Swathi Thirunal

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 09 Apr 2021, 21:25

.
Shri Swathi Tirunal (1813-1846) was known as Shri Padmanabhadasa, Shri Swathi Tirunāḷ‍ Rāma Varma, and Shri Kulashekhara Perumal.

RSR · Post by **RSR** » 09 Apr 2021, 22:11

p-151

@p.bala
Thank you. Any refeerence to confirm?
Was not Kulasekara PerumaaL , the Chera king who was ruling around 650 AD when Arab traders , brought Islam to Calicut? I have read that the King welcomed them and encouraged them to marry the local women. and hence they were known as MaappiLLais- Moplahs.
Any correlation?
=====================
Kulasekara Aazhvaar - is he not one of the respected Aazhvaars?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulasekhara_Alvar
----------------------
As SSP mentions that the kerala king passed away sometime in 1830, it could be a reference to swathi thirunaal
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swathi_Th ... Rama_Varma
just requesting reference and clarification

==================================
Rama Kulasekara PerumaL is entirely different king. ( 1100 AD)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama_Kulasekhara

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 09 Apr 2021, 23:03

www.swathithirunal.in appears to have several kritis also with translation (taken mostly from TKG's book).

regarding historical name etc., just for context, it can be observed that
the mahArAja's own reference to his family is via the usage "vanCi mArtanda" or the pretty
"vanCi nrpAlaka vamSa Subhodaya"

at least two terrific kritis are known for these

former in bhogindra Sayinam - kuntalavarAli

somehow the charana carrying this name is the one that seems to be typically sung
(although there are 3 other charanas)

latter is found in the Devi navarAtri kriti - pAhi parvatanandini - Arabhi

in fact it is the very last phrase in the last (ninth ) kriti of this set, and effectively summarises the offering
of the vanCi kings to the devi at the end of the navarAtri celebration..

RSR · Post by **RSR** » 10 Apr 2021, 11:40

p-151
@Pratyaksham Bala
Not convinced.! I am unable to get any reference to Swathi ThirunaaL Rama Varma , with the additional name as Kulasekara Perumal.

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 10 Apr 2021, 12:46

@SrinathK

Shri Swathi Tirunal's name mentioned in this may be of interest to you:
https://www.bibliaimpex.com/index.php?p ... 8192457840

Trivandrum Sanskrit Series
Champu Kavya in Sanskrit -

"Syanandurapuravarnanaprabandha"
by His Holiness Swati Tirunal Sri Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal,
Maharaja of Travancore,
with the commentaries by Sundari of Sri Rajarajavarma Koil Tampuran

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 11 Apr 2021, 03:09

It is mildly remarkable that the ninth and last devi navarAtri kriti , the Arabhi pAhi parvatanandini,
does not carry the typical mahArAja mudras/signatures...such as padmanAbha, saroja-nAbha, sarasijanAbha, pankaja, kamala, jalaja etc etc). In my opinion the usage of kanjadala is not a typical mudra.

Therefore the use of the vanCi reference in the Arabhi , noted in post # 153, appears
deliberate and also indicative of the offering as a collective one, from the dynasty.
(in which of course musically this mahArAja is undoubtedly the "king of kings")

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 11 Apr 2021, 07:30

.
http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80139875/
WorldCat Identities

In how many ways Swathi Tirunal is referred to in various publications!

Information provided by WorldCat, based on 2 billion items in 10000 libraries around the world :-

Svātitirunāḷ 1813-1846
Alternative Names :-

Perumal, Rama Varma Kulasekhara
Perumal Rama Varma Kulasekhara 1813-1846
Perumāḷ, Rāmavarmā Kulaśekhara
Perumāḷ, Rāmavarmā Kulaśekhara 1813-1846
Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal
Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal 1813-1846
Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal 1813-1846 Maharaja of Travancore
Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, Maharaja of Travancore
Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, Maharaja of Travancore, 1813-1846
Rāmavarmā
Rāmavarmā 1813-1846
Rāmavarmā Kulaśekhara Perumāḷ
Rāmavarmā Kulaśekhara Perumāḷ 1813-1846
Rāmavarmmā Svātitirunāḷ
Rāmavarmmā Svātitirunāḷ 1813-1846
Śrīsvātitirunāḷ
Śrīsvātitirunāḷ 1813-1846
Svāti Thirunāl
Svāti Thirunāl 1813-1846
Svāti Tirunāḷ
Svāti Tirunāḷ 1813-1846
Svāti Tirunāl 1813-1846 Travancore, Maharadscha
Svāti Tirunāl Rāma Varma 1813-1846 Travancore, Maharadscha
Svāti Tirunāl Rāma Varma Travancore, Maharadscha 1813-1846
Svāti Tirunāl Travancore, Maharadscha 1813-1846
Svātitirunāl 1813-1846 Travancore, Maharadscha
Svātitirunāḷ Rāmavarmā
Svātitirunāḷ Rāmavarmā 1813-1846
Svātitirunāḷ Rāmavarmā Mahārāja
Svātitirunāḷ Rāmavarmā Mahārāja 1813-1846
Svātitirunāḷ Rāmavarmmā
Svātitirunāḷ Rāmavarmmā 1813-1846
Svātitirunāl Travancore, Maharadscha 1813-1846
Swathi Thirunal
Swathi Thirunal 1813-1846
Swathi Tirunal 1813-1846
Swati Thirunal
Swati Thirunal 1813-1846
Swāti Tirunāḷ
Swāti Tirunāḷ 1813-1846
Swāti Tirunāḷ Rāmavarmā
Swāti Tirunāḷ Rāmavarmā 1813-1846
Swati Tirunal Ramavarma 1813-1846 Travancore, Maharadscha
Swati Tirunal Ramavarma Kulasekhara Perumal 1813-1846 Travancore, Maharadscha
Swati Tirunal Ramavarma Kulasekhara Perumal Travancore, Maharadscha 1813-1846
Swati Tirunal Ramavarma Travancore, Maharadscha 1813-1846
Tirunal, Swati

RSR · Post by **RSR** » 11 Apr 2021, 17:51

Tried to check up.
Came across the article on Swathi ThiruNaaL by Prof.PPN in Carnatica.
No such mention of Kulasekara there.
It would be better if we can get a reference by someone who lived around 1850-1900 period.
In Vaishava lore, there is only one Kulasekara ( the Aazhvaar).
Beter to keep it that way.

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 08 May 2021, 20:18

the syAnandUra hamsadhwani

Regarding mahArAjA’s hamsadhwani “pAhi Sripate”, there is no doubt in my mind of the influence on this kriti of both the Dikshitar and the tyAgarAja with respect to this emerging rAga at the time of the mahArAja.

Each of the three Caranas of this fine kriti has a word found in the vAtApi Ganapatim classic, these being
respectively bimba, nitila and vAra.

The song itself is closer to the tyAgarAja classic "raghunAyakA ni pAda yuga", as seen in particular from the anupallavi’s,

Another “trinity” of sorts has dealt with this kriti
MDR-Lalgudi-VelloreR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9xcOS6rpZE

A nice and crisp veena+vocal version is also available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sig-QouZj34

a fine version of raghunAyaka can be compared
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz26ZaoGUVA

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 13 May 2021, 04:20

the syAnandUra bilahari

In some ancient texts, the “high pitched neighing” horse of Indra also has the name “bila” or “bilah”.

The rAga “bilah-ari” itself shows many similar flourishes that are indicative of a plausible origin
for the name of this rAga !

The Bombay sisters do a fine job rendering the less-heard syAnandUra bilahari
kriti “santatam bhajAmiha” and displaying these flourishes.

And…(hold your horses..) their accompaniment is the equally distinguished violin-viduSi kanyAkumAri.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMa__24TRdI

This is one of only a handful of kritis , (I count less than ten) carrying the word “ambuja-nAbha”
as the mahArAjA’s mudra/signature.

It can also be seen that the mahArAja cites the primordial horse-rider Indra via the usage
“vAsavAnujam” in the second charana.

In “santatam bhajAmiha”, the mahArAjA effectively uses misra CApu tAla to harness the natural ebullience of this beautiful rAga, as it rears and plunges like a wild-eyed steed to his imagination.

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 18 May 2021, 18:16

the syAnandUra hindolam

It is of some interest that there is only one known kriti of the mahArAja in rAga hindolam
(as far as I can tell his HindustAni rAga forays have also ignored the mAlkauns).

The kriti is of course the evergreen syAnandura hindolam “padmanAbha pAhi dvipa-pa sAra”

The kriti opens with the fascinating motif of the “beast that drinks in two ways” (i.e. with mouth and trunk, dvi-pa) , which is a rarely used synonym of the elephant.

Perhaps the appearance of this word right at the start in the hindolam kriti is a tongue-in-cheek reference to underscore the pa-varjya nature of the rAga itself (no panchamam )

It is noted that the kriti shares the usage of the also rarely appearing word “sadma” (or abode/place) with the
similarly starting Arabhi kriti by mahArAja "padmanAbha pAhi padmavilOcana"

We can also imbibe this hindolam in two pleasing ways..
since two older versions by elephantine stalwarts are available..

MDR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzLtLc4iOTQ

TNS/LGJ/KMani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miz_Uj4B9Ng

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 21 May 2021, 19:17

the syAnandUra nAyakI

The mahArAjA’s syAnandUra nAyakI "pAlayamAm Sri pankajanAbha"
is one of his kritis with the fewest words, but this hardly limits his imagery or rAga bhAva.

For example the young sun is described uniquely as “bAla tapa”. (cf. "tapaniya" of the CarukESi)

In fact , as demonstrated by this bAla, the kriti is the epitome of short and sweet !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W77jy3Nzd1M

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 03 Jun 2021, 01:11

the syAnandUra vasanta

The mahArAjA’s syAnandUra vasanta " parama puruSa jagadIshvara "
is one of only 2 vasanta kritis by him.

Interestingly both kritis carry the “vasanta” rAga mudra, and both appear inspired by the Dikshitar's methods
of giving rAga mudra !

Generally the mahArAjA does not give rAga mudras in his kritis.

In "parama puruSa", the anupallavi conceals this mudra across two separate words,
as shown in bold....and is of the type favored sometimes by the Dikshitar.

anupallavi
sarasIruha bhava shankara vAsa-va sannuta carita shaurE

The other vasantA is the ajAmilOpAkhyAna kriti where the mudra is inferrable from the word for the
smile of ajAmilA’s child "hasantam".. This of course is reminiscent of the classic "rAmachandram bhAvayAmi"
where the Dikshitar sings "sAketa nagarE nivasantam...".

i.e. samAlokayAsau bAlakam hasantam !!

I haven’t been able to find a rendition for this one..and must console myself with the
famous saying … ”songs unheard are sweeter by far”

Fortunately for the syAnandUra vasanta , two quite terrific !!! modern renditions are available

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TubYLeVytkU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj_4JT-_pnk

thanks for their efforts..

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 04 Jun 2021, 22:43

the syAnandUra nilAmbarI

The great vAggeyakAras have uniformly approached nilAmbari with
the gentle contemplation that illuminates the majesty of this rAga and which it deserves.

( e.g. post # 405 of the Dikshitar thread in this forum discusses how extensively this
reflective element is explored by the Dikshitar in ambA nIlAyatAkSi)

In this regard, the mahArAjA’s syAnandUra nilAmbarI " satatam sam smarAnIha” is also classified as
one of his so-called Navavidha Bhakti set , i.e. the nine ways of worship, this being the “smaranam” bhakti vidha.

Gentle contemplation being often, if not always, synonymous with sweet memory ,
the choice of NilAmbarI for this "smaranam" or remembrance method is fitting.

Here SSI’s top female SiSya gives a crisp and chaste rendition that does full justice to
this auspicious kriti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRLLUgqxhgM

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 08 Jun 2021, 00:45

the syAnandUra mohanakalyAni

The mahArAjA’s syAnandUra mohanakalyAni " seve srikAntam” is rather interesting.

It cites vrindAvana in charanam 1, the gangA in charanam 2 before finally ending up with syAnandUra (i.e. padmanabha-pura) in charanam 3.

This geographical mix of the lyric mirrors the rAga itself which combines aspects of
Bhoop (a Hindustani Mohana variant) and kalyAni.

Fittingly too, the mahArAja ends the kriti with a reference to nectar/sudhA.

nice renditions are available
(diabetes alert !! for both)

fine Veena
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS9oLoYF4Oc

excellent vocal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0q2Nq6nGS0

ajaysimha · Post by **ajaysimha** » 11 Jun 2021, 14:50

Hello Rasikas,

Is there any articles on Maharaja Swathi Thirunal's Nava Vidha Bhakthi Krithis?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs7WHg ... JLYRIoDVeA

Maharaja Shri SwathiThirunal's Nava Vida Bhakti Keerthanams
Svara Amaipu : Dr. PujaShri. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Vocal : Prof. G. Seethalakshmi Ammal (Retd)
SST College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram

Thanks,
Ajay Simha

RSR · Post by **RSR** » 11 Jun 2021, 15:14

p-166

@ajaysimha

Thank you for the topic.
Just now came across a nice paper on the exact topic.
the introduction . Seems to be very nice.
Will read it tonight in full

I would suggest that we begin with chapter-8

http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in:8080/ ... er%204.pdf

-------------------
CONCEPT OF NAVAVIDHA BHAKTI AND ITS SIGNIFICANCES IN THE COMPOSITIONS OF SAINT THYAGARAJA AND HIS HIGHNESS SWATI THIRUNAL
THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KERALA FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
BY BIJULAL. C.H.
SUPERVISOR
--------------------.
Prof.V.Raghavan's thesis on the same topic from compositions of Saint Thyagaraja also is a 'must' read. ( Spiritual heritage of Thygaraja)

http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in:8080/ ... ?mode=full

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 11 Jun 2021, 16:52

I had mentioned the mahArAja’s nava vidha bhakti in post # 113 Oct 2020 of this thread.

RSR is correct to point out the exceptional reference to the V. rAghavan and c. rAmanujaCAri compendium of tyAgarAja. They have together expressed the torrential output of the tyAgarAja in that text, in a way that highlights the driving force behind the great vAggeyakAra. This book should be required reading for anyone with even slight interest in any of this music.

It is quite likely the tyAgarAjA’s kritis in the nava-vidha bhakti theme have inspired the mahArAjA, although the idea goes back to much older times.

However, the tyAgarAja does not confine himself to any one specific kriti for each mode. (see pages 149-160 of the Spiritual Heritage tome”). As is the case with the tyAgarAja, the flood is so great and so uncontrollable and so we have multiple kritis expressing each of these themes.

Traditionally however the mahArAjA’s efforts are associated with single, specific kritis for each bhakti vidha.

Indeed he immediately gives the “bhAva mudra” within the first line of each kriti as I show below (bhAva being the overriding theme of the bhakti vidha)
1. bhavadIya kathA bhi nava sudhAyAm parimajjadumE shruti yugaLI -hearing-bhairavi

2. tAvaka nAmAni shubhadAni prajapAni - chanting- kEdaragaula

3. satatam sam smaranIha – remembering -nilAmbari (note “smarati nu mAm” also in madhyamAvati )

4. pankajAkSa tava sEvAm bahudAkara vAni - sevA-toDi

5. ArAdhyAmi karanA traya – archana -offering worship-bilahari

6. Vande deva deva – vandanam offering prayers-bEgada

7. parama puruSa nanu karma samastam bhavati samarpayAmi = dAsyam-ahiri

8. bhavati vishvAsO mE bhavatu sadA - this is actually more like “confidence” and not exactly “sakhyam” =friendship -mukhAri

(compare to tyAgarAjA’ usage of sakhyam as in “tAmarasa dala netrI tyAgarajuni mitri”, which is also the famous neraval point in the timeless “Amma rAvamma” Kalyani)

9. dEva dEva kalpayAmi sO ahamIsha mAmakam dEha gEhAdikam ca sakalam api tAvakam hi - total surrender (deha and geha etc)- nAdanAmakriya

It could be interesting to see if there is a better or equally valid “sakhyam” idea kriti of the mahArAja other than the mukhAri.

Hyd bros do a fine tOdi of the above set

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJd1lhRkKyQ

as does MDR of course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbBjHdXt6-I

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 12 Jun 2021, 03:55

syAnandUra kriti or nava-vidha bhakti kriti or both ?!

A curiosity of sorts can arise with regard to a couple of the Nava-vidha bhakti kritis..

1. if "satatam sam smarAnIha"-nilAmbari is disqualified as a valid smarana-remembrance bhakti vidha kriti because it already belongs to the syAnandUra set (see post # 164 of this thread)
at least 2 other mahArAja kritis can be considered for such remembrance motif...

these are

the well-known "smara-sadA mAnasA" - bilahari

exposed here by a leading young vidwAn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLpyIVAWjgI

and the much less heard "smara hari pAdAravindam" in sAmA
shown here by a leading vidUSi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Y8-MnZlqw

Most textbooks seem to ignore these two kritis entirely when discussing the nava-vidha bhakti but forget to point out the syAnandUra aspect of the currently chosen kriti.......this choice also enforces the somewhat narrow view that only specific individual kritis were designed for each bhakti vidha (unlike the tyAgarAja).

2. Along these lines as I noted in the previous post the interpretation of "sakhyam" as the much broader "confidence/trust" as claimed to have been portrayed by mahArAjA in the bhavati viSwAsO mukhAri is a little awkward, as I see it

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 15 Jun 2021, 05:30

I am unable to find the syAnandUra Kalyani kriti "seve syAnandUreSvara" in a suitable audio

In its place for now , the kriti "sAturA kAmini" is quite suitable..

It actually sounds very nice in yamunA kalyAni

in my opinion much better than the conventional kalyAni which some textbooks indicate

the link incorrectly shows kalyAni but the rendering is clearly in yamunA kalyAni/yaman..
https://www.swathithirunal.in/htmlfile/320.htm

the yamunA kalyAni rAga choice seems to me also supported by the following

1. the meaning of the lyrics, which portray a Cupid stricken nAyikA

2. multiple pointers to the word "yaman" via kamani, kAmini and kamaniya.

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 17 Jun 2021, 15:52

the syAnandUra udayaravichandrikA aka shuddha dhanyASi !

It is noticeable that mahArAjA’s “sAmOdam CintayAmi” begins with the similar word as where the Dikshitar’s Sri pArthasArathinA ends !

sAmOdam CintayAmi versus “guruguha sammOditEna” !!

Although both kritis are sung in what is known as “shuddha dhanyASi”, the “Oda” sound in both words suggests both vAggeyakAras could be aware of brewing confusion, culprit likely the tyAgarAja’s kriti "enta nErchina" dominating the name-game with so-called “Oda-ya raviCandrika" misnomer !

Fine examples of sAmOdam CintayAmi are available

vidwAn KBMK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T6C5SBK72E

vidUSi Amruta Venkatesh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUoACJpY0ao

For comparison it is useful to look also at the Dikshitar's short and sweet "Sri pArthasArathinA" , to the Triplicane temple deity kriti exposed here nicely by the following

Mandolin SrinivAs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMO00N7mjwI
NedunuriK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALM-x-2EP_M

ajaysimha · Post by **ajaysimha** » 23 Jun 2021, 20:19

thanks for the writeups and pointers RSR and Nadopasaka.

it is a delight, how HH Swathi thirunal maharaja has brought out the essence of the different bhakti forms in his sanskrit krithis.

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 26 Jun 2021, 20:28

We can detour from the syAnandUra line into the mountains and valleys of the mahArAjAs bhairavi world,.
here be giants , a brobdingnagian rAga/idea worshipped with equally colossal kritis by the great vAggeyakAras

In the Sravana/hearing bhakti-vidha the mahArAja uses both the words kathA and Sruti in the pallavi shown in bold

"bhavadIya kathA bhi nava sudhAyAmparimajjadumE Sruti-yugaLI "

which can be compared to the "rAma katha sudhA rasa" usage of the tyAgarAja's Sravana bhakti-vidha..(in mmvati)

It is worth listening to this kriti again rendered by vidUSi Seetalakshmi , where the majestic rAga emerges without distraction from pakka-vAdya etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt991B1ZjR8

Of course mahArAjA has several bhairavi kritis, many of them massive...such as the navarAtri gem "janani mAmava"

The "weight" of bhairavi is intrinsic to the very name...indeed the Dikshitar says in the kamalAmba devi kriti "bhairavi bhAr-gavi bhAr-atyah!"

One such heavy-weight kriti of mahArAjA is "pAlaya deva deva" properly dealt with (over the course of an hour or so !) in this kutcheri by Vid. Amruta Murali and able accompaniments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFcr75_PzDs

many thanks to artistes and upload agencies, as always

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 29 Jun 2021, 18:01

maharAjA’s has two fine kritis in rAga sAranga.

“pAlaya raghunAyaka” and “kanja nAbha dayayA” which have different gait, almost diametrically opposite book-ends..

In “pAlaya raghunAyaka”, the second charana also gives the rAga mudra via “kanaka sAranga kAma dAyaka”

In “kanja nAbha” , especially in the charana, the origins of sAranga from its # 65 meCakalyaNi mEla are made visible

Both kritis are available to compare with fine renditions

“pAlaya raghunAyaka”

vidwAn S. rajagopalan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S58Yi5EA7sY

vidUSi mani krishnaswami

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUeJwtRhU3U

the AlatUr brothers kanjanAbha dayayA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttCpUQa_tnc

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 05 Jul 2021, 18:56

No audio version of the syAnandUra kuranji kriti “syAnandUreSan” is readily available.

An alternate kuranji , however, is “nanda suta tava”.

In its greatness, the mela rAga SankarAbharanam tolerates a few variants that try to maintain an identity by “stopping” at a note other than its upper shadja, so we have niSAd-antya navarOj or dhaivat-antya kuranji….(of course there are other distinctive features that define these)

“nanda suta tava” has the distinction of being the only mahArAjA kriti with the mudra “kEshavAbja-nAbha” which is found in the very last word of the kriti.

It is the only kuranji kriti , out of the 5-6 kritis (e.g. alivEni etc ) by mahArAjA, that is specific to the krSnA.

So it is not surprising that a reference to Devaki appears in the last line, which is suggestive of the influence of the Dikshitar’s “Sri vEnugOpAla”.

The old-timer SSI illustrates here this ancient rAga

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6PgyrWPcTs

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 11 Jul 2021, 04:37

It takes some serious confidence to take on the rAga devagAndhAri in the shadow of kSira-sAgara and kSitijA-ramana.

When handled properly the rAga becomes “deva-gAna-dhArA”, literally the "torrent of the lords song"..... if not, then no amount of scholarship can rescue the rendition…

jaya jaya ramA-ramana is one fine devagAndhAri kriti of the mahArAjA and its rendition by seethalakSmi ammAl, the top female student of the SSI line, is fortunately available.

https://www.swathithirunal.in/htmlfile/118.htm

neatly, all the avatAras of viSnu are named in the last charanam before the padmanAbha mudra.

In addition, the anu Pallavi carries the words “dEva nabhOmaNiriha dIdithi gaNairidAnim” that indicate, in portions, a rAga mudra of sorts !

Two other kritis by the mahArAjA in devagAndhAri are also known

rAma rAma pAhi by DKJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ31Jba_Zis

and

pAhi mAmAyi by vidUSi B. Arundhati

https://www.swathithirunal.in/htmlfile/192.htm

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 24 Jul 2021, 19:29

The mahArAja has about a half dozen or so kritis in raga bEhAg, including in many different languages, covering also many tAlams.

Three are in the Bhojpuri/hindi dialect reflecting properly the deshya nature of this imported rAga.

Interestingly he gives the rAga mudrA in the sAramaina jAvali twice !! as seen in the first charana

sOmuDu daya mAyanEmi sudatiki mahA bhAgya
mAyanE kAmakOTi sundara mA bhAgya miTulAyanE

many fine renditions are known and available (thanks to upload agencies)

B jayaSri (sAramaina)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqBKZvuPriw

A murali (rinamada nuta)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACKuJtgbWaM

MDR (smarajanaka)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbBGMCSc9oc

Fittingly for this rAga, the celestial cowherd is celebrated in the vrndAvana based kriti "kAnha kabh sakhi" .
I had previously noted in post # 142 but it is worth while hearing again alongside the others

viDUSi M. Banerjee (kAnha kabh sakhi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI-Hs02N4Cs

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 23 Aug 2021, 21:15

It is of some interest that of the 9 kritis of the mahArAja’s famous dEvi navarAtri set the first 6 feature bhArati (the consort of brahmA) .i.e. the SankarAbharana, kalyAni, sAveri, tOdi, kAmavardhani and bhairavi.

In the last 3 kritis in shuddha sAveri, nAtakuranji and Arabhi, the dEvi is specifically the pArvati (the consort of Siva-nilakantha) or the durgA-kali aspect the kEsari-vAhanE, lion rider, Canda-munda nAshini etc) . She is also referred to in these as padmanAbha-sodari.

It can be seen too that the exact padmanAbha mudra-signature appears only in 6 of these 9 kritis.

The consort of padmanAbha (lakshmi , ramA etc) is not mentioned.

In fact the usage of these two words is extremely rare in the entire collection !!

There is also another fine kriti to the bhArati dEvI , “pAhi jagat-janani santatam” in vACaspati.

It can be argued that in many of the mahArAja’s padams and other kritis, the nAyika vying with her sakhis for the attention of the padmanAbhA (in his many forms) makes up for this lack of attention to the formal consort.

mahArAjA also makes some amends for this with his “pAhi jagat-janani pAhi mAm” in hamsAnandi, to the consort of padmanAbha, as “nirajanAbha suvallabhE”

The best solution to the mildly confusing situation of course is that we have to listen to some of these fine kritis..

pAhi jagat-janani santatam in vACaspati

excellent version in slow motion to expose all inflection points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUD5Mwy1ZjA

AlatUr brothers (which is the laplace transform of the above version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMRfFQKHgmw

pAhi jagat-janani pAhi mAm in hamsAnandi

excellent version by a youth (clearly the music doesn’t care what the singers age is )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E51x1naF-wE

ranjani-gAyatri viDuSi’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4BWMVBuc6c

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 04 Oct 2021, 21:42

Day 1 of navarAtri-2021

Is there anything more wondrous than to see and hear the dEvi through the eyes, words and music of the adoring vAggeyakAras ?!.

dEvi of course, is the original Sankara-Abharana , the first ornament.. so all these kritis are meaningful to the nAda-upAsaka, or any nAda-upAsaka . So what if it comes a bit early this year..

dEvi jagat janani of the mahArAja
fine unassuming veena rendition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3SWUzTuyw

dEvI minAnEtri from the kAraikudi school
vidUSi rajeSwari P veena
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg0fY9IAewE

kOvUr dEvi kriti of the tyAgarAja
sundareSwaruni by the vidUSi sisters ranjani-gAyatri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeeuHkg1xa4

the Dikshitars kamalAmbA navAvarana gem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7xZdFp4sQ

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 05 Oct 2021, 18:19

Day 2 of navarAtri-2021

kalyAni is the 324th name of dEvi in the lalitA sahasranAma.

there are quite possibly 324 kritis in the rAga to the dEvi, but only a few are listed below for this years navarAtri puja

pAhimAm SrI vAgadISvari of the mahArAja

nice chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un91KXF14nw

vidUSi kalavati a.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIOjVHXTCIU

himAdri sutE of SyAmA SAStri
BMK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uif_OvvsCd8

from the tyAgaraja

sundari ni divya to the tiruvotriyur tripurasundari

hyd bros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt-Fr1ZEhXM

veena rendition by kamala Tyg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whPl_ZuNVyA

SivE pAhimAm to the dharmasamvardhani dEvi
Bombay sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9NBEq4YD6c

the Dikshitars offerings

bhajarE rE Cita by gAyatri V
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCDsASEcKyo

kamalAmbAm bhajarE by Sriram P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABKs_X2ibho

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 06 Oct 2021, 16:59

Day 3 of navarAtri-2021

the sAveri's

Although the mahArAja is most closely associated with navarAtri pujA, it is useful to see the other offerings in the same rAga to the dEvi.

dEvi pAvanE of the maharAja
gayatri V
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruBAy3cBHjs

SS
Sankari samkuru
TSK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mf14Xe8jmA

durusuga krupA
MSS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUm0rO3aYTk

the tyAgarAja
kanna talli
TNS krSnA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmYUVVDp5v0

parASakti manuparAdha nApai
MSS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYd64bwO1jI

the Dikshitar
since no dEvi kriti in rAga sAverI is known for the Dikshitar, the karnAtaka Suddha sAveri kriti to the kAnCi dEvi is substituted.

ekAmreSa nAyikE
veena vidUSi jayanti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGucdRa90D8

another nice careful illustration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJmhgedV5jU

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 07 Oct 2021, 17:02

Day 4 of navarAtri-2021

a correction is needed to post # 179 of this thread..

there is no kOvur dEvi kriti of the tyAgarAja in SankarAbharana...."sundareSwaruni juCi" is instead to the kOvur sundareSa.

to make amends perhaps the kriti "swara rAga sudhA" is relevant , where the tyAgarAja specifically says that the dEvi is given the swarArnava secret by the lord "rajata giriSudu nagajaku delpu swarArnava",

anyway back to day 4

tOdi

bhArati mAmava of the mahArAja

gAyatri V.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd5scDm1QDE

SyAmA SAStri

rAvE himagiri kumAri
B. JayaSri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=853Rlhq9y34

ninne namminAnu
TSK/TNK/PR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiaWdtO2RDA

the tyAgarAja

karunA judavammA to the dharma-samvardhani
ambikApuram S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkNjBivwspM

gati nivani to the tapas-tirtha dEvi
Bombay sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmSutEUOfcg

the Dikshitar
kamalAmbikE Ashrita
S. rAjam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSPEUK4wnZA

the rare tanjAvUr ksetra kriti pAlayamAm bRhadIshvari
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXEvAiQ9rp8

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 08 Oct 2021, 10:01

Day 5 of navarAtri-2021

bhairavi (the 276th name of the dEvi) and an auspicious one naturally has been important to the vAggeyakaras

janani mAmava
trichur bros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSXW-6toRbA

SS
ambA kAmakSi
S Gurcharan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YahFP1YTB-U

veena version by Saranya M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62NEBiE4TsM

the tyAgarAja
lalitE Sri pravriddhE
jayaSri. B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXcfsGr80sM

the Dikshitar
shrI kamalAmbAyA paraM nahi
KVN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdnUB3onyTc

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 09 Oct 2021, 16:25

Day 6 of navarAtri-2021

kAmavardhani

In his Day 6 kriti , the mahArAja invokes the dEVi, as "jaya bhagavati" in Caranam 1 and "parE jagadiSvari" in Caranam 2.

Sadly these two stanzas are never heard !

In the final 3rd stanza, the word bhArati appears.

sarOruhAsana jayE
Bombay sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLqgYh5wb3c

K. Hariprasad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRlP0HTJTLI

SS

Here I use the rAga kalgada kriti since no kAmavardhani kriti is known for SS

pArvati ninnu nEra
ramA P.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA635QR-rJA

the tyAgarAja

Here the naukA Caritram kriti is used. cUdarE CelulArA to the yamunA dEvi , who is effectively the consort of the vrndAvana krSna

a decent chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfURZF3S_iE

the Dikshitar

vISAlAkSIm viSvESIm

DKP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDJkj3WlhJw

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 10 Oct 2021, 09:33

Day 7 of navarAtri-2021

Suddha sAverI

janani pAhi sadA

nice veena version Guhan Venkata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrLpJIM9BMI

there are no dEvi kritis by SyAmA SASTri or the tyAgarAja in rAga Suddha sAveri.

Suitable replacements can be found in the janaranjani and kEsari kritis. (it will be noted that both these kritis carry the phrase “kanna talli”. The informality and innocence of this childlike cry belies its powerful appeal to the Mother, during navarAtri or any other time of the year)

SS
nannu brova in rAga janaranjani

SV Venkatanagarajan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWQCMBbY8p0
here the anupallavi carries the kanna talli reference

the tyAgarAja
nannu kanna talli to the dharma-samvardhani

b. jayaSri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNCUwDt1Sl8

the Dikshitar

sandhyA dEvIm
sarOja sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4zhVr5NW8

madurAmbA samrakSatu
Prema R.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydm7UJcIR8E

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 11 Oct 2021, 15:09

Day 8 of navarAtri-2021

nAtakuranji

pAhi janani santatam
crisp clean rendering (dhanya P)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPZxLcwvaI

SyAmA SAStri

mAyammA
ramA ravi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rOLPDBmbyg

veenA jayanti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_2NzOA5uOc

the tyAgarAja
there is no nAtakuranji kriti of the tyAgarAja to the dEvi..

Instead the Sri-tapas-tirtha Srimati dEvi (aka one of the lAlgudi panCaratnas) in kAmbOji is used.

mahita pravriddha
Sankari K.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoOg1SHsOEA

the Dikshitar
bAlAmbikAyai
shAnti S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jd3qStjiDc

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 12 Oct 2021, 16:16

Day 9 of navarAtri-2021

Arabhi

pAhi parvata nandini
amrutA m.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBOzUhHwcxA

SyAmA SAStri
palayashumam
amrutA v.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JifMT80_vsY

the tyAgarAja

sundari ninnu varnimpa
k Vidya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rni6Jio-Vx4

the Day 7 Suddha sAveri should properly use the popular tiruvotriyur tripurasundari kriti "dArini telusukonti"

the correction is made here on Day 9

(Suddha sAverI removes both the gAndhAra and niSAdha from the Arabhi avarohana)

dArini telusukonti
flute
N. Ramani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppklYo_gd-s
radha-jayalakshmi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMufM3a1dww

the Dikshitar

Sri saraswati

MSG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm3bngesTXY
bmk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdA42AFhWUk
veena gAyatri R
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHCGlDrpEGw

thanks to upload agencies and artistes

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 25 Oct 2021, 14:43

the maharAjAs high octane pantuvarAli/kAmavardhani

paripAlaya sarasiruha lochana

GNB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JUXa_8P0x8

trichur bros
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hPT7M3TRnE

the kriti shows some influence of the tyAgarAjA’s electric vAdera daivamu

which fairly crackles here by pattAbhirAma pandit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cnFRKylFgk

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 30 Oct 2021, 19:39

the kAnda-mAlikA rAga-mAlikA bhAvayAmi raghurAmam and the basis of its rAgas

For the auspicious week preceding the deepAvali and the final triumphant ascendancy of lord rAma, I make this post.

There has been a tendency (by some) to marginalize the mahArAjA perhaps because of some innate Cromwellian or Bolshevik thinking or other ridiculous bias.

Yet as a pure Hindu vAggeyakAra, he is, without question, a massive star of the very first magnitude.

In my opinion, a legion of sycophants have contrived, over the last several decades to revise the narrative and history of Shri SSI’s own yeoman work in collecting the mahArAjA’s kritis and writing down their associated notations in one place, into Shri SSI actually reworking and retuning them.

Indeed, the many forewords in the TKG compendium/book published in 2002, signed off by each of Shri SSI himself, mahArAja’s descendant, students of Shri musiri SI, and also a respected religious leader do NOT support the notion that the kritis have been retuned or that the tunes are spurious.

In fact this false narrative detracts from the legacy of the mahArAja as a great vAggeyakAra, and also from the legacy of Shri SSI as a technical virtuoso vocalist and incomparable kachEri vidwAn. Other stalwarts like Shri HMB (who was a top-notch composer in his own right) and Shri musiri SI have also been caught up in this quagmire.

The famous rAgamAlika “bhAvayAmi raghurAmam” is often cited as the prime example of this confusion.

I will now show that the specific design of this magnificent kriti in the manner of choice of rAgas is directly related to the lyric/sAhityam, and therefore a direct consequence of the thinking of the original composer, the mahArAJA, and not any interloper..

The fact that this kriti is actually a kAnda-mAlikA has of course been comprehended in the past....i.e. each of the 6 stanzas is related to the 6 kAndas of the vAlmiki rAmAyana.

The 6 stanzas , each of 2 lines, follow the introductory stanza , which has one line.

As a kAnda-mAlika, the mahArAjA has linked the evolution of the rAma legend , chronologically , and captured key aspects of each of the kAndas in concise and brilliant language. So.. no interloper can assume credit for his language.

The keyword here is “capture” because we will see now that the rAga choices made are also based on “capturing” the foremost, characteristic feature of each kAnda ! So...no interloper can assume credit for the music/tune as well.

The introductory stanza

rAga sAveri – key feature is raghu-rAma

The use of rAga sAveri for the introduction is compelling since it signals the solar dawn, which is synonymous with the dawn or start of the story of the icon of the surya-vamSa i.e. raghu-rAma, aka the raghu-vamSa or the solar dynasty.

the bAla kAnda stanza

rAga nAtaku-ranji derives from nAtaka or drama

key attribute of this kAnda is the drama (or nAtaka) of the breaking of the bow of Siva in the contest organized by janaka to win the hand of sitA as referenced in “CApa-bhangam janakasutA prAneSam” .

Of course without the sitA dEvi there is zero rAmayana.

So this is a seminal dramatic moment and feature of this kAnda.

Of course the maharAja also recognizes this and commemorates this with the rAga chosen.

Additionally the rAmayana is considered one of the epics in Hindu literature (e.g. mahA kAvya/nAtaka) i.e. and the bAla kAnda is symbolic of the beginning of this epic or nAtaka.

the ayOdhyA kAnda stanza

rAga dhanyAsi is directly developed from the word sanyAsi.

There can be no doubt of this !

key attribute of the ayodhyA kAnda is the sacrifice of rAma in giving up his coronation (abhiSEka-matha)

sanyAsi’s are associated with sacrifice in Hindu lore as well as the taking of vows and holding on to these vows/penance (as rAma does for his father in this kAnda)

the starting line says it all !

vihata abhiSEka matha vipinagatam Arya vAca

nothing more need be said.

the aranya kAnda stanza

rAga mOhana derives undeniably from its meaning as seduction/charm

key attribute is the mOhanam or seduction attempted by SUrpanakha and the subsequent intrigue she fomented “atighOra SUrpaNakhA vacanA gata kharAdi haram”

this choice of mOhana is rather obvious but to make sure we get the point the mahArAjA ALSO uses the word “vaishnava-Astram” which is the principal weapon of the krSnA avatara (aka the original mOhana !!)

This also reinforces the point that the rAga choice is organic to the language of the kriti, further shutting the door on any possibility of interlopers/retuners/smiths etc.

the kiSkindha kAnda stanza

rAga mukhAri comes from the first mukhA-mukham or (face-to-face meeting) with that other major character of the rAma-nAtaka, i.e the ape deity hanumAn.

Just like without sitA there is no rAmayana, the destiny of rAma goes nowhere without the hanumAn.

The kriti relates this predestined and iconic first meeting as “pampA tIra sangat-AnjanEya” on the banks of the pampA river.

the sundara kAnda stanza

rAga pUri-ya kalyAn comes straightforwardly from the phonetics of “pUri kAlan” as in “lankA pUri kAlana” (the destruction by fire of rAvanAs citadel by the out-of-control hanumAn ape and his blazing tail)

the sundara kAnda is all about the hanumAn, including the ape’s role in providing rAma assurance of sitA’s well being in her captivity (CudAmani darSanam etc) but the major feature of the kAnda is the giant monkey running amok and setting fire to lankA pUri with his tail as the torch)

the yuddha kAnda stanza, the final closing stanza

rAga madhyamAvati is a traditional mangalam or closing rAga.

the mahArAjA uses several such mangalam rAgas to close out his other rAgamAlikAs, for e.g. sauraStra in the daSAvatAra rAgamAlikA, Sri in the ghana panCaka rAgamAlikA, suraTi in the other rAma rAgamAlikA “yojaya padanalinEna”)

the word “madhyama” also signals the start of the calm or moderate period after the end of turmoil of the yuddha kanda.

In the final stanza, the mahArAja summarizes the war/yuddha as well as the return to sAketa with the fire-purified sitA, rAma’s re-crowning and the beginning of the peaceful reign.

The last words are
“jwalana pUta janakasutA sahitam yAta sAkEtam
vilasita paTTAbhiSEkam viSva pAlanam padmanAbham”

Noticeably the mahArAjA did NOT pick sauraStra or surati etc. for the mangalam.

The presence of a siTa dEvi by rAma’s side noted in the kriti is significant for the rAga of this stanza too, because madhyamAvati is just another name of the dEvi.

The presence of a fire-purified siTa dEvi by rAma’s side (jvalanaputa) noted in the kriti is also significant for the rAga of this stanza, because one form of the dEvi is also “jwAlAmAlini kSiptha vahni prAkAra madhyaga”, the fire dweller.

In the last word of the kriti, the rAma avatAra is finally called out as the "padmanAbham" the viSnU, who is the universal protector and the giver of moderation and peace, the madhyama or middle ground, no extremes..

It is impossible to convince me that this kriti both as a kAnda-malika and a rAga-mAlika and for music and lyric is not the brainchild of the mahArAjA and the mahArAjA alone.

I do not see in the last 100 years of any documentation ANY consideration for the choice of rAgas for this rAgamAlikA kriti as shown in this post.., although there is, as usual, a lot of inherited hearsay and unsubtantiated chatter.

I think also that it is entirely possible the mahArAjA was influenced in such a deliberate construction of this kriti-mAlikA by the Dikshitar whose rAgas are invariably chosen with a plan (the Tanjore quartet likely brought many such ideas to the mahArAjA’s court after their interactions with the Dikshitar)

In closing, I say again that people can make up their mind whatever fashion they want. But , on this subject and for this kAnda-mAlikA kriti, for the first time, there is a definite and clear explanation that any nay-sayers will have to try to refute logically and rationally.

It is also a fact that most of these people tend to arrive at these inherited conclusions like heirlooms i.e. without much logic or thinking or effort or reading or hearing of the kritis and their contexts.

But I have to do my duty as nAdopAsaka to delay and prevent as much as possible the complete destruction of our nAda heritage, this “blowing up of the buddhAs” , which these narratives are leading us towards.

I always thank the rasika forum managers for the ability to put all my findings in the digital record.

Time to clear out the sour notes with some sweet music.

bhAvayAmi raghurAmam (what else)

MSS (who else)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITB8RvvbUrA

Some other modern, youthful efforts, excellent..

NJ Nandini et al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDU4GKi7Flk

J Jayant Flute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-nd5h4o2-o

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 30 Oct 2021, 21:51

Nicely written , nadopasaka . But some one like Brinda mukhtha or some one else have they not sung entirely in saaveri. If the ragamaliga was indeed tuned before why would some one only sing in saveri - was that done to not give credit to SSI because many believed than that only SSI tuned and converted this as ragamaliga

RSR · Post by **RSR** » 31 Oct 2021, 08:20

p-189
@nAdopAsaka
Alathoor brothers also used to sing this in saveri. but later stopped singing this at all.
-
VeeNa Balachandar , not an ordinary musician , led a blistering attack on retuning of most Swathi compositions by SSI team. It is said that many of this tuning is not even by SSI himself but by much less-known and less-fortunate ,much-talented musicians in KeraLa , who had to be anonymous and were used by SSI. AND Balachander is by no-means a Cromwell-puritan or a ' Bolshevik'.
-
The moot point is why , though Swathi was almost exact contemporary of Thyagaraja Swami, ( both passed away in 1847),
he is not considered in the same group as The Trinity. Worth pondering. Why does the CM community, rever the TRINITY, so much?
There must be some reason.
-----------------------------------
<quote>
bhAvayAmi raghurAmam --- is a soul-stirring rAgamAlika epitomizing the entire story of the epic rAmAyaNam.
@@@@@@@@
This beautiful song, in chaste Sanskrit, was originally composed by mahArAjA svAti tirunAL, as a k.rti in the (single) rAgam, sAvEri, and set to rUpaka tALam.
-
After more than 100 years, it was recently carved out as a rAgamAlika, with built-in cittasvarams by the doyen of karNATik music, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.
-
This is the version that is currently in vogue. Popularized by M. S. Subbalakshmi, it has been released as a commercial HMV Album (vinyl disk), along with “veN^kaTEsha suprabhAtam”, and muttusvAmi dIkSitar's “raN^gapura vihAra”' in rAgam b.rndAvana sAraN^ga. This album, in several formats (cassette/CD etc) has found place in almost every household. The pallavi and the anupallavi are set in rAgam sAvEri (which was the original rAgam employed by svAti tirunAL), and there are six caraNam segments, sung in rAgams, nATTakura~nji, dhanyAshi, mOhanam, mukhAri, pUrvikalyANi, and appropriately concluding with the maN^gaLa rAgam, madhyamAvati. Each of these six caraNams describes one kANDam, corresponding to vAlmIki's version of rAmAyaNam. These are, respectively, the bAla, ayOdhyA, AraNya, kiSkindha, sundara, and yuddha kANDam. The author has packed the material of 24000 shlOkams in vAlmIki rAmAyaNam in just six caraNam lines. Hence, as one can see, many of the phrases employed in the caraNam segment are very long and winding, since each phrase accommodates an episode in the epic of rAmAyaNam in a very condensed form
</quote>
===
The above lines are by Dr.P.P.NArAyaNaswami

http://www.carnatica.net/special/bhavayami-ppn.htm

=====================
The credit for the 'apt' choice of Raagams in this ragamalika ,
should then go to the 'tunesmith'..Sri.SSI
------

CRama · Post by **CRama** » 31 Oct 2021, 13:17

RSR. Have you heard or read somewhere that Alathur Bros sang Bhavayami full song in Saveri.

RSR · Post by **RSR** » 31 Oct 2021, 18:01

ref-p-192
@CRama
--
From a very nice thread with wonderful inputs from munirao, harimau,srini and others.
---
What does it mean to tune a kriti to a different ragam?
------------------
viewtopic.php?p=290130#p290130
------
"this is less about re-tuning to a different raagam, than resetting of some Svati Tirunal kritis...

I have only heard it said once that the Alathur Brothers sang Bhaavayaami very early on in all-Saveri, but dropped it after the Semmangudi retuning started getting popular. No confirmation of this elsewhere. I did however hear the old varnamettu -- opening line only. To my impatient ears back then (late 80s), it did not seem very different from the current version, but the person who sang it also said that he himself was overcome by the stamp of the new "
"

ajaysimha · Post by **ajaysimha** » 19 Nov 2021, 18:47

well interpreted @nAdopAsaka !!

maharaja swathi thirunal has composed around 28 varnams,

as a special feature, here are a few varnams with the aubandham line.

Indumukhi nisamayaii Sankaraabharanam Khanda Ata Varnam Malayalam
Jagadisha shrijane Suddha saveri Tisra Triputa Varnam Sanskrit
Paramakula hrdayam Saurashtram Roopakam Varnam Sanskrit
Sa Paramavivasa Ghanta Adi Pada Varnam Sanskrit
Sadaramiha bhaje Madhyamavathi Adi Varnam Sanskrit
Sarasa mridupada Kambhoji Adi Varnam Sanskrit
Sarasa sara sundara Neelambari Adi Varnam Sanskrit
Sarasijanabha kim maya Athana Adi Varnam Sanskrit
Sa vama rusha yatu Khamas Adi Varnam Sanskrit
Saveriha thanuja Saveri Adi Varnam Sanskrit

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 22 Mar 2022, 19:03

jujAvanti = kOkila-vAni and the legacy of the gita-gOvinda/jayadEva

The word/rAga “jujAvanti” was noted in recent Post # 730 of the Mutthuswamy Dikshitar thread.

The connection with the mahArAja is relevant.

As words, jujAvanti is synonymous with rAga dvijAvanti but whereas the first word is linked to a specific kOkila bird-song, dvi-jA is generic for birds ( I suppose a likely explanation for this word is that birds appear twice , first as eggs, and then when they hatch)

The Dikshitar uses the word “jujA-vanti” in his kriti “akhilAndESwari rakSamAm” as noted in the other thread.

It is of some interest, that in the great classic gita-gOvinda , jayadEva (unquestionably another shining gem of the nAda-sampradAya) says

“madhukara nikara karambita kOkila kUjita kunja kuTirE”.

Like jayadEva, the mahArAja celebrates the krSnA-gOpi legend in many of his padams.

In fact one of his jujAvanti padams “taruNi nyAn endu” notes this particular bird-song “kUja-nam or kUja-vanti” with the word “kOkila-vAni”

There is also no doubt that the mahArAjA’s fabulous ASta rAgamAlika “pannagEndra Sayana” is a tribute to the ASta-padi’s of the gita-gOvinda of jayadEva.

The song begins by addressing the lord reclining on the great serpent.

But the avatar of viSnu who is the main protagonist of the kriti is the mOhana krSnA, going by the forlorn lyrics of the damsel. In fact the last /8th stanza notes

mOdayAmi jagadISa mOhana kAma-kEliSu
sAdara-marthayE nAtha sAmaja-vara-gamana

Noticeably the elephant like swaying gait of the deity i.e. “sAmaja-vara-gamana” is also assigned to “yAdava-kula murali” by the tyAgarAja in the hindOla.

It is of some interest to consider whether the 8 rAgas chosen by the mahArAja represent the ASta nAyikAs...e.g. bhairavi would certainly be the "khaNdita nAyikA", ticked off with the sporting cowherd etc..

“taruNi nyAn endu”.

SSI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAkVf8fMemc

The kOkila is also the nightingale, called as such because it sings even during the night..

Here are some nightingales of my memory

pannagEndra Sayana

MSS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l899MCWb1gI

sitAmani SrinivAsan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWxejYcAAuI

I note that this sitAmani S padmanAbha suprabhAtam is serene too

padmanAbha suprabhAtam
sitAmani S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ5il28IwiE

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 27 Mar 2022, 19:33

bhIma and krSna

bhIma is more well known as the “brother” of arjuna (from the panCa pAndavas in the mahAbhArata) instead of as “brother” of hanumAna- the ape deity of the rAmAyana , (indeed both bhIma and hanumAna are considered vAtAtmaja)

But the mahArAja keeps track of this aspect.

In his racy bhUSAvali "gOpa-nandana", the synonym “vAta-nandana” appears , for bhIma as dear to vAta = vAyu.

Of course “vAta-nandana” is poetically suitable because of the usage “gOpa-nandana”.

In this kriti, lord krSnA is “vAta-nandana lAlita padayuga”, he whose feet are caressed by this son of the wind-god (i.e. bhIma).

The usage is apt for the dominance of lord krSnA, since bhIma’s calling card is certainly not being gentle, unless it is at the feet of this lord !

the other hugely famous kriti with this reference is of course the kAmavardhani “sArasAkSa paripAlaya mAm”

the well known third charanam begins with “bhima-sevya tava mangala lila”

For those who might think “sArasAkSa paripAlaya mAm” is not about the krSnA avatAra, the mahAraja also gives in the “never-heard” first charanam the unmistakeable name ‘bala sodara’ referring to krSnA as balarAma’s brother.

it is the audio that irrigates the desert of dry words, many thanks to the artistes

sArasAkSa paripAlaya mAm

veena vidUSi gAyatri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nqD58Puosg
the caption is wrongly given as kalyAni in this link

Excellent concert by young vidwAn rAmnAth bhAgwat and his pakkavAdya

at about 20-25 mins the rarely heard second charanam is also presented

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfvJzEzDhTk

gOpa-nandana - bhUSAvali of the mahArAja

fine version by vidwAn Sreevalsan M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ky7Ey6yYXk

regarding gOpa-nandana, several similarities exist to the tyAgarAjas bhUSavali “tana-mIda-nE”

Not the least is the appearance of the word “kOpa”

The kriti is a “mea-culpa”, where the tyAgarAja admits that all his faults including kOpa are his own.

tanamIdanE - bhUSAvali of the tyAgarAja

nice example by vidUSi vedavalli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6lGli9bUNM

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 09 Apr 2022, 18:33

aSta-nAyikA themes of the 8 rAgas/padams in the mahArAjA's “pannagEndra Sayana” rAgamAlika

Background
That the word names of the rAgas are enormously significant to the great vAggeyakAras, is amply illustrated in my recent posts in this forum.

In fact for the Dikshitar, the associations are so strong that the rAga mudra itself appears in the kriti , intertwined with the context of the kriti , as can be seen in each rAga choice in his many navAvarana sets in the Mutthuswamy Dikshitar thread.

The connections have eluded entire generations of the music industry and its academicians.

Even several of the more famous kritis of the tyAgarAja carry the unmistakeable stamp of this awareness/recognition of the context of the rAga word, e.g. the mOhana, the mukhAri, the hindOlam, the gaurimanOhari, the lalitA , the kalgada etc. etc. as seen in the tyAgarAja thread.

The mahArAja is no exception to this way of thinking.

Post # 189 of this thread showed how the rAgamAlika “bhAvayAmi raghurAmam” set of rAgas are exactly derivable from the names of the kAndas of the rAmAyana.

As the mathematician Hardy said of the rAmAnujan axioms...“they have to be true because no one could have the imagination to make them up”.

the aSta-nAyikA themes of the 8 rAgas/padams in the mahArAjA's “pannagEndra Sayana” rAgamAlika

Along these lines, the highly evocative "pannagEndra Sayana" rAgamAlika has been described as a tribute to the aStapadi of jayadEva (post # 195 etc.).

It will now be shown that this tribute extends beyond the mere numerology of having 8 rAgas of 2 lines each.

Each of the 8 rAgas and the nAyikA bhAva’s can be associated with the corresponding aSta-nAyikA theme.

The starting words of each pada and its rAga are given below followed by the aSta-nAyikA bhAva.

pannagEndra Sayana in rAga SankarAbharanam
aSta-nAyikA bhAva - vAsaka-sajja - preparation and anticipation

SankarAbharanam is naturally associated with Abharana = ornamentation. Accordingly, the eager nAyikA is preparing herself in anticipation of meeting her lord.

manda mArutopi mama in rAga kAmbOji
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – khandita - anger

the raudra-rasa of kAmbOji likely leads to this choice for the angry rift expressed as “kOpa-mAsu”

kOkila SukAdi manju in rAga nilAmbari
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – virahakhandita - the distressed nAyika

This is from the meaning of “Sunya” which also means void/sky.
The emptiness of the despairing viraha nAyikA is as vast as the “Sunyam” of the sky (ambara)

mAnini jana hasitam in rAga bhairavi
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – vipralabdha - the deceived nAyikA

Naturally, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. bhairavi is the enraged nAyikA who is the laughing-stock , as in “mAnini jana hasitam”... after being deceived by the unfaithful nAyaka.

yAmini samvESa in rAga tODi
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – prOSitabhartrikA - the “wandering nAyaka”

My explanation is that tOdi as a scale does not go up and down but usually sideways or in all directions..ideal for symbolizing a “wandering”’ (wayward) nAyaka

pAtala-bimba-sadruSa in rAga suraTi
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – swAdhinA - the proud nAyikA

the nAyika is both proud of her nAyaka and her own independence, so the prevailing sentiment is one of auspicious-ness. The mangala rAga is ideal.

dEva-dEva kripayA mE in rAga nAda-nAmakriyA
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – kalahantarita - the quarrelling nAyikA

After their quarrel, the kalahantarita nAyikA is filled with “nindA” and “nindanam” is her way of blaming/reproaching the nAyaka. So nAdanam-kriya is suitable.

and finally

mOdayAmi jagadISa in rAga bhUpALam
aSta-nAyikA bhAva – abhisArikA – nAyikA goes to meet her lord

By early morning, the abhisArikA nAyikA decides to go meet/find the lord after the lonely night. So the early morning bhUpAlam rAga is the perfect choice.

pannagEndra Sayana - rAgamAlika

MDR does ample justice ! (however he also erroneously uses the last stanza "mOdayAmi" for the nAda-nAmakriya padam, instead of the "dEva dEva kripayA mE" !)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFkEvns4MHw

it is useful to see the kriti thru the eyes of dancers

excellent versions are available !! thanks to the performers and upload agencies

V ramA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqtfQTuyxrc

tAnya S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw7iZJ_ZcHs

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 11 Apr 2022, 08:59

nAdopAsaka wrote: ↑23 Aug 2021, 21:15
pAhi jagat-janani pAhi mAm in hamsAnandi

excellent version by a youth (clearly the music doesn’t care what the singers age is )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E51x1naF-wE

Kudos to young shreya goopala , very well done . Kudos to CM Venkatachalam and Gayarthi Venkataraghavan. well researched in the web , Thank you nadopasaka

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 20 Apr 2022, 20:26

the dancing Siva at Cidambaram as seen by the mahArAja

There can be no doubt that the "dancing Siva" of the mahArAjA's glittering SankarAbharanam "nrityati nrityati sAmbaSivO" is also describing the Cidambara natarAja.

Why ?

Because apart from the obvious dance /natarAja motif with which the kriti opens, the following are also embedded in this terrific song !

"pApa hina muni sEvita pada yuga" - the worship of the deities feet by these sages is described also by the Dikshitar as " divya pAtanjali vyAghrapAda, darSita kuncitAbja CaraNam" in the "Ananda natana" kEdAram

"yama nindita" - the destruction of yama that is inherent in the cosmic dance of Siva as kAlAntaka

"nandi-kESwara suvAdi" - from the nandi legend of Cidambara kSEtra.

In fact in his Arabhi kriti at Cidambaram, "SivakAmESwaram CintayAmyaham" the Dikshitar describes the "nandi" (bull) that graces the shrine.

Cidambaram is also linked to nandi the bull via the nandanAr legend.

"padmanAbha saha-jA-pati-ra SaraNa" - the reference to the consort "Siva-kAma-valli" or "ambA" of this kSEtra is given as the "sister of padmanAbha" but in a clever way, since "padmanAbha saha" also means "with padmanAbha" .

There is no question this refers to the "gOvindarAja pErumAl divya dESam temple being in sight of the Cidambaram tillai natarAja.

Finally, the question remains ?? ..where is the reference to the AkASa or gagana bhUta linga that is the key icon of the Cidambara kSEtra ?

For this one must observe the usage "atir--AdarEna puruhuta kalitavara", the humble worship of Indra aka puruhuta, the god of the sky to the Cidambara Siva deity.

Naturally like the Dikshitar the mahArAja avoids usage of the exact word "linga" for the formless AkASa linga.

It cannot be confirmed that the boy-king-composer ever travelled to any kSEtras in his own musical pUja, but his depiction of Cidambaram details , as seen in this kriti, certainly gives the impression that he was familiar with the shrine and its key details.

Of course SankarAbharanam is an ideal rAga for this deity

nrityati nrityati - SankarAbharanam

vidUSi ratnaprabhA - nicely done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM6CITS97l4

sridEvi nrityAlaya dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7EG0Dzufj4

sai-sahana , a childs voice, simple and direct
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sFQb-9c6c8

nAdopAsaka · Post by **nAdopAsaka** » 06 May 2022, 19:14

The mahArAja distributes his vision of sAvEri across MANY deities

e.g. AnjanEya raghurAma (AnjanEya), paripAhi ganAdhipa (ganapati), and sArasa rasa mrdu vaCana/vanajAkSa/pAhimAm (padmanAbhA)

But he reserves his massive inspiration of this rAga for the goddess, in her 3 forms

Each of these aspects is addressed in extensive kritis.

The 3rd day navarAtri kriti (dEvi pAvanE as saraswati "karAnCita vInA pustaka bhASini") , the pada varna (sAvEriha tanujA which is a rare example of a rAga mudra for the mahArAja) and the 2 SrngAra pada's (hEmOpayAngi and bhAsurAngi bAlE where (in both) the mahArAja describes padmanAbhA's consort while asking for the lords darSana)

dEvi pAvanE - saraswati

MDR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcIpWVtojN4

gAyatri VR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruBAy3cBHjs

bombay sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os-vPApMOWk

sAvEriha tanUjA - pArvati

amruta V
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtHFXnLAI60

bhAsurAngi bAlE - the ramAdEvi

SrIvalsan GM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmfY4gIvnqY