Teliyadu

 Song: teliyalEru raama - 

theliyalEru raama

raagam: dhEnukaa

9 dhEnukaa melakartha

Aa: S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N3 S

Av: S N3 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S

taaLam: dEshaadi

Composer: Tyaagaraaja

Language: Telugu

pallavi

teliyalEru rAma bhakti mArgamunu

anupallavi

ilanantaTa tirugucunu galuvarincErE gAni

caraNam

vEgalEci nITa munigi bhUti bUsi vallanenci veliki shlAganIyulai

bAga paika mArjana lOlulai rEgani tyAgarAja vinuta

Meaning:

O Rama, we do not know the path of devotion! Men in this whole world only roam about in tension all over without being aware of the path of devotion. They get up at dawn, attend to their ablutions, wear the emblems of creed and count the beads appearing to be spiritual and religious, but busy with their working out the strategy for making money by hook or crook.

People are not aware of the path of bhakti.

Roaming all over the Earth, they babble as if in a dream.

Getting up early in the morning,

taking bath,

smearing sacred ash on the body,

(performing japa by) counting fingers,

posing as praise-worthy,

they became totally committed to earning money; but,

they are not aware of the path of bhakti

Word-by-word Meaning

pallavi

teliya lEru rAma bhakti mArgamunu

O SrI rAma! People are not aware (teliya lEru) of the path (mArgamunu) of bhakti.

anupallavi

ilanu-antaTa tirugucunu

kaluvarincEru kAni (teliya)

Roaming (tirugucunu) all over (antaTa) the Earth (ilanu) (ilanantaTa), they babble as if in a dream (kaluvarincEru);

but (kAni), O Lord SrI rAma! they are not aware of the path of bhakti.

caraNam

vEga lEci nITa munigi bhUti pUsi

vELLanu-enci veliki SlAghanIyulai

bAga paikam(u-)jana lOlulu-airE

kAni tyAgarAja vinuta (teliya)

Getting up (lEci) early in the morning (vEga), taking bath (nITa munigi) (literally taking dip in water), smearing (pUsi) sacred ash (bhUti) on the body,

(performing japa by) counting (enci) fingers (vELLanu) (veLLanenci), and posing (veliki) (literally ostensibly) as praise-worthy (SlAghanIyulai),

they became (airE) totally (bAga) (literally very) committed (lOlulu) (literally dedicated) (lOlulairE) to earning (Arjana) money (paikamu) (paikamArjana), but (kAni)

O Lord praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja! they are not aware of the path of bhakti.

Notes –

Variations -

1 – kaluvarincEru – kaluvarincedaru.

Comments -

2 – vELLanenci – counting fingers (instead of rosary). Performing japa in a mechanical manner is meant.

3 – veliki – in telugu, there are two words ‘veliki’ (external) and ‘veligi’ (shining). In the present context, the word ‘veliki’ (external) is the appropriate word; therefore, the constant ‘ki’ should not be softened as ‘gi