The penultimate episode of the above series was held at Tatwaloka Auditorium, Eldams Road on 26 Jan 2014 at 5 PM. I attended the programme after a gap of two episodes and I have great pleasure to share the proceedings for the benefit of those who could not attend.
The Chief Guest of the day was none other than Sangeetha Kalanidhi Padmavibhushan Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna. He himself had composed a kriti in praise of MD in the ragam Sucharitra which he sang at the Bi centenary celebrations of Deekshithar in the Music Academy. He was looking frail and was not keeping well. So he did not make any lengthy speech. In his address, he appreciated Gayathri for undertaking this project and mentioned about the greatness of MD's compositions. After the first song, he left.
The Guest of honour for the day was Sri.NV.Subramaniam, Managing Trustee of Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust. The choice was most appropriate as Sri.NVS has taken lot of initiatives to spread the music of MD. He had taken Madras musicians to Ettayapuram and conducted music festivals there and many other places inside Chennai. He was the forerunner in conducting thematic music festivals which encouraged established and upcoming musicians to learn lot of new compositons and of many lesser known vaggeyakaras. In his speech, he told that MD's compositions are capable of creating internal vibrations when you hear them. There are priceless treasures bequethed by our ancestors for which MD's compositions provide a chronicle. He has visited the temples across the country and brought to us the minute details, festivals, pooja, stalapuranams in these temples, through his magnificent kritis which otherwise will not be known to many. MD represents the quintessence of culture and tradition. He used sanskrit for most of his compositions. It is devabhasha, very rich in content. Each syllable in Sanskrit converys a meaning. He said the topic Gayathri has chosen is so vast, can not be encampsulated in 12 episodes. There are material for a gross of episodes. He said Gayathri is a capable musician to go into the fathom of these compositions and congratulated her in this mission.
While thanking NVS, GG remembered a trip to Tiruvarur organised by NVS and spending one day inside the temple singing the composiotons of MD in the respective sannidhis- an unforgettable experience for the musicians who participated.
List of songs rendered;
Sree Ganesaatparam Chitha nahire- Ardradesi- Misra jhampa talam.
Sadaachaleswaram bhaavaye-Bhoopalam
Enneepukinam emakkoru theengillai- Thirunavukkarasar thevaram- Pann Indalam.
Haatakeswara samrakshathumaaam- Bilahari
Angamum NanmarayumArul seythu- Sambandhar thevaram- Pann Vyazhakurinji
Sree Vaalmikalingam Chinthaye-Kambodi- Khanda jathi Ata thalam
Sidheeswaraya namasthe- Neelambari- Misrachapu.
Today's episode had a flying start with the Ganesha kriti Sree Ganesatparam Chitha nahire in Ardradesi- a derivative of Mayamalavagowla. GG mentioned that in this kriti MD has mentioned Ganesa as the embodiment of the 36 thathwas described in the Saivaite philosophy. The name of the raga is cleverly coined within the words Umarudra darsitham.
The form taken for discussion is SAGUNA NIRGUNA ROOPAM.
Lingam literally means a symbol. It is the icon for saguna nirguna roopam. Lingam is the moolavar in all the Siva temples and the other forms we had seen earlier such as Kalyanasundarar, Rishabhaaroodar etc are Utsavamurthys. Lingam is mentioned in the Dhyanaslokam of Sree Rudram and Maha Narayopanishad also. Linga worship is popular in many other countries as well. The three parts of Lingam are Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. The portion of lingam which is below the earth is Brahma, the flat portion above the ground (peedam) is Vishnu and the top cyclindrical portion is Siva. There are 12 Jyothirlingams and a set of Panchalingams. The Panchalingams are situated inside the Tiruvarur temple. The Panchalingams are Achaleswarar, Haatakeswarar, Valmikalingar, Sidheeswarar and Aanandeswarar and there are separate sannidhis for these lingams inside Tiruvarur temple. These lingams are not to be confusesd with the Prithvilingam, Aakasalingam group.
The first lingam taken up was Achaleswarar. The Ambal is called Vandarkuzhali. There was one Maharaja by the name Chamatkaarar who was worshippping lord Siva in Tiruvarur. He prayed Siva that he should remain in that place only. Siva agreed to remain in that place and hence he is called Achaleswarar. The visual of the temple was shown. It is a miniature model of the Brihadeeswarar temple of Tanjore. Here also the image of the Gopura kalasams will not fall on the earth. The story of Navanandi Nayanar is famous. The Nayanar used to light the temple lamp daily with Ghee. One day he did not have ghee. He went to nearby landlord's house and asked for Ghee. The lady in the house refused to give ghee and arrogantly said that you take water from the Kamalalayam tank and light the lamp. Nayanar prayed to the Lord and lit the lamp with water. There is a painting inside the temple depicting the story.
Deekshithar has composed the song Sadachaleswaram bhavaye in the ragam Bhoopalam in praise of Achaleswarar. GG rendering of the song was soaked in bhavam strictly adhering to the raga lakshanam without any trace of the allied ragams Bhowli or Revagupti. VVS Murari played a soulful essay of the ragam. GG demonstrated the prasam and swaraksharam embedded in the kriti. The song was embellished with a few rounds of swaras in the first kalam.
This was followed by the thevaram of Thirunavukkarasar -Enneepukinam emakkoru theengillai- in the pann Indalam which is akin to Hindolam. (TO BE CONTINUED)
MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
(CONTINUED)
The next lingam taken up was Haatakeswarar. Haatakeswarar means the Lord whose body is of Gold. He is worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and Indran. In the temple only the peedam is seen. There is a hole in the ground called Naakabilam. You have to peep through the hole to get the darsan of the lingam and Ambal. There is a belief that doing pooja at the Naakabilam on Krishna Paksha Ekadasi day gives you Indra padavi. There is another story that being jealous that others will also get Indra padavi, Indran closed the vilam with a rock. It was Murugan who lifted the rock with his vel. Paatali maram is the sthalavriskham. Deekshithar has composed the song Haatakeswara samrakshathumaaam in the ragam Bilahari. The elaborate alapana of Bilahari by GG brought out the various contours of the ragam. The song itself is a weighty one.
After this, GG rendered the Sambandhar thevaram- Angamum NanmarayumArul seythu in the Pann Vyazhakurinji which is similar to Sourashtram on Pataleswarar in Pataleswaram or Paamani near Mannargudi.
Vaalmikalingam or Vaalmikanathar is another lingam inside the Tiruvarur temple. The lord is also called Putridamkondan. The name of the Ambal is Somakulambal. There is a story about this temple. After the Kurukshetra war, Vishnu got a bow and arrow. Vishnu bccame proud of his strength and started harassing the Devas with the bow and arrow. The Devas took assylum in Tiruvarur. Vishnu followed the Devas, came to Tiruvarur, kept the bow by his side and slept. Devendra came in the form of white ants from the Putru and damaged the bow. Because of the damaged bow, Vishnu got hurt in his neck. Vishnu prayed to Siva. Siva came from the Putru and blessed Vishnu and hence he came to be called Putridamkondan.
Deekshithar has composed the song Sree Vaalmikalingam Chinthaye in the ragam Kambodi set to Khanda jathi Ata thalam The song is fairly big song. The pallavi is in the lilting tune of Sree Raghuvaraprameya with cascading sangathis. GG rendered an elaborate alapana of the ragam which provided the required manodharma quotient. VVS Murari's return was melodious bringing out the various colours of the ragam.
The next lingam is Sidheeswarar inside the Tiruvarur temple. This sannidhi is adjacent to Medha Dakshinamurthy sannidhi. This is the place where a Maharaja called Amsan attained siddhi by chanting Panchaksharam. Sidheeswarar is situated in the Visudha chakram giving siddhi to all those who worshipped him. Deekshithar has composed Sidheeswaraya namasthe in the ragam Neelambari set to Misrachapu thalam. This song was rendered elaborately- with raga alapana emphazising the beauty of the ragam which you do not come across very often and swaras in two kalams followed by a brief thani avarthanam by B.Sivaraman. Jayalakshmi Sekar provided veena support.
Gayathri Girish needs to be complimented for the efforts she has taken to collect minute details, visuals, and her bhasha gnanam and clarity of diction should be appreciated. Literally we were taken for a darsan of the various sannidhis in the Thyagesar temple of Tiruvarur. The lyrics of the songs displayed in the PP with suitable highlights facilitated wholesome enjoyment. The hall was overflowing with rasikas. I could spot Mala Chandrasekar with her husband among the audience. People were seated in the balcony also. It was a touching sight to see the regular attendees feeling sad that the series is getting over with one more episode and many rasikas were requesting GG to take up some other project and enrich us with her research and soulful music sprinkled with minutest details. We all should be grateful to GG for taking up this project which has opened the doors to lot of information on temples, Deekshithar, Thevarams and MYRIAD FORMS OF LORD SIVA.
The next lingam taken up was Haatakeswarar. Haatakeswarar means the Lord whose body is of Gold. He is worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and Indran. In the temple only the peedam is seen. There is a hole in the ground called Naakabilam. You have to peep through the hole to get the darsan of the lingam and Ambal. There is a belief that doing pooja at the Naakabilam on Krishna Paksha Ekadasi day gives you Indra padavi. There is another story that being jealous that others will also get Indra padavi, Indran closed the vilam with a rock. It was Murugan who lifted the rock with his vel. Paatali maram is the sthalavriskham. Deekshithar has composed the song Haatakeswara samrakshathumaaam in the ragam Bilahari. The elaborate alapana of Bilahari by GG brought out the various contours of the ragam. The song itself is a weighty one.
After this, GG rendered the Sambandhar thevaram- Angamum NanmarayumArul seythu in the Pann Vyazhakurinji which is similar to Sourashtram on Pataleswarar in Pataleswaram or Paamani near Mannargudi.
Vaalmikalingam or Vaalmikanathar is another lingam inside the Tiruvarur temple. The lord is also called Putridamkondan. The name of the Ambal is Somakulambal. There is a story about this temple. After the Kurukshetra war, Vishnu got a bow and arrow. Vishnu bccame proud of his strength and started harassing the Devas with the bow and arrow. The Devas took assylum in Tiruvarur. Vishnu followed the Devas, came to Tiruvarur, kept the bow by his side and slept. Devendra came in the form of white ants from the Putru and damaged the bow. Because of the damaged bow, Vishnu got hurt in his neck. Vishnu prayed to Siva. Siva came from the Putru and blessed Vishnu and hence he came to be called Putridamkondan.
Deekshithar has composed the song Sree Vaalmikalingam Chinthaye in the ragam Kambodi set to Khanda jathi Ata thalam The song is fairly big song. The pallavi is in the lilting tune of Sree Raghuvaraprameya with cascading sangathis. GG rendered an elaborate alapana of the ragam which provided the required manodharma quotient. VVS Murari's return was melodious bringing out the various colours of the ragam.
The next lingam is Sidheeswarar inside the Tiruvarur temple. This sannidhi is adjacent to Medha Dakshinamurthy sannidhi. This is the place where a Maharaja called Amsan attained siddhi by chanting Panchaksharam. Sidheeswarar is situated in the Visudha chakram giving siddhi to all those who worshipped him. Deekshithar has composed Sidheeswaraya namasthe in the ragam Neelambari set to Misrachapu thalam. This song was rendered elaborately- with raga alapana emphazising the beauty of the ragam which you do not come across very often and swaras in two kalams followed by a brief thani avarthanam by B.Sivaraman. Jayalakshmi Sekar provided veena support.
Gayathri Girish needs to be complimented for the efforts she has taken to collect minute details, visuals, and her bhasha gnanam and clarity of diction should be appreciated. Literally we were taken for a darsan of the various sannidhis in the Thyagesar temple of Tiruvarur. The lyrics of the songs displayed in the PP with suitable highlights facilitated wholesome enjoyment. The hall was overflowing with rasikas. I could spot Mala Chandrasekar with her husband among the audience. People were seated in the balcony also. It was a touching sight to see the regular attendees feeling sad that the series is getting over with one more episode and many rasikas were requesting GG to take up some other project and enrich us with her research and soulful music sprinkled with minutest details. We all should be grateful to GG for taking up this project which has opened the doors to lot of information on temples, Deekshithar, Thevarams and MYRIAD FORMS OF LORD SIVA.
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
"Gayathri Girish needs to be complimented for the efforts she has taken"
You are to be complimented for giving such an elaborate account. Thank you so much.
You are to be complimented for giving such an elaborate account. Thank you so much.
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
Thanks Sri CRama for the detailed review. Yes, You have to be complimented for the valuable effort you put in posting minute details of the concert here for rasikas like me. My parents attended this concert, and said Gayathri gave a splendid performance with minute details and explanations. Gayathri's efforts are commendable. Indeed, we are thankful to her for taking the pains to take up such a vast project and looking forward to more such projects from her, but after some break. I am sure, she needs some rest, after all the travelling to various temples, collecting information, practising the kritis and presenting them. thanks once again.
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
CRama - thank you for that exhaustive report - Smt. Gayathri's efforts are to be commended - looks like this was a great episode. I heard some talk of a DVD being put together with all the episodes. Is that true? I would appreciate any information on that.
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
CRama,
As usual, a detailed review from you on this series of concerts that Gayathri has presented. Thanks!
Waiting for the next one...
As usual, a detailed review from you on this series of concerts that Gayathri has presented. Thanks!
Waiting for the next one...
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 11
Thank you, CRama.
And congratulations to Vid. Gayathri Girish for another very successful concert/presentation. This has been one of the most interesting concert series programs that has been reviewed here. It is a pity that only one episode is left! I hope to see the DVD when it is released.
Glad to hear that BMK was able to make it to the event. I am sorry to hear of his poor health. Here is a link to the BMK composition on Dikshitar in sucharitra that CRama refers to (as sung by Rama Varma). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qEgO-qvPg (starts at around 6:00 mins into the video clip).
And congratulations to Vid. Gayathri Girish for another very successful concert/presentation. This has been one of the most interesting concert series programs that has been reviewed here. It is a pity that only one episode is left! I hope to see the DVD when it is released.
Glad to hear that BMK was able to make it to the event. I am sorry to hear of his poor health. Here is a link to the BMK composition on Dikshitar in sucharitra that CRama refers to (as sung by Rama Varma). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qEgO-qvPg (starts at around 6:00 mins into the video clip).