Karpagame

Lyrics

Notation

From Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org)

Pallavi:
karpakamE (karunai) kaDaikkaN pArAi

Anupallavi:
shirparai yOgiyar sidhhargaL jnaAniyar
tiruvudai adiyavar karudum varam udavum tirumagaLum kalaimagaLum paravu tirumayilaik-

Charanam:
sattu cidhAnandam adAi sakala uyirkkuyirai avaL nI
tattuvamasyAdi mahA vAkkiya tatpara vastuvum nI
sattuva guNamoDu bhakti sheibavar bhava tApamum pApamum ara immaiyil vara
santAna saubhAgya sampattoDu marumaiyil niradhishaya inbamum tarum

MEANING: (Courtesy: Ravi Shankar: http://rasikas.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10497 )

Oh karpagAmbikA (“karpagamE”) of the holy (“tiru”) town of mylApUr (“mayilai”) [1], please look
(“pArAi”) at me from the corner (“kaDai”) of your eyes (“kaN”).

The knowledgeable souls (“jnAyiyar”), mystics (“siddhargaL”) and ascetics (“yOgiyar”) who exist in a
state of conscious (“cit”) bliss (“parai”) [3] pray to you.
You are the one who grants (“udavum”) [2] the boons (“varam”) desired (“karudum”) by your
(“tiruvuDai”) devotees (“aDiyavar”) including the above souls. You are karpagAmbikA of the holy
(“tiru”) town of mylApUr (“mayilai”), praised (“paravu(m)”) by lakshmi (“tirumagaLum”) and
sarasvati (“kalaimagaLum”).

         Oh karpagAmbikA, you (“nI”) are the one (“avaL) who has become the essence of the concept
of (“adAi”) existence (“sat/sattu”), thought (“cit”), and happiness (“Anandam”), the very life-force
(“uyirAi”) of all (“sakala”) living beings (“uyirkku”).
         You (“nI”) are the meaning/interpretation (“tatpara [4] vastuvum”) of grand (“mahA”)
pronouncements (“vAkkiya”) like 'that (“tat”) thou (“tvam”) art/are (“asi”) [5]' and others (“Adi”).
         Oh devi, you not only cause the destruction (“ara”) of worldly (“bhava”) miseries (“tApamum”)
and sins (“pApamum”) that beset the lives of people who show (“Seibavar”) their devotion (“bhakti”) to
you with (“ODu”) excellent (“sattuva”) [6] moral character (“guNam”) in this birth (“immayil”),
         … and bless them (“vara”) with the good fortune (“saubhAgya”) of progeny (“santAna”) along
with (“ODu”) wealth (“sampat”), …
         …but you also grant (“tarum”) them unsurpassed (“niradiSaya”) bliss (“inbamum”) in their
next birth (“marumayil”) as well.

FOOTNOTES
[1] mylai - mayilai - the name is supposed to have originated from the sthala purANam - where pAravti
incarnates as a peahen (“mayil”) and worships Siva in form of lingam made of sand - 'mayilAi vanda
iDam mayilApuri'
[2] udavum literally means (“one who”) helps
[3] parai is a state of consciousness where ascetics and mystics experience divine bliss by remaining
inactive
[4] tatpara - I have taken this to be derived from tAtparya

[5] tat tvam asi is the basis of advaita - that preaches the oneness of the paramAtamA (that/tat”) and the
jIvAtmA (tvam/you”).
[6] sattva guN, sAtvik guN refers to the superior character trait, which makes the person magnanimous,
true, honest, wise and pure.

Pallavi:
karpakamE (karunai) kaDaikkaN pArAi

Oh karpagAmbikA (“karpagamE”) of the holy (“tiru”) town of mylApUr (“mayilai”) [1], please look
(“pArAi”) at me from the corner (“kaDai”) of your eyes (“kaN”).

;,p             ,rS         R;        ;;        | ; rm P , m      |R;      ; S   ||
 Kar            paga        me-       --          - Kan paa-       rai-    - -

;,p             ,rS         R;        ;;        | mRm P , m       |R;      ; S   ||
 Kar            paga        me-       --         Kan-- paa-        rai-    - -

r m s- p        ,rS         R ;       ,rS       | R ,m   P,m      |R;      ; S   ||
mayilai Kar     paga        me-       kaDai      Kan--   paa-      rai-    - -

r m s- p        ,rS         R ;       ,rS       | R ,m   pn P m | mrpm nppm      ||
mayilai Kar     paga        me-       kaDai      Kan--   paa-     rai- - -

Rs -p           ,rS         rsnp ,p    N S | rmpn snpm            | mrpm nppm    ||
  Kar           paga        me- ka     runai Kan-- paa-            rai-  - -

Rs- p           ,rS         R ;       ; ;       | rmP    N- pmR | RS       S;    ||
  Kar           paga        me- -     - -        Kan--   - paa- rai-       - -

Anupallavi:
shirparai yOgiyar sidhhargaL jnaAniyar
tiruvudai adiyavar karudum varam udavum tirumagaLum kalaimagaLum paravu tirumayilaik-

The knowledgeable souls (“jnAyiyar”), mystics (“siddhargaL”) and ascetics (“yOgiyar”) who exist in a
state of conscious (“cit”) bliss (“parai”) [3] pray to you.

;,s     ,sS       sn sn     PM        |;,p      ,s    N| S;       SS       ||
 Chit    para     yo- - -   gi ya      - - Si    ddhar gal jnya   ni yar

;,s     ,sS       sn rs n-p Pnp |M , p          ,s    N| S;       SS       ||
 Chit    para     yo- - - gi ya  - - Si          ddhar gal jnya   ni yar

;,s     ,sS       sn rs n-p Pnp |M , p          ,s    N | nsrm r-s S     ||
 Chit    para     yo- - - gi ya  - - Si          ddhar gal jnya - ni yar

;,s     ,sS       nS-nrsS n-P m | ; , p         ,r    S | srpm    r- s S ||
 Chit    para     yo- - - - gi ya - - Si         ddhar gal jnya   - ni yar

;,s     ,sS       nrs-nrsS n P m | ; , p        ,s    N| S;         SS     ||
 Chit    para     yo- - - - gi ya - - Si         ddhar gal jnya   - ni yar

You are the one who grants (“udavum”) [2] the boons (“varam”) desired (“karudum”) by your
(“tiruvuDai”) devotees (“aDiyavar”) including the above souls.
You are karpagAmbikA of the holy (“tiru”) town of mylApUr (“mayilai”), praised (“paravu(m)”) by
lakshmi (“tirumagaLum”) and sarasvati (“kalaimagaLum”).

s s n s mmr s m rs- n p           n s r | m r s n P – r s | n p m- p m r – r m ||m r s
tiruvudai adiyavar karudum varam udavum tirumagaLum kalaimagaLum paravu tirumayilaik-

Charanam:
sattu cidhAnandam adAi sakala uyirkkuyirai avaL nI
tattuvamasyAdi mahA vAkkiya tatpara vastuvum nI
sattuva guNamoDu bhakti sheibavar bhava tApamum pApamum ara immaiyil vara
santAna saubhAgya sampattoDu marumaiyil niradhishaya inbamum tarum

        Oh karpagAmbikA, you (“nI”) are the one (“avaL) who has become the essence of the concept
of (“adAi”) existence (“sat/sattu”), thought (“cit”), and happiness (“Anandam”), the very life-force
(“uyirAi”) of all (“sakala”) living beings (“uyirkku”).

P p m P – R m -r M - p n p- m | p m – r s R P                | M- P ; ; ||
Sathu Chidaa nandam A dai Sakala U yi ru kuyir ai- a           vaLNee- -

P p m P – R p -m P - p n p- m | p m – r s R p m | P ;                 ; ; ||
Sathu Chidaa nandam A dai Sakala U yi ru kuyir ai- avaL Nee-          --

P p m P – R n -p N - p n p- m | p m – r s R n p | P N                 ; ; ||
Sathu Chidaa nandam A dai Sakala U yi ru kuyir ai- avaL Nee-          --

P p m P – R n -p N - p n p- m | p m – r s R S | N rs                  np ;     ||
Sathu Chidaa nandam A dai Sakala U yi ru kuyir ai- avaL Nee-          --

You (“nI”) are the meaning/interpretation (“tatpara [4] vastuvum”) of grand (“mahA”)
pronouncements (“vAkkiya”) like 'that (“tat”) thou (“tvam”) art/are (“asi”) [5]' and others (“Adi”).

R m r M P n - p sn P pm | R r s R p m | R ;                           RS            ||
Ta ttuva masya di Maha vA - kiya Tat para Vasthuvum nI-             - -

R m r M P n - p S s n pm | R r s R p m | nppm                         RS            ||
Ta ttuva masya di Maha vA - kiya Tat para Vasthuvum nI-             - -

         Oh devi, you not only cause the destruction (“ara”) of worldly (“bhava”) miseries (“tApamum”)
and sins (“pApamum”) that beset the lives of people who show (“Seibavar”) their devotion (“bhakti”) to
you with (“ODu”) excellent (“sattuva”) [6] moral character (“guNam”) in this birth (“immayil”),

S s n p m p n P p -m r m - r s            R s r M r m | p p -m p N ,                     ||
Sathuva Gunamudum BhakthiSei BhavarBhava Thaapamum Paapamum Ara-yum nE -

S s n p m p n P p -m r m - r s            R s r M r m | p p -N p m - p r ||
Sathuva Gunamudum BhakthiSei BhavarBhava Thaapamum Paapamum Ara-Im maiyil Vara

        … and bless them (“vara”) with the good fortune (“saubhAgya”) of progeny (“santAna”) along
with (“ODu”) wealth (“sampat”), …

P , –r , s-s r m R s s n sn                | S;     ;;       | ;;     ; pr          ||
San-- thaa na Sow- - bha gya Sam-path-     (ne)                         vara

…but you also grant (“tarum”) them unsurpassed (“niradiSaya”) bliss (“inbamum”) in their next birth
(“marumayil”) as well.

sn p – r , s - r p m R s s n S           | s s – m r s n – r s | n p m – n p m - rm || r S
San-- thaa na Sow- - bha gya Sam-path-   Thodu Marumayil nira thishaya In - ba mum Tharum

Rs-    p        ,rS       R ,- n p m - rm | Rs-   p          , r S | R ,- n p m - rm ||
Tharum Kar       paga     me- In - ba mum Tharum Kar         paga me- In - ba mum

Rs -   p   ,rS           rsnp ,p    N S | rmpn snpm       | mrpm nppm      ||
Tharum Kar paga          me- ka     runai Kan-- paa-       rai-  - -

Rs- p         ,rS        R ;       ; ;   | m r s- p      ,rS|      R ;     ; pm      ||
  Kar         paga       me- -     - -    mayilai Kar    paga      me        thiru

m r s- p      ,rS        R ;       ;;    | R ,m   P,m     |R;      ; S     ||
mayilai Kar   paga       me-              Kan--   paa-     rai-    - -