Dr. Shrikaanth K Murthy

Carnatic composers (other than performing vidwans)
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cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

We need to discuss the beautiful raga dhanyasi. It is not sung quite commonly these days. This is a raga in which all of the Trinity have composed. I am especially a fan of 'sangita gnanamu' both the music and the sahitya! I would love DRS to highlight the apecial pryOgams of this raga so that we can appreciate the lyrics (now that we have the notations!)

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

dhanyAsi is a janya of the 8th mELa- tODi with the following scale

SG~2,M1PN2~S* | S*ND1PMG,R1S ||

The G and N are sharper and oscillate towards the higher swara, M and S respectively. The gANdhAra in ascent is different from that in tODi as is easily noticable. This is due to the absence of R. "MG,RS" sounds like "MPG,RS" due to gamakas. Phrases suchas "SD,P" and "PG,RS" sound nice. This is an ancient rakti rAga evoking karuNA(compasion) and dInarasa. jAru gamakas are common to G and N. The phrase"R*,S*D,PG,RS" is a raktiprayOga which I have used in the suLAdi (ciTTeswara also). There are countless beautiful compositions in the rAga. Papanaam Sivan`s padavarNa "nI indamAyam" is a small and beatuful varNa showing many rakti prayOgas. So also is the padavarNa of vINe SEShaNNa "E maguva bOdhincara".

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Now post the meanings of ayOdhyA kANDa in english please

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

DRS

I leave the english as an exercise for Shankar ;) I am trying to get close to sanketi through Tamil ;) (and it is intuitive!)

Thanks for the highlight on Dhanyasi! Is there a difference in the way MD has handled this raga vs T? What is a jaru gamaka?

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

I dont think there is any difference in the handling of the rAga by MD and T.

What is a jAru gamaka! My my! Iam reminded of somebody here.

jAru is a glide.

Ravi is busy in a conference. I want to move ahead(To keep him happy :) ) so please post meanings in english yourself or I might do it myself (Unless VK steps in)

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

No problem! I want to keep Shankar anchored here that is all ;)

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

In order not to falsify father's command (he) acted without hesitation!
(he) went to the forest accompanied by wife and brother|
(he) came to Guha with an overwhelming effulgence|
Even though implored hundreds of times, (he) consoled a desolate (crying) Bharata and gave him his sandals.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Thank you CML,. Just one addition to what you have said, rAma leaves for the forest without hesitation or sorrow or distress.

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

jAru is a glide.

That is obvious. I thought 'jaru gamaka' as a special techie ;)

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhyA kANDa-Part 1

bharata and Satrughna are in kEkaya. daSaratha feels the time has come for him to hand over the reins to rAma. He consults his ministers etc about what their opinion regarding the coronation of rAma. The are all for it. daSaratha hurriedly arranges for the coronation as the planets are moving towards a position that portend a bad time for daSaratha- that he will either die suddenly or will be embroiled in intrigue. He calls rAma and tells him his decision. rAma takes it with equanimity.

daSaratha hurries the preparations and tells rAMa that the human mind is
fickle and people may change colours for the sake of power. He says he would like to go ahead with the coronation before bharata returns and says there is no need for bharata or the kEkaya king to know about the coronation yet and that the news can be conveyed to them later. rAma conveys the happy tidings to his mother kausalyA who is overjoyed upon hearing it and gives away gifts to her maids and attendants.

While the entire city of ayOdhya is rejoicing, manthara, a hunch-backed maid of kaikEyi fumes with rage on finding out from another maid. Now this manthara has been a companion of kaikEyi since the latter`s childhood and came with kaikEyi as part of her dowry from kEkaya. manthara immediately rushes to kaikEyi`s budoir. When she finds kaikEyi lying on her couch, she chastises her for being complacent when ill-fortune is knocking at her doorstep.

kaikEyi does not understand. But when manthara explains the reason for her agitation and says that rAma is going to be coronated on the morrow, kaikEyi is overwhelmed with joy and immediately presents manthara with a jewel for being the bearer of glad tidings. manthara is beside herself
with rage and slowly poisons kaikEyi`s mind saying she and her son will have to become slaves to kausalyA and rAma and work alongside manthara and others. kaikEyi is still disbelieving and extols the greatness and exemplary qualities in rAma. mantahara laughs it off and says daSaratha did not love her at all and that he and rAma had all been pretending to be good and that rAma might even have bharata killed once he ascends the throne.

kaikEyi is confused and gets won over by manthara`s ill-counsel and asks
her advice as to what she can do about it. manthara reminds her of the 2 boons daSaratha had promised her long ago when she had saved his life on the battlefield and nursed his wounds. She tells kaikEyi how to behave with daSaratha and tells her to ask daSaratha that bharata be coronated
and rAma be exiled for 14 yrs to live as an ascetic in the forest.

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

vesanu = vyasanam = distress
agreed! That is a crucial point!

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhyA kANDa- part 2

kaikEyi retires to the kOpagRha(a chamber where queens remove themselves to to show that they are angry/displeased). Now daSaratha is in high spirits and wishes to himself convey the news to his favourite wife-kaikeyi. But when he arrives, he is surprised on not being welcomed by kaikEyi. This has never happened before.

On enquiring with the maids, he finds out that she is angry and approaches her. He sees her lying on the floor, dishevelled, wearing soiled apparel, with jewels strewn all around on the floor. Now daSaratha is besotted with her and is lusting for her. Knwoing his weakness, kaikEyi plays her game. When dasaratha asks her lovingly what the matter is, she says daSartha does not love her and that he never loved her etc. This hurts him to the quick.

He is blinded by his desire for her and unthinkingly promises to guve her whatever she wants, he swears on rAma twice and on the Gods. las! After this, kaikEyi makes her well-deliberated move. She reminds him that the moon, starts and the gods are witness to this and tells him that the time has come for him to grant her the 2 boons that he had promised long ago. She reminds him of his lineage and how they had all alwasy upheld truth and then tells him what she wanst. The moment she utters it, daSaratha swoons. When he comes to, he beseeches her and falls at her feet. KaikEyi remains unyielding and tells him again and again of his promise and how important it is for him to keep up his word. All his pleas and tears are to no avail.

The minister sumantra comes to call daSaratha the nest day. Finding him still lying down, he asks what the matter is. kaikEyi cooly tells him that daSaratha has been excitedly talking about rAma`s coronation all night and hence could not sleep properly. She also tells sumantra that the king would like to see rAma immediately and tells him to bring rAma post haste. rAma comes unsuspectingly.

When he arrives, dasaratha can all but groan. kaikEyi says to rAma, there is something he wants to tell you but is afraid to. rAma requests her to tell him what it is and she tells him that bharata must be coronated and that he should retire to the forest for 14yrs. rAma takes it calmly and says he would happily give his all for bharata and to keep up his father's word. And says he would have done it even if kaikEyi had said commanded him as his mother.

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

DRS/CML,
I read DRS's meaning before I left for the conference sessions and even as I was sitting through the sessions, I was thinking about the ayOdhyA kAndam!
Here is my attempt at 'anglicizing' it as CML puts it:

To honor his father's command/word, he went away to the forest with equanimity. Lord Rama, resplendent in his handsome appearance and charisma, accompanied by his wife and brother granted ‘darshan’ to Guhan. He refused to give in to Bharata’s numerous requests and plaintive pleadings and return to ayOdhyA. Instead, he pacified him by giving his pAdukAs to place on the throne of ayOdhyA.

Ravi

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

A beautiful presentation people.. ....
Reminds me of M.S Subbulaksmi singing every single incident described here in Naama Raamayana...


DRS
Wouldnt Kaikeyi realise her mistake immediately after Raama agrees to go the forest?

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhyA kANDa- part 3

rAma leaves to break the news to his mother and seek her permission. kausalya is worshipping to viShNu for the sake of rAma`s well-being. When rAma tells her what has transpires, she is distraught. She laments her fate at having always been neglected by dasaratha in favour of kaikEyi. She cries that she had always had to bear angry words and insults from kaikEyi and had hoped that at least with rAma`s coronation, she would get some peace.

She refuses to grant rAma the permission to go to the forest. When he does not budge and tells her it is his duty to honour his father`s word, she insits on going with him. But he reminds her of the duties and dharma of a woman and a wife and requests her to care of daSaratha tenderly and to treat bharata well as her own son. laShmaNa tells rAma that he should put up a fight as a kShatriya and berates his father. rAma remains firm in his resolve. Though full of sorrow, she manages a smile and blesses him with all her heart and pronounces various benedictions on him as only a mother can do.

rAma then leaves to tell sIta of the happenings and to seek her permission. Now it is here that rAma`s tender side is revealed. He has nothing to hide from her and shares his upset with her. He then advises her that when he goes to the forest, she should treat daSaratha with respect, bharata with affection and the deference that is due to a king. He also tells her never to praise him in the presence of bharata as no man in power can brook praise of another.

On being thus advised, sIta, out of anger born of love, asks him why he is talking so lightly like any ordinary man. She tells him that he need not tell her how to behave as she has been taught all that by her parents in her tender years itself. She then taunts him for thinking that she would live without him, enjoying the comforts of a royal living. Sarcastically she says, my father would think he gave me in marriage to a woman in man's clothes.

As any man would, rAma is angered by her words but remaining controlled, tries to scare her out of coming with him to the forest by telling her of all hardships that she would have to encounte in the jungle. She eagerly says that astrologers had already foretod that she would have to live in the forest for a while. She says even the thickest and most treacherous jungle is heaven when with her husband. She gives him a lecture about the dharma of a woman and a wife and says that she will go with him come what may. Seeing her firm in resolve, he tells her to give away all her belongings which she gladly does, bless her.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhyA kANDa- part 4

Now lakShmaNa, who has overheard part of the converstaion comes in and expresses his desire to go wit rAma. This settled, rAma also gives away all his wealth and goes to daSaratha to seek his blessings before departing.

daSaratha is still in a state of shock. kaikEyi hurries them to leave and unfeelingly gives them clothes of bark to wear. She forbids daSaratha to give valuables to sItA. vaSiShTha and others put things straight and tell her that her conditions apllied only to rAma and that sItA could take what was her due as a princess and daughter-in-law. daSaratha gets his minister, sumantra to give her finery and jewels to last the duration
of exile.

kausalyA embraces sItA as her own daughter, blesses her and gives her advice. sumitrA blesses lakShmaNa and tells him some poignant words- to think of rAma as daSaratah, sItA as herself(his mother) and the jungle as ayOdhyA(there is a pun here. It can also be interpreted as ayOdhyA is a forest(sans these 3).

rAmam dasaratham viddhi | mAm viddhi janakAtmajAm ||
ayOdhyAm aTavIm viddhi | gaccha tAta yathA sukham ||


The entire kingdom is steeped in gloom. daSaratha and kausalya run behind the chariot as rAma leaves with sItA and lakShmaNa. Unable to bear to see them thus, he eggs on the charioteer. As the citizens all leave with him and refuse to go back, he asks sumantra to take them quietly after they have all fallen asleep under trees on the banks of the tamasA river. They then cross the rivers vEdaSruti, gOmati and syandikA and arrive on the banks of gangA which is guha`s territory.

guha, the leader of niShAdas, is a good friend of rAma and welcomes him warmly, though sad about the happenings. guha requests them to honour him by staying overnight and accepting his hospitality. rAma gladly agrees but does not partake of the feast or comforts as he is bound by his father`s word. guha`s men take him across the gangA in his boats. They then go to the hermitage of sage bharadvAja where they accept hospitality and are further directed to citrakUTa mountain as a suitable place to stay. They take leave of sumantra here. sumantra leaves with kind words for everyone from rAma.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Thank you Ravi for that concise and precise gist pregnant with the meaning that I have intended to convey. Have a nice day.

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

Thanks DRS.
In mythilIsharaN gupt's 'panchvatI prasang', the opening passage is VERY moving. In the poet's imagination, he sees rAm, and sItA ready to go into exile, when rAm notices lakshmaN also ready to accompany them:
'pUjya pitA ke sahaj satya par
vAr sudhAm dhara dhan kO
unkE pICHE sItA chalI, gahan van kO
unkE bhI pICHE lakshmaN thE
pUCHA rAm ki tum kahAn,
vinat vadan sE uttar pAyA
tum, mErE sarvaswa jahAn'

On his respected father's command, rAm gave up everything (his residence, wealth, and his country), and that jewel (of womanhood) sItA followed him. But what of lakshmaN, who made up the end of this file of forest-going folk? When asked by rAm, with his face/head bowed, he says, 'I am going where, you, who are everything to me, goes!'

Ravi

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

DRS,
I was just translating what you wrote, so really, it was no biggie (as my daughter would say). Yours, au-contraire is the tough one!

Here is another one of my favorite descriptions of the vanvAs gaman, this time from tulsI. The beauty of different versions of the rAmAyaNA in different parts of the country lies in the imagination of the various poets.
In this lovely composition tulsI dAs imagines rAm, sItA and lakshmaN coming to a village during their wanderings in the forest, and the villagers, impressed with their king-like bearing, and irresistably drawn to them, surround them and bombard them with questions:

kahAn sE padhErE? kahAn kO hai gamanvA?
kOn gaun? kOn dhAm? kE vAsI nAm rE?
kE karaN tum tajyO bhavan vA?

Where are you coming from? Where are you going to?
What village do you belong to? What is the name of your house? What are your names?
Why have you left your palace/residence (and come to the forest)?

rAm says:
uttar dishA ik nagari ayOdhyA
rAjA dasrath tahAn pAyO hai bhavan va
unhI kE ham dOu kunwarvA
mAtA kE vachan sunI tajyO hai bhavan vA

To the north of here is a city called ayOdhyA
There, King dasrath has his palace
We are two of his sons
We have given up our kingdom/palace on our 'mother's' words

gA~nv vadhU pUCHE kuhuku siyA sE
kOn sO prItam, kOn sO dEwar vA
siyA muskAyI, bOli mridu vANI
sanwarE sO prItam, gOrE dEwar vA

The women of the village whispered to sItA:
which of these two is your husband and which one is your brother-in-law?
sItA smiled and said sweetly,
the dark one is my husband, and the fair one, my BIL.

tulsI dAs prabhU as sharaNan kI
mErO man hAr liyO jAnakI ramaNvA

Tulsi Das says, my mind/heart has been captured by jAnakI's husband, and so, I seek eternal refuge in him.

This song has been immortalized by Smt. MSS. What strikes me here are 2 points:
First, while everyone feels that rAm went to the forest for 'pitruvAkya paripAlanam', Tulsi Das clearly feels that the blame for banishing rAm should rest solely on kaikEyI. Hence, mAtA kE vachan sunI and not pitA ke vachan sunI!
Second: Tulsi Das feels that he did not lose his heart/mind/soul to rAm..rather, rAm has captured his being. I absolutely love the imagery evoked by this description.

Ravi

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

Duplicate post.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Ravi
Here is the song by MSS. I particularly love those lines "sIyA muskAyi. bOli mRdubANi. sAwarE sO prItam gOrE dEwara vA"

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/EJb ... As1NMvHdW/

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

Sankar

Forgive my ignorance..What langauge is this?

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

It is in a dialect of hindi - bhOjpurI or avadhI.
The people of bhOj spoke bhOjpuri, residents of avadh spoke avadhI, and the people of mythilA spoke mythilI etc. They are all minor variations of the underlying hindi language, but very lyrical to my jaundiced eye!

DRS,
That is the lovely track. I too love the part you have highlighted, but, the part I get goosebumps, is when she sings, 'mErO man hAr liyO jAnakI ramaNvA'.
Ravi

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »


First, while everyone feels that rAm went to the forest for 'pitruvAkya paripAlanam', Tulsi Das clearly feels that the blame for banishing rAm should rest solely on kaikEyI. Hence, mAtA kE vachan sunI and not pitA ke vachan sunI!
In vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, rAma says time and again that he is obeying his father`s word. Without sounding indiscreet, daSaratha was as much to blame as kaikEyi was. He is besotted with her, approaches with lust and finding her non-responsive, makes so many prmises to her. vAlmIki says this explicitlu. In fact, when lakShmaNa argues with rAma to not obey daSaratha`s words, this is one of his strong arguments-"An old man intoxicated with lust made a promise. This need not be honoured by you"
Second: Tulsi Das feels that he did not lose his heart/mind/soul to rAm..rather, rAm has captured his being. I absolutely love the imagery evoked by this description.
pardEsiyA pardEsiyA
sab kahtE hain mainE tujhkO dil dE diyA
main kahhtI hUn tUnE mErA dil lE liyA :cheesy:

I wish I had my kannaDa textx with me so I could quote some really beautiful descriptions

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

Cheers Sankar
My Hindi is not that great. So wouldnt know these differences...

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

-"An old man intoxicated with lust made a promise. This need not be honoured by you"

Had not Raama obeyed it, we wouldnt have Raamayana today would we? ;) :twisted:

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

In vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, rAma says time and again that he is obeying his father`s word. Without sounding trite, daSaratha was as much to blame as kaikEyi was.
I agree with you. I was just pointing out (the obvious, maybe?) of tulsI dAs's imagery!
pardEsiyA pardEsiyA
sab kahtE hain mainE tujhkO dil dE diyA
main kahhtI hUn tUnE mErA dil lE liyA :cheesy:
That is exactly IT!
Just love the concept.
Like shakunthaLA sings: 'yennai ariyAmal Or kaLvan evvidamO pugundu kondAn pOlum'
Ravi

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhya kANDa- Part 5-
Story of SravaNa


sumantra returns to ayOdhyA with a heavy heart. He conveys rAma's kind words and advice to all including kaikEyi.This saddens daSaratha and kausalyA further. kausalyA, in her grief, speaks harsh words to daSaratha who then faints. The plight of daSaratha is pitiable. When he wakes up, he pitifully requests kaausalyA to touch him and show where she is as he is unable to see anything. He then tells kausalyA of a sin he had commited as a strappling youth.

As a prince regent, he had gone out to the forest to hunt. He had only redently learnt the echnique of SabdavEdi which is used to hunt animals/ enemies by finding out their whereabouts on the basis of sound alone and then taking aim. daSaratha was eager to try this and is waiting near the river sarayu hoping that some animal would come to drink water. As he is waiting, it grows dark and then hark! he hears the sound of gurgling water which he interprets to be that of an elephant drinking water. Forthwith he takes aim and discharges an iron arrow that unfailingly hits he mark. But what a tragedy! It is not an elephant but a youth, an ascetic who was filling up his pitcher with water from the river. Realizing his fooly a little too late, daSaratha approaches the youth with trepidation and remorse.

Th ascetic, by name SravaNa is in great pain, lying in a pool of blood. In the throes of death, he tells dasaratha that he had 2 aged and blind parents who had only him to take care of them. He had come to take water to quench their thirst. Now that he would die, they were virually
killed as well. Therefore, daSaratha had killed not one but 3 pious lives. He then advises daSaratha to take the arrow out and let his life flow out. He allays daSaratha`s fears by saying that he is not a brAhmaNa and hence he would not be afflicted by the sin of brahmahatyA. Sravana also counsels him to go and confess to his parents and beg them for pardon lest they burn him and his kingdom down with their sorrow and wrath. So saying, SravaNa dies.

Trembling, daSaratha carries the pitcher and hoes to the ASrama.Now SravaNa's parents, blind as they are, have nothing to speak of but their son. Hearing daSaraytha's footsteps, the think SravaNa has returned and lovingly ask him why he tarried so much. "Are you angry with us because we chided you out of affection? How could you take it to heart? Come! Give the water quick! We are dying of thirst." Drawing his courage, daSaratha falteringly utters what has happened. Hearing this, the parents are overwhelmed with grief and anger. They command daSaratha to take them to where their son was lying. Touching and carressing their son's tender body, they pitifully lament, crying for him to come back. resigning themselves to the fact, they offer him final rites. Sad indeed is the plight of those parents who have perform rites for their own children they bring up showering so much love and affection. When it should be the children
doing it for the parents. Fate is cruel indeed!

Having done the rites and seeing their son go to heaven in indra's chariot, the father turns to daSaratha and pronounces a curse on him! "O foolish king! Even as we are are being consumed by the sorrow of our son's loss, so shall you also lose your son, long for him and die a pitiful death." So saying, they thow themselves on the funeral pyre of their son and give up their lives.

Having narrated this to kausalyA, daSaratha grieves and sighs-"Indeed as we sow so we reap". He again pleads with her to touch him as he is unable to see her.

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

DRS!!
Thank you for that nice narration. It was very sad indeed..
Does the curse render Dasaratha blind along with his loss of Raama?
Does Kaikeyi repent her mistake later on?
I guess there is some more to be revealed by you...

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

DRS

It will be good to know which Ramayana that you are following. If you are following folklore then say so explicitly. I do assume you are following valmiki ramayana most places with stray departures.

Here is a controversial passage:

daSaratha hurries the preparations and tells rAMa that the human mind is
fickle and people may change colours for the sake of power. He says he would like to go ahead with the coronation before bharata returns and says there is no need for bharata or the kEkaya king to know about the coronation yet and that the news can be conveyed to them later....

The crucial shlOka is:
na tu kEkayarAjAnaM janakaM vA narAdhipaH|
tvarayA ca AnayAmAsa pashcAt tau shrOShyataH priyaM||


This issue has been made a major issue by EVR (periyaar) in his criticism of the malafides of Dasharata. The king knew very well that he had promised to bestow the kingdom to kaikeyi's son at the time of his marriage. Hence he treacherously plotted to deny the kingdom which is rightfully due to Bharata. There have been lots of ink spilled justifying kaikeyi's demands and of course it will be another Ramayana (kImaayaNa) if we discuss them

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

Shankar
Thanks for those delightful excusions into the Ramacritamanasa!
and DRS thanks for that delightful MS link!

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

It will be good to know which Ramayana that you are following. If you are following folklore then say so explicitly. I do assume you are following valmiki ramayana most places with stray departures.
CML
Why has this question arisen? And what is so controversial about my statement? It is certainly in keeping with what you have posted.
FYI I have very faithfully adhered to vAlmiki in the ayOdhyA kANDa. And also my intention is not to run a rAmAyaNa thread and hence I dont see the need to mention references each time. Such discussions are never-ending.

Our intention is to know and enjoy the story of rAma that is all- whatever that source is. out variations can be done in the bhakti section where param has already started a thread and has posted links. DiscussionsabAnd folklore is such a demeaning term indeed.

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

DRS

I certainly agree with you in principle. There is no need to analyze story lines critically except in the context of the lyrics.

But I do not agree that folklore is in anyway demeaning. It is equally a part of our joint heitage. Ramayana is woven into the fabric of our national History and each variation adds a new facet to that gleaming diamond!

I certainly am not asking you for a chapter and verse but am interested to know if certain stories are culled from Kannada sources of which I am totally unfamiliar!

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

kiran

an interesting point in the SravaNa story is:
how Dasharata escaped brahmahatya crime after killing the sage's son? In fact Rama incurred brahmahatya on killing RavaNa and that is the reason he expiated by performing pooja to Siva at Ramesvaram.

But valmiki gives the answer here:

The boy while dying says
brahmahatyA k^Ritam tApaM h^ridayAt apanIyatAM|
na dvijAtiH aham rAjan mA bhUt tE manasO vyatA||
shUdrAyAmasmi vaishyEna jAtO naravarAdhipa|

(he was procreated by a vaishya through a shUdra woman!)

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

CML
I really wish I had my kannaDa texts with me. I am missing them sorely. :( All I refer to is my memory of the stories my mum and dad told us taking turns. When we were children, every night before we went to sleep, sitting on the steps in front of our house, my sister and I would eagerly listen to the stories of the rAmAyana and the bhArata as they revealed it to us! That and the online vAlmIki which you know about already is all the resources I have.

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

brahmahatyA k^Ritam tApaM h^ridayAt apanIyatAM|
na dvijAtiH aham rAjan mA bhUt tE manasO vyatA||
shUdrAyAmasmi vaishyEna jAtO naravarAdhipa

CML
It is indeed interesting. I never knew that Sravana was procreated by a Vaishya through shudra woman. Was the caste system then not as tight as it was in later times... Same applies to the birth of Kuru Vamsa in Mahabharthaa Doesnt it.. I dont know the exact details about that fisher woman and...

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Kiran
Let us not get distracted from the main purpose of our discussion here. To answer you qyestion, a woman was allowed to marry above her varNa but not below. But let us park it here and move on.

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

:twisted:

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhyA kANDa- part 6

Weary with sorrow and anguish, dasaratha passes away during the night crying "O rAma! OsItA! O lakShamaNa! Those who see you return are fortunate indeed". As the kingdom cannot be left without a head, sage vaSiShTha sends messengers to bring bharata and Satrughna back quickly from rAjagRha, the capital of kEkaya. Meanwhile bharata also has dreamt dreams foreboding ill-omen. He is disinterested in merry-making with his friends. The messenger reach kEkaya and urge him to come with them immediately to ayOdhyA. However, as instructed, they do not reveal anything about the unhappy train of incidents in ayOdhyA. Upon arrival, he immediately goes to kaikEyi's palace as dasaratha usually is present there. On not finding his father, he offers salutations to his mother. She is delighted on seeing him and enquires after the good health of her relatives in kEkaya.

Bharata inquires of her about his father. Unperturbed and cheerful, she says that he gone to that place where all mortals ultimately go. On hearing this, bhrata is shocked. Reeling from shock, he questions her further about what his last words were. When she tells him exactly what they were, he is confused and asks where rAm and others have gone. When questioned thus, kaikEyi delightedly tells him about everything exactly as they happened and tells him she did all this for his sake. She also urges him to soon finish the final rites and don the crown. bharata is disgusted with her and reproaches her. He leaves for kausalyA`s residence vowing to bring rAma back and himself to stay in the forest instead. On seeing the dejected mother kausalyA, he falls at her feet and assures her that he had nothing to do with his mother's intrigue and again vows to bring rAma back.

vaSiShTha consoles bharata and advises him to perform the rites. This done, bharata is requested to now take over the reins of the kingdom. bharata refuses as by law only the eldest son should become king. He leaves with family and the army to meet rAma and convince him to return and assume kingship. They meet guha on the way. guha welcomes them cautiously. But on finding out the intentions, he gives them further directions and also helps them cross the gangA. bharata then reaches the hermitage of bharadvAja and accepts their hospitality. Although well aware, Sage bharadvAja questions bharata's intentions so that the world will know his greatness. bharata takes leave and reaches the foot of the citrakUTa mountain.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Story of ayOdhyA kANDa- part7

vaSiShTha consoles bharata and advises him to perform the rites. This done, bharata is requested to now take over the reins of the kingdom. bharata refuses as by law only the eldest son should become king. He leaves with family and the army to meet rAma and convince him to return and assume kingship. They meet guha on the way. guha welcomes them cautiously. But on finding out the intentions, he gives them further directions and also helps them cross the gangA. bharata then reaches the hermitage of bharadvAja and accepts their hospitality. Although well aware, Sage bharadvAja questions bharata's intentions so that the world will know his greatness. bharata takes leave and reaches the foot of the citrakUTa mountain.

On seeing an army in the vicinity and also seeing bharata's banner, lakShmaNa seethes with rage and tells rAma to immediatel take up arms so that they could destroy bharata and his army. rAma pacifies him and allays his fears about bharata. He also prasies the virtues of bharata. Meanwhile bharata has asked his army to remain stationed while he proceeds on foot with some selected members. He meets rAma and falls at his feet. rAma inquires after everyone's well being and at this point, advices bharata elaborately on how to rule a kingdom. Hearing of their father's death, rAma is dejected.

After they offer their prayers to their deceased father, bharat pleads with rAma to return. Despite his pleas and the advice of vaSiShTha and other learned brAhmaNas, rAma remains steadfast in his resolve. He upholds the honouring of truth and a father's comand as the foremost duty of a kShatriya and a son. He also tells bharata of the two boons granted by dasaratha to kaikEyi in the past and also tells bharata that daSaratha had promised all his kingdom as dowry at the time of marrying kaikEyi. He argues that it is thus only right for bharata to ascend the throne. At this point, celestial beings appear above, bless rAma and advise bharata to accept rAma's words as he has come to the forest for a purpose.

On his part, bharata asks rAma to grant him sandal's worn by rAma. He swears that he will not ascend the throne but will instead install the sandals on the throne as representing rAma and that he would only serve rAma's interests and look after the welfare of the people. He also tells rAma that he too will live as an ascetic outside ayOdhyA and that if rAma does not return exactly after 14 years, he would immolate himself. rAma agrees. bharata leaves placing the sandals reverentially on his head. He settles in nandigrAma. On this side, as advised by sages, and owing to the defilation of the hermitage by animals in bharata's army, rAma and company leave citrakUTa which is infested with khara and other rAkShasas. The reach the hermitage of sage atri. Pleased with sItA's virtues, anasUyA, the aged wife of atri gifts her several everlasting ornaments and cosmetics

End of ayOdhyA kANDa

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

Thanks DRS for the clarification. Didn't we all learn Ramayana and mahabhaaratam at the laps of our parents or grandparents, a tradition that is getting lost :cry:

Kiran

We can discuss the sociological issues at the language thread if you like without interrupting the flow of thought and music here!

vasanthakokilam
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Post by vasanthakokilam »

Didn't we all learn Ramayana and mahabhaaratam at the laps of our parents or grandparents
I certainly went through that with my paternal grandmother. She had the routine of saying some manthras right when she gets up, her after bath poojas around the Thulsi mAdam and the few manthras she will say before sleeping. We heard that every day for many many years. The one fairly long recital that she used to do around the Thulsi mAdam was actually a story. I forgot most of it except the one scary part of 'a lemon was floating along the river. The person bathing there picks it up but it is actually a snake in disguise which then bites the person'. Does anyone know which story I am talking about. Her recitation used to be really long covering a whole series of incidents. This was just a small part in the middle.

In her story telling of Ramayana and Mahabharatha, if it was getting too late for our bedtime, she will just declare: 'This is where I am supposed to stop'. If we ask why, she will say that is the tradition. Later on we realized there was no such thing because those 'logical stopping points' were not consistent between one round to the next. ;)

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

CML,
The first part of my digression was from the poem panchvaTI prasang of maithilI sharaN gupt..and the second, although composed by tulsI dAs is not from the RCM.
Anyway, as we move into the araNya kAndam, there will be more of maithilI sharaN gupt...if DRS doesn't mind!
Ravi

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

Folks

There are lots of interesting facts and tidbits on Ramayana we all know from different sources. I would love to hear the different versions and the associated anecdotes. However let us not distract DRS with our comments and queries. He should follow the path according to his plan and the music is our dominant theme here.

Hence I am suggesting that we move to the 'Language' section and can start a Ramayana thread there if you all agree. I hope I am not forcing anything on you ;)
Of course DRS can wear a different hat and join us there ;)

Agreed? I need only three ayes to proceed excluding mine ;)

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

It is fine to have quotes (in reasonable quantities) from various sources. Tha does help in adding colour and giving depth and width to discussions. But it is not OK to discuss the minutiae of each and every quote and source here, for that is not our purpose.

CML- If you want to start a thread on rAmAyaNa right now- it is a NAY from me. Give me a month or 6 wks and then it is an AYE. As I will then be able to procure my kannaDa texts. :) And I suggest you start in in the bhakti section rather than the language section.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

I would like you all to study the notation for the vasanta part ad ask any questions that you have. I epect there will be questions ;) I will then move on.

kiransurya
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Post by kiransurya »

DRS

Why do I see a P in the first line of notation in vasantha?
M G P M G~ , G~ ,||

That was the only place in the whole Vasantha Part you used it. Neither Dikshitar(Both Raamachandram-TKG`s notation and Chatur raagamalika-again TKG) nor Thyagaraja( seethamma Maayamma) did not use panchamaa any where. Which is still followed even in today`s Vasantha. SSP however, uses P in the raaga lakshana. Mrs Krishnamurthy(Sahana) didnt use Panchama in her alaapana either unless I missed it.. Any specifc reason for that sparing use .... :cheesy:

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Ravi
Going back to your question earlier about sItA swayamvara-sItA narates to anasUyA, how rAma broke the bow and married her. Here she says that janaka is happy to give sItA's hand immediately but rAma requests him to call daSaratha and seek his consent.

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

Thanks, DRS. I have heard so many versions of this epic expounded, that the local nuances add such a rich detail to this. In this context, I think that someone has recently brought out all of the versions from SE Asia in one book - grand undertaking, huh?
Along those lines, IIRC, CML wrote many pages ago, that in those days, girls were bound by their father's wishes, in reference to sItA, and therefore, her inability to look at rAma except fleetingly: the question I have if that were indeed true, then the word 'swayamvar' would be a misnomer, for if I understand correctly, the term signifies the right of a maiden to chose her own 'var'. To me, the whole concept of sItA swayamvaram rests on the fact that she (either tacitly, or openly) agreed to janakA's condition, and therefore, proceded with it. If she had not, then it would not be a 'swayamvar'.
Ravi

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

sItA herself mentions it as "swayamvara". The fine point is that even when choosing "Of their own accord", the girls tacitly agree to the parents boundaries. So also, the parents take into due consideration, the wisjes of their children

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