Bantureeti Koluvu

A prayer to serve Rama, with devotion imagined as armour, a badge and a sword.

Music	Detail
Composer	Tyagaraja
Raga	Hamsanadam
Tala	Adi (Desadi treatment)
Type	Kriti
Language	Telugu

Lyrics

Pallavi

baṇṭu rīti koluviyyavayya rāma

Anupallavi

tuṇṭa viṇṭi vāni modalaina
madādula koṭṭi nēla kūla jēyu nija

Charanam

rōmāñcamanu ghana kañcukamu
rāma bhaktuḍanu mudra biḷḷayu
rāma nāmamanu vara khaḍgamivi
rājillunayya tyāgarājanikē

Meaning

Tyagaraja asks for a place in Rama’s service. The enemies to overcome are inward ones, including desire and pride. His equipment is equally inward: the thrill of devotion is his armour, being Rama’s devotee is his badge, and Rama’s name is his sword. Service here is both closeness to the divine and discipline of the self.

Musical context

The charanam develops one metaphor through three parallel phrases. Listen for the repeated anu, “called,” as each ordinary object is transformed into a devotional quality.