pallavi kANa vENDum ayyA karuNAkaranE nI kAlai tUkki ninru Ananda tANDavam kanakasabhai tanil ADum azhaginai (kANa vENDum….) nANam migavE nangai umai iNaindADa nAnA disai engilum nandi mattaLam Onga navarasa bhAvamum tadumbiDum mugam (nANam migavE…) I need/want (vENDum) to witness/see/behold (kANa) the beauty (azhaginai) of the Ananda tANDavam that you (nI) dance (ADum) with a leg (kAlai) raised (tUkki ninRu) in (tanil) the golden (kanaka) hall/assembly (sabhai), oh Lord (ayyA), the compassionate one (karuNAkaranE)! As the lady (nangai) umA (umai), overcoming her extreme (migavE) shyness (nANam), dances (ADa) along with you (iNaindu), and the sounds from nandi’s drum (mattaLam) resound (Onga) in multiple/many/all (nAnA) directions (disai engilum), and your face (mukham/mugam) is filled/suffused (tadumbavE) with the expressions/emotions (bhAvamum) pertaining to the the nine (nava) rasas.
anupallavi vAnavar vaNangiyE pArATTi varam tEDa pAr shaDai tanil vaLar migu gangai vazhiya vaLarmatiyum tigazhndiDavE ADalai (vAnavar vaNangiyE…) jnAnam aruLum mOna guru vaDivE eninum tAmadam dayai purinduDan aruL tandiDa mAn mazhuvEndiya manam kavar naTanam (jnAnam…) The celestial beings (vAnavar) praise (pArATTi) your dance (ADalai), worship you (vaNangiyE), and seek (tEDa) boons (varam), even as the gushing (vaLar migu) gangA (gangai) in (tanil) your heavily matted locks (pAr SaDai) spills a little (vazhiya), and the crescent moon (vaLarmatiyum) shines (tigazhndiDavE). Even (eninum) if your form (vaDivE) is that of the silent (mOna) preceptor (guru) [1] who grants (aruLum) knowledge (jnAnam) you prevent delay (tAmadam) [2] by showering (purindu) compassion (dayai) and granting (tandiDa) your grace (aruL) in addition (uDan), through your dance (naTanam), holding (EndiyE) a deer (mAn) and a battle-axe (mazhu) in your hands, that captivates (kavar) the mind/heart (manam)!
muktAyi svara sAhityam aravu pUNDa ayyan undan azhaginai nAn iravum pagalum eNNI eNNi EnginEn un karam adil Endiya Damarukam takatajham takataNam enRu viNNum adira aNDamadu asaiya pAdam taNDaiyADa kinikiNI shadaNgaiyum pongum kanal erindiDum maru karam taga tagaveNRu dundubi nAdam tOm tOm tA yena adirndiDavE paNindu patanjali muni vyAghrapAdar vAzhttiDave arum tANDavam tanai (kANa vENDum…) Oh Lord (ayyan) who wears (pUNda) snakes (aravu), I (nAn) have yearned/languished (EnginEn), constantly thinking (eNNi eNNi) of your (undan) beauty (azhaginai) day (pagalum) and night (iravum). Even as the skies (viNNum) quake (adira) and the universe (aNDamum) quivers (asaiya) when the drum (Damarukam) that you hold (Endiya) in your (un) hand (karam adil) makes sounds such as (enRu) ta ka ta jham and ta ka ta Nam, and anklets (taNDai, Sadangaiyum) [3] on your feet (pAdam) move (ADa) and make tinkling noises (kiNkiNi), and the raging (pongum) and burning (erindiDum) ball of fire (kanal) makes your other (maru) hand (karam) glow (taga taga venRu), and the sound (nAdam) from the dundubi resounds (adirdiDavE) to mnemonic syllables such as (yena) tOm, tOm, and tA, and the sages (muni) patanjali and vyAghrapAdar worship (paNindu) and praise you (vAzhtiDavE), (I need/want to see/behold) your unique/precious (arum) dance (tANDavam tanai).
caraNam kanaka sabhApatiyE un pada malarE gatiyE umApatiyE karuNAnidhiyE naTanAdhipatiyE manam iranguvAi taruNamidE dayai purivAi tillai (kanakasabhApatiyE...) Oh lord of golden hall/assembly (kanaka sabhApatiyE) in cidambaram (tillai), your (un) flower (malarE)-like feet (pada) are my only refuge (gatiyE)! Oh husband (patiyE) of umA, repository of compassion (karuNAnidhiyE)! Oh leader/master (adhipatiyE) of dance (naTana), please let your heart/mind (manam) shower grace (iranguvAi), for this (idE) is the time (taruNam) for you to grant (purivAi) your compassion (dayai).
caraNa svara sAhityam 1 shenshaDai minna aDiyar tanjam tanjam enrE panca sahbhai engum nenjam urugiDa isai pADa puliyuDaiyADa iyal isai kUDa iniduDan ADum (kanakasabhApatiyE…) As your burnished locks (SenSadai) glitter (minna), your devotees (aDiyAr) sing (pADa) music (isai) that resounds everywhere (engum) and melts (urugiDa) the heart (nenjam) while seeking refuge (tanjam tandem enRE) in the five (panca) assemblies/halls (sabhai) [4], and as the tiger (puli) skin garments (uDai) sway (ADa), and as literature (iyal) and music (isai) unite (kUDa), (Oh lord of the golden assembly) who dances (ADum) pleasingly (iniduDan) (your flower-like feet are my only refuge)!
caraNa svara sAhityam 2 adisayAmAgavum ati sukhamAgavum amudamumAgavum aruL tarum ANDavan nIrumAgi nilamumAgi neruppumAgi kATRumAgi vAnumAgi engum nillAdu engum niRaindu pulittOlai uDaiyAkki sevittODu kuzhaindADa saLikkAmal naTam ADum nAthan ni tAyumAgi endan tandaiyumAi ulagil yAdumAna ayyA undan nAgarIgamAna ADal kANa vENDum The lord (ANDavan) who grants (tarum) his grace (aruL) in a wondrous (adisayamAga), extremely (ati) blissful (sukhamAgavum), and nectarine (amudamAgavum) manner, who became (Agi) water (nIrum), earth (nilamum), fire (neruppum), wind (kATRum), and the skies (vAnum) [5], who doesn’t exist (nillAdu) anywhere (engum), yet is omnipresent (engum niRaindu), who made (Akki) the skin (tOlai) of a tiger (puli) into his garments (uDai), as his earring (sevittODu) sways to and fro (kuzhaindADa)! Oh Lord (nAthan) who dances (naTam ADum) tirelessly (saLikkAmal), you (nI) have become (Agi) my mother (tAyum) and my (endan) father (tandaiyum), and everything (yAdumAna) in this world (ulagil), I desire (vENDum) to witness (kANa) your sophisticated (nAgarIgamAna) dance (ADal), Oh lord (ayyA)!
FOOTNOTES [1] as the universal guru, Siva, as dakshiNAmUrti preserves silence (maunam), and communicates purely through gestures – it is believed that the rich repertoire of hasta mudras in Indian classical dance comes from this [2] I wonder if a word is missing – i.e., seyyAmal [3] taNDai is a hollow anklet, while sadangai (salangai) is one with bells on it [4] the five temples where the five sabhais where Siva (as naTarAja/ADavallAn/kUttan) is supposed to be dancing in are as follows: tillai/cidambaram: sivakAmasundari-naTarAjar temple The Golden Hall - pon ambalam/kanaka sabha
Madurai: mInAkshi-sundarESvarar temple The Silver Hall - veLLi ambalam/rajata sabha (where the lord dances with his left foot plated and right one raised - kAl mAri ADiya sabhESar)
vaTa-araNyESvaram/tiruvAlankADU: bhramara alakAmbikA-vaTAraNyESvarar temple The Gem-studded Hall - rattina ambalam/ratna sabha
tirunelveli: kAntimati-nellaiappar temple The Copper Hall - tamira ambalam/tAmra sabha
The Hall of Pictures - cittira ambalam/citra sabha kuTRAlam: kuzhalvAimozhi ammai-kuTRalanAthar temple
[5] the five elements (panca bhUtam) – Siva creates them, and becomes part of them as well – the five temples where Siva is worshipped in the form of these elements are as follows: Earth – prithvI sthalam: kAncIpuram – EkAmranAthar/EkAmbarESvarar*
Fire – agni sthalam: tiruvaNNAmalai – apitakucAmbA/uNNAmulai samEta aruNAcalanAthar/aNNAmalai