Value of OVK's contributions

Carnatic composers (other than performing vidwans)
vasanthakokilam
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by vasanthakokilam »

CML, for Ponbhairavi's hypothesis, we needed some data points if that view was around during that time. Your quote of Arunagirinathar provides that data. So in a way, this OVK composition is the "indication" ( "evidence" may be too strong ) that OVK may have subscribed to that view. You are right, if there are other compositions that provide similar "indication", then the quote-unquote around "indication" can be taken out ; ) Just so we do not go too far in the temple controversy itself, this is not about if that view is true or not, it is only about if that view was prevalent during that time.

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Exactly VK! So these are only seeking the coordinates and the substance is immaterial and not a debating issue here..

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Excellent points raised by PB, VK, CML etc. A couple of doubts:

1. Wasn't Tirupati temple's gold-plating very recent?
2. Isn't Ambalam (as a town/city/temple) in Tamil literature more specific to Chidambaram?

The two taken together may help us grasp this further...

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

The word 'ambalam' is used very commonly in Malayalam to denote any temple. As a common noun and as a word affix it is still used in TN to denote a Siva temple and as a proper noun it indicates Chidambaram.

What was the original name for Tiruppati?

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

In Tamil 'ambalam' refers to a temple or a public meeting place.

In Peria Puranam (12th Century) Sekkizhar repeatedly refers to Mount Kailash as Tirumalai.

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

What was the original name for Tiruppati?
Some of the names we normally see are: seshadri, seshachala, seshagiri, saptagiri, venkatadri, tirivenkatam etc. Interesting to see Kailasa being described as Tirupati too. I just read that Chidambaram is said to have been made using 21600 golden tiles and 72,000 golden nails. Tirupati has been gold-plated.

But nevertheless, interesting to see such teasers from OVK. I recall the debate the opening words of his 2nd Avarana krti - bhajasva shrI tripura sundarI (mAmapi) sparked off - until the rare context in which OVK had used a common word 'bhaja' was discovered.

Ponbhairavi
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by Ponbhairavi »

Apparently we have no definite information as to when Tirupathi 's main shrine was gold plated.probably we may have to refer to Sthala puranam. But irrespective of that issue, let us reconsider.
ThUya niraivAna sudhA nirgunA jyothi ponnalE Anal ennA then comes the pause or hyphen mark
Golden can be,( without the slightest infringement to the text), taken to refer to the jyothi : idol covered with golden kavacham.
ambalam general meaning is temple or mandapam. By force of usage it has acquired the specific meaning of Chidambaram.(similarly tamil kOyil besides the general meaning has the specific meaning of Srirangam temple.In everyday's usage we would resort to the special meaning only if the common meaning does not fit. In this case if we make a start holding firmly on the specific meaning of Chidambaram, apparently we are not able to get a coherent whole so far. But if we take the general meaning it appears to provide some light and lead us somewhere.

Moreover, the fact that he has not composed any krithi on Tirupathi is a collateral support. because if there is one or if it is subsequently found that he has composed praising Srinivasa of Tirumalai kshethram my whole hypothesis would stand blown off.
rajagopalan
Last edited by Ponbhairavi on 25 May 2011, 16:20, edited 2 times in total.

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

cmlover wrote:What was the original name for Tiruppati?
The old name of Vengadam was pullikunDRam, land of Pulli, the Chieftain of kaLvars of toNDaimaNDalam. (aganAnURu)

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

There may be a whole host of sanskritized names for Tiruppathi subsequently. It was an age-old tamilian site and hence we need to look for a tamil name. I think the aganAnURu reference may be pulikunRam (where tigers roam). Another term for tiger is 'vEngai' and it was also called 'vEngai iDam' (place of tigers) = vEngiDam whence vEngiDa malayAn = venkiTeshvaran when sanskritized after Ramanuja reclaimed it for Vishnu. OVK may be familiar with these historical facts. But then he does not appear to be strongly committed to support them. If he was not afraid of expressing his views openly he would have said it explicitly. That is why he was perhaps posing the puzzle talking about the 'open secret'. The recent gold-plating of Tiruppati is not supportive of tracing his time line. We should also consider the alternate hypothesis as to whether this is a genuine OVK composition. Again let us keep in mind OVK is not a serious devotee of Muruga to elevate him above the Trinity!

rshankar
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by rshankar »

cmlover wrote:Again let us keep in mind OVK is not a serious devotee of Muruga to elevate him above the Trinity!
Is the part I have bolded a fact-based statement?

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

No! Inferential.
Most of his songs are on Krishna with a predilection for dance; though his compositions range on other deities including minor deities like Surya, hanuman etc., It is difficult to say whether he had special allegiance to any one other than Lord Krishna since he hails from Mannarkudi where Krisnna worship is very popular and he even considers Krishna as his Guuru...

RK can confirm...

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Most of his songs are on Krishna
1. OVK definitely had a personal affinity for Lord Krishna but his family worshipped Devi. They have mentioned that they possess an idol of Devi which has been with them for a few generations even before the composer.
with a predilection for dance
2. I would not say most of his songs have a predilection for dance. Most are pure music pieces of the highest calibre.

3. However, many also happen to be suited for dance because of the rich tapestry of rasas he has woven, be it Vinayaka/Krishna/Shiva/Rama/Muruga. I cannot forget Dr Vyjayantimala Bali's soul-stirring portrayal of OVK's sankshepa Ramayana Ragamalika in Brahma Gana Sabha this year nor her powerful depiction of his Anjaneya Saptaratna krti - bhakta bhAgadhEyAnjanEya (Madhyamavati) which had the audience in tears.

4. There are a few score pieces where he has embedded specific jatis and he also composed tillanas. His unique masterpiece - the naTAngam in Gambheeranattai was probably never intended for a music recital (since it also has free-form verses/jatis).

5. OVK refers to or talks about music and dance in numerous pieces, mentions gamakas, sapta talas and other related aspects.
his compositions range on other deities including minor deities like Surya, hanuman etc.,
6. Apart from a few dozen operas like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavatam, Pranavopadesham and Daksha Yagam, I have so far seen around 10-12 songs each on Rama, Shiva, Muruga, Vinayaka and a smaller number of pieces each on Meenakshi, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parthasarathy and various other kshetra krtis (Srirangam, Mylapore, Udupi, Pandarapur, Tiruvarur, Tirukkannapuram, Sikkil, Pazhani, Chidambaram and many more). There are songs on Surya, Aghora Veerabhadra and great personalities like Valmiki, Vyasa, Andal, Tirumangai Azhwar, Manickavachakar etc.

7. The largest number of even one-off songs are probably on Krishna.

8. There are several Sanskrit shlokas such as Madhava panchakam, Nrsimha panchakam, Ranganatha panchakam etc. There are also numerous free verses and poetry in Tamil - which are eminently suited for musical discourses.
he even considers Krishna as his Guru...
9. There are at least 15 sublime krtis on guru without ever mentioning a name (out of reverence and regard). Legend goes that he had a human spiritual guru but the Lord was his guru as far as music goes.

10. OVK's one-off songs on Radha are brilliant and significant - almost all other Carnatic composers have preferred to mention Rukmini more.

I have only given a bird's eye's view here but even here one can see that his colossal works naturally straddled music, dance, drama and spiritual discourses, leaving imprints of significant strength.

And this was no accident. Apart from his own genius, he lived during a period when the Tanjore area was a melting pot of various influences and when music of a very high quality was much closer to other art forms. Things gradually changed from late 1700s and things became more specialised (and definitely less demanding).

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

The last para above set off another train of thought which I have shared in a new post:

http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16609

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Thx for the details...
Did OVK ever mention about Arunachala Kavi who was coeval with him?
The Rama Natakams were however tuned into CM much later...

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Did OVK ever mention about Arunachala Kavi who was coeval with him?


No! But he composed his own Ramayana songs and several other one off songs. I have given below a Sanskrit composition on Lord Santana Ramaswami in Needamangalam. The melodic treatment of the raga is evocative, yet bright.

Sahana - Adi

P: sharaṇam yāmi shree santāna rāmaswāmi tvāmaham

A: sarasija nayana kōdanḍa pāṇi

M K dhara vitaraṇa guṇa janakajā ramaṇa sowbhāgya varada nipuṇa

C bhajamāna satya madhura mrdu tara - vachana nata sujana
nijadāsa hrt kumuda nichaya hita - charaṇa shruti ramaṇa
aja vamsha tilaka sārva bhowma - ayodhyā nagara sadana

M K nija kara dhrta kalamba gambheera nidhijā kucha kunkuma sindoora
bhuja ankita chandana shrngāra sphuTa bandhana lambita tooṇeera

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Contrast with MD's version

P santAna rAmaswAminam saguNa
nirguNa swaroopam bhajarE ||
.
AP santatam yamunAmbApuri niva
santam nata santam hindOLa va
santamAdhavam jAnakee dhavam
sachchidAnanda vaibhavam Sivam

C santAna soubhAgya vitaraNam
sAdhujana hrudaya sarasija charaNam
chintAmaNyAlankruta gAtram
chinmAtram soorya chandra nEtram
antaranga guruguha samvEdyam
anruta jaDa dukkha rahitamanAdyam ||

Is YamunAmba puri same as Needamangalam?

I find OVK referring to Sita as 'nidhijA' whichis quite unique!
Has anybody used the same epithet subsequently?

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Got my answer
Needamangalam Rama Temple (Santhanarama swamy temple)

Needamagalam santhana rama Temple is 30 km from Kumbakonam.
Moolava and Urchava deity rama sita lakshmana and hanuman.

Maharastra king pratab singh build the temple in 1761. queen name is yamunabal. so the place called as yamunambal in olden days now it is called as needamangalam.king prayed the lord rama and god the child. so it is famous for newley married person who look for the child.
take a dip in saketha tank in front of the temple and pray the rama to get the kids
source : http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/sri_r ... rama.shtml

The temple must have been built during OVK times and his composition may historically relate..

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Here is a bright composition on Lord Anjaneya. OVK's Anjaneya Saptaratna krtis are in Sanskrit.

Kēdāragowḷa Adi

P: veekṣhitōham dhanyōham
M K: vēgavara tanaya kamala nayanēna vidhi nuta hari pada vimala hrdayēna - iha (veekṣhitōham)

A: sākṣhi bhoota tapana sanga varēṇa
sarvadā shree rāma nāma smaraṇēna
MK: janaka sutā shishira vachana pātra chalita gagana vara sādhu mitrēṇa - iha (veekṣhitōham)

C: ātanka mukha vāli tanayādi atirava veeragaṇa ānata padēna
sādhaka viha sama tāraka pāṭhanēna dānava kula bheekara mukha varēṇa
M K: samudita madhuvana sanga tungēna dasharatha dvitanaya sankaṭa harēṇa
sumukha bhakti virachita vachanēna sulabha manōhara sukrta tapasēna - iha (veekṣhitōham)

OVK's treatment of the subject matter - in this case, Hanuman - is fascinating. He did not restrict himself to portraying him as just a rama-bhakta or even rama-dhoota. He almost made it a point to acknowledge and glorify Anjaneya's role in offering solace and help to Rama, Seeta and Lakshmana. This song is no exception as the beautifully phrased part in the final MK shows:

dasharatha dvitanaya sankaṭa harēṇa

rshankar
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by rshankar »

Beautiful...

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

I think
dasharatha dvitanaya sankaṭa harēṇa
refers to his bringing the sanjeevi parvatam and reviving them.
What does
janaka sutā shishira vachana pātra chalita gagana vara sādhu mitrēṇa referring to?

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

janaka sutā shishira vachana pātra
One deserving of cool words from Seeta (as in one who earned her benevolence).
calita gagana vara sādhu mitrēṇa
One who could use the akasha marga (fly) and was friend of devotees. (OR, one who travelled straight (sadhu) along with the sun (mitra), to learn from him.)

I wanted to check if it should be pātrēṇa?

rshankar
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by rshankar »

cmlover wrote:I think
dasharatha dvitanaya sankaṭa harēṇa
refers to his bringing the sanjeevi parvatam and reviving them.
hanumAn brought the sanjIvini parvatam to revive lakshmaN; rAma was not affected. After reviving lakshmaNa, suSEna used the herbs to revive the warrriors who were felled in that day's battle. The only time when both rAma and lakhsmaNa were affected on the battlefield was when rAvaNa used the nAgAstra and bound both of them. hanuman invoked garuDa, seeing whom the snakes released the brothers and slithered away. daSaratha dvitanaya could refer to the fact that he was responsible for reviving lakshmaNa on the battlefield (with herbs from the sanjIvini parvatam) and was also responsible in preventing bharata from entering the fire at the end of vanvAs (isn't that what Arunachala Kavi describes in the song, vandAn vandAn bharatA, raghurAman vandAn vandAn bharatA?).

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Shankar,

According to Valmiki, the following happened in the sequence mentioned below.

1. Almost in the beginning of the battle, Indrajit used nagastra and felled Rama and Lakshman - Garuda came and the the snake-bonds were released.

2. Indrajit came again to the battlefield (after Kumbhakarna died) and felled Rama and Lakshmana (for the 2nd time). Almost everyone else was also unconscious. Jambavan was one of the survivors along with Anjaneya and he asked him to get Sanjeevini, which revived everyone.

3. Ravana felled Lakshmana in a one-to-one battle and Anjaneya again brought the mountain of herbs upon Sushena's request and saved him, as well as a crestfallen Rama, who went so far as to bemoan the pointlessness of life, were he to lose his brother.

Later writers of Ramayana may have altered/edited things out but I had been captivated by Valmiki's narrative since I first read it (when I was about 13). It is also interesting to note that in Valmiki's narration, there was no swayamvaram for Seeta nor did Ahalya ever turn into a stone.

rshankar
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by rshankar »

Thank you, Sri Ravikiran. Is there an English translation of Valmiki's original?

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Here it is
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htm
What is the take on
janaka sutā shishira vachana pātra chalita gagana vara sādhu mitrēṇa
OVK is deeply well-versed in the puranas and ithihasas whence there are lot of interesting puzzles in his compositions

keerthi
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by keerthi »

P: veekṣhitōham dhanyōham
M K: vēgavara tanaya kamala nayanēna vidhi nuta hari pada vimala hrdayēna - iha (veekṣhitōham)

A: sākṣhi bhoota tapana sanga varēṇa
sarvadā shree rāma nāma smaraṇēna
MK: janaka sutā shishira vachana pātra chalita gagana vara sādhu mitrēṇa - iha (veekṣhitōham)

C: ātanka mukha vāli tanayādi atirava veeragaṇa ānata padēna
sādhaka viha sama tāraka pāṭhanēna dānava kula bheekara mukha varēṇa
M K: samudita madhuvana sanga tungēna dasharatha dvitanaya sankaṭa harēṇa
sumukha bhakti virachita vachanēna sulabha manōhara sukrta tapasēna - iha (veekṣhitōham)


1. vEga-vaha seems to be the more appropriate reading for the wind god, rather than vEga-vara. This is a [literal] synonym of Ashu-ga, another term for the wind [vide ghana-Agha-jImUta-Ashuga in tyagarAja's mALavi song]

2. It needn't be pAtrEna, which is also correct. A samAsa (compound) of two epithets is allowed, hence the whole phrase janaka-sutA...-mitrENa can be treated as one word, made up of two names.

3. It is a peculiarity of VenkaTasubba kavi that he has not always made a sandhi, when there is a samAsa, which is mandatory in classic sanskRt grammar. It may have been crafted that way by the vaggEyakAra for better comprehension, or the oral transmission may have been that way. The first line line of the carana has this feature in several places.

4. sādhaka viha sama tāraka pāṭhanēna - this is not clear.

5. Similarly - sanga-tungEna, which OVK seems to use a lot.

5. The usage of tApasEna is wrong. tapas is a sakArAnta noun and the third vibhakti/ instrumental case will be tapasA, either by itself, or in a compound.

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Good analysis Keerthi!
I believe the sandhi was dissolved for the convenience of singing by those who took the notes. These lyrics have been retreived from the notes kept by the family over the years. Most certainly there will be transcription and grammatical errors.
I interpret
sākṣhi bhoota tapana sanga varēṇa
as by being the witness in the company of the blessed Sugriva (tapana = Sun clan)
Regarding 4, I read it as
sādhaka sama iha tāraka pāṭhanēna
Like the 'realized ones' expounding the glory of tAraka mantra (rAma naamam) in this world;
perhaps even referring to Hanuman expounding the greatness of Rama in the sadas right after the paTTabhishekam...

In regard to 5 we can interpret tapasaH as the sun though interrpretation is convoluted...

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Similarly - sanga-tungEna, which OVK seems to use a lot.
Yes, it is one of his typical usages.

tunga: prominent , chief, lofty etc.

samudita madhuvana sanga tungēna = prominent among those who revelled in madhuvana. After Seeta was located by Anjaneya in Lanka, the vanaras had a feast there before meeting Rama. (This may not necessarily be taken literally as Anjaneya was the most prominent reveller... The incident is merely being referred to in a poetic manner.)
sādhaka viha sama tāraka pāṭhanēna - this is not clear


Sadhaka: Effective, productive, energising, magical etc...

Viha: Sky

sādhaka viha sama tāraka pāṭhanēna
= one who is intent on the taraka nama, whose effectiveness/magic is as immense as the sky.

Most sandhis, as CML says are other's interpretations - sometimes for musical convenience. [In fact, in some of NKB's books, they have even made sandhis out of Raga and Tala - Sahana - Adi has been written as SahanAdi].
What is the take on - janaka sutā shishira vachana pātra chalita gagana vara sādhu mitrēṇa
I covered this earlier in post #96.
-------------------------------------------

P S: sandhi is a where most of us musicians tend to slip up. For instance, there are numerous sandhis in Tyagaraja swami's Jagadanandakaraka. But we singers have no qualms murdering it at will - so that we can continue to breath and survive. Even in aradhanas, we collectively draw our breath exactly at the wrong time... Just a few (out of several dozen) examples:

1. jagadA.....-------......nanda kAraka (Ananda)
2. paripUrNA.....-----.............nagha (anagha)
3. shubhakarA....--------....... nEka (anEka - jagadAnanda)

It is easier to educate smaller groups of artistes/students about not splitting phrases like this:
4. anurA .......---------......... garA garA jita (anurAga rAga rAjita)

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

I missed #96. Thanks for the clarifications.
Since these are written notes, are there more than one version of the same sahitya (probably in a different raga ?

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Since these are written notes, are there more than one version of the same sahitya (probably in a different raga ?
Not to the best of my knowledge!

Here is another composition on Anjaneya in Madhyamavati. They may have to be checkedc for typos...

Madhyamavati Adi

P: bhakta bhAgadhEyA AnjanEyA
M K: bhAvita rAghava jAnaki dhoota pAvana tAraka nAma sannAda
pAlayamAm AnjanEyA

A: mukti sukha nAma lOla ati dheera
mOhana rAma pada sArasa vihAra
M K: mudita sadA hrdaya sadaya kAya jita sakala mAya sukrta anapAya (pAlayamAm)

C: naigama sArAmrta vachana - nata
shubhakara bhoosura hrdi ramaNa
ayi karuNArasa poorita nayana
alalita durjana bheekarAnana
M K: ati dhrtakara vara putra sucharitra amala pavitra raghurAma mitra (pAlayamAm)

Again, he uses a different name for the God of Wind - ati dhrtakara . Every section leads to the last line of the Pallavi. The MK in Pallavi has been inserted between two slower lines, which makes the musical movement colourful.

hamsaa
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by hamsaa »

vEga-vaha seems to be the more appropriate reading for the wind god, rather than vEga-vara. This is a [literal] synonym of Ashu-ga, another term for the wind [vide ghana-Agha-jImUta-Ashuga in tyagarAja's mALavi song]
I feel vEga vara is not inappropriate either.

vEga meaning rapidity, quickness

vara meaning the best, valuable

The son who was very valuable and rapid/quick.

keerthi
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by keerthi »

Come to think of it, sAkSI-bhUta-tapana-sanga-varENa , seems to point to how hanumAn made rAma and sugrIva take vows of lifelong friendship, in the presence of fire.

tatO hanUmAn samtyajya bhikSu-rUpam arindamaH || 4-5-13
kASThayOH svena rUpENa janayAmAsa pAvakam |
dIpyamAnam tatO vahnim puSpaiH abhyarcya satkRtam || 4-5-14
tayor madhyE tu suprItO nidadhau susamAhitaH |

Then the destroyer of enemies - Hanuman, discarding the guise of ascetic assumed his original monkey form, and on producing fire with two sticks then made it to glow. decorated, worshipped with flowers, then gladly and devoutly placed that fire in between Rama and Sugreeva.


The son who was very valuable and rapid/quick.

one who is intent on the taraka nama, whose effectiveness/magic is as immense as the sky.
While the plasticity of sanskRt allows for a lot of interpretation, I think there are satisfactory and not-so-satisfactory ones. If we're content with our attempt to try and explain away whatever lyric is available, no problem; but if we spend some time examining it critically, we can occasionally hit upon the more correct lyric.

There are other synonyms of vAyu like sadAgati, Ashuga that seem to support vEga-vaha-tanaya as a more natural reading, than 'the fast excellent son'.

sandhi - shubhakarA - nEka and -nurA gara gara jita aren't cases of disjointed sandhi. These are cases of padacchEda.

Examples like vraja-sundari-pada-pankaja-sama-anukampita from the nAttai song bhajanAmRta, are what I'm referring to. This sandhi-separation is again something that Venkatakavi has used a lot, and we must treat it as a particularity of the poet's version of the language.

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

shubhakarA - nEka and nurA gara gara jita aren't cases of disjointed sandhi. These are cases of padacchEda
Sorry, I should have typed it as: madahara+anuraga (in fact, the 1st and 5th charanams are replete with deergha sandhi).

shubhakara+anEka is a sandhi.
pada-pankaja-sama anukampita
I have noticed examples where this happens but in this case, sama+anukampita can be rendered as samAnukampita without affecting the tala/meter. But I often split many savarna deergha sandhis in songs of other composers too to:

(1) project each word since I relish the combination of words as much as the meaning (b) ensure that my disciples do not split words wrong (c) facilitate listeners follow meanings quicker even as they listen.

Again, those capable of projecting longer words clearly and those capable of holding breath longer don't have to split. I have told some of them to practice singing whole charanas in Pancharatna/Saptaratna in one breath. Even though they don't have to do it in concerts, it will give them good breath control to be able to choose the right time to breath.
Fast excellent son for vEga vara tanaya

Is not appropriate. vEga vaha is not incorrect. But vEga vara, as an equivalent of sadAgati is not inapt - just as ati dhrta kara putra in the Madhyamavati song I have posted. OVK and Trinity were creative in coming up with such synonyms, which may not exactly be in the rule book.

For example: brahmAnanda has been referred to as vAgIshAnanda by T (Ramaneepai - Kedaram) and as kamalajAnanda by MD (Kamalamba - Anandabhairavi) even though eternal bliss is considered by philosophers to be even beyond the 4-faced Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva.

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Keerthi
That is a nice contextual explanation of the term sAkShibUta tapana sanga varENa.
The word tapana is doing double duty for fire as well as Sugriva (son of Surya)...

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

In the madhyamavati the words in pallavi should be 'AnjanEya' since they are in the vocative.
The long vowel is used in Tamil in the vocative but not in sanskrit. Perhaps some OVK songs in sanskrit have been influenced by Tamil grammar...

I am at a loss to see the similarity in meaning of vEga vara/vaha or Ashuga with ati dhrtakara.
Is it tvaritakara?

rshankar
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by rshankar »

cmlover wrote:The word tapana is doing double duty for fire as well as Sugriva (son of Surya)...
Sri MDR in one of his compositions refers to this incident as 'arkka vamshattAn avan arkkat-tanaiyanODum agni sAkSikamAgavE Aruyir naNbanAna en'

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

...beautiful alliteration too!

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

I am at a loss to see the similarity in meaning of vEga vara/vaha or Ashuga with ati dhrtakara.
Is it tvaritakara?
This is fascinating indeed. I had instinctively associated dhrta with vEga. But after you posted, I asked myself why had I done so... tvarita is the normal word in Sanskrit for quick, expeditious etc.

It then dawned on me that OVK has intentionally used ati dhrta here - which does mean fast. But is not generally known to scholars outside the music circle. The concept of laya in music is divided into vilamba, madhyama and dhrta (slow, medium, fast), with extremes known as ati-vilamba and ati-dhrta. HM continues to use this. So,

ati dhrta kara vara putra as son of vAyu (vEga vara) is an intentional usage.

Sanskrit scholars have noticed OVK's ability to extend the frontiers of the language and come up with novel usages such as radanAmbara (to mean lips). I addressed this briefly in my book too.

keerthi
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by keerthi »

The sanskRt word for fast is druta and not dhRta.

This is seen in the music terminology of vilambit(a) and drut(a) passages/ compositions. [As RK points out]

This in Tamizh land has been transformed to durita kAla, which is funny since durita means sin in sanskRt.

dhRta come from the root dhR/dhar which is only used in the sense of 'borne'.


Again, shouldn't it be druta-gama or druta-gati or druta-vaha instead of druta-vara? Same applies for vEga. vEga-vara and druta vara need a precedent atleast in terms of an equivalent.

radanAmbara isn't particularly novel, the cognate word radanac-chada for lips is found in the kOsha-s and has been used before.

cml,
tapana, while listed in epithets for the sun [aditya hrdayam and other stOtra-s], is never used to address the sun, as it then confounds the meaning as fire. Here, while the episode involves sugrIva, I'm not sure if tapana-sanga can be interpreted as referring to him.

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

The sanskRt word for fast is druta and not dhRta.
Perfectly correct. It should be written as druta - it is not dhrta (just an example of the kind of errors creeping in when one sees the words of a Sanskrit songs in Tamil and then re-writes in English). So the correct phrases in these two songs can be:

druta kara (not vara) - one who is very swift.
vEga vara - one of superior speed.
radanAmbara
- the word is not exactly novel... There are others who have used danta-vastra as well. I meant that this particular combination is not often seen.

About sAkShi bhUta tapana: Surya is considered to be sarva sAkShi (MD also uses sarvasAkShiNe in the navagraha krti, Surya moorte). So, the combo of sAkShri bhUta tapana could be more a direct reference to the sun...?

keerthi
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by keerthi »

There are many references to the sun god as jagat-sakSin or vishwa-sakSin, but I felt that sAkSi must bear more directly on hanumAn, after all, the song is about him.

We will never really know the poet's intention, and can only examine the plausibility of our surmises.

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Is the audio of the madhyamavati avalable?

hamsaa
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by hamsaa »

Dear cml

The madhyamavati kriti, Bhakta Bhagadeya, has been featured as part of an album called "Divine Equations" that I got from Hema Rajagopalan, Chicago based dancer. You can contact them through this link

http://www.natya.com/contact

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

Thanks Hamsa
I'll try. The free availability of OVK kritis with audio is essential for it to be known well among the CM learners and practioners. At present OVK is still in the 'dark ages'. It is time to bring him into lime light through the concerted efforts of all CM afficianados. I find not too many good renderings at the sangitapriya site. The easy availability of the audio and the lyrics will encourage young CM learners to start rendering them in concerts for rasikas to appreciate OVK's greatness. Just a few only like
alaipAyuthe, thaaye yashoda, kuzhaloodi, asaindaaDum are known well among the rasika public but the rest are quite unknown let alone the sapta ratnas.. Perhaps a prominant site with lyrics and audios will help popularize OVK and may be we should strive for one under the leadership of RK....

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Here is another short piece on Anjaneya. I have proofed it to an extent but please feel free to point out any other typos/etc.

The opening is striking and the while the first 2 sections contain dviteeyakshara, the charanam features antyakshara prasa.


Tōḍi Ādi

P. anjanānandāmbōdhi chandrā
anupama guṇavara jitēndra māmava
AP. sanjita bhava bhaya sāgara taraṇa
svāmi raghunātha charaṇa suramaṇa
C. shree karuṇālaya divya shareera
dēva tapana mukha sangāti shoora
āgama nava para vēdita veera
ānjanēya bhaktālankāra

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

jitEndra = conquered Indra does not fit him.
Is it jitEndriya = conquered passions
sangAti ???
Is it sanga + Adi = coflicts/battle etc,
Actually the composition appears like a sloppy patchwork of several disconnected adjectives.
There is no connective theme. Looks very pedestrian!
Is there a musically redeeming audio?
Is this really by OVK?

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Is it jitEndriya = conquered passions
You are right, it should be jiTendriya.
sangAdi?
I would imagine the correct spelling to be sangata ('an alliance') or sangati (coming together, meeting, association) with the hot Sun God... Pls feel to correct!
Is there a musically redeeming audio?
I am in the process of learning the piece and intend to present it sometime soon.
There is no connective theme.
Most one-off devotional songs are with no particular theme. But looking at the theme of his other Anjaneya pieces, we do come across some of his usual references like the Sun God.
Is this really by OVK?
I got it along with his other Anjaneya compositions. The opening is original but the rest of the piece is definitely simpler than some of his other pieces. I will share a brilliant piece on Lord Shiva in my next post.

chitravina ravikiran
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by chitravina ravikiran »

Kharaharapriya Adi

P: sundara naTarAjam shivakAma sundari hrdayEsham - santatam cintaya mAnasa rE

A: nandi dEva canDIshAdi nandita munijana hrdayOllAsam
indu shekhara kuTilAlaka vrta hayakara mukha para mandahAsam

MK: hiraNya maya nUpura pada kaTakArava maya kala kala nAda sahAsam
sharaNya jana manOlaya vilAsam sachidAnanda kanaka sabhEsham - sOma (sundara)

C: gnyAna bOdhana karAnguli gaNa nava nava calita vilAsam
nata patanjali pANini mana laharI krta suvilAsam
gAna maya gandharvAdi sEvita hAhAkAra naTanEsham
kaivalya vara dAyaka parama kAruNya chidambarEsham

MK: hara hara shankara gowrIsham dhrta kara mandAkini mouLIsham
sura vara sannuta lingEsham hrdi sundari chAyAnandEsham - niravadhika (sundara)

------------------
I have typed this from memory - so pls let me know if there are typos...

The treatment of Kharaharapriya by OVK is very bright and distinctive. He has composed other masterpieces such as Rasa keli vilasa and Champakaranya in this raga.

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

sangAdi shoora = expert in fights etc.,
sangata shoora = expert in making alliances
Later is good referring to his expert sponsoring the alliance between Rama and Surgriva.
Share wth us when you have mastered the kriti. Todi sounds good as a slow piece...

Will study the one on Siva with care...
So does this explode the myth that Kharaharapriya was unknown before Thyagaraja?
How does OVK handle the raga?

cmlover
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Re: Value of OVK's contributions

Post by cmlover »

I am at loss interpreting
vRta hayakara mukha
I am sure it does not refer to hayagrIva
Does he refer to tumburu ?
Reference to pANini is intriguing. He is probably referring to PANini learning the Siva sutras!
mandAkini mouLIsham = ganga on the head
What is 'dhrta kara ' referring to?

Sounds quite OVK with unbeatable rhythmic sounds picturesquely describing the dance of Siva!The double MK is interesting...
Would love to hear the kharaharapriya rendering...

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