duDukugala

In the kriti duDukugala sung in Gowla rAgam Sri. Thyagaraja Swami talks about several types of wickedness that are afflicting him and is wondering which Lord's son is going to deliver him who is so wicked! The inner meaning seems to be son is always a born entity and the birthless one, i.e. the Lord alone is capable of providing deliverance. The lyrics and explanations can be found here. Listen to the kriti in the voice of Malladi brothers.

Audio clips with inner meanings are posted below each section. Here goes the introduction.

pallavi

duDuku gala nann(E) dora

koDuku brOcurA entO

Which (E) (other) Lord’s (dora) son (koDuku) will protect (brOcurA) me (nannu) (nannE) who has (gala) so much (entO) wickedness (duDuku)?

anupallavi

kaDu durviSay(A)kRSTuDai

gaDiya gaDiyaku niNDAru (duDuku)

Which Lord’s son will protect me who, attracted (AkRSTuDai) by very (kaDu) evil-some sense-objects (durviSaya) (durviSayAkRSTuDai), has plenty of (niNDAru) wickedness at all times (gaDiya gaDiyaku) (literally every hour)?

svara sAhityam 1

zrI vanitA hRt-kumud(A)bja

avAG-mAnasa gOcara (duDuku)

O Moon (abja) who blossoms the heart (hRt) Lotus (kumuda) of lakSmi (zrI vanitA)! O Lord who is beyond the reach (a-gOcara) of words (vAk) and mind (mAnasa) (a-vAG-mAnasa)! Which other Lord’s son will protect me who has so much wickedness?

svara sAhityam 2

sakala bhUtamula(y)andu nIvai-

(y)uNDaga mati lEka pOyina (duDuku)

While You are existing (nIvaiyuNDaga) in and as (andu) (literally in) all (sakala) (the five) elements (space, air, fire, water, earth) (or all living beings) (bhUtamulu) (bhUtamulayandu), which other Lord’s son will protect me who committed the folly of not having (lEka pOyina) the understanding (mati) (of Your omni-presence)?

svara sAhityam 3

ciruta prAyamu nADE bhajan(A)mRta

rasa vihIna ku-tarkuD(ai)na (duDuku)

Which other Lord’s son will protect me who, devoid of (vihIna) the nectarine (amRta) juice (rasa) of chanting (bhajana) (bhjanAmRta) Your names right from the days (nAdE) of young (ciruta) age (prAyamu), has the wickedness of becoming (aina) a sophist (kutarkuDu) (kutarkuDaina)?

svara sAhityam 4

para dhanamula koraku(n)orula madi

karaga paliki kaDupu nimpa tirigin(a)TTi (duDuku)

Which other Lord’s son will protect such a person (aTTi) like me who committed the folly of roaming about (tirigina) (tiriginaTTi) by speaking (paliki) (sweet words) to please (madi karaga) (literally to the melting of hearts or minds) others (orula) for the sake of (koraku) (kOrakunorula) their (para) (literally others') wealth (dhanamula) for filling (nimpa) the stomach (kaDupu)?

svara sAhityam 5

tana madini bhuvini saukhyapu jIvanamE-

(y)anucu sadA dinamulu gaDipE (duDuku)

Which other Lord’s son will protect me who has committed the folly of ever (sadA) spending (gaDipE) time (dinamulu) (literally days) considering in his (tana) (literally my) mind (madini) that (anucu), in this world (bhuvini), comfortable (saukhyapu) livelihood alone (jIvanamE) (jIvanamEyanucu) is all?

svara sAhityam 6

teliyani naTa-viTa kSudrulu vanitalu

sva-vazam(au)Tak(u)padEziJci santa-

silli svara layambul(e)ruGgakanu

zil(A)tmulai su-bhaktulaku samAnam(a)nu (duDuku)

Which other Lord’s son will protect me who, instead of knowing (eruGgakanu) the svara and laya (layambulu) (layambuleruGgakanu), exulting (santasilli) by preaching (upadEziJci) others in attracting (svavazamauTaku) (literally bring to one’s fold) (sva-vazamauTakupadEziJci) unknown (teliyani) mean-minded people (kSudrulu) who run after dancing girls (naTa), womanisers (viTa) and women (vanitalu), and thus, becoming stone (zilA) hearted (Atmulai) (zilAtmulai), has the temerity of boasting (anu) (self) to be equal (samAnamu) (samAnamanu) to Your true devotees (su-bhaktalaku)?

svara sAhityam 7

dRSTiki sArambagu lalanA sadan-

(A)rbhaka sEn(A)mita dhan(A)dulanu

dEva dEva nera nammiti gAkanu

pad(A)bja bhajanambu maracina (duDuku)

O Lord (dEva) of celestials (dEva)! Which other Lord’s son will protect me who has committed the folly of forgetting (maracina) to chant (bhajanambu) (glory of) Your lotus (abja) feet (pada) (padAbja), and instead (gAkanu) totally (nera) believed (nammiti) in women (lalanA) who are beautiful (sAramabagu) to look at (dRSTiki), dwellings (sadana), an army (sEnA) of children (arbhaka) (sadanArbhaka) and huge (amita) (sEnAmita) wealth (dhana) etc (Adi) (dhanAdulanu)?

svara sAhityam 8

cakkani mukha kamalambunu sadA

nA madilO smraNa lEkanE dur-

mad(A)ndha janula kOri paritApa-

mulacE tagili nogili dur-viSaya

dur-Asalanu rOya lEka satatam-

(a)parAdhinai capala cittuD(ai)na (duDuku)

Which other Lord’s son will protect me who - instead of (lEkanE) (literally without) constant (sadA) remembrance (smaraNa) of Your charming (chakkani) Lotus (kamalambunanu) Face (mukha) in his (nA) (literally my) mind (madilO), seeking (kOri) those people (janula) blinded (andha) by their evil-some arrogance (durmada) (durmadAndha) and, consequently, caught (tagili) in sorrow (paritApamulacE) and therefore, grieving (nogili), without (lEka) abandoning (rOya) evil-some sense objects (durviSaya) and evil desires (durAsalanu), has the wickedness of ever (satatamu) becoming (ai) a criminal (aparAdhi) (aparAdhinai) (satatamuaparAdhinai) and fickle (capala) minded (cittuDu) (cittuDaina)?

svara sAhityam 9

mAnava tanu durlabham(a)nucun(e)Jci

param(A)nandam(o)nda lEka

mada matsara kAma lObha mOhulaku

dAsuDai mOsa pOti gAka

modaTi kulajuDagucu bhuvini

zUdrula panulu salpucunu(y)uNTini gAka

nar(A)dhamulanu kOri sAra hIna

matamulanu sAdhimpa tArumAru (duDuku)

Which other Lord’s son will protect me who –

instead of (lEka) attaining (onda) the Supreme (parama) bliss (Anandamu) (paramAnandamonda) by considering (eJci) the human (mAnava) embodiment (tanu) (literally body) to be (anucunu) hard to get (durlabhamu) (durlabhamanucuneJci),

was but (gAka) ruined (mOsa pOti) by becoming a slave (dAsuDai) of arrogance (mada), envy (matsara), desire (kAma), miserliness (lObha) and obsession or delusion (mOha) (mOhulaku),

though (gAka) was (agucu) born in this World (bhuvini) as a brAhmaNa – the first (modaTi) caste (kulajuDu) (kulajuDagucu), by seeking (kOri) the lowliest (adhamulanu) of humans (nara) (narAdhamulanu), remained (uNTini) performing (salpucunu) (salpucunuyuNTini) the kind of jobs (panulu) performed by lowly (zUdrula) people,

and has so much disorderly (tArumAru) wickedness in order to substantiate (sAdhimpa) opinions (matamulanu) which are devoid (hIna) of any essence (sAra)?

svara sAhityam 10

satulakai konnALL(A)stikai

sutulakai konnALLu dhana

tatulakai tirigitin(a)yya

tyAgarAj(A)pta iTuvaNTi (duDuku)

O Lord (ayya)! I wandered (tirigitini) (tirigitinayya) spending some time (konnALLu) for wife (satulakai) and some time (konnALLu) for inheritance (Astikai) (konnALLAstikai), children (sutulakai), wealth (dhana) and society (of friends and relatives) (tatulakai) (Or wealthy relatives); O Benefactor (Apta) of this tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjApta)! therefore, which other Lord’s son will protect me who has such (iTuvaNTi) wickedness?