ದಾರಿಯ ತೋರೋ ಗೋಪಾಲ (dāriya tōrō gōpāla)

ದಾರಿಯ ತೋರೋ ಗೋಪಾಲ (dāriya tōrō gōpāla)

ದಾರಿಯ ತೋರೋ ಗೋಪಾಲ

dāriya tōrō gōpāla

[ದಾರಿಯ (dāriya) - of the path; ತೋರೋ (tōrō) - show; ಗೋಪಾಲ (gōpāla) - Gopala;]

O Gopala! Show me the way

ವಾರಿಜನಾಭ ವೈಕುಂಠಲೋಲ॥॥

vārijanābha vaikuṇṭhalōla॥॥

[ವಾರಿಜನಾಭ (vārijanābha) - lotus-navelled; ವೈಕುಂಠಲೋಲ (vaikuṇṭhalōla) - Vaikuntha's beloved;]

O one with a lotus navel, beloved of Vaikuntha.

ಗಜರಕ್ಷಕನು ನೀನೆಂದು

gajarakṣakanu nīneṃdu

[ಗಜ (gaja) - elephant; ರಕ್ಷಕನು (rakṣakanu) - protector; ನೀನು (nīnu) - you; ಎಂದು (eṃdu) - said;]

You are said to be the protector of elephants.

ಅಜರುದ್ರಾದಿಗಳಂದು।

ajarudrādigaḷaṃdu।

[ಅಜರು (ajaru) - Ajaru; ರುದ್ರ (rudra) - Rudra; ಆದಿಗಳು (ādigaḷu) - and others; ಅಂದು (aṃdu) - that day;]

(Ajaru Rudra and others said.)

Understanding thus the Gods, Rudra, and others on that day.

ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಪೇಳಿದರೆಂದು

nijavāgi pēḷidareṃdu

[ನಿಜವಾಗಿ (nijavāgi) - truly; ಪೇಳಿದರೆಂದು (pēḷidareṃdu) - praised;]

They truely praised.

ಸುಜನರೊಡೆಯನೆ ಕೇಳಿದೆ ನಾನಿಂದು॥

sujanarōḍayane kēḷide nāniṃdu॥

[ಸುಜನ (sujana) - good people; ಅರ (ara) - king; ಒಡೆಯನೆ (oḍayane) - lord; ಕೇಳಿದೆ (kēḷide) - heard; ನಾನು (nānu) - I; ಇಂದು (indu) - today;]

(Good people king lord heard I today.)

O lord of good people, I heard today.

ವರದ ಶ್ರೀ ಹಯವದನ ಬಾರೈ

varada śrī hayavadana bārai

[ವರದ (varada) - boon granting; ಶ್ರೀ (śrī) - auspicious; ಹಯವದನ (hayavadana) - Hayavadana; ಬಾರೈ (bārai) - come;]

O boon granting auspicious Hayavadana, please come.

ಕರೆದೆನ್ನ ದಾರಿಯ ತೋರೈ।

karedenna dāriya tōrai।

[ಕರೆದೆನ್ನ (karedenna) - Holding my hand; ದಾರಿಯ (dāriya) - path's; ತೋರೈ (tōrai) - show;]

Holding my hand, show me the way.

ಪರಮ ಭಕ್ತರಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನಾರೈ

parama bhaktarige innārai

[ಪರಮ (parama) - most affectionate; ಭಕ್ತರಿಗೆ (bhaktarige) - to the devotees; ಇನ್ನಾರೈ (innārai) - who else;]

Who else is there for the most affectionate devotees?

ಪರಮ ಪುರುಷ ನೀನಲ್ಲದೆ ಗತಿಯಾರೈ॥

parama puruṣa nīnaḷade gatiyārai॥

[ಪರಮ (parama) - supreme; ಪುರುಷ (puruṣa) - being; ನೀನು (nīnu) - you; ಅಲ್ಲದೆ (aḷade) - except; ಗತಿ (gati) - refuge; ಯಾರೈ (yārai) - who;]

Who else is the refuge except you, the Supreme Being?

In the chorus of the song, Saint Vādirāja glorifies the Lord as 'vārijanābha' the one with a lotus navel. This refers to the Padmanabha form of the god where the Lord Brahma comes out of His navel resulting in the re-manifestation of the universe (Ref: Hiranyagarbha Sukta, Rig. 10.121). He is also called 'vaikuṇṭhalōla', the beloved of Vaikuntha, the place where the liberated transcending the three qualities experience bliss in the company of the Lord.

Then the devotee reminds the Lord of the episode of Elephant Gajendra and Gajendra's Prayers of Surrender sung by gods in the Bhagavatam 8.2-3. It is a reminder that the Lord always protects those who lovingly surrender completely to him. The Lord is specially addressed as 'sujanarōḍayane' i.e. lord of good people, to emphasize that it is necessary to develop good conduct to get the protection of the Lord.

After reminding the Lord of the Gajendra episode, the song goes into poetic surrender, where the devotee seeks a path forward directly from the Lord saying even I am surrendering like Gagendra - "O boon granting Hayavadana, please come, holding my hand, show me the way. Who else is there for the most affectionate devotees? O Supreme Being, without you, who can be the refuge?"