Lyrics- srI vishNu pada

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 10 Sep 2006, 00:50

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... C050825C91

I would appreciate help in decoding the lyrics of this beautiful rAgamAlikA composed on Ariyakudi Sri Ramanuja Iyengar. I already checked with Lakshman Sir who does not have the lyrics in his database. Information on the composer would also be appreciated. I am quite Sanskritically challenged, so apologies if my transcribing job is rubbish

The above recording by Sri KVN is attached for reference. He sings this composition on his Guru with such bhAva, devotion and absolute fidelity to sruti - the transition from punnAgavarALi to kApi gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

srI vishNu pada - rAgamAlikA - jhampa - sri t.s. bAlakrishNa sAstrigaL

1. yamunA kalyANi

sri vishNu pada kripa bhakta [varyam?]
sri vaishNava kula prapUrNa prabhAvam
sangIta ratnAkara padma bhUSaNam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

2. nAdarAmakriyA

???? rAja maNDitam
viSiShTa vaitALika [kArakAdhyakam?]
suSiShTa shishyAvara pAlana [vratam?]
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

3. navarauj

sivaguruguha gIta manOharam
prabala prapanCAdi kIrtanakaram
sushrutilaya sukhada pradAyakam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

4. punnAgavarALi

santata ???????????????
sukha bhOga bhOgya pUrva puNya [yutam?]
rAga gnAna viSESha lakshya lakshaNam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

5. kApi

saha gAyaka ?????????? prabhum???
sahaCArinA vinOda
nija guru pada sEvita siShya vargam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

6. sindhubhairavi

sri tyAgabrahma Sishya kulAbdhi Candram
srInivAsa pada sEvitAntarangam
bhAratIya kalApravINa bhAskaram
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 10 Sep 2006, 03:25

sri vishNu pada kripa bhakta [varyam?] -- bhakta and benificiary of Lord Vishnu's grace
sri vaishNava kula prapUrNa prabhAvam - Most distinguished (excellent) one from Vaishnava lineage
sangIta ratnAkara padma bhUSaNam - holder of titles such as sangita ratnakara and padmabhushan
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam - homage to the famous guru Ramanuja

Rest tomorrow (feeling sleepy

). Else someone help!

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 10 Sep 2006, 08:51

Thanks srkris. Much obliged for your help. I would really appreciate it if others with knowledge of this piece could help fill in the blanks.

BTW, I came to know that this composition was set to music by Sri KVN himself!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Sep 2006, 07:45

Prasshant,
Firstly, I wanted to thank you for posting this gem. Very lyrically composed by Sri. Balakrishna Sastrigal (was hr a student of ARI's as well?), and sung with so much bhAvam by KVN.
These are the lyrics to my hearing: you can compare it with your version for the changes and fill ins:

srI vishNu pada - rAgamAlikA - jhampa - sri t.s. bAlakrishNa sAstrigaL
1. yaman kalyAN

sri vishNu pada citta bhakta varyam
sri vaishNava kula prasUna prabhAvam
sangIta ratnAkara padma bhUSaNam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

2. nAdarAmakriyA

aSESa viswakjana rAja maNDitam
viSiShTa vaitALika tArakAdhyakam
suSiShTa shishyAvara pAlana vratam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

3. navrOz

sivaguruguha gIta manOharam
prabala prapanCAdi kIrtanakaram
sushrutilaya sukhadA pradAyakam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

4. punnAgavarALi
santata souSilya sadguNa gAtrakam
sukha bhOga bhOgya pUrva puNya yutam
rAga gnAna viSESha lakshya lakshaNam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

5. kApi

saha gAyaka brinda samputa prabhum
sahacArinA vinOda cAtu vAram
nija guru pada sEvita siShya vargam
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

6. sindhubhairavi
sri tyAgabrahma Sishya kulAbdhi Candram
srInivAsa pada sEvitAntarangam
bhAratIya kalApravINa bhAsvaram
sadguru varam naumi rAmAnujAkhyam

Ravi

meena · Post by **meena** » 14 Sep 2006, 07:56

Very lyrically composed by Sri. Balakrishna Sastrigal (was hr a student of ARI's as well?)

TSB learnt classical music from Tiger Varadhachariar, Mudikondan Sabapathy Iyer and Madirimangalam Natesa Iyer. He acquired knowledge of other genres of music from a north Indian expert.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2 ... 600400.htm

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Sep 2006, 08:24

Ah!
Thanks Meena...
Does anyone know how he came to compose this gem in praise of ARI?
Ravi

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 14 Sep 2006, 09:50

Ravi: I think you got it. I just heard through it again and your changes seem to fit right in. Thanks for doing this. Perhaps Cmlover or DRS could go through and suggest changes?

This rAgamAlikA was composed for Sri Ariyakudi's centenary celebrations which were in 1990 IIRC. I am only speculating, but I am quite sure Sri KVN and Sri Balakrishna Sastrigal might have been closely associated and came up with the idea for this rAgamAlikA. Will try to get some background from some Ariyakudi sishya parampara students.

The quality of this rendering is so serene... like pretty much all of Sri KVN's music, it just transports me into a different world each time I hear it...

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 14 Sep 2006, 10:50

Yeah, I have heard KVN somewhere mentioning about this song composed on Ariyakudi by TSB at his (KVN's) request. I think KVN then set it to music and sang it in concerts.

Maybe I heard this speech by KVN in one of his concerts after he rendered this song, I dont remember too well.

padren68 · Post by **padren68** » 14 Sep 2006, 11:27

There is a short speech before rendition of this sing by KVN in a live concert held in Los Angesles. I will u/l that clip later during the day.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 18 Sep 2006, 10:39

Anyone else who could take a stab at possible corrections in Sri Ravi's effort to decode the lyrics?

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 18 Sep 2006, 23:21

SRI TSBS mentions how he used crave for listening to SRI ARI's rendering of evarani and SRI subrahmaNyAya. I think he had mentioned this and something like SRI ARI was his hero in his write-up on SRI ARI in the 1990 Birth Centenary Sovenier Magazine released by the Madras Music Academy. I dont have the book now so I cannot verify it. Somebody can help me out. IIRC,we even had a discussion in Sangeetham BBoard about this a couple of years ago.