LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

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CRama
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Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by CRama »

Veenavaadini Trust spearheaded by the Veena couple Jayasree and Jayaraj Krishnan organised the 243rd Birth anniversary of Nadajyothi Muthuswamy Deekshitar and they presented a scholarly thematic Veena concert on the above topic as a fitting finale to the two day event. Umayalpuram Mali provided the Mridangam accompaniment.

Lalithopakhyanam is part of the Brahmanda Puranam and it is in the form of a dialogue between Agastiar and Hayagreevar. Sangeeeta Kalanidhi Kallidaikurichi Vedanta Bhagavatar and Ananthanarayana Iyer who came in the Deekshitar parampara through Ambi Deekshitar used to perform Harikatha on the Lalithopakhyanam in which they used to sing Nirupanams which included many kritis of Deekshitar also suiting to the various occasions in the Harikatha. The songs presented in the thematic programme are selections from those presented in the Harikatha.

• Lalithopakhyanam commences with the episode of a proud and jubilliant Devendra coming on his white elephant-Airavatam, Sage Durvasa presenting him a garland, which the elephant throws down and crushes under its feet necessitating the churning of Parkadal for getting Amritam to retain the immortality of the Devas. First the poison comes out and Lord Siva consumes the poison and keeps it in his throat. Hence he got the name Neelakantan. The first song presented was Neelakantam Bhajeham in Kedaragowla set to Rupaka talam.

• After poison, Mahalakshmi comes out of the ocean. Worshipping Mahalakshmi, the MD kriti Mahalakshmi Karunarasalahari in the rare ragam Madhavamanohari set to Adi talam came next.


• Then comes Dhanwanthari and Mohini. The episode of Siva wishing to see Mohini and the birth of Ayyappan is narrated in the kriti Hariharaputhram in Vasantha set to Khanda Eka talam. Jayasree played a wholesome alapana of Vasantha as a prelude to the song.

• The story is now shifted to Daksha yagam where Daksha out of his arrogance, humiliates his daughter Sati, who sings the glory of Siva to Daksha and unable to bear the humiliation, Sati ends her life in the fire. Hearing upon Sati’s sacrifice, Siva gets angry and creates Veerabhadra to destroy the Daksha yaga. MD has composed the kriti Rudrakopa jata veera bhadram asraye in the ragam Rudrapriya set to Rupaka talam.


• Siva goes into penance in the Himalayas. Sati is born as daughter of Himavan under the name Parvati. Meanwhile Tarakasura’s cruelty towards Devas mounts up and Manmadha is sent to disrupt the penance of Siva. This is mentioned in the kriti Sree Dakshinamurtim sada chintayamyaham in the ragam Athana set to Khanda Eka talam. The kriti had a colour much different from the other kritis in the ragam. Ragam Athana was played by Jayaraj.

• Parvati is into penance to marry Siva. Bhandasura was born out of the ashes of Manmadha. He becomes an embodiment of evil qualities and becomes an informidable enemy of Devas. Upon Brahma’s advice, Devas do a big yagna seeking the blessings of Ambal. Devi appears in the form of Lalithambika from the fire of the yajna. Viswakarma built Sripuram as the abode of Lalithambika. The song Paradevate in the ragam Huseni set to Adi talam was played in praise of Lalithambika. Ragam Huseni was delineated by Jayasree.


• Siva appears in a very handsome pose and is called Kameswara to marry Lalithambika. Lalithambika throws a garland and it rightly falls on the shoulders of Kameswara. Vishnu does the kanyadanam and the kriti Kameswarena samrakshitoham in Sree ragam set to Adi talam describes the various rituals in the marriage of Lalithambika with Kameswarar.

• Brahma gifts Pushpakavimanam in which the bride and bridegroom does nagaraparavesha which is eloquently described in the kriti Kusumakara vimanaroodam in ragam Ahiri set to Adi talam.


• Lalithambika creats many sakthis and arrays of sena to destroy Bhandasura. This is reflected in the kriti Kamakshim Kalyanim bhajeham bhaje in the ragam Kalyani set to Rupaka talam. The elaborate ragam played by Jayasree was much relishing.

• The chariot of Lalithambika is called Geetichakra which is referred to in the kriti Geetichakra radha sthithayai in ragam Kannada set to Mishrachapu talam. Kannada ragam was played by Jayaraj.


Dandanathaya rakshitoham- Khamas- Adi talam mentions about the various sakthis involved in the war- Khamas ragam played by Jayaraj.

• Lalithambika kills Bhandasura with the astra given by Siva- Kameswarastra. She was supported by Ganesa, Vishnu etc in the war. The Devas becomes jubilliant and showers pushpam on Kameswarar and Lalithambika. Lalithambika resurrects Manmadha who goes to Himalayas and the marriage of Siva and Parvati takes place. Lalitha Upakhyanam concludes with the auspicious Kumarasambhavam. Lalithambikayai Laksha kotianda nayikayai Lalanayai namaste namaste in the ragam Bhairavi and Misra chapu talam. The elaborate ragam played by Jayaraj was blissful. Ragamalika tanam, Manodharma elements like neraval and swarams added colour to the presentation. A short tani followed.

Lalitha Parameswari jayati Lakshmi Vaninutha jagadamba in the mangala ragam Suruti set to Adi talam.

It may be noted that most of the songs are unheard kritis. The Veena couple deserves high appreciation for the efforts they have taken to dig out the rare compositions, internalise them and present with zeal, sincerity and confidence- never losing out on the artistry and musicianship. All the songs were vocally rendered by Jayasree Krishnan which adds to the enjoyment of rare compositions. There was unbelievable coordination between the two great vainikas. The narrative part was performed with clarity and lucidity by Rajani- their disciple- drawing out references from myriad sources like Lalitha Sahasranamam, Abhirami Anthadi, Syamala Dandakam, Soundaryalahari etc. Her in depth Sanskrit knowledge combined with the communication skills deserve special mention. The narration and the blissful music ensured a divinity in the entire proceedings. Our Forum is indeed privileged to have the Veena couple, Rajani and many other musicians as members.

On a side note let me mention that in the Tirunelveli- Trivandrum belt, Lalithambal Shobhanam is invariably recited by the ladies during all the days of Navarathri- more particularly if Kolu is there in the house. Lalithambal Shobhanam is a very long musical version of the Lalithopakhyanam. In simple Tamil. These things are very religiously followed in my house and I have heard my mother reciting Lalithambal Shobhanam and she would have breakfast only after giving tamboolam to some neighbouring mami. I find that this is not popular in Chennai. As such, this story is much familiar to me.

There was very good attendance for the programme. The Arkay hall was full with many students of the Veena couple and other music lovers thronging to savour the intense thematic programme. Regular Veena concerts never attract so much audience. The programme was webcast and it is still available in the youtube.

Noted Historian and Sculpture specialist Chitra Madhavan was the Special Guest for the evening. She complimented Jayasree and Jayaraj for taking steps in the holistic cultural development of their students- by taking the students to temples where tevaram and pasurams are sung and giving the students a taste of that divine ambience along with the musical development. She appreciated the involvement of the students in the entire process by putting talams and listening to the music with rapt attention and indeed they have got the responsibility of carrying forward this illustrious tradition and Jayasree and Jayaraj deserves all compliments for moulding the future generation of musicians.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by rajeshnat »

crama
So nice of you to take your time and write this review. Atleast 4 krithis I am just knowing only thru your post.kudos to the talented vainika couple and also to the narrator rajani.

Sachi_R
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Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by Sachi_R »

Respectful thanks to the musicians, scholar and the reporter!
Wonderful. It is very difficult to pull off such a multidimensional programme.


Sivaramakrishnan
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Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 08:29

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

I was with CRama at the event but he gave me the luxury of relishing the presentation, in the process volunteering himself to take notes for a review in rasikas.org.! I find lot more information than I could grasp at the venue, in his complete and meticulous write-up.

Well, it was a scholarly presentation by the Vainikas and the narrator - a fitting tribute to Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar who was a great Devyupaasaka.

The 2 day event (28-29 Apr) consisted of 3 Veena recitals and 2 vocal concerts apart from the brief remarks by the chief guests.
Last edited by Sivaramakrishnan on 01 May 2018, 17:22, edited 2 times in total.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by rajeshnat »

SRK,
Just like sangathis getting repeated in concerts to add more aesthetics ,ateast from the stand point of writeup- you can add more from the context of veena, dikshitar and other historic veena trace which is only yours.

thanjavooran
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by thanjavooran »

Many thanks to the musicians for scholarly presentation and to Sri CRama for the detailed write up. Regarding Lalithambal Shobanam for first time I come to know about recitation during Navarathri in all houses by sumangalis. Again thanks to CRama for the complete narration of the event. Shri Sivaramakrishnan lucky you were present.
With wishes,
Thanjavooran
01 05 2018

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by arasi »

Brings tears to my eyes. Our forumites of super qualities--J&J and RaJani, Jai to you for such a moving and a classy, one of a kind event. Will relish the songs one by one with the text in front of me.

C.Rama, what can I say about your rich write up and personal narrative about the family tradition!
We are blessed indeed to have such culturally rich members at Rasikas who make us focus on our source of joy--which is music...

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by rshankar »

Appears to have been a superb concert, with food for the mind (narration) and soul (music) - and a superb review to boot! And the webcast/YouTube link is the icing on the cake! On the whole, like SrI MD’s kRtis themselves. Way to go! Kudos to J&J, and Rajani!

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by rajeshnat »

One thing that has come out with J&J , Rajani presentation thru Crama write up is atleast I was most associated with the extremely spiritual side and at time deeper philosophy like advaita thru dikshitar . Crama writeup has given a color that Dikshitar krithis can also be interpreted with harikatha ,atleast this angle of associating Dikshitar with harikatha is brand new to me.

parivadini
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Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 22:44

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by parivadini »

I'm usually a silent admirer of CRama's posts. I take this opportunity to convey my appreciation for such meticulous documentation through his posts and his other writings (in sruti etc.).

Lalitharam

HarishankarK
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Joined: 27 Oct 2007, 11:55

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by HarishankarK »

Thank you CRama for sharing this beautiful programme with us.

Rajani
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:52

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by Rajani »

Thank you CRama Sir for the detailed review. And thank you all others for your kind words.

A small correction - the name is Brahmasri Ananthakrishna Ayyar ( and not Ananthanarayana Ayyar). The prefix indicates that he has completed Vedic Studies.

Sachi_R
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Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by Sachi_R »

I watched many portions of the programme on YouTube. Smt.Rajani has done a stellar job of compiling the information and presenting it. 🙏🏻

CRama
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Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by CRama »

Rajani, Sorry, I had written correctly in my notes. Goofed up while typing.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by rajeshnat »

This is the family tree (i and few others discussed)
Ananthakrishna Iyer (Vainika) ---->>> AnanthaRaman or Ambi Sir (Vainika) ---->>> Ananthakrishnan (Violinist) ---->>> Anantha R Krishnan (Mrudangist)
Ananthakrishna Iyer (who is referred as brahmasri ananthakrisha iyer by rajani) was the disciple of Ambi Diskhitar who was related and also hails as the sishya parampara of muthuswamy dikshitar.

Mods
In the first post edit the text ananthanarayana to ananthakrishna .Crama must have lost his window time to edit.

CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by CRama »

Rajesh, Thanks for the additional information.

veenajj
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Joined: 18 Apr 2007, 11:54

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by veenajj »

Thank you very much CRama Sir for penning this exhaustive and generous report. We are most grateful.
Thank you arasi 🙏🏻
Thank you Sri Sivaramakrishnan and others.

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by rshankar »

It was a superb program! Thanks to Arkay for the link...
Lots of rare kRtis, esoteric nuggets of information, and the opportunity to listen to some rarely-heard kRtis too. It was very nice to hear the mAdhava manOhari kRti which was slightly different from the Smt. MSS-version.

nsridhar22
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Joined: 28 Nov 2017, 18:36

Re: LALITHOPAKHYANA THROUGH DIKSHITAR KRITIS-ARKAY-29/4/18

Post by nsridhar22 »

I am just listening to the audio of the program and it is a superb program with such rare krithis of Muthuswami Dikshitar. Being a friday today makes it even more special. As a Sri Vidya Upasaka, Muthuswamy Dikshitar has composed a lot of krithis on Ambal including his famous Navavarna Krithis of Kamalamba and Neelotpalamba.

The Veena couple Jayasree and Jayaraj Krishnan, mridangam player Umayalpuram Mali and the narrator Rajani deserve all the praises for such an excellent and a very scholarly presentation. The references to various texts like Lalitha Sahasranamam, Bhagavad Gita, Abhirami Anthadhi etc makes it really a very useful presentation on Sanatana Dharma itself.

The final piece in Bhairavi (which happens to be my favourite raga) to which I am listening is really performed very well.

My Ananthakoti Namaskarams to all the people responsible for this program and to CRama for such an excellent writeup.

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