Precious Jewels

Muddu gare Yashoda mungita muthyamu veedu
Diddaraani mahimala Devaki suthudu

Anthanintha gollethala arachethi manikyamu
Panthamaade Kamsuni pali vajramu
Kaanthula moodu lokala Garudapachhaapoosa
Chenthala malonunna Chinni Krishnudu

rathikeli rukhminiki rangumovi pagadamu
mithi govardhanapu Gomedhikamu
sathamai Shankhachakrala sandula vaidhooryamu
gathiyai mammu gAche Kamalakshudu

kalinguni thalalapai gappina pushyaragamu
yeleti Sri Venkatadri Indraneelamu
paalajalanidhilona bayani Divya ratnamu
baaluneevale dirige Padmanabhudu

Like a pearl (1), dripping with love
He (Krishna) wanders
On the front porch of Yasoda
With flawless wonders
This son of Devaki

Here, amidst the cowherds
He is readily accessible as a ruby (2) on the palm
Towards the stubborn antagonist Kamsa
He acts like a sharp diamond (3)
He shines like an emerald (4)
Radiating colors throughout the three worlds
He is the little Krishna by our side
(He is the little Krishna in our hearts)

For the amorous Rukmini
He is the One with the coral (5) lips
(While subduing Indra's pride)
He lifted the Govardhana mount
Standing firm as (banded) agate (6)
As Lord Vishnu
He is eternally decorated with the cat's eye (7)
Between the conch-shell and the discus
The last refuge for all of us
The lotus-eyed One

On the heads of Kalinga snake
He stands as a bright topaz (8)
He rules the Seven Hills as a sapphire (9)
Outside the Milky Ocean
He appears as the celestial precious stone
He roams around as a (innocent) boy
The Lord with the lotus in His navel

[In Sanskrit there are nine precious gems.
Here in this lyric the legendary composer Annamacharya had used all
the nine gems and their qualities for describing Lord Vishnu and the
Krishna-avatara. This English translation is expressly meant for the
dancers (Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam)
and the upcoming aspiring Carnatic singers.

Though a novice singer starts out with mere technical (tune, tempo,
etc.) skills, eventually she must master the meaning of each word and
without such in-depth knowledge,
the singer would not know where to pause, which phrase to emphasize,
and how to distinguish the ka, ca, ta, tha,
pa from their aspirated consonants kha, cha, ...
Ultimately all great music (or poetry) recital must spring forth from
the true heart. Otherwise the artist enters a state of stasis - soon,
despite a plethora of awards and hefty emoluments,
his renderings will fall flat, fall short of the perfection.]