Meditations on Transcendence

 Here is a complete, fluid English poetic translation of Sri Purandara Dasa’s song, designed to capture both the lyrical flow and the deeper philosophical *purport* of each verse together. ## Āru Hitavaru Ninage **Raga:** Mukhari | **Tala:** Jhampe **Composer:** Sri Purandara Dasa ### Pallavi > **Original:** Āru hitavaru ninage mūru mandigaḷoḷage nāriyō dhāriṇiyo balu dhanada siriyo >  **English Verse:** Who is your true well-wisher and companion, tell me, among these three? Is it the woman you love, the land you own, or your mountain of immense currency? **The Purport:** Human beings spend their entire lives chasing three primal attachments: family (*Nari*), landed property (*Dharini*), and financial wealth (*Siri*). The poet opens with a sharp existential question, challenging us to look past our day-to-day illusions and identify which of these three entities will actually stand by us when our mortal existence faces its ultimate trial. ### Caraṇa 1 > **Original:** a...

 Pallavi Āru [Who] hitavaru [well-wishers] ninage [to you] mūru [three] mandigaḷoḷage [amongst these entities] nāriyō [is it your wife?] dhāriṇiyo [is it your land?] balu [immense] dhanada [of wealth] siriyo [the riches?] Caraṇa 1 anyarali [in another family] janisirda [born] anganeya [the woman] karetandu [having brought along] tanna [one's own] manege [to the house] avaḷa [her] yajamāni [the mistress] yenisi [making her known as] bhinnavillada [without any difference] ardha [half] dēhavenisuva [considered as the body] satiyu [the wife] kaṇṇinali [with her own eyes] nōḍalaḷammaḷu [is unable to even look] kālavashadi [when you succumb to death] Caraṇa 2 munna [In the past] shata [hundreds] kōti [of millions] rāyarugaḷu [kings] āḷida [ruled over] nelava [the land] tannadu [it is mine] endenuta [thus claiming] shāsanava [royal edicts] baresi [having engraved] binnaṇada [of beautiful design] mane [house] kaṭṭi [having built] kōḍe [domes] kottaḷa [fortifications] vikki [having erected]...