Vid. Bhavana Yadavilli (vocal) from Vishakapatnam - Homage to Mysore Vasudevacharya Series
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- čas přidán 13. 04. 2024
- Sree Ramanavami Festival Special Concert Series
Homage to Padma Bhushan Mysore Vasudevacharya
14th April 2024, 8:00 PM IST (10:30 AM EDT)
Vid. Bhavana Yadavilli (vocal) - Vishakapatnam
(Disciple of 'Sangeetha Sudhanidhi' Smt. Dr. Sarada Subramaniam) - Hudba
Chala Baga padevu Bhavana excellent 💐💐💐🙌
Excellent performance Bhavana ...God bless you talli...👏👏👌🎼💐💐
Abslutely Blissful Divine and Superb Concert All the Best Wishes !!!
Endearing rendition....!
Nice singing Bhawana. God Bless You
Superb !!!
Superb Hat's off to her and her Guru 'Sangeetha Sudhanidhi' Smt. Dr. Sarada Subramaniam
Superb Start !!!
Wising you a joyous Puthandu filled with prosperity, happiness, and new beginnings! May this Tamil New Year bring you and your family abundant blessings and success. Happy Puthandu! May your life be adorned with peace, love, and prosperity
Thank you very much Subramanian Ramachandran gaaru and Parivadini Music for this wonderful opportunity ☺🙏
చాలా బాగా పాడేవు తల్లీ
Nice Cultured Voice Ma !!!
I had the honour of hearing this Live in a Concert by Mahararapuram Santhanam Mama
May the divine blessings of Vishu illuminate your path to success.
May the auspicious occasion of Vishu bring you closer to your spiritual self.
Wishing you a Vishu as bright and colorful as a beautiful flower.
May the blessings of Lord Vishnu be with you today and always.
Sindhubhairavi is one of the most interesting and colourful of ragas. A melange of swaras finds it way into this accommodative raga. Sindhubhairavi is a derivative of the Asavari thaat,
and the conventional Aarohana / Avarohana being SRGMDNS / SNDPMGRS.
The raga features the Sadja, Suddha and Chatusruti Rishabha, Suddha Madhyama (and Prati Madhyama in special phrases), Pancama, Suddha Dhaivata (and Chatusruti Dhaivata in special phrases), Kaisiki Nishada (and Kakali Nishada too), in fact, almost everything! This raga is suited for lighter pieces, exudes bhakti and sringara rasas, and could melt mountains.
Classical compositions that are often sung in Sindhubhairavi include ‘Venkatachala Nilayam’ (Purandaradasa), ‘Kalyana Gopalam’ (Narayana Theertha), ‘Visweswara’, ‘Bhaja Bhaja’ and ‘Ramachandra Prabhu’ (Swati Tirunal), ‘Manadhirkugandhadhu’ (Tanjore Sankara Iyer), ‘Kantamam’ (Mayuram Viswanatha Sastri) among several others. One may recall Parvin Sultana’s rendition of the Punjabi anga ‘Bhavani Dayani’, Bhimsen Joshi’s abhang ‘Jeekaranjale’, and Kishori Amonkar’s rendition of ‘Koyaliya’, all scintillating pieces in this raga. Most ragamalika pieces also feature this raga.
One of the most well-utilised ragas in film music would be Sindhubhairavi.
M.S. Subbulakshmi's renditions of ‘Anandam En Solvene’ from Sakuntalai, ‘Brindavanathil Kannan Valarndha’ and ‘Kaatrinile’ from Meera, are exemplary depictions of this raga.
M.K. Tyagaraja Bhagavatar’s renditions in Sindhubhairavi are some of the most refreshing, including ‘Bhoomiyil Maanida’ from Ashok Kumar, and ‘Vadhaname Chandra Bimbamo’ from Sivakavi. In ‘Vadhaname’, the complete octave is explored with splendid vocalisation in ‘...Madura Gaanamo…’, in lightning speed.
Bharatiar’s ‘Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai’ in ragamalika featured Sindhubhairavi as the first raga in D.K. Pattammal’s voice (in the film Vedhaala Ulagam). ‘Sitham Ellam Enakku’ from Thiruvarutchelvar is a riveting piece, a composition of K.V. Mahadevan, who also composed ‘Manappara Madu Katti’ fromMakkalai Petra Magaraasi in this raga.
The duo M.S. Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy has composed several pieces in this raga, including ‘Ennai Yarendru’ from Paalum Pazhamum, ‘Varayo Thozhi’ from Paasa Malar, and ‘Aaru Maname’ fromAndavan Kattalai. The use of the shehnai in ‘Varayo Thozhi’ is noteworthy.
‘Kalyana Saapaadu’ from Major Chandrakanth in the music of V. Kumar is a foot-tapping number in this raga, and one notices that most pieces in this ragas start at the Gandhara-Madhyama region and proceed to the Madhya-sthayi Sadja.
M.S. Viswanathan's ‘Allah Allah’ from Mohammed-bin-Tughlaq, ‘Raman Ethanai Ramanadi’ fromLakshmi Kalyanam and ‘Unakkenna Mele Nindraai’ from Simla Special are evergreen pieces in Sindhubhairavi. In ‘Unakkenna’ the refrain ‘Thaai Madiyil Pirandom...’ ending with the thom-tha-dhomjathi beautifully encompasses the entire landscape of this raga - sheer genius.
‘Thiruthani Muruga’ from Neelagiri Express is a splendid composition in this raga by T.K. Ramamoorthy who passed away recently.
Ilaiyaraaja’s forays into this raga reveal wondrous pastures and a few breathtaking examples of his many compositions in this raga are ‘Valaiosai’ from Satya in which the fusion of the raga with the guitars and Lata Mangeshkar’s voice make magic, ‘Shenbagame’ from Enga Ooru Paatukaaran, ‘Muthumani Maala’ from Chinna Goundar, ‘Madha Un Kovilil’ from Achaani (in this piece the Antara Gandhara is beautifully touched upon in ‘Thaai Endru Unnaithaan’), ‘Naanoru Sindhu’ (with a folksy touch) from Sindhubhairavi, and ‘Oru Naalum Unai’ from Ejamaan. Ilaiyaraaja has used this raga for even a sensuous number ‘Aatama Therottama’ from Captain Prabakaran.
A.R. Rahman’s ‘Nenjinile’ from Uyire and ‘Margazhi Thingal Allavaa’ from Sangamam show varied hues of this rather, the latter being a more conventional approach to the scale.
Harris Jayaraj has tried his hand in Sindhubhairavi in ‘Ivan Dhaanaa’ from Saamy and ‘Theeye Theeye’ from Maattrraan.
In Hindi film music too this raga has been widely used, and one recalls ‘Joth Se Joth’ from the film Sant Gnyaneshwar in the lilting voices of Lata and Mukesh.
‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’, a multilingual song that is close to our hearts has been composed in this raga by Louis Banks and sung by several legends in Indian music, including Bhimsen Joshi and M. Balamuralikrishna.
Sindhubhairavi raga, a personal favourite, has innumerable memorable melodies, of which only a fraction has been mentioned in this article.
Special thanks to my guru Dr. G. Sarada Subramaniam gaaru for her consistent support and encouragement 🙏🙏
This is the Main Krithi of the Concert !!!
On Behalf of Mysore Vasudevachaya Homage Page We Whole heartedly Welcoming
nannu brOvumani Ragam Kalyani Misrachapu Bhadrachalam Ramadasu
Next is Sub Main Krithi of the Concert !!!
Thank you everyone for your wishes and blessings, I'm honoured by your kind words😊🙏
Sreeman naraayana Ragam Bowli 15th Mela Adi Talam Annamayya Krithi
In this prayer song Annamaiah describes the divine appearence and great qualities of the Super Soul Sriman nArAyaNa. He expresses total surrender to his lord.
P Bhavayami Gopala Balam ... Mana Sevitham ,
Tat padam chintayeyam sada
Think of the Cow-herdmen's child (Krishna), serve (HIM) in heart, and think His word always.
The word "padam" means word while the word "paadam" means foot. Well in almost all the renditions, "padam" is sung and so I am going to take that as reference. This line is self explanatory.
C1 kaṭi-ghaṭita-mēkhalā khacita-maṇi-ghaṇṭikā paṭala-ninadēna vibhrājamānam
kuṭila-pada-ghaṭita saṅkula-śiñjitēnatam caṭula-naṭanā-samujvala-vilāsam
His waist has a girdle/belt studded with gems and small tinkles. His forehead with the sandal paste mark echos the splendor.His curved feet has crowded tinkles. His loveable dance/acts radiate pleasure.
C2 niratakara-kalitanavanītaṃ brahmādi- suranikara-bhāvanā-śōbhita-padam
tiruvēṅkaṭācala-sthitamanupamaṃ harim paramapuruṣaṃ gōpālabālam
(He) always has butter in his hands;His word/feet adornes the thoughts of the Brahma and other Gods collectively. Residing on Thiru Venkata Hill, the gopala bala(cowherdsman's child) is the unparalleled Hari, the Supreme Man.
rAma seetArAma Ragam jhanjhooTi Adi Badrachalam Ramadasu
Thillaanaa tam tam Ragam Khamas 28th Mela janya Adi talam patnam Subramania iyer Composition
Mari mari vachchunA mAnava janmamu Ragam Kambhoji Adi Mysore Vasudevachar
Interesting points to note from the Kriti:
Shriman Narayana : His name gets addressed three times to start with. This is a song which is typically sung as 'suprabhata' to Lord Venkateswara of Tiruppati. The Lord Venkateswara is like a King. And, it is a typical thing to address the king three times as the king comes into the court. Shri Annamacharya has structured the kriti as if he is addressing the Lord coming into the court where thousands of devotees are waiting. And, he is addressing the Lord three times.
Kamala : The usage of this term in the anupallavi is beautiful.'Kamala' is used a total of eight times in the Anupallavi. "Srimannarayana" in sanskrit is called "Ashtakshara" - the mantra with 8 letters in it. It is only fitting that the Kamalavasa's connection with Lotus flower is mentioned eight times :
Kamala Sati - with a wife "Kamala"
Mukha Kamala - with a face like lotus
Kamala hita - He does good deed like a lotus flower; He is soft like a lotus flower; He tends to Lotus
Kamala Pirya : He loves lotus
Kama Lekshana - with eyes like lotus flower
Kamalasanahita - in the lotus posture
Kamala nabane - with a navel from which a lotus flower springs up
Pada kamalame - The one with the lotus feet
Innumerable Janya Ragas
A mELa rAgam with immense scope for detailed AlApana, kalyANI is a parent scale for a huge number of janya rAgams. There are more than 120 Janya Ragams for Kalyani, but the most popular ones are: Saranga, Mohana Kalyani,Yamuna Kalyani, Hamir Kalyani, Vandanadharini,Sunadavinodini, SarangaTarangini, Amrta Behag,hamsavinOdinI, sudhA kalyANI and Bhoop Kalyani.
D. Pattammal and M. Dandapani mention 122 Janya Ragams of Kalyani in their book Ragapravaham.
Mohana Kalyani is a pleasing ragam obtained by fusing together Mohanam and Kalyani. There is also a Hamsa Kalyani, a creation of Ashok Madhav(Pittsburgh), which is obtained by the fusion of Hamsadhwani and Kalyani.
We have heard of these terms Nada, Biindu,and Kala in our religious literature.We come across these terms in many Sanskrit slokas and sthothras. In describing Devi Lalitha Parameswari and other deities these terms are used! Sri Lalitha Sahasra nama sthothra extols Devi as the essence of these three terms. Sri Arunagirinathar has a Thiruppughaz starting with these terms eulogizing his chosen deity LordSubrahmanya. " Nada bindu kaladi namo namo' By these usages it is clear that these words are very significant, What are these words? what is their significance?
Vasantha (raga)
Vasantha is a janya rāgam of Suryakantam, the 17th Melakarta rāgam. According to P Subba Rao, majority opinion is that the rāgam is derived from Mayamalavagowla, the 15th Melakarta rāgam.
Vasantha has ample scope for alapana. This scale has been used by many composers for compositions in classical music
Vasantha is suitable to be sung in evening and is considered an auspicious rāgam. It has been in use for more than 1000 years.
The name Vasantha invokes images of springtime and the burst of energy
Structure and Lakshana
Vasantha is an asymmetric scale that does not contain panchamam. It is called a vakra audava-shadava rāgam, in Carnatic music classification (as it has 5 notes with zig-zag notes in ascending scale and 6 notes in descending scale). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as
Aro : S M1 G3 M1 D2 N3 S Av : S N3 D2 M1 G3 R1 S
This scale uses the notes shadjam, shuddha rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham and kakali nishadam.
Lalitha is a popular rāgam that sounds very similar to Vasantha. Lalitha uses chatusruti rishabham in ārohaṇa also,] while the dvisruti dhaivatam is used in it, compared to trisruti dhaivatam in Vasantha.
Interestingly there are Similar Sounding Ragams
Gopika Vasantham, Hindola Vasantham, Vasantha Bhairavi etc etc
Jagadodharana Ragam Kapi Karaharapriya Janya Adi Talam Purandaradasru Krithi
Krithi
This song was composed by Dikshitar in Tiruvaiyaru, at the house of Tyagaraja and at his behest. This kriti is in the eighth(Sambodhana Prathama) Vibhakti
The sun is called Pankaja-mitra (friend of the lotus) as lotuses bloom at sunrise
The phrase “maNi ranga vallyA-alankRta” in the Caranam contains the Raga Mudra
2. The comparison with "Enna Thavam Seithanai" (tamil song):
The similarities with the "Enna Thavam Seithanai" also in Kaapi Ragam, in tamil, by Papanasam Sivan, is absolutely striking. The bhava is very similar.
Here, in this song, Purandaradasa just hints at the innocence of Yasode. Her fierce loyalty to her son, her assumption that her child is just like any other child, her love for Him and the Krishna Leela that flowed in Gokulam are broadly hinted at in this song. Papanasam sivan goes one step further and clearly talks about Yasoda's great boon in having Krishna as her child.
May be, Papanasam Sivan was inspired by this Purandaradasa's kriti. If someone who knows these great Vaggeyakkara's life can explain, it would be my pleasure.
God may be the greatest of all men. He may be smaller than the smallest atom and bigger than the biggest things in the world. He may be the saviour of the world. But, He is still Krishna and He is still the son to her mother. And, what a great soul Yasode was! Who can get a life like
Nada bindu Kaladi Namo ragam Chenchurutti Adi Talam Sri Arunagirinathar's Thiruppugazh
This Song is on Pazhani Murugan
In this kruti Dikshitar contemplates upon Sri Rama of Saketa, the lord of Sita,the bestower of our sustenance and also emancipation.He adds that he is the embodiment of virtues.
This kriti is in the second Vibhakti
Bowli, a janya of 15th mela Mayamalavagowla, is a morning / purvodaya raga with a calm,pious and deep meditative quality. I think this is the main reason for choosing this particular raga for Suprabhathams. The word Suprabhatham itself means Auspicious Morning and Raga Bowli -a Bakthi Rasa pradhana raga is chosen for tuning most of the Suprabathams. Listening to Raga Bowli in the dawn transforms the morning mood to be one of serenity and sacredness. Bowli calms the turbulent mind and promotes relaxation and prevents the effects of chronic stress, promotes emotional well being and maintains positive mental health to begin the day. Bowli has the following Arohana and Avarohana.
Arohana: S R1 G3 P D1 S
Avarohana: S N3 D1 P G3 R1 S
(Shadjam, Shuddha Rishabham, Anthara Gandharam, Panchamam, Shuddha Dhaivatham, Kakali Nishadam).
Note that the Arohanam of Bowli does not have the Nishadha (N) which is left out making it a nishaada-varjaya in the arohana scaling.
Ramachandraya Janaka ( Mangalam) Talam Adi Bhadrachala Ramadasa
Ragam Begada :- Janyam of 29th mela Shankarabaranam.
Aro: S G3 R2 G3 M1 P D2 P S Av: S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2
The raga Begada is a delightful one, highly classical, and full of little surprises - be it a foreign note ( bhashanga swara) or the exaggerated gamaka. Begada is a vakra shadava sampoorna scale, meaning only six notes are present in the ascent, and take on a jagged path, while in descent all seven notes occur. Begada is a janya of the 29th melakarta Shankarabharanam. The aarohana-avarohana of Begada are SGRGMPDPS / SNDPMGRS. The speciality of this raga is the slightly elevated tonal level of the suddha madhyama, a ‘pratyantara madhyama’ level, and the usage of the kaisiki and kakali nishadas. The other notes in this raga include the sadja, chatusruti rishaba, antara gandhara, pancama, and chatusruti dhaivata.
A unique raga, it is often referred to as Begada-meegada (Telugu), the smoothness of this raga is like fresh cream. Classical composers have explored the uniqueness of this raga to their heart’s content. Tyagaraja’s ‘Nadopasana’, ‘Lokavana’ and ‘Neeverakula’ are outstanding, while Dikshitar’s ‘Vallabha Nayakasya’ and ‘Tyagarajaya Namaste’ stand lofty. Shyama Sastri composed the melting ‘Kamakshi Nato Vada’ in this raga. Tamil kritis such as ‘Ganarasamudan’ and ‘Kadaikann Vaithu’ are popular and merit mention.
Mangaambudhi Hanumantha Dharmavathi, Adi Annmacharya
Raga Abheri Janyam of 22nd mela Karaharapriya.
Aro: S G2 M1 P N2 S Av: S N2 D2 P M1 G2 R2 S
Abheri as we know it today is one of the most attractive and popular ragas. It is known in North India by the name Bhimpalasi and Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar affectionately called it Devagandharam. It is also called Karnatakadevagandhari in texts of music.
Abheri is synonymous with “Nagumomu ganaleni” composed by Saint Thyagaraja, a lilting composition with a light hint of pathos. I often see people requesting “Eppadi padinaro,” a Tamil composition of Suddhananda Bharati popularised by D.K Pattammal, or “Bhajare manasa” of Mysore Vasudevachar.
Abheri is often confused with Suddha Dhanyasi. The difference is that Abheri has nishada and rishabha in the descent while Suddha Dhanyasi is a symmetrical scale. I will not go into technical details - just a bit of information to whet your appetite for music.
Senjurutti
The Raga known as as Chenchurutti, Shenjurutti etc. It is a janya raga, derived from Raga Harikambhoji 28th Mela
Aro : D2 S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N2 Av : N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S N2 D2 P D2 S
This raga derived from folk music and has a pleading note to it. An example of traditional folk music is the delightful Kavadi Chindu Valli Kanavan Perai set to this raga.
Tyagaraja has composed Rama Rama Rama RaRa and Navaneeta Chora in this raga. Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer’s Pullay Piravi and Maadu Meikum Kanna are popular.
As generally percived Hindustani Jhinjoti is nowhere close to Senchuriti . In that respect, it is more like yadhukula kambhoji , which shines well in vilamba kala
Bhavayami Gopalabalam Ragam Yamuna Kalyani Annamyya Krithi
A ragam very extensively used in Carnatic music. There is a saying “ Begada Migada ( Begada is the cream ) to show the exquisite nature of this ragam that provides great relish.
This Kriti is in the sixth Vibhakti According to the Valli Kalyanam episode of Kanda Puranam, Subrahmanya sought his brother Ganesha’s help in making Valli agree to marry him.
Mangalam (wishing prosperity and happiness) to Ramachandra who won the heart of Janaka’s daughter Sita and who fulfills all our wishes.
Bhadragiri Ramadas was a great Savant belonging to Andhra Pradesh. He built the Bhadrachalam temple of Rama. It seems he used the money of the Nizam to build it.
Later he was imprisoned and kept in Golkonda fort of Hyderabad. Rama himself interceded on his behalf, paid the money to Nizam and got the saint released.
The stories of his Leelas or miraculous play are widely known throughout India. In contrast to Rama, the previous avatar of Vishnu, who always followed rules and regulations, Krishna’s Leelas describe someone who broke many rules.
While Rama’s life is about obligation, Krishna’s life is about play and delight.
I believe that the stories of Krishna’s play have deep symbolic meaning.
For example, his love for butter symbolises God’s love for a pure and unsullied heart. His leela of duplicating himself for all the gopikas symbolises the multiplicity of God who is with every soul though he is One.
Even keeping aside the symbolism, the endearing nature of the leelas allow us to bring forth the purest form of love that we human beings know - the love of a parent towards his/her small child - and allow us to transform that love into a love for the divine.
I meditate upon the Baby Gopala, Who is served by my mind. I always meditate on those feet. I meditate upon the Baby Gopala,
Who is glittering forth due to immense rhyming sound coming from jewel and bell studded waist girdle, and Who is shining forth trembling dances adorned by the sound of feet running in curved trajectoriesI meditate upon the Baby Gopala,
Who is engrossed in the beautiful new butter-ball in His hand, Whose feet are adorned by the various devoted emotions of Brahma and demi-gods, Who is situated at the mountain of Tirupati¹ as Venkat, Who is without a comparison, Who is Hari, and Who is the best person
muthyAla chavikelO Ragam Hameerkalyani Thyagaraja
This song was tuned by Vid Nedunuri.
I understand that I may be corrected that this krithi is on Tiruvarur Vanmikanathar represents the Moolavar while the shrine dedicated to Tyagaraja is the better known shrine in the temple
The Kurinji of the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini
Prologue:
The raga Kurinji under Mela 29- Sankarabharana is a well-known dhaivatantya raga and popularly rendered in a lineal fashion in madhyama sruti. Along with its siblings Neelambari and Navaroz with which Kurinji shares the melodic fabric, it can be seen that these three melodies are used in compositions such as lullabies, lAlis, Oonjal and songs of similar genre. Being an old and hoary raga, without engendering a much broader discussion, this blog post just focusses on the raga dealt with in the Sangita Sampradaya Pradashini (SSP) of Subbarama Dikshita.
Kurinji’s Raga Lakshana:
Kurinji is a melodic scale under Mela 29 Sankarabharanam, taking only the notes from this scale, with the nominal arohana/avarohana krama as under:
n3 S R2 G3 M1 P D2 and D2 P M1 G3 R2 S n3
Given the lack of movement below N3 in the mandhara stayi and D2 in the madhya stayi, the raga for felicity of rendition is rendered in madhyama sruti, whereby the madhyama note of the octave becomes the tonic. There are no sancaras below mandhara nishadha or above the madhya dhaivatha.
From an antiquity perspective it may be noted that the composition “Jaya Jaya Gokula Bala” a tarangam of Narayana Teertha which was famous once upon a time, was originally set fully to Kurinji. It was later fully reset to Bhairavi (published by K V Srinivasa Iyengar) and much later the modern extant version came into being, with the lyrics being set as a ragamalika to Bhairavi, Atana, Kalyani, Kambhoji and Surati, with the retuning being ascribed to Tiruvotriyur Tyagier.
The raga lakshana of Kurinji heavily overlaps with that of Navaroz and is compounded by the fact that both the ragas have octaval constraint imposed by grammar and both of them are rendered in madhyama sruti. Navaroz runs as pdnSRGMP-PMGRSndp, traversing the madhya stayi pancama to the mandhara pancama alone. DIkshita has also composed both in Kurinji - “Sri Venugopala” and Navaroz- “hastivadanaya namstubhyam” which again is a magnum opus in itself.
According to the SSP, Kurinji once upon a time possessed a different contour (while being under the same Mela 29 - Sankarabharanam). This archaic Kurinji is recorded by Subbarama Dikshita on the authority of the eka tala lakshya gita of Muddu Venkatamakhin “Srimad Gopi nathure” as the refrain or udgraha. According to Subbarama Dikshita archaic Kurinji had the following features:
1. It had tristayi sancaras, progressions spanning all three octaves
2. It lacked dhaivatha (varjya) in its ascent and dhaivatha being vakra in the descent.
3. The nominal arohana/avarohana went as SRGMGMPMPNNS - SNPNDDPMGGRS, which is provided by Subbarama Dikshita on the authority of the raga lakshana sloka of Muddu Venkatamakhin (circa 1750 AD)
4. Nishadha was its jiva svara
It has to be pointed out here that this archaic Kurinji does not exists today.
Subbarama Dikshitar proceeds to record that post Muddu Venkatamakhin’s times the raga got truncated and had the following features, which we can call as the modern or the extant Kurinji in contrast to the archaic version as delineated above.
1. It became a madhyama sruti raga.
2. The raga’s melodic progression was nSRGMPD, traversing mandhara nishadha to madhya dhaivatha only.
3. It had an exceptional n\pSS prayoga commencing on mandhara nishadha to the mandhara pancama and back to the madhya sadja.
4. The raga cannot be lightly dismissed as a minor madhyama sruti raga, for the ancients had accorded it the highest importance by placing it as the first upanga raga janya under Mela 29 Sankarabharanam as seen in the Sankarabharana lakshana gitam “ripupala khandanure”.
Additionally, Prof S R Janakiraman points out that the dhaivatha note (of the madhya stayi) is seen to occur very sparingly in this raga, more as a foray from the pancama note and back.
Thus, what survives today is the modern Kurinji that we hear today and as authority for the same Subbarama Dikshita provides two compositions, apart from his sancari.
1. “Sri Venugopala” - Muthusvami Dikshita - Jhampa tala
2. “Siva deeksha paru” - Ghanam Seenayya - Adi
We shall look into both these compositions in this blog post. But before that we will evaluate the Kurinji as was recorded atleast a little prior to 1750 AD.
In this kruti, Tyagaraja desperately says to Rama that there is none else to protect him. He requests Rama in many ways to save him expeditiously.
Sarasa Sama Daana Ragam-Kapi Narayani (28 HariKhamboji janyam) Tyagaraja Swamigal Krithi
Madurai Mani Iyer Popularised this song !
Thyagaraja it appears has assumed the Role of Sri Rama and explains in dealing with Ravana in this composition.
Paramanu rupa : Shri Annamacharya lived in the 15th century. From 1408 to 1503. That time, the scientific world did not even know of 'Atom'. But, here is the 15th century poet and he is beautifully talking about the basic building block of life and how Tiruvenkatapati is there in that building block also.
Mamava pattabhirama Ragam manirangu Misra Chapu Talam Muthuswamy Dikshitar Krithi
Nagumomu Ganaleni Raga Abheri, Taalam: Adi Thyagarajar Krithi
Reethigowla is the name of a raga. Not just a raga, it is something like the chocolate of Carnatic music… an aphrodisiac, if I might go to the extent of describing! Reethigowlai is a rakthi ragam meaning it has inherent jana ranjaka prayogams and phrases. A vakra ragam the phrases ni sa ga ga ma, ga ma ni ni sa is the most ranjaka phrase.
Lets observe the pair of phrases we just talked about
Ni Sa Ga Ga Ma
Ga Ma Ni Ni Sa
Here the pairs (Ga, Ni) and (Sa, Ma) are vadi samvadi pairs meaning their sruthi values compliment each other and one is a perfect multiple of other. Thus Jantai Ga and Ni are highlights of the ragam. The only other ragam which can get away with Ni Ni phrases and sound melodic is Poornashadjam. No other ragam has this uniqueness.
This is one of the reason why Pa is used less in Reethigowlai. Sa always matches Ma and Pa can come only as Ma Pa Ma or Ni Pa Ni. Thus Pa gets covered between the notes.
Ri and Da are vadi samvadi too - that's why we have the phrase
Sa Ni Da Ma
Ma Ga Ri Sa
and Ni Da Ma - Ga Ri Sa phrases too
Vadi Samvadi are nature's way of arranging perfect fourths and perfect fifths notes. They rhyme in unison and sound so aesthetic. If you are able to identify the sonant-consoanant pairs in ragam, that reveals the uniqueness in the ragam and one can identify the ragam very easily.
An Interesting history behind the ragam :
Reethigowlai is a fairly new ragam, got famous during trinity period. The earlier version of this ragam was called Narireethigowlai, a Raganga ragam (20th in modern nomenclature) in Venkatamakhin scheme, it used Suddha Dhaivatham. The ragam created a small shokam effect due to the suddha note. Reethigowlai uses D2 note and sound more melodic.
Raga Yamuna Kalyani, also called as Yamuna, is a supposedly lighter melody and a minor raga today, under the Kalyani raganga/melakartha. A look at the musical history as available to us and also given the fact that we have major compositions from both Tyagaraja and Muthusvami Dikshitar, would show that this raga was not a minor one. In fact there is even an authoritative reference that one of the kritis of Syama Shastri (“Birana Varalichi”) was composed in Yamuna Kalyani, implying that this raga should have been a member of that exalted list of 28 ragas (making it 29) that were utilized by the Trinity in common for their compositions. Many of the 20th century authorities such as Justice T L Venkatarama Iyer have been of the firm opinion that Yamuna Kalyani was an import from Hindustani Music and that the melodic equivalent of our Yamuna Kalyani was Yaman or Iman as it is referred to. In fact the “import” is ascribed to Muthusvami Dikshitar himself with the storyline that he learnt it during his Kashi sojourn.
When one traces our musical history, it can be deduced that Yamuna Kalyani had its roots in the old mela of Venkatamakhi called as Kalyana or Suddha Kalyan. This Suddha Kalyana spawned modern Kalyani even while it metamorphosed into Yamuna Kalyani as evidenced by the Dikshitar’s “Jambupate Mam Pahi”, the Panchabhuta kshetra kriti on the Lord at Tiruvanaika (Trichy) in this raga. Thus it would be erroneous to state that Yamuna Kalyani is a janya or offshoot of Kalyani. Rather Yamuna Kalyani was Kalyani’s precursor or at least Kalyani’s sibling, having been spun off from Suddha Kalyan. To suit the convenience of modern day classification it came be bundled under the Kalyani Ragaanga, in other words as a member of the Kalyani clan.
Coming back to the main thread, this Yamuna Kalyani as envisioned by Dikshitar underwent a further modification in the 20th century as evidenced by the melodic setting of the two current day famous compositions, “Krishna Nee Begane” and Annamacharya’s “Bhavayami Gopalabalam”. This modern Yamuna Kalyani can also be seen in modern interpretations of Tyagaraja’s better known compositions namely “Haridasulu vedale” and “Vidhi Chakradulaku”.
This blog post is an attempt to outline this history or metamorphosis as understood from the study of the musical history of Yamuna Kalyani through the ages from the time of our music’s great patriarch Venkatamakhi to Muddu Venkatamakhi to Muthusvami Dikshitar to Subbarama Dikshitar & to our times.
MODERN RAGA LAKSHANA OF YAMUNA KALYANI:
This raga’s current or modern day attributes/lakshana can be summarized as :
A sampurna bashanga janya of the 65th mela/raaganga Kalyani with usage of suddha madhyama in descent or avarohana phrases.
Given the current treatment of Yamuna Kalyani on concert platforms, one can additionally ascribe the following attributes:
• Yamuna Kalyani almost as a rule, is today sung in madhyama sruti & thus having its sancara restricted in the upper octave.
• Apart from the usage of suddha madhyama, Yamuna differs from Kalyani on two additional grounds:
• Kalyani is rendered with more intense usage of kampita gamakas in the so called “sampurna varika style” by which every note is invested with kampita gamakas. On the other hand Yamuna Kalyani is rendered with more jarus and with vakra sancaras rather than sequential progression of svaras.
• In terms of performance Yamuna Kalyani is relegated to lighter compositions, shlokas or javalis but is never taken up for a detailed exposition or for tillanas.
The modern form of Yamuna Kalyani is best illustrated by the following 3 compositions:
• The Dasar pada “Krishna nee begane” as immortalized by Smt T Balasarasvathi,
• Annamacarya’s composition “Bhavayami Gopalabalam” as popularized by Smt M S Subbulakshmi
• Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer’s music setting of Sadasiva Brahmendra’s composition”Pibare Ramarasam”
TEXTUAL REFERENCES TO YAMUNA:
There are two references to the raga lakshana of this raga, which one can refer to:
1. First is the raga lakshana as outlined by Subbarama Dikshitar in his monumental work, the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini (1904), SSP for short.
2. The raga lakshana as documented by Subba Rao in his work Raga Nidhi (1996), which is a comparative study/documentation of ragas featured in the Carnatic and Hindustani idiom.
There are no references to this raga ( that is Yamuna)in older texts including Caturdandi Prakashika or Sangita Sudha or the works of King Shahji or King Tulaja. The raga name figures as a desya raga in the listing found in the Anubandha to the Caturdandi Prakashika.
Nikela dayaradu Ragam Kadanakuthoohalam Adi Mysore Vasudevachar
KAMBHOJI is a janyam of mELam 28, harikAmbhOji (fourth mELam in the fifth (bANa) cakram --- “bAna bhUH” --- Mnemonic --- ri gu ma pa dhi ni). It is a typical example of a janya rAgam that enjoys greater popularity and grandeur, and has a vast number of compositions than the parent scale. (bhairavi is another such example!). Sometimes the name “kAmbOdhi” is also interchangeably used.
ArOhaNam: s r g m p d s
avarOhaNam: s n d p m g r s
Besides Sadjam and pa~ncamam, the notes taken are: caushruti .rSabham, antara gAndhAram, shuddha madhyamam, catushruti dhaivatam, and kaishiki niSAdam. The note “ni” is omitted in the ArOhanam, thus making it an SADava- saMpUrNa (6-7) rAgam.
kAkaLi niSAdam appears as an anya svaram (extraneous note), thus making kAMbhOji an Eka anyasvara bhASA”nga rAgam.
The occurance of kAkaLi niSAdam is very minor (alpa prayOgam), and is seen only in the phrases like “S n p d s”. The usage of kAkaLi niSadam lends beauty to this rAgam. Even though kAkaLi niSAdam occurs as a viShESa prayOgam, it cannot be rendered as “dIrgham”. Careless usage of “ni” will land in the parent scale hartikAmbhoji, which should be carefully avoided.
chAyA svarams: ma, dha and ni
nyAsa svarams: ga, ma, pa, dha
Resting notes: ga, pa, dha
gamaka svarams: all svarams can be sung with gamakam.
vishESa sa~ncArams: m g s, S n p, P d m g, m g p d s
kAmbhOji is a “mUrccana kAraka rAgam” (that is, it admits “graha bedham” , or model shift of tonic). When the dhaivatam is taken as the tonic SaDjam, the graha bedham results in the rAgam “dEsya tODi ( s g m p d n s; s n d p m g r s), under mELam 8. Conversely, the “ga” mUrccana of dEsya tODi gets back kAmbhOji.
A major rAgam that enjoys the same status as those of the “big four” meLams, tODi, kharaharapriya, sha”nkarAbharaNam, and kalyANi. KAmbhoji gives ample scope for detailed AlApana. Therefore, it is well suited for rendering a major k.rti, or an elaborate pallavi exposition, both of which call for a detailed improvisation. It lends itself to excellent tAnam renditions.
It can be sung in any tempo. It is a “varnana pradAna “ and a tristhAyi” rAgam. Being a popular rAgam, all sorts of compositions exist in kAmbhOji. Every composer has snatched an opportunity to contribute to this rAgam. In essence it is indeed a majestic rAgam!
kAmbhOji is an auspicious rAgam, so when sung at the commencement of a concert, it generates “mEla kkozhuppu” (proper musical atmosphere).
nAdasvaram renditions of lengthy kAmbhOji AlApanas are very satisfying experience, especially in temple festivals.
DAttu svara prayOgams like “ d g r g s r d r s n d p”, “r p m g s”, “r m g s”, and “d g r s” are a speciality of this rAgam. The prayOgam “ g m p m g” in tristhAyi adds beauty to this rAgam.
The tri shruti dhiavatam (5/3) occurs in the phrases “D; n n D”, and catushruti dhaivatam (27/16) in the phrases ”s n p d s r g”.
It is a sarva svara gamaka vArikA rakti rAgam, with high emotional impact, which makes a listener very tranquil..
Compositions in kAmbhOji usually commence in sa, ga, ma, pa, and dha. Here, a composition can commence in a vishESa sa~ncAra --- m g s and s n P.
Kapi - A Raga of Myriad Hues
Kapi is a janya raga, derived from Kharaharapriya 22nd on the Melakarta scale.
Aro : S R2 M1 P N3 S’
Av : S’ N2 D2 N2 P M1 G2 R2 S
Kapi or Karnataka Kapi is an old raga. Sahaji’s Raga Lakshanamu, Tulaja’s Saramrutha,the Anubandha to the Caturdandi Prakashika and the Sangraha Cudamani have documented this raga.
We have compositions in it from the pre-trinity times which are available to us through the Sangeeta Sampradaya Pradarshini (SSP). We have grounds to believe that Trinitarians have composed in this raga perhaps with different musical flavors.
The northern raga Kafi is spoken of, more as an equivalent of Karaharapriya while Kapi is truly different and in terms of the Hindustani music scheme, it belongs to the Kanhra/Kanada family of ragas.
Kapi is a raga which has become extinct in its original form but survives today in a much metamorphosed version or versions. Apart from its evolutionary history, one additional aspect of this raga merits attention.
It probably spawned or was at the epicenter of a family of ragas which shared a common melodic motif G2M1R2S. Each of the ragas in this family went on to transform itself in an evolutionary process and are today in our midst, each with their own distinct melodic identity and remarkably distinguishable from one another.
In this blog post , we would take a deep dive into this raga and also cover the aspects highlighted above. In a later blog post we will cover the comparison of this raga with a few other ragas with which it shares common melodic material.
Venkatachala Nilayam Vaikuntha Pura Vasam Ragam Sindhu Bhairavi 10th Mela Janya Adi Talam Purandaradasaru Krithi
Bhavayami Gopala Balam composition by Annamacharya, set to Raga Yamuna Kalyani by Kayanallur Venkataraman
This keerthana is one of Annamayya's sanskrit keerthanas, describing Krishna as the cowherdsman's child.
The first stanza urges people to focus/meditate on His word and serve him in heart.
The second describes the costume of Krishna, especially the waistband, anklets,etc. This is mostly self-explanatory keerthana with no difficult interpretations.
The tradition of worshipping Krishna as a Bala Krishna or Bala Gopala (child Krishna) is an old one. There is evidence as early as 4th BC of this.
Nagaraaja is frequently interpreted as the Govardhana hill of the Krishnaavatara. But Govardhana is only described as a hill. Nagaraaja literally means king of mountains.
So, Mount Mandara, which is one of the 7 major mountains, and can be called the king of mountains, is more appropriate. Vishnu in the Kurmavatara, as the Great Tortoise, supported Mandara on his back, when it was used to churn the Ksheera Saagara or ocean of milk.
The king of the birds is Garuda. Also, there are more references to Vishnu and Heaven in the kriti, like retinue, Garuda's abode in the heavens etc, than to Krishna and Earth.
So, Mandara is again more consistent. Rather than give the literal but convoluted, "one praised by Tyagaraja" for the last line, I have given the much nicer "bard". I have similarly varied my rendition of his "mudra" or lyrical stamp, in the remaining kritis too.
YAMUNA KALYANI AS OUTLINED IN THE SSP:
The SSP offers the first glimpse into this scale, wherein Subbarama Dikshitar refers to this raga as Yamuna. Let’s review first the information presented by SSP in connection with this raga.
• In the (Shantha) Kalyani Raganga lakshya gitam it is given that Imma Kalyani and Mohanam are the bashanga janyas of Kalyani. As a side note, we do not see Hamir Kalyani and Saranga mentioned as Kalyani’s janyas in this raaganga raga lakshana gitam. However Subbarama Dikshitar lists out Hamir Kalyani and Saranga as Kalyani’s janyas subsequently in SSP.
• Subbarama Dikshitar does not provide any lakshana shloka for Yamuna as he usually does. It’s indeed a puzzle for us that (Muddu)Venkatamakhi gives a reference to Imma Kalyani in the Kalyani raagaanga gitam, but no lakshana shloka or prabandha or tana or gita of (Muddu)Venkatamakhi is provided for this raga!
• Subbarama Dikshitar gives the murccana arohana/avarohana as SRGMPDNS/SNDPMGRS under the Kalyani raagaaga. However he defines the lakshana with the following caveats.
• Arohana is usually SRGPDs or SRGPMPDs
• Avarohana is usually sNDPGRS or sDPMGRS
• Sa is grahasvara and Ga, Ri and Dha are jeeva svaras
• Suddha madhyama occurs in the prayogas GmRS or GmGRS
• The oldest lakshana providing composition given by Subbarama Dikshitar is the “Khabay Prabandha” attributed to pUrvikAs or old timers. This composition has the ‘udgraha’ or refrain as “tha thai thaiyya”.
• Subbarama Dikshitar provides 4 other compositions to illustrate the raga:
• ‘Jambupate Mampahi’ of Muthusvami Dikshitar
• ‘Chintaye Janakiramanam’ of Krishnasvami Ayya
• Jatisvaram beginning with ‘SDPM’
• His own sancari set in matya tala
• The anubandha to the SSP lists out a ragamalika with 10 ragas starting with the words “Priyamuna” which has the raga mudra itself in its pallavi refrain, composed by Subbarama Dikshitar in the ragas Yamuna Kalyani, Todi, Sri, Hamir Kalyani, Durbar, Padi, Huseni, Sahana , Mohanam & Bhupalam.
Vallabha nayakasya Ragam begada 29th Mela janya Rupaka Talam Muthuswami Dikshitar
The empire given to Hanuman may be interpreted as the embrace Rama gave him in gratitude for news from Sita, or “Rama-bhakti-Samrajya” - the realm of devotion
The phrase “saketa nagare nivasantam ” in the charanam contains the Raga Mudra
Ramachandram bhavayami Ragam Vasantha Roopaka Talam Muthuswami Dikshitar Krithi
Hamirkalyani - A cool breeze from N.India
Hamirkalyani a janya raga of Mechakalyani (65th mela raga) . Imagine yourself standing on top of a hillstation. You feel the cool breeze brushing you and moving softly.
This is the feel you get when you listen to Hamirkalyani which is the next featured raaga which has the following
Arohana and Avarohana
Aro:S P M2 P D2 N3 S/ S R2 S P M2 N3 D2 S N3 S/ S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N3 P D2 P S
Av:S N3 D2 P M2 M1 G3 P M1 R2 S /S N3 D2 P M2 G3 M1 G3 R2 S/S N3 D2 P M2 G M1 R2 S
Jeeva Swaras: N, G and D
The phrases OR prayogas like MPDNDPMP-MGPMDP…MGPM2M1R.. using both madhyamas M1 and M2 enhances the beauty of the raga to Himalayan heights. Similary the vital prayogas of both Nishadams like MPDN2S..N1RD..N1DM1PM2..SRSN2S…DN1DP always give a request feeling when it is sung.
Both Nishadahas comes like a breeze relaxing all the stress and tension. The raaga establishes its signature while singing the phrase M2GpM1R…which can be compared to a flawless flow of a river with all swells and waves.
The Dhaivatham is used as as Kampitha Swara. The melodious raga though it came from N.India is popularised here by Sri.Muthuswami Deekshithar, Swathi Thirunaal and Thyagaraja Swamigal.
“Maanamuleda” Composition by Thyagaraja Swamigal brings out the request feeling completely when the Saint appeals to Lord Rama that Doesn’t HE have even a little concern towards him ?. Deekshithar Krithi “Parimala Ranganadham” is a song praising the diety of Parimala Renganatha Swamy temple located in the village Thaerezhunthur.
The Goddess of Parimala Ranganatha Swamy is Pundareekavalli. A particular line in this composition is “BhajeHamVeeram” depicting that this raaga is Hamveeru in Deekshithar Padhathi.
Swathi Thurnal Krithi “Gaangeya Vasanaadhara Padmanabha… is a composition ” praising Lord Padmanabha of Ananthapuri Temple at Kerala. Subbaraya Sasthri’s “Venkata Saila Vihaara” which has a weave of carnatic and classic Dhrupad touch is an examplory piece of Hameerkalyani.
Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar’s Hameerkalyani “Thoomani Maadathu” uses both Madhyamas intelligently in the line “Maamaan Magale”one after the other. \
Uthukkadu Venktakavi’s composition “Nadamurali Gaana Vilola” is also another good song framed in this raaga. Lalgudi Jayaram has tuned the Ashtapadi “Yaaramitha Vanamaali” which is very soulful taking the raaga to the heights of ecstasy.
Another Lalgudi composition a Thirupugazh “Aiynkarane Otttamugham..” which is a fast number demonstrates that this raaga can also accomodate speed/fast tempo.
Favourite Filmy Raaga
Hamirkalyani has been a favourite raaga of A.R. Rehaman. ARR is very fond of this raga and had made songs on and off with this raaga. The song “Nilaa Kayirathu” from the film Indira is very melodious.
I think AR Rahman is very fond of this raaga when he again composed the song “Swaasame..Swaasame in the film Thenali. Illayaraja’s Hamirkalyani, in ‘veenai aendhum vaaniyae’ (vietnam colony) is also an excellent demonstration of this particluar raaga. This raaga also emotes the complaining tone.
An illustrious film song “Ennuyir Thozhi Keloru Seithi” the one based on the film Karna, beautifully brings out the complain a wife tells to her friend about her husband not coming to see her. The Dhrupad style (Hindustani) of singing by the veteran singer P. Susheela is clearly brought out in this particular song.
I conclude this review by quoting these two lines beautifully composed by Vasanth Desai in the film Guddi sung by Vani Jayaram in Raaga Hameerkalyani.
Hum Ko Man ki Shakthi Dena Man Vijay Kare
Doosrom Ki jai se Pahle Khud Ko Jai Kare
The above lines mean that we can truly win only when we win over ourselves/our mind before winning over the enemy or anyone else in this world.
So conquer the SELF and embrace the whole world so that you are always the winner.This particular Hindusthani coloured raaga, one with great therapeutic value relaxes tension with its calming effect and brings down BP to normal 120/80.
In fact, the important qualifications of an excellent raaga like, it can bring out all gamakas, vocal negotiations, briga (singing in a lightning speed), which can accomodate slow and fast numbers etc makes Hameerkalyani a melody queen and a top class raga.
Vid Bhavana Yadavilli (Vocal) from Vishakapatnam AP Special Sreeramanavami Festival Series Concert on Today the 14th April 2024, Sundayy 8:00 PM IST 10:30 AM EDT
KAPI - ITS CURRENT FORM:
Before we look at the history of Kapi, it would be appropriate to take stock of the current form of this raga.
Kapi (rather modern Kapi) is grouped as a bhashanga janya under the Kharaharapriya mela/Sriraga raganga with anatara gandhara, suddha dhaivatha and kakali nishada as anya svaras, depending on the version of the composition. There is no strict arohana or avarohana for the raga today.
This modern day Kapi is encountered in renderings of Tyagaraja’s kritis such as “Meevalla Gunadosha”, Papanasam Sivan’s “Enna Tavam seidhanai”, the javali ‘Parulannamata’ and the tune melody of “Jagadodharana” of Purandaradasa.
With this brief introduction let us look at the antiquity of this raga and the transformation it had undergone to reach its present stage.
Vid Bhavana Yadavilli (Vocal) (Disciple of ‘Sangeetha Sudhanidhi’ Smt. Dr. Sarada Subramaniam
Mohanam The Most Pleasing and Enchanting Raga Truly “Jaganmohanam
Appropriately named for its beauty, rAgam MOHANAM is a very pleasing and enchanting pentatonic scale, that captures the mind of every listener. A janya of the 28th Melakarta Haikambhoji, it is an audava audava raga.
The beautiful colours and shades of Mohana raga is just brought out in 5 swaras.This raga is called as Bhoop in Hindustani. Suitable for singing at all times, but the night time is best suited for this ragam. Ancient name of Mohanam is “rEgupti” or “raghupati”.
Arohana: S R2 G3 P D2 S
Avarohanam : S D2 P G3 R2 S
( Chatusruti Rishabam, Antara Gandharam, Chatusruti Daivatham.)
Raga chaya svarams/Jiva svarams: ri, ga, dha
Nyasa svarams: ga and pa
Graha svarams : ga, pa dha
Prayogams of the type of “Janta”(dual swaras like gagapapadhadha) and “Datu”(skipping of a swara in between like dhagarigasari) lend great enchantment to the raga and make it very captivating. The notes R and D can be oscillated. G gets a kampitha gamaka or in the prayogas where there is a heavy expression of Gandharam as PG…
where Panchama is played in Gandharam (in Veena). Gamaka or oscillation make these notes beautiful, and prayogas in the raga aalapana containing these notes with gamaka are really bewitching… Mohanam has the ability to lift up a sagging concert.
A sarva svara mUrccanakAraka rAgam. All the four notes ri, ga, pa, dha admit graha bhEdam (modal shift of tonic). The ri, ga, pa, dha mUrccanas of mOhanam result in rAgams madhyamAvati, hindOLam, shuddha sAvEri and udayaravicandrika, respectively.
This raga was known as Mullai Pann in ancient times. Mohanam is basically a Veera rasa pradhana raga. A wide range of emotions like Sringara,Karunya etc can be very well portrayed in this raga. A well tread Mohanam reveals its folkish melodies too. Heavy classical compositions as well as light ones sound beautiful in this raga.
Historically speaking, mOhanam is perhaps the oldest rAgam known to mankind. Dr. S. Ramanathan’s doctoral dissertation on the music in shilappadikAram mentions that it is one of the most ancient paNNs. This pentatonic scale is, therefore, found in the music of various nations, including primitive tribes.
Ancient chinese, japanese, hungarian, swedish, and gypsy music all have traces of Mohanam.This raga claims to possess international melody. This raga is widely used in many countries namely Burma, Thailand, Japan, China. The national Anthem of Thailand is set in raga Mohanam.
In this keertana, TyagarAja says that he is not able to see the ever smiling face of Rama because of his pitiable condition and requests him to protect. He says that the God protected Gajendra without any delay and questions him why he is delaying in his case.
Nanu vidachi Ragam: Reeti gowla 22 kharaharapriya janya Mishra Chapu Talam Thyagarajar Krithi
On Behalf of Mysore Vasudevachaya Homage Page We Whole heartedly Thanking
Vid Bhavana Yadavilli (Vocal) from Vishakapatnam AP Special Sreeramanavami Festival Series Concert on Today the 14th April 2024, Sundayy 8:00 PM IST 10:30 AM EDT
Vid Bhavana Yadavilli (Vocal) (Disciple of ‘Sangeetha Sudhanidhi’ Smt. Dr. Sarada Subramaniam)
Once again Wising you a joyous Puthandu filled with prosperity, happiness, and new beginnings! May this Tamil New Year bring you and your family abundant blessings and success. Happy Puthandu! May your life be adorned with peace, love, and prosperity
Once again May the divine blessings of Vishu illuminate your path to success.
May the auspicious occasion of Vishu bring you closer to your spiritual self.
Wishing you a Vishu as bright and colorful as a beautiful flower.
May the blessings of Lord Vishnu be with you today and always
Enormous Ragams Covered .
Begada,
Reethigowla,
Vasantha,
Mohanam,
Abheri,
Manirangu,
Khamboji,
Kapinarayani,
Hameerkalyani,
Kadanakuthoohalam,
Bowli.\,
Jhanjooti,
Sindhu Bhairavi,
Yamuna Kalyani,
Kalyani,
Kapi,
Varamu,
Dharmavathi,
Chenchurutti,
Khamas,
Navroj.
All the Best wishes to them in their Future Endeavors
We wish to thank all the members of the lovely audience who motivated, supported and encouraged the wonderful artistes in this Concert today..
P mamava pattabhirama jaya maruti sannuta nama rama||
Oh Pattabhi Rama, (coronated Rama) protect me. Victory to Rama whose name is chanted by Anjaneya.
AP komalatara pallava pada kodandarama
ghana syamala vigrahabja
nayana sampoorna kama raghurama kalyanarama rama||
Oh kodanda Rama (Rama with bow), Your feet are delicate like tender leaves. Oh RaghuRama, You are blue with lotus like eyes. Oh Kalyana Rama (auspicious Rama), you fulfill our desires.
C chatra chamara kara dhruta
bharata lakshmana Satrughna vibheeshana
sugreeva pramukhadi sevita
athri vasishtyadranugraha patra
dasaratha putra maniranga valayAnkruta
navaratna manTapE
vichitra maNimaya simhasane
seetaya saha samsthita sucharitra
parama pavitra guru guha mithra pankaja mithra
vamsa sudhambudhi chandra medineepala ramachandra ||
Bharata and Lakshmana sway chamaram and hold parasol. Satrughna, Vibheeshana, Sugriva and other stalwarts are at your service. Oh son of Dasaratha, eminent sages like Athri, Vasista are your well wishers.
You majestically sit along with your consort Seeta on a gem studded throne in a pavillion shinning with nine kinds of gems. It is decorated with colorful buntings (toranam). Oh Rama Chandra, you are the most pious,
You are known for your unblemished character. You are like the moon to the nectar like ocean of the Sun dynasty. You are the ruler of this earth. You are dear to Guru guha
The following is a plainer and simpler translation that captures the gist.
.
Lost am I,
Vexed am I,
O Valiant Prince,
Sans Thy smiling face!
Grant Thy saving grace!
.
In the days of yore,
My Lord,
A mountain bore,
For the hosts of
Heaven and Hell.
Needeth He,
His council's tell?
.
Does not the king of birds
Hasten to do Thy bidding?
Or did he find, Heaven to Earth,
A distance too forbidding?
.
Lord of All, my sole refuge,
Forsake me not, by subterfuge!
P nIkEla dayaradu rAmacandra ninnE namma lEda bhaktavatsala
AP rakandu nibhAnana jAnakEsha sAkETa purAdIsha sarvEsha
C nigamartha sara nitya nirvikara nagarajadhara anantavatara
yogishvara shridhara vasudeva pagalu reyi ninne pogaducundaga
Ramachandraya Janaka Rajaja manoharaya,
Maamaka abheeshta dhaya mahitha Mangalam.
Kosalesaya Manda hasa dasa poshanaaya,
Vasavadhi vinatha sadwaraya Mangalam. 1
Mangalam to Ramachandra, the pretty Lord of daughter of Janaka,
And to him who fulfills all my desires without fail,
Mangalam to the Lord of Kosala, who encourages his devotees with smile,
And who is saluted by Indra and his subjects.
Charu megha roopaya , chandanadhi charchithaya,
BHana kataka Shobhithaya bhoori Mangalam,
Lalitha rathna kundalaya , Thulasi vana malikaya ,
Jala jagataka dehaya Charu Mangalam. 2
Mangalam to him who is like a pretty cloud , who is coated with sandal paste
And he who shines in his bracelet ,
Pretty Mangalam to he who wears pretty gem studded ear studs ,
Who wears a garland of Thulasi,
And the one who has a body like lotus.
Devaki suputhraya , deva devo dathamaya,
Pavana guru varaya, sarva Mangalam,
Pundarikakshaya poorna chandra vadanaya,
Andaja vahanaya , Athulya Mangalam. 3
All mangalams to son of Devaki who is a God of devas,
And who is a great pure teacher,
Invaluable Mangalam to him who has lotus like eyes
Who has moon like face and rides on Garuda.
Vimala roopaya , vividha vedantha Vedhyaya,
Sumukha chitha kamithaa subhaga Mangalam,
Ramadasa mrudula hrudaya vasaya,
Swami Bhadra giri varaya divya Mangalam. 4
Pleasing Mangalam to the pure form who is an expert in Vedas and Vedanthas,
Who likes to see mind of people with pretty face,
Divine Mangalam to he who lives in the soft mind of Ramadasa,
And to the God who lives in Bhadrachalam.
I offer my obeisance’s to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the beloved son of Vasudeva, who killed the great demons Kaṁsa and Cāṇūra, who is the source of great joy to Mother Devakī; and who is indeed a world teacher and spiritual master of the universe. 1st slokam from the Krishna Asthakam.. 2nd slokam "Shanta kAram"is the popular one from the Vishnu Sahasranama..
Raga Kadanakuthuhalam
Janyam of 29th mela Shankarabaranam. Alias: kathanakuthoohalam, kadanakuthuhalam
Aro: S R2 M1 D2 N3 G3 P S // Av: S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
Patnam Subramanya Iyer; is credited with
the "invention" of this raaga. A raaga by the name of Kuthuhalam seems to
have existed before; Patnam S. Iyer is credited with having modified that
and composed this piece in the new raaga called "Kadanakuthuhalam
The unknown fact is that the most famous chittaswaram is not composed by Sri. Patnam Subramania Iyer but Thiruvaiyaru Sri. Subramania Iyer, a contemporary of Sri. Patnam.
Patnam Subramania Iyer invented this new raga Kadanakuthuhalam from Raga Kuthuhalam invented by his guru Maanambhuchavadi Venkatasubba Iyer, a sisya and cousin of Saint Thiyagaraja.
Kuthuhalam
Aro : S R2 M1 N3 D2 P N3 S // Av: S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
When you hear the raga Kathanakuthuhalam, the first song that comes to mind is Raghuvamsha Sudha, a composition of Patnam Subramanyam Iyer. The song and the raga have almost become synonymous with each other.
The song Raghuvamsha describes Lord Rama in different ways What’s interesting about this raga is its structure and the unexpected twists and turns while singing the notes. The quirky nature of the melody adds to the allure.
This raga is more suited for an instrument than the human voice. The raga makes a strong impact in dance programmes when the tillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman in Kathanakuthuhalam is presented
The wonderful scale of Kadhanakuthuhalam is not yet explored in film music.
Oorakey povuna - Varamu - Khanda Chaapu - Lyrics: “Brahmasri” Saamavedam Shanmukha Sarma - Composer: ‘Sangeetha Sudhanidhi’ Dr. Smt. G. Sarada Subramaniam
Differences between Kalyani and Sankarabharanam.
Technically, the fundamental difference between Kalyani and Sankarabharanam is the Madhyamam. Kalyani has Prathi Madhyam or Teevra Madhyamam, whereas Sankarabahranam has Suddha Madhyamam. Both are melakartha ragas and Sankarabharanam(29th mela) is the Suddha madhyama counterpart of Kalyani, all other swaras remaining the same. Sankarabharanam has the jeeva swara as Gandharam which is as still as a rock.
There is absolutely no oscillation for Gandharam in Sankarabharanam, where as Kalyani is a sarva swara Gamaka Raga (Courtesy : South Indian Music-P.Sambamoorthy) where all notes are oscillated. According to Subbarama Deekshithar G and N are the Jeeva Swaras of Kalyani with strong oscillation.
These two form a set of complementary mELams are like Shakti and Shiva. If sha”nkarAbharaNam is shiva’s favourite, then, Goddess is very much pleased with kalyANi, which also bears her name!
In a Lec-Dem, Prince Ramavarma quotes that ” in most ragas where there is gamakam, the rule goes that when one note is steady, the next note will oscillate. Here Kalyani and Thodi are exceptions to this rule. One of the classical examples of this gamaka pradhaana raga, is the ata thala varnam by Pallavi Gopala Iyer where all notes are oscillated.
Among the prati madhyama rAgAs, it is kalyANi alone that is able to stand equal to the mighty shuddha madhyama rAgas such as Todi, Kamboji, Bhairavi and Shankarabharanam in stature. The variety, the depth and the myriad feelings it is capable of portraying has made the raga a perennial favourite of musicians for centuries.
naadha vindhu kalaadhee namO nama
vEdha manthra soroopaa namO nama
nyaana paNditha saamee namO nama vegu kOti
Praises to Him, Who is beyond sound, time and space;
Praises to Him, Who is the quintessence of the Veda mantras;
Praises to Him, Who is the Lord of jnanis (sages)! - Thousands of prostrations to Thee!
naama sambu kumaaraa namO nama
bOga anthari baalaa namO nama
naaga bandha mayooraa namO nama parasoorar
Praises to Him, Who is the son of Shambhu (Shiva);
Praises to Him, Who protects the internal bliss;
Praises to Him, Who rides on the peacock
And controls the snake of the sense-vasanas of the devotees! - O Conqueror of the Asuras!
sEdha dhaNda vinOdhaa namO nama
geetha kiNkiNi paadhaa namO nama
dheera sambrama veeraa namO nama giri raja
Praises to Him, Who wields the “vel’ (spear) in his hands;
Praises to Him, Whose anklets produce melodious sound;
Praises to Him, Who is the hero of great valour! - Master of the
Mountains! [All the famous temples of Lord Subramanya are on top of hills.]
dheepa mangaLa jOthee namO nama
thooya ambala leelaa namO nama
dhEva kunjari baagaa namO nama aruL thaaraay
Praises to Him, Who is present in light offerings;
Praises to Him, Who dances in the hearts of devotees;
Praises to Him, Who has Devayani by His side! - Please bestow grace and bliss!
eedhalum pala kOlaala poojaiyum
Odhalun guNa aachaara neethiyum
eeramun guru seer paadha sEvaiyu maRavaadha
Doing charity and many grand worships,
Chanting, having a good nature and ethical standards,
Feeling for others and service to the Preceptor! - Let us not forget this!
Ezhthalam pugazh kaavEriyaal viLai
sOzha maNdala meedhE manOhara
raaja gembira naadaaLu naayaka vayalooraa
All the seven worlds praise the Chola Kingdom fed by the River Cauvery.
There, in the city of Vayalur, You adorn the Temple
Like a King, enchanting the hearts of all.
aadharam payil aaroorar thOzhamai
sErdhal koNd avarOdE munaaLinil
aadal vempari meedhERi maa kayi laiyil Egi
In those days, the saint Ārōrar rode on the white elephant,
While his friend, the Chera King, followed him on his horse! -
Both taking the air route reached Mt. Kailash!
aadhi antha ulaa aasu paadiya
sErar kongu vaikaavoor nanaadadhil
aavinan kudi vaazhvaana dhEvargaL perumaaLE.
On Mt. Kailash, the Chera King sang the hymn Ādi Andavula:
“This King’s kingdom is Kongu Vaikavur.
In that kingdom, in the town Āvinangudi,
You are adorning the Temple! - as the God of gods!”
Dīpa-maṅgala Jyoti Namo Nama
Tūya Ambala-līlā Namo Nama
Deva-kuñjari-pāhā Namo Nama - Arultārāī! (9)
Praises to Him, Who is present in light offerings;
Praises to Him, Who dances in the hearts of devotees;
Praises to Him, Who has Devayani by His side! - Please bestow grace and bliss!
KAPI NARAYANI - JANYA OF MELA (28) RAGAM HARIKAMBHOJI
This is a raga, again, surviving because of the Thyagaraja krithi only, though there are few other compositions. It is normally represented as Gandhara-varja in arohanam of janaka ragam; the ragaswaroopa can be seen as:
S R2 M1 P D2 N2 S // S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
Ragapravaham gives three different specifications under Harikambhoji mela:
S R M P D N S // S N D P M G R S (same as above)
S R M P N S // S N D P M G M R S
S R M P N S // S N S D P M G R S
If we compare some allied ragas, like Kedara goula, Surutti and Narayana goula with Kapi narayani;
Kedaragoula : S R2 M1 P N2 S - S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
Surutti : S R2 M1 P N2 S - S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S (Nominal)
Narayanagoula: S R M P N D N S - S N D P M G R G R S
Kapi narayani : S R M P D N S - S N D P M G R G R S (Nominal)
While the first two have considerable music history backing them, the last raga Kapi Narayani is an eka kriti raga the creation of which is attributed to Thyagaraja.
Given the common swaras and murcchanas which form the single body for these ragas/melodies, one needs to get down to the musical analysis using the notes and the motifs and jiva, nyasa and graha svaras on one hand and the practical musical exposition of the ragas on the other.
Please compare the specifications of the ragas as given above and see how the closest raga Narayana goula differs from Kapi narayani. Narayanagaula has a vakra uttaranga PNDNS while Kapi Narayani has a lineal PDNS as its uttaranga.
It is not sure whether Narayangaula gave Thyagaraja the inspiration to sculpt this noveau raga Kapinarayani, a raga without a textual history.
You even granted Ayodhya to Raavana. Finally, you conquered him and made his brother Vibheeshana the king of Lanka.
Even Vali offered to help him to get Ravana to Rama and he told I don’t require the same.
When all these failed he had fought the war with Ravana. - hatamu chesitivi tyagarajanuta -
ocean of the Sun dynasty. You are the ruler of this earth. You are dear to Guru guha
Manirangu is the janya raga of the 22nd Melakarta Raga Kharaharapriya.
Aro: S R₂ M₁ P N₂ S // Av: S N₂ P M₁ G₂ R₂ S
Till it is fully elaborated, many of us mistake Manirangu for Madhyamavathi. . Madhyamavathi : SR2M1PN2S // SN2PM1R2S
Shriragam : SR2M1PN2S // SN2PM1R2G2R2S (also SNPDNPMRGRS)
It can be seen that the arohanam is same for all.. Hence its closest ally in the Hindustani Music is once again Madhmadh Sarang.
The swarams of this ragam are very similar to Madhyamavathi with only a minor variation in the descending scale, with the additional Ghandaram in the former.
Hence its closest ally in the Hindustani Music is once again Madhmadh Sarang. Till it is fully elaborated, many of us mistake Manirangu for Madhyamavathi.
maṇiraṅgu is a beautiful, little raga and perhaps has an unenviable position of being “in the middle” of two heavy-weight ragas - madhyamāvati (madyamAvati) and śrīrāga (SrIrAga), and differs from them in a rather subtle way in terms of ārōhaṇa/avarōhaṇa.
madhyamāvati has an ārōhaṇa/avarōhaṇa that is S R2 M1 P N2 S | S N2 P M1 R2 S. This actually does not tell the whole story because the swaras in madhyamāvati carry a lot of gamakās with them, but that is a different story.
The nominal ārōhaṇa/avarōhaṇa of śrīrāga is S R2 M1 P N2 S | S N2 P D2 N2 P M1 R2 G2 R2 S. You can see that it has the same ārōhaṇa structure as madhyamāvati but has a more meandering avarōhaṇa.
However, in the avarōhaṇa, the part “P D2 N2 P M1” (i.e. pdnpm) is a special but rare phrase, which is to be used quite sparingly like once of twice in a song (the popular endarō mahanubhāvulu actually eschews it completely).
Hence, for most purposes, the melody of śrīrāga usually follows: S R2 M1 P N2 S | S N2 P M1 R2 G2 R2 S, which brings it closer to madhyamāvati (from a structural perspective) but still with a vital difference in avarōhaṇa.
Again in actual usage, gamakās vary between it and madhyamāvati (e.g. the ri in śrīrāga, and for that matter maṇiraṅgu is flat, never shaken, while it is not so in madhyamāvati).
Now maṇiraṅgu, again has the same ārōhaṇa as the other two i.e. S R2 M1 P N2 S. The avarōhaṇa is yet another variation of the same base swaras, and is the more straight forward S N2 P M1 G2 R2 S (again from a structural perspective only - not all swaras are to be rendered flat!)
Thus G2, the ga, is completely absent in madhyamāvati, occurs in a vakra i.e twisted pattern in the avarōhaṇa of śrīrāga, and in a normal descent pattern in the avarōhaṇa of maṇiraṅgu.
P mari vachchunA mAnava janmamu
maravakavE manasA Sri raghurAmuni ||
Oh my mind, will you be blessed with human birth again ? So don't forget Sri Raghuramuni.
AP para vAsudEvuni parama bhaktulaku
niravadhi soukhyamu doraka lEdEmi ||
Did not supreme devotees of Vasudeva get boundless happiness?
C rAmuni mahima nE nEmani pogaDudu
A mahadEvuni bhAmakE telusunu
ee mahilO munu rAmadAsAdulanu
bhoomijA ramaNuDE prEmatO brOvalEda ||
Is it within my reach to describe the glory of Srirama ?. Parvati the beloved consort of Mahadeva knows his greatness. Did not Rama the lord of Sita protect Ramadasa and other devotees with love before ?
P sarasa sama dana bheda danda chatura
sati daiva mevare brovave||
Who is the other God comparable to Rama? He was proficient in negotiating for conciliation. He was crafty in dividing the enemies. He severely punished the enemy. Oh Rama,please save me.
AP parama sambhavagresarundaguchu
palku rAvanundu teliya leka poye ||
Ravana boasted that he was the supreme among all the Siva's devotees. He never realised the greatness of Rama.
C hitavu mata lento baga palkitivi
satamuga nayodhya nittu nantivi
nata sahodaruni raju chesi raka
hatamu chesitivi tyagarajanuta. ||
Oh Rama,you gave friendly advice to Ravana. You even offered to gift away Ayodhya to him. You crowned Vibheeshana as the king of Lanka. You annihilated Ravana. Tyagaraja worships you.
P tAm tAm tAm udanitOm tananam tadaradhIm nAdrudrudhIm tanana
AP nAdru tOmdhru tAni dhIm dhIm dhIm tananA dhrudhrudhrudhru tAni tAni tillillAna
tajham tarikiTa takadhIm ga ri sa ni ma dha ni tanOm takiTa ma ga ma ma ga ri sa tarikiTatOm
C sAmi iTu jAlamu sEya tagunA nA mIda krupa jUDa samayamu
kAminci yunna nannu vEgamE cUdarA shrI venkaTEsha
(nAdru)
[sAmi] Oh Lord,
[itu ] like this
[jAlamu] deceit
[sEya] doing
[tagunA] fair
[nA mIda] on me
[kripa jUDa] showing mercy
[samayamu] time
[kAminci yunna] longing for
[nannu] me
[vEgame] quickly
[cUDarA] look at me
Shri venkaTEsha.
Oh Lord,is it fair to deceit[me] like this?
This is the time to show mercy on me.
I am longing for you.Quickly look at me.
ShrI venkaTEsha
P vallabha nayakasya bhakto bhavami
vanchitartha dayakasya vara mooshika vahanasya
I am the devotee of VallabhanAyaka the chief of Ganas (demi-gods). He is the bestower of boons. His mount is mouse.
C pallavapada mrudu tarasya pasankusadi dharasya
mallikajati champaka harasya
manimalasya vallee vivaha karanasya
guru guha pujitasya kalee kalamAlinee kamalakshi sannutasya
His feet are delicate like tender leaves. He wields a noose and a goad in his hands. He is adorned with garlands of chosen flowers. He shines with gem-studded necklaces. Guru Guha worships him before his auspicious wedding. Goddess Kali, Saraswati the goddess for arts and Lakshmi whose eyes are beautiful like lotus flower adore Sri Ganesa.
P nannu viDachi kadalaku rA rAmayya
ninnu bAsi ara nimisha mOrva nurA
Do not leave me and go Oh Ramaiah.
I cannot be without you even for half a minute
AP abdhilO munigi SwAsanu baTTi
ANi mutyamu gannaTlAye Sree ramaNa
Oh Sriramana, seeing you is like finding a precious
pearl after diving in deep ocean holding the breath.
C1 taramu gAni yenDa vELa kalpa taru neeDa doriki naTlA ye neevELa
It is like finding cool shade under kalpa taru
(wish fulfilling tree) after suffering unbearable heat of the Sun.
C2 & 3 vasudhanu khananamu chEya dhana bhAnDa mabbina reeti ganu gonTi DAsi ||
vaDalu tagiliyunna vELa goppa
vaDaganDlu gurisinaTlAye ee vELa||
It is like finding treasure pot unexpectedly while digging ground.
I experience the joy of a hail storm on a scorching day
C4 bAguga nannElu kOrA alla tyAgarAjanuta tanuvu nee dErA
Take care of me well, This body is yours. Oh Lord of Tyagaraja!
pallavi
jagadOddhAraNa ADisidaLe yashOde
(jagadO)
anupallavi
jagadOddhAraNa maganendu tiLiyuta suguNAnta ranganA AdisidaLe yashOde
(jagadO)
caraNam 1
nigamakE silukada agaNita mahimana magugaLa mANikyana ADisidaLa yashOde
(jagadO)
caraNam 2
aNOraNIyana mahatO mahImana apramEyana ADisidaLa yashOde
(jagadO)
caraNam 3
parama puruSana paravAsudEvana purandara vittalana ADisidaLu yashOde
(jagadO)
pallavi
jagadOddhAraNa ADisidaLe yashOde
(jagadO)
jagad : the world
uddharana : the one who saves it; ensures that it gets into the right path
adisidalu yasode = yasode played with him
The kriti is all about the mother that Yasode is. And, her innocence in taking her son as her son and not seeing beyond it. Who has got that kind of boon? Who has got this kind of 'bagya'? The great lord, the one who is the saver of the world, who has saved the world in all his 10 avatars, is playing with Yasoda. And, yasode is playing with him purely as her son.
anupallavi
jagadOddhAraNa maganendu tiLiyuta suguNAnta ranganA AdisidaLe yashOde
(jagadO)
The lord is full of virtues. He is the embodiment of all good characters. He is the one who makes the world a good place to live. He ensures that the demons are killed and the sages are saved. But, Yasode is oblivious to all this. She is playing with him. Just as her son.
charanam 1
nigamakE silukada agaNita mahimana magugaLa mANikyana ADisidaLa yashOde
(jagadO)
Yasode is playing with the one whom even the vedas have not really found. He is the one who cannot be counted. He is the one who is bigger than everyone else. He is the one who is a gem amongst the children. But, Yasode is playing with him just as her son and no more than that.
charanam 2
aNOraNIyana mahatO mahImana apramEyana ADisidaLa yashOde
(jagadO)
Yasode is playing with the one who is bigger than the biggest things in the world. She is playing with the one who is unlimited and not really measurable. She is playing with the one who is smaller than the smallest of the atoms. She is playing with the one who is all of these but she is playing with him without really knowing who He is. She is playing with him as if he is just her son.
charanam 3
parama puruSana paravAsudEvana purandara vittalana ADisidaLu yashOde
(jagadO)
He is the best among men. He is the God of all the world. He is the Vittala of Pandarapura. He is the one who is being praised by Purandaradasa now. But, Yasode played with him without knowing who really He is. She played with him just as a son.
This "Purandara Vittala" as everyone knows, is Purandaradasa's Mudra. This is similar to Dikshithar's "Guruguha" and Shyama sastri's "Shyama krishna" and Thyagaraja's "Thyagaraja" type of mudras.
evarurA ninu vinA Ragam Mohanam Misrachapu Thyagarajar Krithi
P nagu momu gana leni na jali thelisi
nanu brova rarada aree raghuvara nee ||
I am not able to see your smiling face. You know my pitiable state. Why don't you come to protect me Oh Raghuvara.
AP naga raja dhara needu pari varu lella
vogi bodhana chese varulu gare atulunda dura nee ||
You lifted (Govardhana) mountain. Your kinsmen may not advise you to be unhelpful to me.
C khaga raju nee anati vini vega chana ledo
gagananiki ilaku bahu doorambani nado
jaga mele para matma yavari to mora lidu du
vaga choopaku talanu nannelu kora tyagaraja nuta nee ||
Garuda the king of birds obeyed your orders and flew at once. Did he say that sky is too far from the earth. Oh the protector of the world, who else can I approach. Do not ignore me. I cannot bear. Protect me, Oh Lord of Tyagaraja.
In this krithi Tyagaraja requests Rama not to leave him even for a minute because Rama was like a pearl obtained from Ocean after a great struggle. SrI tyAgarAja depicts the prayer of prahlAda to the Lord.
O Lord rAma! O Beloved of lakshmI! O Lord praised by this tyAgarAja!
Please do not move away leaving me; do not abandon me at this moment.
I shall not bear separation from You even for half a minute.
It is as if -
(a) when there is unbearable heat, finding shadow of the celestial tree;
(b) diving into sea holding breath and finding a perfect pearl; and
(c) when it is parched, there is heavy hailstorm;
In the same manner as quarrying the earth and attaining a treasure trove, I discovered You; therefore having come near me, please do not move away leaving me.
Please govern me well here; this (my) body is Your property.
P shrIman nArAyaNa shrIman nArAyaNa
shrIman nArAyaNa nI shrIpAdame sharaNu
Oh Sriman nArayaNa, I surrender to your lotus feet only.
Narayana is never without His consort, Goddess Lakshmi. Goddess Lakshmi is referred to as "Shri". Even in addressing people, we call him "Shrimaan...." this is just to ensure that the person being referred to is blessed with the grace of Goddess Lakshmi. Here, Nayarayana is also referred similarly. And, the addressing goes on for three times. I bow to such a feet. I take shelter in such a feet.
AP kamalAsati mukhakamala kamalahita kamalapriya kamalekShaNA
kamalAsanahita garu.dagamana shrI kamalanAbha nI padakamalame sharaNu
You are like the Sun to your lotus faced consort Kamala. You are dear to your consort Kamala. Your eyes resemble lotus petals. You are dear to Brahma the creator. You move on Garuda bird. Your navel is like lotus. I surrender to your lotus feet.
His wife is Kamala - Goddess Lakshmi, who sits on the lotus flower. He has the face like a lotus flower. He tends lotus. He loves lotus flower. He has eyes like lotus flowers. He sits on a lotus posture. He rides on Garuda, the eagle. He has a lotus flower coming out of his Navel. I pray for your lotus feet.
C parama yogijana bhAgadheya shrI paramapuruShA parAtparA
paramAtmA paramANurUpa shrI tiruveN^kaTagiridevA sharaNu
You are the final destination for supreme sages. You are the supreme personality. You are transcendental. You are the supreme soul. You manifest yourself even in the tiniest atom. Oh Lord of holy Venkata hill, I surrender to you.
He is the one who brings good fortune to yogis. He is the supreme one. He is the great soul who is everywhere. He has the shape of the atom. He is the one who makes the atom what it is. He is the one who is there in Tiruvenkatagiri - Tiruppati.
In this kruti Tyagaraja expounds Rama's political wisdom and sagacity.He says that the four fundamental methods of dealing with an enemy are very well known to Rama.
Oh Rama,you gave friendly advice to Ravana. You even offered to gift away Ayodhya to him. You crowned Vibheeshana as the king of Lanka. You annihilated Ravana. Tyagaraja worships you.
Oh Rama! You are the One who knows how to use the saama, daana, bedha and danda methods at the appropriate time. No one can be compared to you.
Please help me. Ravana, the most devoted bhaktha (devotee) of Lord Shiva, could not understand this truth. You sent many calming words to him through your messenger.
P Venkatachala Nilayam Vaikunta Pura Vasam
Pankaja Netram Parama Pavitram
Shanka Chakra Dhara Cinmaya Rupam
Venkatacala Nilayam Vaikunta Pura Vasam ||
Venkata hill is the abode of Lord Venkatesvara. He dwells in Vaikuntha. His eyes are beautiful like lotus flower. He is very holy. He wields conch and discus. He is personification of Supreme Conciousness.
C1 Ambujodbhava Vinutam Aganita Guna Namam
Tumbur Narada Gana Vilolam Ambudishayanam Aatmabhiramam
Venkatacala Nilayam Vaikunta Pura Vasam || 1 ||
Brahma the lotus borne worships him. He is repository of countless virtues. He is engrossed in the holy renderings by sages Tumburu and Narada.
C2 Pahi Pandava Paksham Kaurava Madaharanam
Bahu Parakrama Purnam
Ahalya Shapa Bhaya Nivaranam
Venkatacala Nilayam Vaikunta Pura Vasam || 2 ||
I worship Madana Gopala who is adorned with ear-rings with crocodile design. Sri Purandara Vitthala is the protector of devotees.
C3 Sakala Veda Vicharam SarvaJeevana Karam
Makara Kundala Dhara Madana Gopalam
Bhakta Posaka ShrI Purandara Vithalam
Venkatacala Nilayam Vaikunta Pura Vasam || 3 ||
Gist :- Oh, Auspicious Narayana, I seek the shelter of your auspicious feet.
Oh, one whose wife is KamalA (Lakshmi sitting on lotus), having the face of a lotus, one who tends lotus, one who likes lotus, one with eyes like lotus,
Oh, one in lotus posture, one who rides the eagle Garuda,
Oh, one with a lotus on his navel, I seek your lotus feet.
One who brings good fortune to great yogis
One the supreme soul beyond, Oh one who has the shape of an atom (or one who gives substance to an atom)
Oh, God of Thiruvenkata mountains, I seek your feet.
Shreeman- auspicious, venerable, pAdam- feet, sharanam �seek feet, surrender
Kamala �lotus, sati- wife, mukha- face, hita- welfare, tending, priya- lover, akshi- eye,
Aasana- posture, seat, - garudagamana- going on Garuda, nAbha- navel,
Parama- supreme, beyond, bhagya- fortune, deya- giver, atmA- soul, aNu- atom, giri , deva- god,