16 cakravaakam janya
Aa:S R1 G3 P D2 N2 S
Av: S N2 D2 P G3 R1 S

taaLam: Adi
Composer: ANDAl
Language: Tamil

shiTram shiru kAlE vandu unnai sEvittu un por-tAmarai aDiyE pOTrum poruL kELAi
peTrum mEiduNNum kulattil pirandu nI kuTru Eval engaLaik-koLLAmal pOgAdu
iTraip-parai koLvAn anru kAN gOvindA eTraikkum EzhEzh piravikkum undannOdu
uTrOmE AvOm unakkE nAm AT-sheivOm maTrai nam kAmangaL mATrElOr embAvAi

Meaning:

By Aparna from Neccheli (original article here, reproduced with permission)

Carnatic Compositions - The Essence and Embodiment
-Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi

govindA! - Beloved Govinda/Krishna
chiTram chiru kAlai - In the early morning hours
vandunnai sEvittu - came to worship you
un poTrAmaṛai aḍiyE pOTrum porul - intent behind praising your golden lotus feet
kEḷAy - Please listen!
peTram mEyttu uṇṇum kulattil pirandu nI - You are born in the caste of cowherds
kuTrEval - personal service
engaḷai - us
koLLAmal pOgAdu- you should not decline
iTrai paṛai koLvAn andru kAN - it is not for the drums (and such material objects) that we pray to you
eTraikkum - somehow
ELELu piṛavikkum - for several rebirths
un tannOḍu - with you
uTrOmE yAvOm - be always related
unakkE - and only for You
nAm -we
At ceyvOm - serve
nam - our
maTrai kAmangaḷ - all other desires
mATru - we will give up
ElOrem pAvAy - all maidens

Summary:

Oh Govinda! Please listen to us (all maidens). We wake up early in the morning to worship your golden lotus feet. Oh lord, one who is born in the cowherd community, please do not decline our services. We always pray to you not for drums and such other materialistic objects but seek your physical presence and somehow be associated with you even after many rebirths. We will be forever in your service and please remove all of our other desires.

This is 29th Pasuram of the total 30 Pasurams. Andal/Goda Devi, daughter of Vishnuchitta, was a tamil poetess and the only female Alwar (saints devoted to Vishnu) of 7th/8th century. Her famous works are Thiruppavai and Nachiyar ThirumoLi. While Thiruppavai consists of 30 verses, all in praise of lord Vishnu, the Nachiyar ThirumoLi consists of 143 verses that are a description of her longing and desire for Lord Vishnu. Vishnuchitta, a Vishnu devotee, would provide garlands for the Ranganatha temple. And his daughter Andal, with her intense devotion and love for Lord Vishnu, is believed to have worn the garlands before sending them to the presiding deity. Later, when Vishnuchitta finds that out, he gets upset and reprimands her. She makes a conviction that she would only marry and unite with none other than the Lord Vishnu himself. Lord Vishnu appears in Vishnuchitta’s dream and instructs him to provide only the garlands worn by Andal and all others will be rejected. Vishnuchitta realizes the truth and takes Andal to Ranganatha temple in Srirangam and she as a bride, unites with lord Vishnu. In other words, she seeked a spiritual union rather than a conjugal union, attaining a divine attribute and obtaining a godly stature. Indeed, there are a number of temples for Andal in southern parts of India and people worship her religiously. Andal, with her free spirit and independent thinking for her time, is an iconic figure for feminism. In a very male dominant and marriage-centric society, Andal openly expresses her love for Lord Vishnu and refuses to marry a human, which makes her a pioneer in treading such a path. This marriage, being a divine marriage, she retained her freedom and any other familial commitments. Many centuries later, her evergreen poetry is recited even now at the temples, especially during the Dhanur month. Typically, women young and old, recite Thiruppavai, seeking the blessings of Andal and Lord Vishnu.

Notation:

Other information:
Lyrics contributed by Lakshman Ragde. Meaning contributed by Aparna Gunupudi via Neccheli. This song is one of the 30 thiruppAvai by AaNDAL.

Also performed in madhyamAvati and mishra cApu tAlA, tuned by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Ayyangar