Saraswati dayai nithi nee gathi : Papanasam Sivan

saraswati dayai nithi nee gathi : Papanasam Sivan

Ragam : Saraswati                                                                                       Talam : Adi

pallavi

saraswati dayai nidhi nI gati

tannaruL tandaruLvAi bhArati

anupallavi

karamalar miLir maNi mAlayum vINayum

karuNai pozhiyum kaDaikkaNNazhagum vaLar

charaNam

ninnaruL oLi illayAnAl-mana iruL

nIngumO sakala kalai mAtE - veL

annavAhini veN kamalamalar vaLarum

vANi veLLai kalyANi purANi

In Tamil : 

பல்லவி

சரஸ்வதி தயை நிதி நீ கதி
தன்னருள் தந்தருள்வாய் பாரதி

அனுபல்லவி

கரமலர் மிளிர் மணி மாலையும் வீணையும்
கருணை பொழியும் கடைக்கண்ணழகும் வளர்

சரணம்

நின்னருள் ஒளி இல்லையானால்-மன இருள்
நீங்குமோ சகல கலை மாதே - வெள்
அன்னவாஹினி வெண் கமலமலர் வளரும்
வாணி வெள்ளை கலை அணி புராணி

Meaning : 

pallavi

saraswati dayai nidhi nI gati

tannaruL tandaruLvAi bhArati

Goddess Saraswati! You are full of care and concern for your devotees. For us, who else is there except you? We surrender before thee. Bharati, my dear Goddess,  please shower your blessings on us.

anupallavi

karamalar miLir maNi mAlayum vINayum

karuNai pozhiyum kaDaikkaNNazhagum vaLar

A garland of beads shines in your hands. You also carry a Veena. Your eyes are full of care for us. 

charaNam

ninnaruL oLi illayAnAl-mana iruL

nIngumO sakala kalai mAtE - veL

annavAhini veN kamalamalar vaLarum

vANi veLLai kalai aNi purANi

Saraswati, you are the Goddess of knowledge! Without your blessings, the darkness in our hearts will not go away. You are the Goddess who knows all arts. You sit on a beautiful white swan. You also reside on a beautiful white lotus flower. You wear a white saree. You are the Goddess Vani. You are 'purani', you have been there for eons.

It is a beautiful song in tamil with lots of poetic touches all over the place. With rhythmic words such as 'saraswati', 'nithi', gathi', 'barathi', it sets off on a lovely tempo. 

Papanasam sivan talks about knowledge being the blessings of Goddess saraswati which will remove our inner darkness. It is not only the knowledge about things around us but also about ourselves which will help us understand who we are which will in turn lead to self discovery and knowledge. That is the true knowledge. 

Goddess Saraswati symbolises white color. She sits on a beauitiful white swan. She resides on a beautiful white lotus flower. She wears a white saree. She epitomises the spotless heart and clean lovely heart and mind. 

She carries a garland made of beads which symbolises the need for being calm and composed and looking inwards. She also carries Veena, the beautiful musical instrument. The music which soothes us and which makes us realise our inner peace. 

Papanasam Sivan invokes Goddess Saraswati and says that only she can remove our inner darkness. She, the one who has been there since time began, 'purani', is the one who can bless us with true knowledge. 

He talks about "thannarul". It is not just the blessings that he talks about. He wants to Goddess to give us the blessings which are bearable and 'cool' rather than 'hot'. If whatever the Goddess does is for our own good, even if the Goddess burns us, it should be for our own good. Even if the Goddess curses us, it must be for our own good. Those are also "blessings" of the Goddess. But, those are "HOT" in nature and not "cool". But, we may not be able to bear it. We may reel under the power of those 'hot' blessings . So, he asks Goddess to shower us with "cool" blessings which may soothe us and it becomes bearable for us. 

Similarly, he asks Goddess Saraswati to give us blessings from her "corner of eyes" rather than directly. We may not be able to take the direct eye contact from the Goddess. That kind of power may be too much for us mortals.

On this day of 'Saraswati Pooja', let us pray to Goddess Saraswati. May her blessings make us realise our true selves and make us peaceful and be in eternal bliss.

Listen to this lovely song sung by Nithyasri Mahadevan