Padams and JAvaLis in CM

[mahakavi]

This post is just a preface. I request other members to pitch in to discuss the meanings of padams and jAvaLis here, especially the Telugu ones. I can do the Thamizh padams. Here is a general preface to padams and jAvaLis.

Padams and JAvaLis belong in the class of love-cum-devotion and CM has lots of them. In dance (bharathanATyam) padavarNam reigns supreme. The major difference between padams and jAvaLis is that padams invariably deal with a nAyaki and a god (such as Shiva, Krishna, Murugan..). jAvaLis are just general lyrical musings on love, lust etc. They may or may not include gods.

Love, separation and consequent pining by the (human) lovers (especially the nAyaki if the nAyakan leaves the scene for business, war etc.,), sending sakhi as a messenger, and the love developing into bhakthi in the case of the nAyakan being a god-----all these aspects were brought together as poems, music, and dance for several hundred years. In ancient Thamizh litereature there are poems indicating the consternation of the nAyaki towards the nAyakan when he went away from her, visited a prostitute, and then returned to her beloved. We have a poem, part of it goes as "nil, Angu nil, nI nARu irung kUdalAr il selvAy, ivvazhi ARu mayanginai pORi, nI vandAngE mARu" (I am not sure but it could be in one of akanAnURu poems). Splendid diction indeed but the crux is: you went away from me to visit a harlot but returned here by mistake;hence get going back to where you came from..
Compare this frustration of the nAyaki with that of tirumangaiyAzhwAr, ANDAL, and mANikkavAcagar when they expressed their love for the gods in pAsurams and poems. These poets expressed their desire to be one with the Lord and hence the men composers imagined themselves to be nubile lasses and longed to join the lord of their passion. ANDAL (9th century CE) perhaps is the only female composer who expressed her love to the lord in the typical female--male relationship. "unnittezhunda en taDamulaigaL mAniDavarkkenRu pEccuppaDil vAzhgillEn kaNDAy manmadanE!"
(உன்னித்தெழுந்த என் தடமுலைகள் மானிடவர்க்கென்று பேச்சுப்படில் வாழ்கில்லேன் கண்டாய் மன்மதனே!). ANDAL declares that she would not marry a human being. Notwithstanding the mild erotic description of the female upper anatomy (with obvious connotations) this poem is part of bhakthi literature rather than a padam. But this has been taken as a model for future padam and jAvaLi compositions which got into CM.

The padams and jAvaLis which got incorporated into music perhaps started with Jayadeva (the Orissa composer of Gita Govinda---describing the rasa leela of Krishna) who lived around 1200 CE. Then several other composers such as MuttuttANDavar (1525-1625), KshEtragna, OVK, Kavikunjara Bharathi, Subbarama ayyar, Ganam Krishnayyar, and others came on the scene with their padams and jAvaLis.

As and when I get a chance I will write on individual padams and their lyrical beauty along with the connotations. Others can feel free to contribute, especially the Telugu padams and jAvaLis.

[smala]

Could this old link be combined with the new one....

http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7491 ... valis.html

[smala]

...love and devotion...err...better for obvious reasons.

[mahakavi]

s-p:
>>...love and devotion...err...better for obvious reasons.<<
What a devious mind! Only s-p could have an X-ray eye.

[smala]

not devious at all. considering the hullabaloo with the partial and impartial porno stuff, with javalis aiding and abetting the cause, your choice of words...was not kosher, to put it mildly. :$

[mahakavi]

There, I introduced a couple of hyphens to emphasize what I meant. It is a combo (like sofa-cum-bed) rather an additive factor. Don't tell me "bed" is not kosher!
As for kosher sanitation we are not going to hide behind artificial barriers. If the jAvaLi composer wrote it we will "wash" it here--dirty linen and all. If they can write it and if the musicians sang it, why not we explain it?
What does CL say?

[smala]

There, I introduced a couple of hyphens to emphasize what I meant. It is a combo (like sofa-cum-bed) rather an additive factor. Don't tell me "bed" is not kosher!
As for kosher sanitation we are not going to hide behind artificial barriers. If the jAvaLi composer wrote it we will "wash" it here--dirty linen and all. If they can write it and if the musicians sang it, why not we explain it?
What does CL say?

Well, it ain't over till the fat lady sings, so go for the jugular, baring all (pun intended).

This might just become the thread that 'takes over' .....

[mahakavi]

>>baring all (pun intended).<<
Do you mean baring as in "Ongi ulagaLanda uttaman bare body"?
--with apologies to Sri ANDAL.

[smala]

...

[carnaticlaw]

s-p,

by saying things are not kosher - you might be accusing MK of being anti-semitic kidding.

MK, thanks for starting this thread.

Adding another jAvali

http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... chalu.html

There is a line which means

"When the arrows of cupid pierced her bosom, she2 sent a letter through a lady to bring him4 speedily. But he4 sent her back. The lady2 refused (further) intimacy with such a person4."


MK, before I get reprimanded, please let me know for sure that this jAvali which I just mentioned was part of CM

[mahakavi]

CL:
It is very much part of CM alright. Dharmapuri SubbarAya Iyer is a well-known composer of jAvaLis (mainly jAvaLis). He must have been "starving" for some voyeurism and since he didn't hear it from others he decided to create so many himself. Sorry if I spoke the "bare" truth which hurts quite a few poeple.