Namaste,
I have seen the padmavati ramaNam composition in a bhajan book published in the early 18th century by the Upanishad brahma mutt. I don’t remember if it had other OVK compositions. But the book predates Sri Krishnamurthy bhagavatar for sure
Let’s look at the composition for a sec. I might be stating the obvious here, but it might be of some value to revisit even the obvious.
Say you belong to an era a few hundred years ago, a basic veda adhyana and Sanskrit study at the bachelor’s level is expected out of you. Then you have the option to study one or more disciplines in detail. Vyakarana, Sahitya, Vedanta, Mimamsa, ,Tarka, Dharma Sastras, Agamas etc. Most pundits would have been VyakaraNa and Vedanta experts, may be along with pUrva mImAmsa. This is what would put you in the main stream even today.
Venkata kavi displays a very good grasp of all the mentioned shastras. But he should have specialized in sahitya, kavya and naTaka for sure. Probably that is why you see him adore Valmiki and Jayadeva. This in itself points to a very unique caliber of OVK. To admire Valmiki you need to be a kavi yourself, like kalisada. Valmiki is the Adi kavi form whom sahitya, al~nkara and other shastras emerge.
Jayadeva was not just a kavi, but he was an expert in natya/sangita/al~nkara/kama shastra as well. Which explains why OVK had high regards for him. OVK must have enjoyed singing Gita govind mahakavya often, in fact every line in the padmavati ramaNam points to the kavya itself.
We normally sing it from anupallavi, so let me explore it that way.
yad gOpi vadanEndu maNDala ramitam tad gOvinda pada candra cakOram shrI -
gOvinda pada candra cakOram - Jayadeva is like a chakora bird to the moon like Govinda’s feet.
Who is that Govinda ?
yad gOpi vadanEndu maNDala ramitam tad gOvinda - the one who is delighted by the moon like face of the Gopi.
Notice a few things here.
The anupallavi skillfully used the “yadgopi vadadendu maNdana” verse. Gita govinda maha kavya starts with “meghair medhuramambharam” as the first shloka. The first verse summaries the entire kavya. But “yadgopivadendu” is the magaLAcharaNa, which is considered as a part of Gita govinda kavya.
Krishna is qualified as the one who is delighted by the moon like face of the Gopi(Radha). Jayadeva uses this metaphor in multiple places.
shrImukha chandra chakora jaya jayadeva hare – 2nd Ashtapadi
rAdhA vadana vilokana vikasita vividha vikAra vibhaN^gam – 22nd Ashtapadi. This is traditionally the Kalyana Ashtapadi. Notice that there is no tying of the knot or any such ritual, but Krishna looking at Radha’s face and being delighted is the samyoga sUchana here. Now you can appreciate why OVK’s Krishna here is gOpi vadanEndu maNDala ramita.
Also the two reference to moon in the anupallavi are done with two different words. indu and Chandra.
Pallavi:
padmAvati ramaNam
jayadEva kavirAja
bhOja dEva suta
padmapAda smaraNam kuru mAnasa
At the beginning of a kavya or a naTaka the author is expected to say a few words about himself. Sri Thyagaraja swamy does this in Prahlada bhakti vijaya and Nauka charitamu. (rAmasvarUpuDanatagu rAma brahmArya sutuDu, ragarahituDu…. kAkarlAmbudhi chandruDu.. (Sorry if it isn’t exact. I’m quoting from memory. )
Here is what Jayadeva has to say about himself,
vAgdevatA charita chitrita chittasadmA
padmAvatI charaNa chAraNa chakravartI .
shrIvAsudeva ratikeli kathA sametaM
etaM karoti jayadevakaviH prabandham.h .. 2..
The first qualification he puts for himself is he is ‘padmAvatI charaNa chAraNa chakravartI” – The emperor who guides the foot of Padmavati. Jayadeva and padmavati were supposed to have been mate for each other. Jayadeva sang and Padmavati danced. Krishna is said to have given darshan to Padmavati and written the verse ‘“smaragaralakhaNDanaM mama shirasi maNDanaM dehi padapallavamudAram” verse. Jayadeva acknowledges this in the same song, “jayati padmAvatI ramaNa jayadevakavi bhAratI bhaNitam ati shAtam”
After this incident Jayadeva kavi puts padmavati in front of his name.
“vihita padmAvatI sukha samAje bhaNati jayadevakavirAje”
Notice how Venkatakavi starts the song with the phrase “padmavati ramaNam".
bhojadeva suta – the son of bhojadeva
Jayadeva himself mentions his father’s name
“shrIbhojadevaprabhavasya rAmAdevIsutashrIjayadevakasya” - This song gita govindam is the rendering of poet Jayadeva who is the offspring of shrii bhojadeva and ramAdevi.
jayadEva kavirAja padmapAda smaraNam kuru mAnasa – meditate on the lotus feet of Jayadeva kavi.
Jayadeva kavi says meditating on the lotus feet of Krishna through Gita govinda kavya eradicates the evils of kali.
shrIjayadeva vachasi ruchire hR^idayaM sadayaM kuru maNDane .
haricharaNa smaraNAmR^ita kR^ita kali kaluSha bhava jvara khaNDane .. 8..
Make your heart listen to the auspicious saying rendered by Jayadeva, which is built up with the nectar derived from the meditation on the feet of yours, and which is an eradicator of fevers caused by the impurities of Kali yuga.
Venkatakavi wants to meditate on Jayadeva’s feet first.
..jayadeva kavirAja padmapAda smaraNam kuru mAnasa..
Sorry it became a lengthy post. I will post the charaNam if there is interest.
..kR^iShNArpaNam..