हिंदीOn this day
Shri Rama

Nagumomu Ganaleni

Sadguru TyagarajaSadguru Tyagaraja1767–1847 CE

నగుమోము గనలేని నా జాలిఁ దెలిసి
నన్ను బ్రోవగ రాదా శ్రీ రఘువర నీ

నగరాజధర నీదు పరివారులెల్ల
ఒగి బోధన జేసెడువారలు గారే యిటు లుండుదురే నీ

ఖగరాజు నీ యానతి విని వేగ చనలేడో
గగనానికిలకు బహుదూరం బనినాడో
జగమేలే పరమాత్మ యెవరితో మొఱలిడుదు
వగ జూపకు తాళను నన్నేలుకోరా త్యాగరాజనుత నీ

Meaning

Pallavi: Knowing my grief at not seeing your smiling face, will you not come and save me, O Shri Raghuvara?

Anupallavi: O holder of the king of mountains! Are not all your attendants the ones who should remind you duly? Would they stay silent like this?

Charanam: Did Garuda, king of birds, hear your command and fail to hurry? Did he say that the earth is too far from the sky? O Paramatma who rules the world, to whom else shall I cry? Do not keep up this show of indifference; I cannot bear it. Take me as yours, O Lord praised by Tyagaraja.

About this bhajan

Abheri is a raga of ache, and Tyagaraja uses it for a devotee who has run out of patience. He does not doubt Rama. He doubts the messengers: perhaps the attendants forgot to remind him, perhaps Garuda complained the earth was too far. The humour is gentle and the longing is real. Nagumomu is among the best-known kritis in the whole Carnatic repertoire, sung by vocalists, played on veena, nadaswaram and violin, and it is often the piece through which a new listener first comes to Tyagaraja. The phrase ‘nagumomu’, the smiling face, is the whole prayer.

Telugu text: te.wikisource.org, ‘నగు మోము గనలేని’ (త్యాగరాజు కృతులు, ఆభేరి, ఆది); checked against karnatik.com c1329