Harikatha by Vidwan T.N.Seshagopalan on Sri Purandaradasa Va

srinidhiparthasarathi · Post by **srinidhiparthasarathi** » 28 Jan 2009, 11:50

Music connoisseurs of bangalore were in for a breathtaking feast at the harikatha kalakshepam of Sri T.N.Seshagopalan at bangalore on the 25th of january. The venue Sri Venugopalakrishnaswami temple was immersed in the ambrosia of bhakti for 3 full hours as Sri T.N.S brought out both the musical and lyrical beauty embedded in the devaranamas of the great saint composer Sri Purandaradasa. The musical expertise of Sri T.N.S needs no introduction but what stood out on the day was the vyakhyanam(exploration of the inner meaning) of the devaranamas.This could only be achieved because the Kannada devaranamas were explained with the contributions of great saint composers of other languages not withstanding the Vedas and Divyaprabandhas. This speaks volumes of the the effort Sri T.N.S has put in compiling the matter from various sources,understanding the subject as it is and delivering the same in a style and language which is easily understood even by a common man. Not withstanding the liveliness of the whole recital two episodes that struck the audience were the delinition of the kriti "Neene doddavano". The saint exclaims to the god that His bhaktas are greater than the lord himself as it is because of these bhaktas that the kalyanagunas of the lord are exhibited to mankind. Sri. T.N.S brought out this fact stating the example of Prahalada where the lord responds to the call of a tender child where in He demonstrates His vatsalya guna and omnipresence. The pashuram from the divyaprabandha "Palliyilodi vanda tan shiruvan vaayilor aayiranaamam" was beautifully related to the the lines above devaranama "naramrugaroopadinda avana kaayde". Also the instance of the audarya of Balichakravarthi lent testimony to the fact that gods bhaktas are greater than the lord. Another highlight of the recital was the draupadi sharanagati in the delination of the devaranama "Neene anaathabandhu karunaasindhu". The whole hall reverbrated with the nama mahima of the lord as it was not the lord but the Govinda nama which protected the devotee (Draupadi) on that occasion. The essence of Rama nama was also brought out beautifully with the Kamba Ramayana piece "nanmayum shelvamum" leading reference to "Rama mantrava japiso".

Sri T.N.S contribution to the art of harikatha is taking a fast growth curve and is a must listen to the music lovers and people with philosophical bent of mind.
The programme was organized by Thiruvengadam Trust for Indian Religion and Management.

Srinidhi Parthasarathi

Amruthavarshini · Post by **Amruthavarshini** » 28 Jan 2009, 17:29

Thanks Srinidhi Parthasarathi. Eventhough we, rasikas of Chennai were not fortunate to attend this programme, your write up threw light on what an impact the Harikatha of Sri.TNS could have created. He is one of the very few artists who has brought this dying art to forefront, and who also sticks to the exact padhathi of a Harikatha.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jan 2009, 19:38

It will be really nice if Chennai and other cities outside Karnataka get to hear purandaradAsa vaibhavam as well.

saveri · Post by **saveri** » 28 Jan 2009, 19:48

Can you please tell us if he sang the Dasa Shreshta song , composed by himself in Malahari on Purandara Dasa? I read in one of the threads that he sang it on the Ariyakudi Day at Sastry Hall?

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 28 Jan 2009, 20:48

was this in English or tamil ?

kovil · Post by **kovil** » 28 Jan 2009, 21:33

saveri wrote:Can you please tell us if he sang the Dasa Shreshta song , composed by himself in Malahari on Purandara Dasa? I read in one of the threads that he sang it on the Ariyakudi Day at Sastry Hall?

Dear Saveri,

Yes, he sang his composition in Malahari, Dasa Shreshta.
I had the opportunity to attend this programme albeit watch it on a CCTV as the hall was overflowing!!
In this Harikatha on Purandaradasa, the Bhakti Bhava was overpowering!

Kovil

kovil · Post by **kovil** » 28 Jan 2009, 21:35

rajaglan wrote:was this in English or tamil ?

Rajaglan,

It was in Tamil.

Kovil.

kovil · Post by **kovil** » 28 Jan 2009, 21:36

Congratulations, Srinidhi! You have done a very good job!

Kovil.

sarojaRamanujam · Post by **sarojaRamanujam** » 29 Jan 2009, 21:26

The krthi dasasreshta dhayanidhim vandheham in sanskrit was sung in the Ariyakudi day concert on 23-1-2009. He comeposed iy just before the concert he said. I have written about it in a different thread. May be we in chennai be fortunate to hear ii soon.The words of the above song was beautiful and meaningful with madhyamakalam too,to show that TNS is proficient in sanskrit as well as Tamil. He must have known other languages too like telugu, kannada nad malayalam as he had explained the songs in those languagesin his speeches, lecdems and harikathas. The way he sings the abhngs and bajans should be heard to be believed.A versatile genius indeed!