Tyagaraja Kritis - Neravals

[vgovindan]

Under this topic, I propose to post regularly, neraval lines I find in the kRtis. I have not taken into account the musical properties of the kRtis, but only the sAhitya, keeping in mind the bhAva (spirit) of the kRti.
I invite suggestions.

Duduku gala - gauLa

//duDuku gala nannu//
entO //duDuku gala nannu//
niNDAru //duDuku gala nannu//
gaDiya gaDiyaku niNDAru //duDuku gala nannu//
mati lEka pOyina //nannu//
mati lEka pOyina //duDuku gala nannu//
ku-tarkuDaina //nannu//
ku-tarkuDaina //duDuku gala nannu//
kaDupu nimpa tiriginaTTi //nannu//
kaDupu nimpa tiriginaTTi //duDuku gala nannu//
su-bhaktulaku samAnamu //nannu//
su-bhaktulaku samAnamu //duDuku gala nannu//
dinamulu gaDipE //nannu//
dinamulu gaDipE //duDuku gala nannu//
bhajanamu maracina //nannu//
bhajanamu maracina //duDuku gala nannu//
capala cittuDaina //nannu//
capala cittuDaina //duDuku gala nannu//
tArumAru //nannu//
tArumAru //duDuku gala nannu//
iTuvaNTi //nannu//
iTuvaNTi //duDuku gala nannu //
SrI vanitA hRt-kumudAbja //nannu//
SrI vanitA hRt-kumudAbja //duDuku gala nannu //
avAG-mAnasa gOcara //nannu//
avAG-mAnasa gOcara //duDuku gala nannu //E dora koDuku brOcurA?

Complete kRti - http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... gaula.html

[vgovindan]

muddu mOmu - sUryakAntaM - http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html

ElAgu celangenO?
muddu mOmu //ElAgu celangenO?//
rAmuni muddu mOmu //ElAgu celangenO?//
hRdayamu karagi karagi nilcu vArikeduTa rAmuni muddu mOmu //ElAgu celangenO?//
tyAgarAjArcituni muddu mOmu //ElAgu celangenO?//
dhana pati sakhuDaina tyAgarAjArcituni muddu mOmu //ElAgu celangenO?//

[rshankar]

VGV - perfect! A great idea...

[vgovindan]

baNTu rIti - haMsa nAdaM - http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html

//koluviyyavayya//
//koluviyyavayya// rAma
baNTu rIti //koluviyyavayya// rAma
nija baNTu rIti //koluviyyavayya// rAma
madAdula kOTTi nEla kUla jEyu nija baNTu rIti //koluviyyavayya// rAma
tyAgarAjunikE //koluviyyavayya// rAma
tyAgarAjunikE baNTu rIti //koluviyyavayya// rAma
tyAgarAjunikE nija baNTu rIti //koluviyyavayya// rAma

[vgovindan]

graha balamEmi-rEvagupti - http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html

//graha balamEmi?//
nava //graha balamEmi?//
dhyAnincu vAriki nava //graha balamEmi?//
tEjO maya vigrahamunu dhyAnincu vAriki nava //graha balamEmi?//

tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//
bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//
harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//
kAmAdi ripula nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//
Agrahamu gala kAmAdi ripula nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//
graha pIDala nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//
panca pApamulanu nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki nava //graha balamEmi?//

rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
bhajincu rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
harini bhajincu rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
kAmAdi ripula nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
Agrahamu gala kAmAdi ripula nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
graha pIDala nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
panca pApamulanu nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//

tyAgarAjuniki rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?//
kAmAdi ripula nigrahamu jEyu harini bhajincu tyAgarAjuniki rasikAgrEsarulaku nava //graha balamEmi?// rAmAnugraha balamE balamu

(More such can also be derived)

[arunk]

vgv sir,

If I may make a suggestion,

It may be more useful immediately if this was done for krithis for which neraval is already done. So you can e.g. start with known krithis of raga in the big ragas: Sankarabharanam, todi, kalyani, bhairavi, kambhoji and karaharapriya. Then the major ones like (just off the top of my head): pantuvarali, purvikalyani, begada, dhanyasi, kedaragowla, bilahari, ritigowla

This would cover a big chunk of those we hear in concerts.

(Of course with Sankarabharanam there are "small" krithis also - but the big ones are probably recognizable)

Also common currently done neraval points (ideal or not ) are
1. first line of charanam
2. first line of second part of charanam
3. anupallavi

You can also indicate if for a song the above points do NOT lend to a neraval in a way to maintain sahitya integrity

Arun

[arunk]

I was thinking that as a person belonging to a big cross-section of rasika community i.e. one who knows tamil but doesnt know telugu (which is a significant % of rasikas), perhaps we don't get to fully weigh-in (each to his/her own) these issues even after seeing the word-by-word meaning.

And thus if we had a rough translation of the lyrics themselves in tamil, maybe we can see better (and decide for ourselves). For example, take duDuku.

duDuku gala nannE dorakoDuku brOcurA.. (entO)

if roughly translated word-by-word in tamil and fit to the same structure may come to

koDumaiyuLLa ennai enda doraimagan kAvAn.. (ettunai)
i.e.
கொடுமையுள்ள என்னை எந்த தொரைமகன் காவான்.. (எத்துனை)

The precise words chosen may not most apt (e.g. koDumai => cruelty rather than wickedness, maybe there is a more apt one) but I think they are reasonably close.

Now the first sangati in the original lays out as

Code: Select all

duDuku... gala... | nannE | do...ra.... || koDuku.. brO..cu | ra ... | .. en..tO..

Which again can be sort of fit in the tamil version as

Code: Select all

koDumai.. yuLLa.. | ennai(y)enda | do...rai... || maga..n kA..vA| n.... | .. e...tunai.

There a tad more syllables in some places but I think it is sort of squeezable. I can demonstrate but then that would be dangerous for the context

Anyway, assuming you buy into the tamil version, how does it now feel if one leaves it hanging as: koDumaiyuLLa ennai enda dorai (கொடுமையுள்ள என்னை எந்த தொரை......) - at the end of ever charanam.

Assume this was for a hypothetical tamil song i.e. in a hypothetical world where duDuku didn't exist and someone composed this tamil song and it was sung as above.

Does it shed more light into the problem? (it does for me).

Arun

[vasanthakokilam]

I see what you are getting at. The change in meaning is apparent with such tamil translation.

Playing a bit of Devil's advocate ( using your great explanatory device against you which is a Devilish thing to do... ):
One way to reconcile this in the context of the singing of pallavi is (and not neraval ),
it can be treated as a poetical and lyrical tool to surprise the listener. When the first line ending at Dorai is repeated, people will interpret Dorai to be Rama ( he was one too ) but then the second line is sung, people get the switch, going 'Ahh..'', touching the nose with the finger kind of feeling, and relate to the meaning differently. Similar such devices are in the tool chest of poets in reciting poetry..

The telugu lyrics has another thing going which makes the split at Dora palatable: The duDuku-koDuku correspondence.

[arunk]

Indeed about the surprise tool (e.g. it is used in poetry reading to lead someone one way but then turn it around). But that works usually best once, and if done again and particularlu if you use it as a refrain (as it is done here), I think it completely falls apart from that angle . Remember that once you get to the many charanams most people dont sing the "koDuku part" at all until at the very end. So you sing a lot of words explaining faults etc. but you leave it hanging at an awkward spot from a lyrical standpoint repeatedly. Of course some people may find that palatable even say from the above tamil clone. It does get subjective.

duDuku-koDuku - i dont think that necessarily implies it is ok to split or the split is more allowed there etc.

Arun

[vasanthakokilam]

I just listened to Hyderabad Brohters' version. They sing up to Dora first 4 or 5 times and both lines together 4 or 5 times, so it was looking good. But you are right, in the repetition only upto Dora is sung which seems to be the common practice. Since we are into this level of correctness, this is also another problem with not repeating the full two lines when the charana sahityam is sung right after the pallavi line. It is already a long song, repeating both pallavi lines at every turn will lengthen it by another couple of minutes. OK by me, actually.

BTW, my surprise element defense suffers from another drawback, though still salvageable. It is not like we hear this poem only once!! The second and umpteen subsequent times we hear this song, we have to train ourselves to be surprised Or just enjoy it every time knowing fully well the switch is coming, sort of similar to how we hear the Ramayana and Mahabaratha stories again and again.

[vgovindan]

arun, vk,
It is very regrettable that I cannot demonstrate what I have in mind - because of total lack of musical knowledge on my part. But, my understanding of neraval or sangati is a little different from what you seem to be getting at - to take only one particular portion and repeat any number of times with 'musical variations' (if I may put it so). This is what GNB seems to have highlighted in one of his lectures that tyAgarAja kRtis have rich sangati (or neraval) content.

My idea is about the musician doing a little bit of exploration of the kRti (lyrical aspect) and adapting it as neraval or sangati - or whatever you may call. I would prefer to call it 'thematic development' (I do not know any other jargon). Here, the musician takes up the core theme. For example, take the kRti 'graha balamEmi'. 'rAmAnugra balamE balamu' is the plot. The core theme is 'graha balamEmi'. This theme is developed in the kRti from all angles and finally the plot unravelled. Confusing? - yes I am myself because I do not how to explain.

Musicians are looking at the kRti only from the point of view musical properties. I look at it from the 'sAhitya' aspect so that the core message can be conveyed with as much emphasis as possible so that the contents stick to the minds of listener and not wiped out with an ending applause. This, in my understanding, is the essense of communication. Unfortunately lay listeners like me do not seem to have any method of deriving this experience from musicians who seem to consider only musical properties. In anoher thread there was a purported statement of a famous musician - you keep the sAhitya - we keep the music. This is a very irreverant statement, if it is true. If this is the tradition, the very purpose of music as a means of communication will lose its value.

Can it be taken up? I do not know. But from listening to renderings of same song by different musicians, I have a feeling that musical properties are very plastic and can be easily modifiable without violating overall rAga properties. This plasticity is perceived by me in the alApana of the kRti also.

sangIta jnAnamu dhAta vrAyavalerA - knowledge of music is to ordained...hmmm

[vgovindan]

I am just hearing kRti 'dArini telusukoNTi' - Suddha sAvEri rendered by MMI. Please refer to the Kriti -
http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... konti.html

He sings neraval 'dArini telusukoNTi tripura sun-dArini telusukoNTi tripura sun..' How can one break the word 'sundari' like this? In the same manner, Maharajapuram Santanam also sings. The parampara runs very deep. The shades of this parampara is very much seen in 'Carnatic Music Idol' presented by Jaya TV.

Simply frustrating.

[srikant1987]

VGV,

The krti itself is no better! tripura sundarini telusukoNTi -- having known tripura sundari.

The rhyme (prAsa) is that way for this song's pallavi and anupallavi.

However, I think that the countless sangatis accumulated for this song over the centuries must be a big reason why it's sung this way. Pedagogically it must be easier to teach and learn sangatis on part of a long line, and then on a subsequent part in it -- contrasts become clearer. Contrasts becoming clearer might also make it easier to appreciate, but I am sure it must be possible to assemble the two pieces together appropriately.

[vgovindan]

The krti itself is no better!

Srikant,
I am a bit dull-witted. Can you kindly clarify this?

[keerthi]

padacchEda in songs of tyagaraja is a very interesting topic, and we can find a fair amount of internal evidence in the structure of his songs, that the lyric only served as a scaffold to hold up the edifice of tyAgayya's musical edifice.

It is with some sorrow that I have come to accept the secondary status of lyrical content in the songs of tyagarAja.

Learned and objective scholars, who have a good grasp of the aesthetics of poetry and music, like Kalloori Veerabhadra shAstri and RAllapalli Anantakrishna Sharma have written about the nature and quality of tyAgaraja's telugu, and the nature and quality of tyAgaraja's music.

If one wants sophisticated telugu, and wants to appreciate telugu poetry, they should plunge into the works of pOtana and nanayya. tyAgarAja's was a patois of telugu that did not shine with any special literary value.

But then, he doesn't pretend/ claim to be a literateur. He was a bhAgavata, who composed different kinds of songs, with different levels of musical and (sometimes) lyrical complexity.

Hence we probably should approach tyagarAja primarily (but not solely) for his musical content, and try our best to avoid padacchEda, or sing intelligent connected phrases that best highlight the lyric.

It is my opinion that Shri M.D.Ramanathan struck a golden mean in this respect, and managed very often to make those sensitive connections and sang lines linked to the previous for coherence, emphasizing or underplaying words, to bolster the sAhitya-bhAva.

However, the structure of pallavis from around tyAgarAja's time, when they got endowed with a mid-Avarta vishranti [roughly corresponding to arudi] seems to indicate his inclination for sangati-laden songs, which occasionally entail padaccheda. Songs like sAmaja-vara-gamana [hindOLam] or SrI nArada [kAnaDa] testify this.

tyAgarAja has employed padacchEda tacitly, by sometimes using an atita eduppu, for prAsa concordance [gIr-vANa in kSINamai etc.] and in such places force-fitting the word into an Avarta to avoid padacchEda, while sacrificing the prAsa seems like a bad bargain.

[vgovindan]

Is it not possible to terminate the neraval as 'dArini telusukoNTi' only.
Alternatively, may I suggest that the ending word of anupallavi 'mOksha' could be joined and sung as 'mOksha dArini telusukoNTi...mOksa dArini telusukoNTi' - Is it not musically possible?

[srikant1987]

The krti itself is no better!

I mean (iirc) people usually sing it as "dArini telusukoNTi tripurasun" several times, followed by "ninnE SaraNaNTi" a few times.

Finishing the neraval as dArini telusukoNTi might need a stretched ikAra to finish the tALa cycle -- that isn't preferred. "mOkSha dArini telusukoNTi" will be very good indeed!

[vgovindan]

tyAgarAja has employed padacchEda tacitly, by sometimes using an atita eduppu, for prAsa concordance [gIr-vANa in kSINamai etc.] and in such places force-fitting the word into an Avarta to avoid padacchEda, while sacrificing the prAsa seems like a bad bargain.

Can we say the same in regard to following Dikshitar kRtis also? (please see the portions in block)

pallavi
ranga pura vihAra jaya kOdaNDa -
(madhyama kAla sAhityam)
rAmAvatAra raghuvIra SrI

anupallavi
angaja janaka dEva bRndAvana
sArangEndra varada ramAntaranga
(madhyama kAla sAhityam)
SyAmaLAnga vihanga turanga
sadayApAnga satsanga

caraNam
pankajApta kula jala nidhi sOma vara
pankaja mukha paTTAbhirAma pada
pankaja jita kAma raghu rAma
vAmAnka gata sItA vara vEsha SE-
shAnka Sayana bhakta santOsha E-
NAnka ravi nayana mRdu-tara bhAsha aka
Lanka darpaNa kapOla viSEsha muni -
(madhyama kAla sAhityam)
sankaTa haraNa gOvinda
vEnkaTa ramaNa mukunda
sankarshaNa mUla kanda
Sankara guru guhAnanda



SEshAcala nAyakaM bhajAmi
viSEsha phala pradAyakam

anupallavi
bhAshA ramaNa prabhRtyaSEshAmara nuta kaustubha
bhUshAlankRta bahu tara vEshAtmaka vigraham

caraNam
manda hAsa vadanaM svacchanda hRdaya sadanaM
sundara jita madanaM mukundaM madhu sUdanaM ara-
vinda patra nayanaM gOvindaM uraga SayanaM sura
bRnda satkRtAdhyayanaM nanda nArAyaNam pu-
(madhyama kAla sAhityam)
randarAdi dikpAla sanandanAdi muni varALi
vanditaM abhinava guru guha nanditaM ananta kIrtim

[vgovindan]

keerthi,
Regarding kRti 'kshINamai', in my opinion, there is no need for the word 'gir' at all. Even with 'vANa' the context is sufficiently explained. Therefore, your assumption this word 'gir' was thrust, does not seem to be correct unless there is some valid reason - musically. In any case, how do we know that the latter musicians have not changed the musical properties of the kRti or the rAga itself - as has happened in many kRtis, in order to show their vidvat. Please see the kRti - http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html

Regarding poets and poetry. In Tamil Nadu, there is a tradition of poets writing poetry for the sake earning money from kings. Tyagaraja does not belong to this category - he has denounced those - 'kokka SAstra vidulu nara stuticE goppa bahumAnamandErayya' - 'kokka Sastra experts, extolling humans, obtained great gifts' (sari jEsi vEDuka - tIvravAhini). Leaving aside sarcasm about 'kokka Sastra', the message is clear. Therefore, (such) poets and scholars cannot sit in judgment of Tyagaraja whose self-sought destitution and self-depreciation (Atma garhaNa) is well-known - 'uppu karpUramu varakunu unchavRtticE ArjiJci' - 'acquiring even salt and camphor by uncha vRtti' (kRti 'ennALLu tirigEdi' - mALavaSrI) -not the kind of uncha-vRtti - undertaken by musicians on the day of ArAdhana.

Those who assess tyAgarAja from 'musical', 'poetical' or 'sAhitya' content, are missing the man - bhakta-par-excellence. rukmiNi tells kRshNa, 'even if it means taking a hundred births, I shall attain You'. Such is the determination and mental frame of Tyagaraja. Unless we have a fraction of that, it is very difficult to understand Sri tyAgarAja - leave aside assessing him and his kRtis - excepting from lyrical and musical aspects - by tearing apart from the context of 'love' and 'communication'. We don't speak to our lover in grammatically correct language - we babble in, otherwise, totally unintelligible language.

There are many - some exist(ed) in this forum too who question the credentials of Sri Tyagaraja as a devotee - they ask 'how do you know'. There is no way one can explain what Tyagaraja stood for - unless we have the inclination and anurAga, which are not explainable in words. As in some other thread, I had pointed out 'the heart speaks to another heart - not words'.

The subject is 'neraval'. Tyagaraja had no need to sing neravals to his Lord - his rasika - 'rasika tyAgarAja' (kRti 'dEva rAma rAma-saurAshTraM). Latter musicians had 'discovered' these and, truly, 'exploited' them. Because we hold these musicians in awe, we are not ready to concede the parampara so built over decades, even if it means mutilating the kRtis of Tyagaraja.

[keerthi]

Govindan sir,

1. There are several cases of half a word spilling over to the next Avarta, in the songs of mudduswAmi dIkSitar.

2. While you might opine that gIr- isn't required, and the word is complete with vAna , there must be corroboration to be found from the walajapet notebooks.

3. I am not questioning tyAgarAja's credentials as a devotee. There is no way of questioning anybody's credentials as a bhakta.

4. I feel we can't sit in judgement on those who sit in judgement, of any kind of literature or poetry or musical compositions that are prevailing in the public domain.

4.5 We may babble incoherently [or coherently] in our moments of pAravashya [emotional or otherwise]. But when we make art out of it, it must be given coherence and structure. It must be practised with a restraint, and with some conformity to rules that have arisen from an empirical consensus.

tyAgarAja who has deplored the pedants [vara-rAga-layagnulu tAmanucu, bhakti-rahita-shAstra-vid ati-dUra] has also spoken of the elements of music and the importance of practising them [yati-vishrama-sadbhakti, bAguga vinta rAgamulana AlApamu jeyucu]. Isn't it evident that tyAgayya was mindfully practising the principles of compositional structure and musical grammar.

5. If my comments have led to a digression form the topic, that is neraval,I'm sorry. We could take this discussion elsewhere;probably another thread.

However, when we say tyAgarAja had no need for neraval, aren't we too judging tyAgarAja, and being presumptuous in telling him and ourselves what he 'needed' and didn't?

It is because of musicians who kept songs alive in their oral-aural traditions, that we have some source material to critically edit, or even talk about. If these musicians weren't 'exploiting' tyAgaRaja, he would've gone the way of mArgadarshi shESayyangar, leaving behind little or no musical traces.

Final point.
I am in complete agreement with you in the idea that the musical presentation of krti-s in the current style isn't particularly amenable to accessing the content of the lyric.

[vgovindan]

I was just listening SSI singing 'bhuvini dAsuDanE' - rAga SrI ranjani - http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html - Audio - http://www.sangeethamshare.org/tvg/UPLO ... VASA_IYER/

While singing 'padamulE gati' (caraNa), he introduces the word 'rAma' - (padamulE gati rAma). This word (rAma) is not part of the kRti. But, it is so appropriate at this place, that non-existence of the word in the lyric, does not matter at all.

Similarly, in the kRti, 'dArini telusukoNTini', if such an appropriate word - eg 'talli' could be introduced (dArini telusukoNTini talli), it would not violate the spirit of the kRti, rather than singing an absurd version 'dArini telusukoNTini..sundArini telusukoNTi'. This requires deeper understanding of the wordings and bhAva of the kRti.