The concluding episode of the above series was held at Tatwaloka Auditorium, Eldams Road on 08 March 2014 at 5 PM. I attended the programme and I feel it is my duty to share the proceedings for the forumites who are eagerly waiting for the same. Bombay Sisters Sangitha Kalanidhis Smt Saroja and Smt Lalitha were the Chief Guests. Shri.Vaidyanathan, Editor, Dinamani and ARS, theatre personality were the Guests of Honour.
List of songs.
• Vathapi Ganapathim- Hamsadhwani
• Eesanadi Potri -Thiruvasakam of Manikkavasagar - Mayamalavagowla.
• Maye thvam yaahi - Tharangini
• Thyagaraje Krithyaakrithyaa - Saranga
• Brahmayivaaham kila – Nadanamakriya-Sadasiva Brahmendra
• Saadhujanachitha - Poornapanchamam
• Aanandeswarena Samrakshithoham - Anandabhairavi
• Sree Viswanatham Bhajeham- Chaturdasa Ragamalika
• Nirvana Shatkam - Adi Sankara
• Thillana - Kanada - Simhanandana talam- Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan
• Kallaa Pizhayum karuthaapizhayum - Suruti -Pattinathar
• Anjanasukumaram-slokam
• Mangala Mooruthi Maarutha nandana - Madhuvanthi-Tulsidas bhajan
• Mangalam Bhavathuthe Mathangavadana- Panthuvarali - HMB.
The programme commenced with a preview of the snapshots of the previous episodes which was very aesthetically compiled and presented. Vathapi Ganapathim was chosen to pay obeisance to Lord Ganesha who had been with Gayathri for the success of this magnum project.. The iconographic details were explained and Gayathri Girish told that the idol was brought from Badami by Paranjothi, Minister of Narasimha Pallava Maharaja after defeating Pulikesi. The sannidhanam inside the Tiruvarur temple was shown in PP.
After meditating on the various forms of Siva as we have seen in the previous 11 episodes, the devotee after maturing himself realises the formless God -Aroopa form. This is the transition of a bhaktha from a devotee to a Atmajnani. He realises that the individual consciousness has only relative reality and that Brahman is the only Absolute Reality, hence our real identity is Brahman itself. The picture of Avudayar Kovil or Tirupperunthurai was shown. This is the place where Manikkavasagar got the blessings of Lord Siva. Manikkavasagar was a minister in the court of King Arimardhanan. The King gave money to the minister to buy horses. With the money given by the King the Minister constructed this marvellous temple for Siva. When the horses were not purchased the King imprisoned Manikkavasagar. The saint prayed to Lord Siva The God transformed the foxes in the forest as horses, came in the form of the lead man of the horses handed over them to the king explaining him the identification guidelines of good horses. The magnificent sculptures in the temple including immaculately carved horses were treat to the eyes. Gayathri then rendered the Thiruvasakam of Manikkavasagar Eesanadi Potri in a soulful Mayamalavagowla.
Another place for Roopa Aroopam is Chidambaram where the Sphatika lingam represents Roopa form and the Chidambara Rahasyam represents Aroopa form. The final stage of devotion - Nirgunabhahmam can be achieved only be the Anugraham of the Lord. The obstacle in our getting His anugraham is the Mayai. There are three types of mayai in us (thrigunaathmaka mayai)- Vidya Mayai representing sathva gunam and Avidya Mayai representing thamo gunam and rajo gunam. Deekshithar had composed the song Maye thvam yaahi in the ragam Tharangini (26th Melam) where he pleads Avidya mayai to leave him and seeks the anugraham of Vidya mayai to attain brahmajnanam. The song was rendered as given in Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarsini which is different from the way it was sung by SSI, MMI, MS etc. Gayathri then rendered the rare Thyagaraja vibhakthi kriti Thyagaraje Krithyaakrithyaa in a lilting Saranga. The song in Mishra Jhampa was well presented carefully navigating the difficult lyrics. The essay of the ragam in violin by Mysore Srikanth was succinct.
Another composer who has composed songs on Nirgunabrahmam is Sadasiva Brahmendra. Gayathri rendered the song Brahmayivaaham kila in Nadanamakriya. Madhyamasruti ragams have got a pleasant demeanor always. That was evident in this kriti also. This song is a Voleti favourite which he used to sing in Mishra Pahadi ragam. The next song was Saadhujanachitha in a very rare ragam Poornapanchamam – a derivative of Malavagowla- 15 th melam. This kriti is on Subramanya. The prasam employed all through in this song is catchy. Another song where MD declares that I got Nithyanandam, Brahmanandaswaroopam is in the song Aanandeswarena Samrakshithoham in the ragam Anandabhairavi. This song is composed on Anandeswarar situated inside Tiruvarur temple. This is one of the Tiruarur Panchalingams. In this song, MD has given reference of Upanishads, Nirgunabrahmam and steps to attain moksham. GG presented a very beautiful alapana of this ever beautiful ragam.(To be continued)
MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPISODE
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CRama
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CRama
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPIS
(continued)
The next song was the magnum opus Chaturdasa Ragamalika- Sree Viswanatham Bhajeham – a garland of 14 ragams. This song is on Viswanathar in the temple in Kuzhikkarai near Tiruvarur also called Garthatheeram. The picture of the temple as also the present state of garthatheeram which looks like a meadow was captivating. The Ambal is Visalakshi. This song summarises the entire episode we have discussed so far. We have enjoyed the musical beauty of this song many times. But there are many inner meanings and significance to each phrase in this song. Some of them I am reproducing below.
• The song is composed in 14 ragams representing 14 lokams in this universe.
• In the Pallavi there are 2 ragams, in the Anupallavi there are 4 ragams. Totalling 6 representing six lokams above the earth. Charanam has 8 ragams representing 8 lokams below the earth (including the earth).
• Reversal of 14 ragams to culminate in Sree ragam denoting resolution of lokas in reverse order as given in scriptures
This was followed by Nirvana Shatkam of Adi Sankara which was rendered in a blissful Yamunakalyani. The great Adi Shankara summarized the entirety of Advaita Vedanta in six stanzas He has declared that he is not body or mind, nor the things that attach them to each other and to the world, including the intellect, the senses, the practices of life, the occurrences of life such as birth and death. In the last verse he says that he permeates the universe, and that he is consciousness, bliss and the soul, and by implication, the Brahmam itself.
The next piece was a rare Thillana in ragam Kanada set to a complex Simhanandana talam composed by MahaVaidyanatha Sivan. This was followed by the verses of Pattinathar -Kallaa Pizhayum karuthaapizhayum rendered in an appropriate Suruti.. This is a composition seeking pardon for mistakes committed if any. Any mangalam is incomplete without seeking the blessings of Anjaneya. Hence a slokam Anjanasukumaram followed by a Tulsidas bhajan Mangala Mooruthi Marutha nandana in the ragam Madhuvanthi was rendered before the Mangalam- Mangalam Bhavathuthe Mathangavadana- a composition of HMB in Panthuvarali.
Mysore Srikanth on the violin, Poongulam Subramaniam on the Mridangam, Vijayalakshmi on the Veena and Vijayalakshmi on the tampura provided excellent support in today's episode.
The valedictory function was indeed very emotional. Dr. Nandini Ramani, who facilitated this grant from Govt of India said that this episode has paved way for spiritual elevation of the large turnout of audience who were regularly attending this series. She appreciated GG for her excellent presentation of the subject with related stories, visuals, videos, and music giving minute details - at the same maintaining the demarcation between Sangeetha Upanyasam and thematic music presentation which is very thin itself. The hard work put in by her for collection of information, learning of rare compositions from authentic sources, internalising and her correct diction needs to be complimented. Smt. Saroja (Bombay Sisters) lauded the sincerity of approach, lucid language of presentation, sanskrit knowledge and perfect pronounciation of GG. The subject of the last day being the Advaita philosophy, she appreciated GG for her clarity of thought and presentation of this complex subject at such a young age. She also complimented GG for the time invested by her in the research on the subject along with her busy concert schedule.
Sri Vaidyanathan, Editor, Dinamani also lauded the hard work put in by GG to learn and present rare compositions, visit the temples to collect the sthalapuranams, collect the visuals and present them in a cohesive manner without a minute of sagging. She has very successfully utilised the Multi Media Presentation format. He said that this documentation will remain in the archives permanently which will act as a reference material for posterity. ARS, the theatre personality who has attended all the episodes thanked GG for taking all of us in a ALAYA DARISANAM tour and imparting information about the temples, rituals, festivals, and giving us high quality music. He said that this should be released as DVD which should find a place in all the schools and colleges.
There was a unanimous request from the dignitaries on the stage as well as from the audience that GG should take up more projects in future and enrich us. At this juncture, myself, Sivaramakrishnan and three of my friends who have attended this series regularly presented Gayathri Girish with a memento- a silver picture of Lord Siva as a token of our appreciation for the hard work and efforts put in by GG to introduce us to lot of rare kritis of MD and other composers. While thanking many teachers, and other people who have contributed for success of this project, it was so great of GG to introduce me to the audience for the detailed review posted by me in rasikas.org which took her project to the world over.
The pic of my giving the memento to GG is attached. Sivaramakrishnan (standing behind the memento) and other friends (Dandapani and Subramaniam) can also be seen in the pic.
The next song was the magnum opus Chaturdasa Ragamalika- Sree Viswanatham Bhajeham – a garland of 14 ragams. This song is on Viswanathar in the temple in Kuzhikkarai near Tiruvarur also called Garthatheeram. The picture of the temple as also the present state of garthatheeram which looks like a meadow was captivating. The Ambal is Visalakshi. This song summarises the entire episode we have discussed so far. We have enjoyed the musical beauty of this song many times. But there are many inner meanings and significance to each phrase in this song. Some of them I am reproducing below.
• The song is composed in 14 ragams representing 14 lokams in this universe.
• In the Pallavi there are 2 ragams, in the Anupallavi there are 4 ragams. Totalling 6 representing six lokams above the earth. Charanam has 8 ragams representing 8 lokams below the earth (including the earth).
• Reversal of 14 ragams to culminate in Sree ragam denoting resolution of lokas in reverse order as given in scriptures
This was followed by Nirvana Shatkam of Adi Sankara which was rendered in a blissful Yamunakalyani. The great Adi Shankara summarized the entirety of Advaita Vedanta in six stanzas He has declared that he is not body or mind, nor the things that attach them to each other and to the world, including the intellect, the senses, the practices of life, the occurrences of life such as birth and death. In the last verse he says that he permeates the universe, and that he is consciousness, bliss and the soul, and by implication, the Brahmam itself.
The next piece was a rare Thillana in ragam Kanada set to a complex Simhanandana talam composed by MahaVaidyanatha Sivan. This was followed by the verses of Pattinathar -Kallaa Pizhayum karuthaapizhayum rendered in an appropriate Suruti.. This is a composition seeking pardon for mistakes committed if any. Any mangalam is incomplete without seeking the blessings of Anjaneya. Hence a slokam Anjanasukumaram followed by a Tulsidas bhajan Mangala Mooruthi Marutha nandana in the ragam Madhuvanthi was rendered before the Mangalam- Mangalam Bhavathuthe Mathangavadana- a composition of HMB in Panthuvarali.
Mysore Srikanth on the violin, Poongulam Subramaniam on the Mridangam, Vijayalakshmi on the Veena and Vijayalakshmi on the tampura provided excellent support in today's episode.
The valedictory function was indeed very emotional. Dr. Nandini Ramani, who facilitated this grant from Govt of India said that this episode has paved way for spiritual elevation of the large turnout of audience who were regularly attending this series. She appreciated GG for her excellent presentation of the subject with related stories, visuals, videos, and music giving minute details - at the same maintaining the demarcation between Sangeetha Upanyasam and thematic music presentation which is very thin itself. The hard work put in by her for collection of information, learning of rare compositions from authentic sources, internalising and her correct diction needs to be complimented. Smt. Saroja (Bombay Sisters) lauded the sincerity of approach, lucid language of presentation, sanskrit knowledge and perfect pronounciation of GG. The subject of the last day being the Advaita philosophy, she appreciated GG for her clarity of thought and presentation of this complex subject at such a young age. She also complimented GG for the time invested by her in the research on the subject along with her busy concert schedule.
Sri Vaidyanathan, Editor, Dinamani also lauded the hard work put in by GG to learn and present rare compositions, visit the temples to collect the sthalapuranams, collect the visuals and present them in a cohesive manner without a minute of sagging. She has very successfully utilised the Multi Media Presentation format. He said that this documentation will remain in the archives permanently which will act as a reference material for posterity. ARS, the theatre personality who has attended all the episodes thanked GG for taking all of us in a ALAYA DARISANAM tour and imparting information about the temples, rituals, festivals, and giving us high quality music. He said that this should be released as DVD which should find a place in all the schools and colleges.
There was a unanimous request from the dignitaries on the stage as well as from the audience that GG should take up more projects in future and enrich us. At this juncture, myself, Sivaramakrishnan and three of my friends who have attended this series regularly presented Gayathri Girish with a memento- a silver picture of Lord Siva as a token of our appreciation for the hard work and efforts put in by GG to introduce us to lot of rare kritis of MD and other composers. While thanking many teachers, and other people who have contributed for success of this project, it was so great of GG to introduce me to the audience for the detailed review posted by me in rasikas.org which took her project to the world over.
The pic of my giving the memento to GG is attached. Sivaramakrishnan (standing behind the memento) and other friends (Dandapani and Subramaniam) can also be seen in the pic.
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pvs
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPIS
@crama
Thank you for your amazing reviews. Every review of yours captures the mood and the music in perfect blend and enables us to relive the concert experience, though far far away! Thanks very much again. Concert presentation is an incredibly difficult art, but capturing it in words is a different game altogether!
Thank you for your amazing reviews. Every review of yours captures the mood and the music in perfect blend and enables us to relive the concert experience, though far far away! Thanks very much again. Concert presentation is an incredibly difficult art, but capturing it in words is a different game altogether!
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mahavishnu
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPIS
Yes, indeed. We are all very grateful for these reviews, CRama. Thank you.it was so great of GG to introduce me to the audience for the detailed review posted by me in rasikas.org which took her project to the world over.
I hope Smt Gayathri will be able to present this in the form of a thematic concert tour abroad reaching rasikas in North America and elsewhere also. This would be a great project for someone like SIFA or Sankritilaya or even the Cleveland aradhana committee to sponsor. :ymapplause:
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rajeshnat
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Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPIS
CRama
Thank you for your real unsagging effort in presenting details.In this concert atleast 4 numbers are new to me- poornapanchamam, ananda bhairavi, kAnadA and pantuvarAli .
Thank you for your real unsagging effort in presenting details.In this concert atleast 4 numbers are new to me- poornapanchamam, ananda bhairavi, kAnadA and pantuvarAli .
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arasi
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- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPIS
Gayathri,
All the homework you did, all the hours you put into practicing old songs, learning new ones and getting them right! And your presentations! All that needs a round of applause.
No wonder those on stage and the rasikAs hailed your efforts.
CRama,
We are proud of you too for faithfully following Gayathri's presentations and writing in detail about each installment. Sivaramakrishnan and buddies have to be appreciated too.
I find Gayathri to be caring besides being communicative. May she take up more worthwhile projects--and also find time to give concerts!
Mahavishnu,
Yes, it will be nice if an abridged version can be presented in north America and in Europe.
All the homework you did, all the hours you put into practicing old songs, learning new ones and getting them right! And your presentations! All that needs a round of applause.
No wonder those on stage and the rasikAs hailed your efforts.
CRama,
We are proud of you too for faithfully following Gayathri's presentations and writing in detail about each installment. Sivaramakrishnan and buddies have to be appreciated too.
I find Gayathri to be caring besides being communicative. May she take up more worthwhile projects--and also find time to give concerts!
Mahavishnu,
Yes, it will be nice if an abridged version can be presented in north America and in Europe.
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rshankar
- Posts: 13754
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26
Re: MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- CONCLUDING EPIS
Kudos to Smt. Gayathri for her fantastic efforts - and for setting the bar for future such efforts, hers included!! I am sure there are many among the faithful who attended these episodes will go into severe withdrawal, now that the series, like all good things, has ended. The series introduced people interested in music to the spiritual context of the compositions and the composers, and introduced music to the faithful who were hitherto more into the anmIkam aspect - a sort of cross-fertilization project.
And of course, CRama - thank you for faithfully taking us on this journey with you. And what a lovely gesture from you, Sivaramakrishnan and your friends...
And, like many, many others, I too am anxiously looking forward to the DVDs!
And of course, CRama - thank you for faithfully taking us on this journey with you. And what a lovely gesture from you, Sivaramakrishnan and your friends...
And, like many, many others, I too am anxiously looking forward to the DVDs!