December 16, 2008

ఇదిగో భద్రాద్రీ గౌతమి అదిగో చూడండీ

Just one of those things from childhood that I will forever carry with me. Dad driving the car, mum beside him, me and my brother bickering at the back, and the tape deck blaring Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna's ramadasu keertanas from an old cassette's Side A, and other keertanas on Side B (never really cared for them as much as Side A, truth be told). It never mattered where we were going. Be it P.S. Rao uncle's home in the Vizag Steel Plant (so many happy weekends there), or Simhachalam or Annavaram. Or the one off trip to Sunabeda or Araku valley. As long as it was a long drive, it never mattered. This cassette was always there. To the point that MBK's ramadasu keertanas now trigger recall of long happy drives, with family and friends. A child's paradise. To all you new couples and families out there, I recommend some such tradition on your weekend getaways. Have a travel USB, with some songs that you might want your children to remember, instead of YOYO Honey Singh and what not. One such example:


ఇదిగో భద్రాద్రీ గౌతమి అదిగో చూడండీ (రాగం: వరాళి, తాళం: ఆది)


ఇదిగో భద్రాద్రీ గౌతమి అదిగో చూడండీ |ఇదిగో...|

ముదముతో సీతా ముదిత లక్ష్మణులు కలిసి కొలువగా రఘుపతి యుండెడి, |ఇదిగో...|
చారు స్వర్ణ ప్రాకార గోపుర ద్వారములతో సుందరమై 
యుండెడి, |ఇదిగో ...|
అనుపమానమై అతి సుందరమై దనరు చక్రము ధగ ధగ మెరసెడి, |ఇదిగో ...|
పొన్నల పొగడల పూపొదరిండ్లను చెన్ను మీరగా శృంగారంబగు |ఇదిగో ...|
శ్రీ కరముగా శ్రీ రామదాసుని ప్రాకటముగ బ్రోచే ప్రభు వాసము, |ఇదిగో...|
ఇదిగో భద్రాద్రీ గౌతమి అదిగో చూడండీ


idigO BhadrAdree gautami adigO cUDaMDee (rAgam: varALi, tALam: Adi)


idigO BhadrAdree gautami adigO cUDaMDee, |idigO...|
(Here is Bhadradri, and there is Gautami, Behold ye; goutami is another name for the river Godavari)

mudamuto seetA mudita lakshmaNulu kalisi koluvagA raghupati yuMDeDi, |idigO...|
(Where Raghupati resides, waited upon happily by Seeta and Lakshmana; mudamu=santoshamu,happiness; koluvaga=serve with devotion)

cAru svarNa prAkAra gOpura dvAramulato suMdaramai yuMDeDi, |idigO...|
(Where exists beautifully within four golden gopuras with entrances)

anupamAnamai ati suMdaramai danaru cakramu dhaga dhaga meraseDi, |idigO...|
(Where the luminescent Chakra shines brilliantly, being unparalleled and extremely beautiful; anupamaanamu=without upamaanamu, without equal; danaru=prabhaavamu, luminescent?; )

ponnala pogaDala pUpodariMDlanu cennu meeragA SRMgAraMbagu, |idigO...|
(Decorated exceedingly beautifully with ponnas, pogadas and blossoming flowers; ponna and pogada are a variety of plants; chennu=beauty; meeraga=until it exceeds; srmgaaram=decoration, alankarinchuta)

Sree karamuga Sree rAmadAsuni prAkaTamuga brOcE praBhu vAsamu, |idigO...|
(The abode of the proclaimed saviour of Sri Ramadasu, propitiously so; Sree karamuga= propitiously, plentifully; prakatamuga=as published, proclaimed; broche=he who saves; vaasamu=abode)

idigO BhadrAdri gautami adigO cUDaMDee

I notice that nowadays, there are a lot more resources online, if anyone's interested in learning meanings of telugu words or telugu-english translations. I have found this తెలుగు నిఘంటువు page to be extremely helpful in explaining the above meanings.