MYRIAD FORMS OF SIVA BY GAYATHRI GIRISH- EPISODE 7

[CRama]

The seventh episode of the above series was held at Tatwaloka Auditorium, Eldams Road on 25 Aug 2013 at 5 PM. I attended the programme 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 Sangeetha Kala Acharya Vidwan P.S.Narayanaswamy. In his address, he appreciated Gayathri for undertaking this project through which the high philosophical, musical, religious content in Dikshithar kritis are getting disseminated among the rasikas. He stated that this is a service to God and Gayathri is sure to get the blessings of Lord Siva in abundant measure and she will take up many more such projects. Gayathri Girish expressed her thanks to all the teachers and musicians who have given valuable guidance to her in running the project and all individuals who have shared valuable inputs about the temples and festivals which has enabled her to present the project in a comprehensive manner. The following is the list of songs rendered.

Mahaganapathim Vande in Thodi
Thyagarajo viraajathe in Athana
Paerum Nalla Thyagesar- Papavinasam Mudalilar composition in Ramakriya.
Sri Thyagarajasya Bhaktho Bhavaami in Rudrapriya
Kamalaayathaakshiro – Bhairavi- Maharaja Shahaji composition
Slokam in Mohanam from the Thyagaraja Rathotsava Pancharathnam
Thyagaraja Mahath Dhwajaaroha in Sree Ragam
Chowka varnam in Mayamalavagowla composed by Tiruvarur Ramaswamy Pillai
Thevaram in the pann Kurinji (Harikambodi) composed by Thirunavukkarasar
Nee saati deivamenthune- Daru varnam in Sreeranjini
Thyagaraja Ashtakam (composer not known)
Slokam composed by Dr.V.Raghavan in Suruti
Thyagaraja Mangalam in Suruti.

Gayathri Girish rendered the majestic kriti of MD- Mahaganapathim Vande in Thodi ragam by way of invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha. This song is not heard frequently in concerts. She added that this song is not found in SSP and it was due to the efforts of Dr.V.Raghavan and Sangeetha Kalanidhi TL.Venkatarama Iyer that the song was notated by Thiruppampuram Natarajasundaram Pillai and the song reached the concert stage. It is significant to note that MD has mentioned in the charanam of the song, all the Gods who have worshipped Ganesha.

Continuing the discussions on Somaskanda murthy, Gayathri told that MD has composed 72 kritis on the various deities in Tiruvarur Kshetra which included 8 Thyagaraja Vibhakthi kritis. The following attributes of Lord Thyagarajar are referred to in the kritis of MD.

Rathna Simhasanam- the gem studded throne of Thyagesar
Veera and Gnana Ghadgam – two swords
Sevvandhi Thodu- the big ear stud made of sevvanthi flowers
Krishna Gandham- (Tyaga vinodham,). It is specially made from 18 herbs, chandanam and ghee and applied on the sevvandhi thodu of The Lord. Later mixed with vibudhi and given to devotees.
Thyaga Parivattam 21 parivattams
Narum tilakam – the thilakam made of pachakarpooram
Pushpanjali – the full body decoration with flowers
Thyaga dhwajam- the flags
Manikya Thandu- the bamboo/wooden logs on which the vimanam is seated during the Ajabanatanam
Mukundarchana
Muchukundarchana
Ekapada darsanam
Thiruvanthikaappu – sayankala pooja

For the Sayankala pooja, also called as Nithya Pradosha Pooja, it is believed that Devas come and wait in the Devasraya Mandapam to see the pooja and they go to Chidambaram for the Ardhajama Pooja at the night. In the olden days,18 instruments were played during the Nithya pradosh pooja. Some of them were, Nagaswaram- timiri and bari, Panchamukha vadyam, Kidukitti, Ekkaalam, Suddhamaddalam, Sankhu, flute, taarai, tappattai,etc. Aazhither is the chariot in which the Lord is taken as procession during the festival. It has got lot of implications. It denotes the universe. The six wheels represent the six seasons , four horses are the four Vedas. It is very huge weighing 400 tons. This chariot of Tiruvarur is world famous.

Tiruvarur is famous for its multifarious festivals. Thaippoosam, Vasantholsavam, Thiruvadirai and Aadippooram are important festivals. Thaipoosam was designed by Sambandar and Vasantholsavam by Appar. Aadippooram is special for Kamalamba. Gayathri then rendered Thyagarajo viraajathe in the ragam Athana. MD addresses the lord as King of Kings in this kriti. In the pallavi of the song Thyagesar is addressed as Maharaja, Mahaa Thyagarajo, Srimath Thyagarajo etc.

Gayathri then rendered a Nindasthuthi in the ragam Ramakriya (Panthuvarali) composed by Papavinasa Mudaliar who belonged to the Pre-trinity era. The sahithyam is very interesting- Paerum Nalla Thyagesar Uurum nirai selvathiruvarur Prayojanam enna sollayya. It tells about the hurdles of a bhaktha in reaching Thyagesar and humourously tells that at the end, a bhaktha gets only thiruneeru. Gayathri rendered elaborate neraval and swaras at the pallavi which satisfied the quest for manodharma sangeetham. (to continue)

[CRama]

(continued)
Gayathri then rendered Sri Thyagarajasya Bhaktho Bhavaami in the rare ragam Rudrapriya. This song is also not found in SSP. Maharaja Shahaji was a great devotee of Thyagarajar and he composed many operas on Thyagarajar. Gayathri rendered a song in Bhairavi – Kamalaayathaakshiro from the opera Pallaki Seva Prabandham

Gayathri then rendered a slokam in Mohanam from the Thyagaraja Rathotsava Pancharathnam composed by Mannargudi Thyagarajamakhi Raju Sastrigal on the Aazhither.

Next Gayathri rendered the magnum opus Thyagaraja Mahath Dhwajaaroha in Sree Ragam composed by MD in which the various rituals held during Vasantholsavam are mentioned. It is very pertinent to mention here that the padanipa prayogam which is used by MD in Sree ragam very sparcely is used in this song only once – most appropriately while mentioning the Ekapada darisanam. The first five days of the festival are for Ganesha and Muruga, the next three days for Appar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar which is called Bhaktholsavam Then there is the utsavam for Bhairavar and the last day for Siva called as Kaatshi kodutha Naayanar.

The Yagasala is constructed with eight dhwajas - flags facing eight directions.. The veedhi ula is daily on various vimanams like Indra vahanam, Gaja vahanam, Rishaba vahanam, Kailasa vahanam and Bhootha vahanam.and video clippings of dhwajaroham, ajaba natanam, aazhither and all the vimanams were shown which was a great visual delight. During the procession, all bhakthas were shouting Aaroora Thyagesa in ecstasy. The theppotsavam is conducted for Kalyanasundarar and Parvathy Devi. The theppam is floating inside the Kamalalayam. Music concert is also held inside the theppam. This is followed by Acharyotsavam and Nandi utsavam.

Gayathri then rendered a Chowka varnam in Mayamalavagowla composed by Tiruvarur Ramaswamy Pillai which starts as Ninne chaala nammiti. This is not found in SSP. It was Dr. S.Ramanathan who located it from the palm leaf manuscripts. This varnam is on the Vaidyanatha Swamy of Vaitheeswaran Kovil. But is regularly played in Nagaswaram in Tiruvarur temple during the Swami urvalam.

Another important festival is Thiruvadirai. Gayathri sang the thevaram in the pann Kurinji (Harikambodi) composed by Thirunavukkarasar on the request by Sambandar. This was followed by the Daru varnam composed by MD on the Moolavar-Valmikalingam- Nee saati deivamenthune in Sreeranjini.

Gayathri then rendered Thyagaraja Ashtakam (composer not known) which starts as Kalyansaugandhika and the ragas in the Ashtakam are Sankarabharanam, Bhowli, Begada, Kalyani, Anandabhairavi, Sahana, Kambodi and Madhyamavathy.

The episode concluded with a slokam composed by Dr.V.Raghavan in Suruti and the traditional Thyagaraja Mangalam also in Suruti.

The accompanists played with full involvement. The alapanas of Athana and Sreeranjini by Vijayalakshmi on the Veena was captivating and that of Mysore Srikanth for Panthuvarali and Rudrapriya was succinct. The Mridangam of Poongulam Subramaniam gelled well with the team. Visruthi provided good vocal support. The Chief Guest Shri PSN was visibly moved after the concert. Before Mangalam, he came forward voluntarily and lauded the efforts of team. He paid rich accolades to Gayathri for the efforts she has taken to collect minute details, visuals, and appreciated her bhasha gnanam and vidwat. The several short video clippings enhanced the enjoyment of the episode. Literally we were taken to the festivals in Tiruvarur and I am sure the rasikas who attended in large numbers will be planning their trip to Tiruvarur very shortly. (I am one). The lyrics of the songs displayed in the PP with suitable highlights facilitated wholesome enjoyment.

The programme commenced at 5 PM and concluded at 7.45 PM. The hall was full at 5 PM itself. Very convenient timings for the rasikas. It takes care of the 8 PM exit syndrome of some people. A cassette of the Thyagaraja Vibhakthi kritis sung by Vidwan B.Krishnamurthy was distributed free to the rasikas. Very happy to see the overwhelming patronage for a unique programme.

[Rsachi]

CRama,
Just reading your report is so elevating. This lady is surely someone special- to undertake and carry off such a scholarly, musical, devotional effort.
I just wonder, what is the chance for people like me to watch it on a DVD? I do hope Kalakendra brings out this series.

Thanks!!!

[cacm]

CRama,
Thanks for your thorough & enlightening account. We NEED MORE GAYATRI GIRISHES & CRamas to ELEVATE ALL OF US. Refreshingly contrarian to many current trends. Good Luck & Prayers. VKV

[PUNARVASU]

Such a beautiful write up. Took me back to my childhood days when we would visit Tiruvarur every year for the summer holidays because it was where my maternal grandparents lived and I was born there.Have seen some of these festivals but was too young to understand all these details. All I remember is as a small kid I used to say 'Thyagaraja, thookki thooki' and the way the utsavar was swayed up and down and from side to side in HIS 'ajapaa natanam'. Wish there was this time machine and I am transported back to my 'tiruvaalur' and I am able to walk on those dusty roads and go to the kamalalayam tank to take bath. I remember my grandmother had 'kudams' in different sizes and we would all carry one according to our age and bring water.
Thanks CRama, once again for the beautiful write up. Wish I had attended this lecture. Wishes, Wishes and Wishes!

[thanjavooran]

Thanks Shri Rama for the excellent write up.
Really glad to know that the hall was full to listen to Gayathri Girish's new venture. Wishing her to offer more such educative projects for the benefit of Rasikas.
Thanjavooran
27 08 2013

[rshankar]

CRama, thank you, once again! Really wonderful to hear/see Smt. Gayathri's hard work paying off.
By the way, I think a sword is khaDgam

[rajeshnat]

Crama
Nice review which was meticulous , keep them going . Many many new numbers that I have not even heard.Kudos to GG

[msk2]

CRama,

Another person from Tiruvarur (spent first 12 years of my life there) who wish to thank you for a beautiful write up. I used to remember another important festival Panguni Uttaram where we used to have eka pAda darsanam (the other Eka pAda darsanam is on Thiruvadirai day which is mentioned). Is panguni Uttaram same as Vasantholsavam?

Again thanks for the excellent write up - I am transported back to 1950s and 1960s.

[satyabalu]

* I wonder what is left with to supplement after your thorough analysis of the event C.Rama! Your write up exposes the aspects I have missed out &enables recapitulation.Here are my observations.
*Thiagarajo Virajathe -Atana.
Gayathri Gireesh's rich Guru parampara was evident in her handling Atana authoritatively .(in TNS inimitable style).
*Again in affording a cutcheri main treatment to a small &rare kriti* in Pantuvarali(Ramakriya) with RNS .(Neraval in pallavi "Perumnalla Thiagesar"* a pre trinity composer Papa vinasa mudaliar.
good time sharing between violin &veena alternating swara returns.
*Sri Thiagarajasya bhaktho bhavami-Rudrapriya-A good account of Raga was given by the violinist as well -janya of karaharapriya in all essence.
The mention about "advaitha "found in Pallavi.
details of sayaraksha puja...Suddha mathalam(Prof BM Sundaram a vaggeyakara well known for his lecdem on" Mallaries in various temples" was present for the programme).
*reference on "nava nandi" in Tiruvarur -in a standing posture.(to be contd.,)

[satyabalu]

(continued)*Maharaja shahaji- credited with having done hundreds of kritis on Thiagesar.
* Kamalayadashiro-Bharavi -pallavi eduppu resembles "upacharamulanu of Thiagaraja.Good tempo .
*Thiagaraja mahadhajaroha-sri.
describes the stages of happening in vasanthaothsavam.order of events spelt out in pallavi.
*chandikeswarar is the master of ceremony from start to end.
*surrendering of knowledge as a mahanaivedya.
*Muthuvenkatamaki type of "Sri"handled by Dikshidhar in 3 of his kritis .other two-"Sri varalakshmi"Srikamalambika"
*PA DHA dharshana -swarakshara prayogam observed.
*Those who can not make it Tiruvarur can visit Marundeeswarar -Tiruvanmiyur-Chennai to witness Ajaba natanam during full moon.
*Tirunavukarasar Thevaram in Kuriji Pann(Hari Kamboji) .I wonder there is lot of scope provided to embellish the beauty of the Raga in the end of tala( dritham) sans sahithya!
*permit me to digress -reminded of DKJ while listening to Nee sati deiva mendu --Sriranjani esp the sahitha in caranam'Vasa dasa chit vilasa".Again as We know, Ni (Nee)&S(ati) are swaraksharams.
*Thiagaraja ashtakam-set to Raga malika -Sankarabharanam,Bowli,Begada,Kalyani,Ananda Bhairavi Sahana Kamboji & Madhyamavathi.
* Gayathri duly acknowledged all those(some were present) who had provided material /information/videos of Tiruvarur festival .
*PSN sir during felicitation commended her proficiency in Sanskrit language, hardwork..."She is going to accomplish a lot more in future...."Time ponadey theriyaley"

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Shri. Latchappa Pillai, veteran Nagaswara artist and guru of Tiruvarur is perhaps the only one who could give authentic information on the aagama aspects of the temple with special reference to the prescribed musical offerings at various Sannadhis at various times of the day and occasions. The instruments used and the way of rendering are unique, it's said.

I hope gayatri must have contacted Shri Pillai for the finer details of the 'musical' relevance of the temple.

The Vidwan was honoured during the Mummoorthy araadhana festival at the temple a couple of years ago for his contributions.

[PUNARVASU]

I remember having met Shri Latchappa Pillai when he used to come to my grandfather's house to teach music to an older cousin of mine. Later he was with the TTD devasthanam , I think. A great teacher!