The lullaby was composed by Thampi at the request of the then ruler of Travancore, Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, to put the baby King Swathi Thirunal to sleep. His birth was a long-awaited event for the royal family since it faced the threat of being annexed into British India under the Doctrine of Lapse for the want of a male heir. The lyrics of the poem reflect this sense of relief when it refers to the baby as a 'treasure from God' and 'the fruit of the tree of fortune'.
Music
Originally composed in the Kurinjiraga and set to Adi tala, it is most often performed in the Navaroj or Nilambari ragas. An interesting feature of this lullaby is that it doesn't mention the word sleep in it even once. The sleep is thus induced by the effect of the raga. The song lends itself well to the expressions of the navarasas and is therefore often set to dance.
The translation by A. H. Fox Strangways in The Music of Hindoostan is given here: Is this sweet baby The bright crescent's moon, or the charming flower of the lotus ? The honey in a flower, or the lustre of the full moon ? A pure coral gem, or the pleasant chatter of parrots ? A dancing peacock, or a sweet singing bird ? A bouncing young deer, or a bright shining swan ? A treasure from God, or the pet parrot in the hands of Isvari ? The tender leaf of the kalpa tree, or the fruit of my tree of fortune ? A golden casket to enclose the jewel of my love ? Nectar in my sight, or a light to dispel darkness ? The seed of my climbing fame, or a never-fading bright pearl ? The brilliance of the sun to dispel all the gloom of misery ? The Vedas in a casket, or the melodious vina ? The lovely blossom put forth by the stout branch of my tree of enjoyment ? A cluster of pichaka buds, or sugar-candy sweet on the tongue ? The fragrance of musk, the beat of all good ? A breeze laden with the scent of flowers, or the essence of purest gold ? A bowl of fresh milk, or of sweet smelling rose-water ? The field of all virtue, or an abode of all duty ? A cup of thirst-quenching cold water, or a sheltering shade ? A never-failing mallika flower, or my own stored up wealth ? The auspicious object of my gaze, or my most precious jewel ? A stream of virtuous beauty, or an image of the youthful Krishna ? The bright forehead mark of the goddessLakshmi ? Is it, in this beautiful form, an Avatar of Krishna Himself ? Or, by the mercy of Padmanabha, is it the source of my future happiness ?
Controversy
The Irayimman Thampi Memorial Trust alleged that the first eight lines of the Oscar nomineeBombay Jayashri's song 'Pi's Lullaby' in the film Life of Pi were not an original composition but a translation into Tamil of the Omanathinkal Kidavo. The song had been nominated in the Original Song category for the Oscar Awards of 2013. Jayashri however maintained that she merely wrote what had come to her heart and denied the allegation against her.
