Dear rasikas,
One often hears that the name "kharaharapriya" means "liked by Lord Shiva". Hara is indeed a name of Lord Shiva, so "harapriya" fits the bill. But what about the prefix "khara"?
The word "khara" means "hard" or "rough" (among many more apparently -- see http://www.babynology.com/meaning-khara-m55.html). Once could say Lord Shiva as an ascetic has been called worse ("piththA pirai soodi...") but somehow the adjective doesn't seem to fit.
I think a better explanation is to note that Lord Rama is supposed to have defeated two demons named Khara and Dooshana near Panchavati after the Shoorpanaka incident. Hence "kharahara", the defeater of Khara, is Rama. The name is therefore akin to "rAmapriya".
Haven't we discussed this before in this site as well as in the Sangeetham web site ?! The original name of the raga was only Harapriya. In order to fit the raga in the KATAPAYADI scale the prefix "kara" was added so that this would yield the mELa number 22, just as the prefix DHIRA was added to Sankarabaranam and "Hanumath" prefix was added to Thodi ragas. Subsequently cock and bull stories were concocted about slayer of kara etc. When already there is a Ramapriya raga devoted to Rama there was/is no need for another !
Sundara Rajan wrote:Subsequently cock and bull stories were concocted about slayer of kara etc. When already there is a Ramapriya raga devoted to Rama there was/is no need for another !
it doesn't work that way. The naming of ragas is not a logical exercise. There was already a Rudrapirya, why did we need a Harapriya then?
Sundara Rajan wrote:In order to fit the raga in the KATAPAYADI scale the prefix "kara" was added so that this would yield the mELa number 22, just as the prefix DHIRA was added to Sankarabaranam and "Hanumath" prefix was added to Thodi ragas.
Kharaharapriya seems to be the only melakarta raga that is regularly referred to with the full katapayadi name. So for example, we don't normally call the others as Mechakalyani, Hanumatodi, Dheerasankarabharanam, etc. How come? (Put another way, why don't we regularly refer to the 22nd mela as just Harapriya, similar to Kalyani, Todi etc)
By the way, the prefix in the above should be 'KHARA' not 'KARA'.
Folks: I feel too much emphasis is placed on the naming of the ragas. The Katapayadhi nomenclature was just a forced structure to conform to a discernible pattern--my own view is that if you are given the name of a raga and told that it is a melakarta raga(assuming most folks do not know all the 72 ragas),you can construct the Arohanam and Avarohanam--that is all the advantage the nomenclature has. It is very much like the Periodic table of elements(I know I am straying into dangerous territory here--my erstwhile Physics Master--aka VKV might raise eyebows
at my abysmal ignorance of Chemistry as well!!)--Take like the Halogens family =except for the fact that Chlorine,Bromine and Iodine besides Fluorine belong to the family there is hardly any similarity in their properties or their derived compounds(I have been using this analogy for over 60 years just because it suits my purpose not because of any authenticity to the "theory"!!!!!
On a lighter vein I have always wondered WHY some ragas have been convoluted when a simple one would have sufficed== example Jayamanohari--WHY should it not be called Abho Ranjani(arohanam is Abhohi and the Avarohanam is Sri Ranjani!! (it does not have any resemblance to any of the Manoharis(manohari,Devamanohari,Gowrimanohari etc etc!) Muthiah Bhagavathar named Mohana Kalyani(Mohanam in the ascent and Kalyani in the descent but then he also deviated with Karna Ranjani.
Conclusion: Researching this does not add to one's appreciation of music but it is fun to debate in these forums!!!
Dear MKR,
Anything that has not gone unchallenged in 60 years must have something right about it! Your periodoc table analogy might be challenged at the Pofessorial level but at an EX-Demonstrator/Lecturer in Physics level it might be above the pay grade of the Madras Educational Subordinate Service Member!.....In any case, Carnatic music lends itself to infinite permutations& combinations at various areas & levels making it endlessly fascinating tho' not illuminating!.....VKV
The Original inventor or the Maestro who brought it to light and given clear swarupa-scale, will have his logic and reason for naming of the new raga.
The raga name and the scale accepted and in use, unquestioningly, does not call for revision or re naming to suit contemporary times and thinking. It will open up Pandora's box. No fun, but act it self may be funny!
Except for very few, we do not question and accept the name given by the parents to us and put it to use. Alter the name, in line with the changing personality or to suit the present times . Simply accept the Parent right for identity.
* I get a feeling there are only a few kritis on this Raga based on Siva -
Paramukam yenayya (PS),Enthathalathiyum indathalalathirku inaisolla koodathey iya(Dandapani Desigar)
Satyabalu: I am not sure if you are implying that there are limited krithis in Karaharapriya. That does not sound right!! Sivan himself could be rightfully labelled as being fond of Karaharapriya--I read somewhere that he has over 20 krithis in this raga-- Sreenivasa Thava Charanam( Lord Venkateswara),Sendhil Andhavan(Murugan-Thiruchendur),Saraswathi Annaiye(Saraswathi),Janaki Pathe, (Sri Rama)Appan Avadharitta(Ayyappan). Ofcourse Thyagaraja's Kritis are too numerous to mention-have not heard Muthuswamy Dikshitar's compositions in this raga.
sruthi wrote:Kharaharapriya seems to be the only melakarta raga that is regularly referred to with the full katapayadi name. So for example, we don't normally call the others as Mechakalyani, Hanumatodi, Dheerasankarabharanam, etc. How come?
This part is easily answered, assuming there was indeed a harapriya before. It must have become popular after the modern mELakarta scheme got popular. The creator of this mELakarta scheme might have known the otherwise-rarely-known harapriya and renamed it kharaharapriya, and with the popularity of the mELakarta scheme the new name stuck.
MKR,
Satyababu is saying that there aren't many krutis on SivA in this rAgam (in the harapriya context).
If you call yourself naive, I don't know where I stand--here's someone who is reminded of KATpADi junction whenever the kaTyapAdi connection is brought up and nothing else sticks!
Missed you both in Chennai--will E-mail.
My vote is for kharahara as in mundu venuka second line of pallavi. Would be interested in any reference to harapriya if it existed as a significant raga before it was renamed kharaharapriya if it indeed was (don't really recall hearing that before, but I could well be wrong).
arasi, kAtyapAdi is wrong, but we get what you mean! kAtpaDi? Yes, indeed. Something I can relate to. My hypothesis is that the Chennai Bengaluru railway line would have rightfully touched Vellore town were it not for the Palar river. To avoid the main line crossing the river twice, Katpadi junction on the other side of the river was chosen as the location to serve Vellore town. Corrections or contrary views welcome, without hijacking the main discussion. But main lines without branch lines are dry objects. I must admit, katapayadi junction will now remain somewhere in my head whenever this topic comes up!
karaharapriya can be taken to mean the the beloved of the one who slayed Khara. The most beloved of Rama who slayed Khara was Lakshmana. Therefore, 'mitri bhAgyamE' in praise of Lakshmana was composed by Thyagaraja in karaharapriya.
or in plain english
" khara means an a-s-s
hara meas killing
That which is sung with the desire of killing the 'a-s-s' is kharaharapriya "
Symbolically this paricular raga was considered an 'untouchable' until T sanctified the 'a-s-s'
and made it venerable.
Incidentally I am curious that while the major animal sounds like peacock/bull/goat/krauncam/
cuckoo/horse/elephant have been sanctified in the muscal notes, the common animal donkey has been left out. Of course it brays in the taara stAyI whiich is difficult to emulate. Perhaps an eighth
note should be added to our musical alphabet to vindicate and honour the ever forbearing A-S-S
(Since many performers do make this venerable sound when they try to overreach the tara stAyI)
CML,
How does the donkey figure here? Is there some mythological reference?
I agree the expression gardhaba gAnam has demoted the poor, taken for granted animal. Here's a beast which is a patient carrier of burden. We make fun of the animal's voice. The irresponsible cuckoo(when it comes to nesting) gets away with it and is praised in poetry just because it can sing in a sweet voice!
Gardabha_gana and VK: no, this has nothing to do with you twol
I don't know arasi!
I am only exercising my sanskrit skills
On the otherhand there is no need to deride the oft-oppressed donkey!
While we appreciate the high pitch of the cuckoo why should we put down the same
high pitch of the donkey: For example
"kazhuthai katthaRa maathiri pADarAn' is the most offensive compliment one can offer
to a vidwan!
Are we brainwahed ?
RaviSri-Theoritically speaking, the most beloved of SrIrAman would be bharatAzhvAn and not lakSmaNazhvAn. Many instances in SrIrAmAyaNam where SrI rAman says this by Himself. Of course no harm in saying SrItyAgarAjasvAmi christened lakSmaNAzhvAn as kharaharapriyan!
arasi/CML-I dont know if the singing of kharaharapriyA can kill an donkey. But surely SrI balarAman killed a donkey. Hence, the kharaharan can be SrI balarAman too. Dhenukasura, a asurA in the form of a donkey, is mentioned in the 53rd Chapter of the 10th Canto in Srimad Bhagavatham. The 23rd Sloka clearly says Dhenuka was in a khararUpa i.e. in the form of a donkey.
so iti vIryO asurO rAma hE kRSNa khararUpadhRk |
Atmatulyabalair anyair jnAtibhir bahubhir vRtaha ||
Meaning: O rAma, O kRSNa! dhEnukA is a most powerful demon and has assumed the form of an donkey. He is surrounded by many friends who have assumed a similar shape and who are just as powerful as he.
SrI balarAman goes on to kill the asura by catching hold of the hooves and whirling the donkey above His head and throwing him on top a tree (mentioned in Sloka 32 of the same chapter) .
So, it wont go wrong if we say, kharaharapriyA is the rAga not only dear to SrI rAman from trEtA yugA who killed the rAkSasa khara in janasthAna (Ref: AraNya khANDam of SrImad rAmAyaNam) but is also dear to SrI rAman from dvApara yugA who killed the khara or the donkey, dhEnukAsura!
Last edited by ksrimech on 21 Apr 2011, 05:19, edited 1 time in total.
Krishna,
I was wondering about you. Thought you were too busy with your thesis. Then you appear, surrounded by so many censored words! Thanks for the help coming from an expert in vaiNava vishayangaL.
CML
The 'kanRu kuNilAi eRindAi kazhal pOTRi' made me think that way too, perhaps.
Arasi - I am writing my thesis currently and preparing for my defense which will be in a month. But once in a way, when I want to take a break. I do stop-by to see whats going on.
ksrimech, point taken. That was only a guess. Thyagaraja might or might not have had this in mind. But Vaishnavites usually don't use the word lakShmaNa AzvAr. The common name for Lakshmana is iLayaperumAL. Rama is perumAL. BharatAzvAr is of course the right description.
Thyagaraja has said " Shiva Mantramu Na Jivadharamu, Madhava Mantramu Na Rajivamu" in the composition " Evarani Nirnayinchedira". He must have named his creation of raga as "Khara Hara Priya", which would please both Kula Devatha -Hara and Isata Devatha-Khara(Rama), through swaranjali.
Probably it has already been told. Don't want to beat a dead horse, but all the same - few points worth noting:
1. Not all rAgas of 72 mELas existed as rAgas for quite a while after the scheme was proposed.
2. For the rAgas that were already popular, there was a need for adding the kaTapayAdi prefix - for whoever thought it was a neat scheme. So the rAgas such as mALavagouLa, shankarAbharaNa, pantuvarALi, and kalyANi were prefixed with words like mAyA, dhIra, shubha/shiva and mEca/shAnta to follow kaTapayAdi rule.
3. For rAgas that were not known/popular before then, entirely new names were coined So it would be futile to split names as kaTapayAdi prefix. In most cases, if you leave out the kaTapayAdi syllables, the word does not make sense. (true for both sampUrNa and asampUrNa schemes)
Take for example, mELarAga mames such as- (vaku)LAbharaNa, (chakra)vAka, (vAga)dhIShvari, (sara)sAngi, (vana)spati, (nava)nIta, (rasi)kapriya etc. If you leave out the first two varNas, you can't possibly find a meaningful phrase.
However there are other rAgas such as (tAna)rUpi, (gouri)manOhari, (khara)harapriya, (hari)kAmbhOji, (kAma)vardhani, (rasa)manjari, (ramA)manOhari etc - where the name could look meaningful when the kaTapayAdi syllables are taken out - BUT Don't do that! This does not imply the prefixes were added to an already existing rAga.
Neither Gouri Manohari nor ramA manOhari have anything to do with manOhari rAga, nor does rasamanjari have to do anything with theraAga manjari. These are cases where there are rAgas by those names (although we can't say for sure when the Tyagaraja composition in Manjari, and MD composition in Rasamanjari were composed in time, but we can be certain they were mutually exclusive events).
Similarly, in the case of Kharaharapriya, there wasn't any harapriya rAga before then. Even if there was one by that name, I am pretty sure, it did not have any lakshaNa associated with Kharaharapriya rAga!
but somehow the adjective doesn't seem to fit.
