sure that the vEdas (vEdam tanakku) also are cognisant (teriyum) of this fact!

[VK RAMAN]

Here is a rendition if that helps:
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=1119506&t=4433

[cmlover]

well done Shankar!
I should exclaim : 'anda rAma saundaryam Shankar arindu shollap pOnAr'
I think
orukkAlE uNDavar mahimai nI arivAyE
means
orukkAl uNDu nI avar mahimai aRivaay
(perhaps it is you know his greatness!)

was it in kuladeivam that the first part was a dance sequence by sai/subbulaxmi?

VKRaman
very nicely sung! You have captured the essence of Kedara GowLai!

[kmrasika]

Well, I was about to post a translation request for the same song... Good work on the translationa nd keep it up, rsankar. Could you translate the first caraNam which is popularly rendered in concerts?

Good attempt by vkraman. Here's a rendition with more sangatIs by Geetha Bennet and Vanathi Raghuraman accompanied by Dr Frank on the mr.Dangam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhd2Wnz_Kcc

[rshankar]

CML, thanks, but I would have to say, 'not really'!

caraNam 1:

Here goes - kmr and VKR's links helped to clear many of the words that were not very clear to me. many thanks! This is a very detailed description of rAma's physical perfection (kascaika priyadarSanaha.....)

UruNDa maNimuzhankAlukku uvamai avaruDaiya akSaya tUNi ErkkumE

The tip of his (avaruDaiya) imperishable (akshaya) quiver (tUNi) that rests on the ground close to his heels will accept (ErkkumE) the fact that it resembles (uvamai) his rounded (urunDai) malleoli (maNimuzhankAlukku) [1].

tiraNDa perum toDai iraNDukkum eTTu dishai yAnai tudikkaiyum tOrkkumE

The trunks (tudikkaiyum) of elephants (yAnai) from all eight (eTTu) directions (diSai) will be shamed (tOrkkumE) by his vast (tiraNDa), and mighty (perum) thighs (toDai iraNDukkum - both his thighs).

varinda maravuri iDaiyum naDaiyum kaNDOr manadai ellAm urukki vArkkumE

His waist (iDaiyum) bound (varinda) by tree-bark (maravuri) garments, and his majestic gait (naDaiyum) are bound to melt (urukki) the hearts (manadai) of all those (ellAm) who behold (kaNDOr) that awesome sight, and torture (vArkkumE) [2] their thoughts forever!

tantiramAi ulagirunda vayiTrukku sari shollak-kuDumO yArukkumE

Will any one (yArukkumE) have the ability (kUDumO) to come up with a simile (sari Solla) to describe the stomach/abdomen (vayiTrukku) which cunningly (tantiramAi) contained (irunda) the world (ulagam)?

virinda mArbukku iNai bhUmi agalam kANum viLangum kazhuttukku nEr iLaM kamugE pUNum

The only comparison (iNai) to his broad (virinda) chest (mArbukku) will be (kANum) the breadth (agalam) of this earth (bhUmi), while the tender (iLam) creeper (kamukE) [3] will be appropriate (nEr) to decorate (pUNum) his strong (viLangum) neck (kazhuttukku).

paranda bhujangaLukku mEru malaiyE nANum pArkkap-pArkkap-padinAyiram kaNgaL vENum

And the very mEru mountain (malaiyE) will be embarrassed (nANum) by the lengthy expanse (paranda) [4] of his powerful arms (bhjangaLukku). One needs (vENDum) many thousands (padinAyiram) [5] of eyes (kaNgaL) to behold (pArkka) and take in (pArkka) his beauty. Oh Lady, I am bereft of words to describe his beauty!

FOOTNOTES
[1] maleoli are the knobby, bony protuberances above the ankle - I think that is what maNimuzhankAl means
[2] vArkkumE - I think this literally means 'feeling the heat'...I have translated it as 'torture' contextually
[3] Not clear what these words are - 'iLankamugE pUNum' is what I heard from the rendition of Smts. Geeta Bennett and Vanati Raghuraman
[4] rAma is described as being an 'AjAnubAhu' which, if I understand correctly, means arms that reach all the way down to the individual's knees - a rather simian feature for anyone who is interested in evolutionary anthropology!
[5] The same composer, in a composition where SUrpanakhA describes sItA to rAvaNA (although not in such infinite detail), states that he would need a hundred thousand (laksham) eyes to appreciate her exquisite beauty - 'kANa vENDum laksham kaNgaL, sItA dEvi tan kAlukku nigarO peNgaL?'

[HarishankarK]

Oh thank you thank you so much all of you experts there !! This os really goosd !!

[kmrasika]

Wow! I did not know aruNAcalakkavi was very descriptive in detailing rAma's beauty. Thank you, rshankar, your translation helped immensely in understanding the lyrics.

[HarishankarK]

It's a pity nowadays artists donot sing the songs of such saint poets.

[HarishankarK]

Tamil compositions and composers have not got their due mainly because Tamil artistes are not popularising their songs when they present concerts in other states/countries.
We Tamil artistes sing Telegu and Kannada krithis and Hindi bhajans. But how many artistes from other states know the krithis of Arunachala Kavirayar, Andal, and other saints and composers. Truly a point we need to reflect upon.

[eppramod]

Here is Ariyakkudi's rendition of the same from sangeethamshare...(not the complete one though)

http://sangeethamshare.org/ksj/Ariyakku ... aGaula.wma

[grsastrigal]

Yesterday Sikkil Gurucharan rendered this in BVB, Chennai. It was the main raga for that concert.

[sankark]

varinda maravuri iDaiyum naDaiyum kaNDOr manadai ellAm urukki vArkkumE

His waist (iDaiyum) bound (varinda) by tree-bark (maravuri) garments, and his majestic gait (naDaiyum) are bound to melt (urukki) the hearts (manadai) of all those (ellAm) who behold (kaNDOr) that awesome sight, and torture (vArkkumE) [2] their thoughts forever!

[2] vArkkumE - I think this literally means 'feeling the heat'...I have translated it as 'torture' contextually

vArththal also means to make it flow/to pour (silai vArththal in making of bronze/five metal statues, dOsai vArththal?). So it could simply mean the minds of those that saw the awesome sight would pour out melted, a figure of speech? instead of having to go to the length of torture.

Came to this because of andha rAma soundaryam @ https://www.sangeethamshare.org/tvg/SEA ... tula_Rama/

[narayan]

Follow up, years later, regarding this song. I'm an amateur as far as lyrics are concerned, so thanks to all who have given inputs. Who has composed the music for Arunacala kavi songs, such as these? Multiple people may have done this. In this song, rendered by many, the caranam has the feature that the first part has the same tune as the anupallavi and then it goes off into free format, including madhyamakala.