Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Carnatic composers (other than performing vidwans)
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nAdopAsaka
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Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (kAnCI Krithis in rAgAnga rAga 1 janyas)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The kAnCI site and Dikshitars kritis in rAgAnga rAga # 1 janyas

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

I am reasonably certain that the Dikshitar’s suddha mukhAri kriti to krSnA "muraharENa mukundEna"
(janya of mela 1) is based in kAnCI , as is eKAmbreSa nAyikE (in suddha sAverI)

Of course there are other important krSnA kritis set by Dikshitar at kAnCI including
Sri krSnO in nAsAmani and varadarajam in sAranga etc.

But I want to highlight the somewhat obscure mela i.e. rAgAnga rAga 1 of the 72 rAga scheme.

The mention of Indra’s puja in this kriti via "purandarAdi pUjita" aligns with legends known at kAnCI’s varadaraja perumal shrine. Of course the words murAri and mukhAri sound similar as well !

Dikshitar has a dozen or so other (some of them famous) kritis at kAnCI but this focus for rAgAnga rAga # 1 janyas suggests a deeper connection between these kritis ..either they were constructed at about the same time or on the same tirtha or one of the kritis influenced the choice of deity for the other !

some short good examples
muraharena vocal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWy1RxMTIFg

ekAmbreSa nAyikE violin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7QntIHu7NM

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Dikshitar at SringErI ?)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Did Dikshitar visit SringEri ?

In the footsteps of Muthuswamy Dikshitar…

Sringeri is one of the major Shakti/AmnAya-Pithas and original installations of the Adi Sankara, whose ideas
have influenced the advaitin Dikshitar.

I think it is extremely reasonable to expect there are some Dikshitar kritis at this shrine.

However I found it difficult to find past references that identify any Dikshitar kritis with this important institution.

So..... I looked closely at some kritis as possible candidates and came up with a few plausible ones.

In the Kalavati kriti ( a fine rendition by S. Rajam is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZoucplrW-s )
the line appears

sharatjyOsnAshubhrAkArA shashivadanA kAshmIra vihArA varA shAradA

Here Dikshitar uses a reference taken from the Adi Sankara's Soundaryalahari ... sharatjyOtsnA

Separately the use of the word "bhArati" is also indicative
(this is a name taken by several of the Sankaracharya/pontiffs)

Of course SAradA is also mentioned.

I think the reference to kAshmira made in this kriti has completely thrown off past textbooks etc. from the connection to Sringeri which I am making here.

(ps Dikshitar also makes an oblique reference to paschima kASmira in the paSupatinAtha kriti in shivapantuvarAli which some think is a reference to kAtmAndu Siva/paSupatinAtha shrine (more on that later)).

------------------------------
Another good candidate is shrI rAjarAjEshvari tripurasundari in pUrNacandrika.

In the charana "Sankara prANavallabhE” is a direct quotation of Adi Sankara from the AnnapurnAStakam

Further a reference is made to "paramAdvaita bOdhitE".

------------------------------
The corresponding consort kriti could be IshAnAdi shivAkAra maHncE in sahAna due to the
reference in charana "SrI sAradA samsEvita"

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (gita vAdya vinodini lalitA devI)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

gita vAdya vinodini lalita devI !

In the footsteps of Muthuswamy Dikshitar…

There is only one kriti by Dikshitar (that I know of) where the words Lakshmi and KamalAmbika are both mentioned ! and fittingly it is in the auspicious rAga lalitA.

Of course there is no ambiguity about who the consort is in this kriti i.e. Hari, the uncle of guruguha
etc. “ guruguha mAtula kAntAm lalitAm” where the rAga mudra is also given.

The lalitA name occupies the exalted position in SriVidyA (and other Hindu traditions) and the over-arching lalitA sahasranAma names both the mahAlakSmi and kamalA (as well as ambA and ambikA) in its thousand name list.

Here is a crisp, chaste rendering of this kriti
(this vidushi obviously does not need any typical orchestral style embellishments !!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8utbM3 ... rt_radio=1

A closer look at the kriti indicates several interesting aspects (to me).

Somewhat carelessly some textbooks link this lalitA kriti to a ksetra called Sveta-dvipa merely
because Dikshitar uses this word to introduce the ocean-churning episode (ksirAmbudhi tanayAm) .
(sometimes old history books also connect the “Svetadvipa” with (the lost) Atlantis, or with Jambu-dvipa etc. etc. )

I have very little doubt that Hiranmayi Lakshmi is set at TiruvArur

As far as I can tell, it is one of only 2 Dikshitar kritis , other than the navAvarana set, that refer directly to
the “KamalAmbikA” devi (the other being the tyAgaraja vibhakti kriti Vira vasantA).

The tyAgaraja vibhakti set just like the KamalAmbika navAvarana was set in Tiruvarur.

It can be noted that in the charanam of Hiranmayim we find the reference “Srita CintAmani sadanam” ..parallel to “CintAmani mandirastha” in KamalAmbika Nvvrna Ahiri.

In my opinion Hiranmayi (the golden) Lakshmi kriti has come after the KamalAmba navAvarana was completed !

In that great flood of imagination, the golden kamalA devI is seen early... in the Kamboji as KanakAmshukAyai ,
then appears again in the Ghanta as in “hEma sannibha dEhE:, as the navAavarna progresses to the union of Shiva and Shakti in the Ahiri , finally using the word Lalite only in the Sri Mangalam/kriti !!

rajeshnat
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (gita vAdya vinodini lalitA devI)

Post by rajeshnat »

nAdopAsaka wrote: 08 Dec 2020, 18:45 gita vAdya vinodini lalita devI !

In the footsteps of Muthuswamy Dikshitar…

There is only one kriti by Dikshitar (that I know of) where the words Lakshmi and KamalAmbika are both mentioned ! and fittingly it is in the auspicious rAga lalitA.


I have very little doubt that Hiranmayi Lakshmi is set at TiruvArur

Nadopasaka
I was all along thinking this krithi hiranmayeem was associated with thirumeyachur lalitambigai temple. This place is close to peralam near mayavaram.check below url about thirumeyachur. May be i was misinformed by some one many years back .double check if you have time the below url

http://templesoftamilnadu.co.in/lalitha ... umeyachur/

Govindaswamy
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by Govindaswamy »

There is no doubt that this song is on Lakshmi. The meanings given by Sri .V.Govindan in his blog are reproduced below, assuming his permission.

Pallavi
sadA bhajAmi – I always worship
hiraNmayIM lakshmIM – the golden hued Lakshmi!
tyajAmi – I give up
hIna mAnava-ASrayaM – dependence on mortals which is inferior.

anupallavi
cira-tara sampat-pradAM– the giver of long-lasting prosperity
kshIra-ambudhi tanayAM – the daughter of the milky ocean,
hari vakshaH-sthala-AlayAM– the dweller of the chest of Vishnu,
hariNIM - the golden one,
caraNa kisalayAM – the one with (soft) sprout-like feet,
kara kamala dhRta kuvalayAM – the one holding a lily with lotus-like hands,
marakata maNi-maya valayAm – the one wearing emerald-set bracelets.

caraNam
SvEta dvIpa vAsinIM – the resident of Shvetha-dvipa ,
SrI kamalA-ambikAM parAM – the supreme Kamalambika,
bhUta bhavya vilAsinIM– the one who manifests as the past and future,
bhU-sura pUjitAM – the one worshipped by Vedic scholars,
varAm – the eminent one,
mAtaraM – the mother,
abja mAlinIM – the one wearing a lotus garland,
mANikya-AbharaNa dharAM – the one wearing ruby-studded ornaments,
gIta vAdya vinOdinIM – the one who delights in song and musical instruments,
girijAM tAM – the one dear to Parvati,
indirAm – the embodiment of beauty,
SIta kiraNa nibha vadanAM – the one with a moon-like face,
Srita cintAmaNi sadanAM – the very abode of wish-fulfilling gems to her devotees,
pIta vasanAM – the one wearing yellow garments,
guru guha - mAtula kAntAM - the wife of Guruguha’s maternal uncle,
lalitAm – the charming one.

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by rshankar »

Sri Govindaswamy,
Please note that the meanings for Dikshitar’s compositions have been provided by our fellow-member, Rajani Arjun Shankar, forum name, Rajani- Sri Govindan hosts them in his blogspot.
This has been clarified a couple of times before, and I hope people do pay attention - not just to be accurate, but to acknowledge the enormous amount of work that goes into these efforts. Not doing that is disrespectful, IMO.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Thank you..

Yes I agree it is on a Lakshmi focused deity (however the reference made to KamalAmbikA is interesting in the context of lalitA and the sahasrnAma, that I am pointing out)

I find some references to an underground "shvetadvipa" suggestive of tirupati but unable to confirm...

In this context I think that in his other lalitA kriti (agastISvaram ArAdhayEham)
Dikshitar makes a similar indirect connection to the lalitA sahasrnAma (via the agastyA/Hayagriva legend)

Of course lalitA synonyms/names figure in several kritis ( ref. usage of Sri lalitAm in sri ramA saraswati-nAsAmani
begada Shri mAta etc. etc.)

ps..
I found this link to a fine version of this kriti by one of the major vidwans (SSI) of recent past with suitable gambhiram to
match the rAga (pakkavAdya are greats too !! LGJ/VR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9OitgKeot0

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of Muthuswamy Dikshitar…

No one can dispute that the Dikshitar displays high fidelity to regional temple iconography in all the
musical records he kept of his epic journey !

This fidelity is acute in particular to names of deities.

Based on this, in my opinion the kriti “paSupatISwaram pranaumi” is set to a temple/shrine specific to a paSupatiSwara deity, which is most likely Karur in Tamil Nadu.

In the past it has been (mistakenly) thought to be a reference to the paSupati-nAtha temple of katmAndu, nepAL, admittedly a major Hindu Shaivite shrine, at least for now. I also do not believe the words “satatam-pAl-ita” qualify as any kind of embedded “ksetra-mudra” for a ne-pAL location.

As I see it, the oblique reference made in this kriti to “pasCima kASmira rAja vinutam” is merely Dikshitar
recognizing the far-flung paSupati aspect of the Siva (and so-called kaSmir shaivism).

I note that in the nepAl temple (and also other kaSmira sites) the deity is formally referred to as paSupati-nAtha and never as paSupati-iSwara.

I tend to think Dikshitar would not visit such a distant site as katmAndu, especially to then report the name incorrectly as pasupatiSwara instead of paSupati-nAtha !

The Karur paSupatiSwara temple is also a historic Saivite site, one from early ColA times , presents no ambiguity in the name and a much easier bullock-cart ride from Dikshitars home regions.

A good rendition is available (kriti starts at 11 minute mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVaDiPqbna8

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (bAlAmbikA/bAla-kuCAmbikA vibhakti Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Is there a formal/full bAlAmbikA/bAlA-kuCAmbikA vibhakti set ?

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

A nearly complete bAlAmbikA/bAlakucAmbikA vibhakti set is observable in the Dikshitar collection.

I do not find many references to such a set so I thought I would collect in one place the kritis that support this.

The opening phrases match the typical invocations used i.e. samrakshatu mAm, bhajare-re, namaste, katAkshitoham etc etc.. as seen in the other major Devi vibhakti sets.

[1] paradEvatA bRhat kucAmbA samrakSatu mAm, dhanyasi
[2] bhajarE rE citta bAlAmbikAm , kalyani
[3] bAlAmbikayA kaTAkSitOham , sriranjani
[4] bAlAmbikAyai namaste, natakuranji
[5] bAlAmbikAyAh param nahirE rE citta, kanada
[6] bAlAmbikAyAH tava bhaktohaM, kedaragaula
[7] seventh vibhakti missing ??
[8] bAlAmbikE pAhi, manoranjani

A Mangalam of sorts seems also to be provided ! in appropriate Surati.

[9] bAlakucAmbikE mAmava, surati

Many of the above kritis have been linked to the VaithiSwaran Kovil shrine.
But as noted in previous posts # 435 (mangalAmbA vibhakti set) or # 409 (Ramachandra vibhakti ), a fixed location/shrine may not be an absolute necessity , rather a complete grammatical declension is needed.

For example I added the Dhanyasi to the list, which carries the first vibhakti to the brhat-kuCAmbA.

However, I could not identify (yet) the kriti in the seventh vibhakti in this set (typically where Dikshitar uses the invocation “bhaktim karomi”)

The balAmbika is an important aspect of Devi in SriVidyA, and so it is entirely reasonable that a full vibhakti set would be devoted to her by Dikshitar.

For example the famous kalyAni kriti describes her as “Shakti bijodbhava” ..it is also the only kriti where Dikshitar uses the word “Muthu-KumAra jananim”

The sRIranjani of the set is interesting in comparison to the well known TyAgarAja kritis in this rAga.

I found a decent rendition of this sRIranjani (which is the only kriti by Dikshitar in this rAga..incidentally the mahArAjA also has only one Kriti in this rAga)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv9P4oHE2Ec

rshankar
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by rshankar »

In the kalyANi kRti, isn’t bAlAmbika referred to as “muddu kumAra jananI (मुद्दु कुमार जननी)”?

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

This has been a question for years, maybe even decades…and although it seems at first something like ‘toe-may-toe’ versus ‘toe-maah-toe’..the debate has been mildly contentious….what the text-books (and their guardian musicologists) say versus what vidwAns/vidushis end up rendering ….

As far as I can tell, most vidwAns use the muthu version....here is the doyen of clarity KVN at minute mark 27.46 for example..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJWNjx4NgNI

Rather than rely on reference to some dogmatic school or ancestors, to me the question is interesting because this issue intersects with the Dikshitars own name, and specifically in the context of this unique kriti , can lead to an examination of the Dikshitar intent.

Usually the starting phrase of a kriti (in Carnatic music) has the utmost significance…..however the “wrap” nature of Carnatic music includes meshing with the ending phrase which therefore also highlights the end phrase. I suggest this is also why usually composers mudras/signatures appear in the end phrase, so that as the end cycles back to the beginning, the composers stamp on the kriti is emphasized.

So the following phrase will be heard in the rendering of this kriti after charanam is completed..

Gu-ru-gu-ha-rU-pa-mu-thu-ku-mA-ra- ja-na-nIM- Bha-ja-re-re-Ci-ta-bA-lAM-bi-kAM

The phrase is a collection of single syllables I believe each of which demands emphasis, driven by the explosive syllables in Bha-ja-re.

This suggests to me the sharper “thu” of “mu-thu” is preferred to the softer “ddu” of “mu-ddu”.

Notice also that Ci-ta here is never confused as the softer ci-da (cfc cidAnanda from cita-ananda).

From the upAsana angle, I believe Dikshitar intends the use of his own name muthu-swAmy i.e. inferred via muthu-kumAra and not muddu kumAra. He has already used his guruguha mudra but is going above and beyond that.

At this point in the kriti all the attributes of the Mother have been highlighted..and this aspect of the bAlAmbika is all pervading..

Could there have been a better rAga than kalyAni for Devi to give this kriti to the Dikshitar ?!

bhakthim dehi
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by bhakthim dehi »

@nAdopAsaka
Though not a frequent visitor nowadays, I have been observing your posts, as you tend to make posts in the sections which I frequently visit. I wish to say a few words, rather a few observations on your posts. Needless to say, they will be much critical and for a few, they might be caustic. As usual, I wish to place these facts to clear certain misconceptions.

Your posts can be classified into two types - factually incorrect and exaggerated imaginations due to your extra-ordinary affection towards the composer Sri Muthuswamy Deekshitar. I can understand your feelings and really admire your devotion. However, the comments placed by you cannot be accepted verbatim, at least for people like me who wish to analyze and accept only when it is worthy. Though a kid's language sounds beautiful, many times they carry no sense.

The forum is open to all and you are free to express your views. Personally, I am absolutely fine and I have not interfered till now. At the same time, I cannot sit and watch when factual details are manipulated and expressed in the name of opinion. Many times, the comments placed in 'rasikas' appear first in Google search. When a novice aspirant happens to see these posts, he might be misled by these flowery, yet technically incorrect posts. Only TO PREVENT such misleadings, I take the pain to write this post. I expect this to become an argument as happened with another forumite who spread some disparaging messages about sringara rasa, Venkataramana Bhagavatar and Vaishnavism. He was bold enough to state those comments without having knowledge of Vaishnavism. He was neither interested. The other forumites look into these posts without understanding the depth of conversation.

Though few might consider this as a personal attack, in reality, it is not. The affection and admiration towards these works and our tradition make me be bold and correct as and when I encounter unscrupulous messages. Again, I am not a moral police to monitor you all. For the reasons mentioned above, I feel it is a responsibility of a sincere member who is much interested in preserving the tradition and faiths after understanding the secrets mentioned in these works.

With this introduction, let me dissect your posts. There are a lot of mistakes and misinterpretations in many of your posts. Let me quote a few.

Post no 440
sadAshiva is a special embodiment of shiva/parama-shiva with reference also to a primordial lingam. sri vAnjiyam site is one of the classical shiva linga sthalas, perhaps even with some claim to being the oldest. It is a site associated with desires and prayers for their fulfillment.
As I see it, the description of the devi’s consort in the Pallavi noted in context given above supersedes the later reference to the kumbheSwara deity. It is possible the latter was made due to geographical closeness of the two sites.
I have not seen an arrogant post like this! In your attempt to disport your observations, you always try to thrust your thoughts and ideas. In other words, you try to bend the facts to support your imaginations.
I really wonder about missing this beautiful post. Today, I was searching for something else on the net and happened to land on this post today.

Deeksitar has clearly used the phrase 'mahadAdi kumbhESa mAnasOllAsitAm', meaning, the one who delights the heart of the great, primordial Shiva (http://guru-guha.blogspot.com/2008/08/d ... -raga.html).
Few Sivalayas are integrally connected with 'pralaya', namely,, Kumbeswara in Kumbakonam and Thoniyappar in Sirkazhi. Though the sivalinga in Srivanchiyam is considered to be old, the sthala purana does not link the Lord there with pralaya (excluding a statement saying the linga was existent even before pralaya, to stress the antiquity). I will give a simple Wikipedia article on Kumbeswara to prove my statement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Kumbe ... Kumbakonam

In the absence of the phrase 'mahadAdi kumbhESa mAnasOllAsitAm', this can be taken as a reference to Srivanchiyam, Kumbakonam or any other related sthalam. But this phrase clearly gives us the direction. Saying 'latter was made due to geographical closeness of the two sites' even after considering this phrase is atrocious. Either you don't know the sthala Purana of Kumbakonam or not interested to accept the truth and trying to prove your insipid theory by creating fancy stories. Deekshitar was much aware of geography than anyone of us. He was much clear in his thoughts. You can see the word 'vancanatham' in the kriti in 'sri vancanatham'.

In fact the kriti 'sri vancanatham' can be adapted and be proved as a kriti composed on Kumbeswara, going on your lines. I can argue the phrase 'bhava sAgara nAvaM' , meaning the ship to (cross) the ocean of worldly existence refers to Kumbesa by taking the sthala purana of Kumbakonam as a reference. Basically, we, the humans go to any extent if we wish to distort a fact.
There are repeated sun/gold motifs in this ghantA kriti
This is another statement which proves my opinion. 'Santapta hema sannibha dehe' is the phrase seen in another Ghanta raga kriti 'sri kamalambike'. The word 'hema' referring to gold is to be noted. Why should he use this word in a kriti addressed towards Kamalamba? Come out with your theory :lol: :lol:

Post no 419
Svarupini as used in the anupallavi is feminine
( just like Mohini, Yogini, or vAsini as in kamalA-nagara-ni-vAsini etc. etc)

So the anupallavi is referring to the Devi , but from a unique Tantric view-point.

Two things are evident from this post. First thing, either you are not aware of Sanskrit grammar or you forcefully restricted from considering the grammar for the reason mentioned above. The sanskrit grammar divides the words into three - male, female and neuter gender. So a male can be addressed with a female word, etc. Second, you visualize the kritis only from your perspective. Most likely, you are much satisfied with what you know and not willing to search for phrases that do not make sense on a first reading.
Have you ever read the Tantric treatises on Ganapati? Have you ever came across the different forms of Tantric Ganapati? Have you ever worked to know the meaning of 'ucchista' in the world of Tantrikam? Have you ever tried to apply the word 'ucchista' to this form of Ganapati? Have you ever tried to identify other 'ucchista' Tantric deities? Do you ever know Tiruvarur Tyagaraja temple complex housed around 500 Ganapati vigrahas? This temple was a major centre of Tantric cult. To undertstand this kriti, you must first be aware of the tenets of Ganapatyam.


Post no 409
The only kritis of Dikshitar that are worth singing !! —according to Tyagaraja !! Good thing all around that Dikshitar did not take Tyagaraja too seriously either on the latter's Rama-edict !!
How can you even think like this? :lol: :lol:
Never propose your views as that of a composer. It is much difficult for mortals like us, to really understand the meaning behind a composer using such words. In your case, you have not even understood the intricacies of Deeksitar compositions. In such a case, comments like this are totally unwarranted.
Though we have evidence to say that both of them have met, we don't have concrete information to support your statement.
As I have said, your thoughts much mature, before giving such conclusive comments.


Post no 459
A more recent one !!
A nearly complete bAlAmbikA/bAlakucAmbikA vibhakti set is observable in the Dikshitar collection.
I really cannot find a reason for you to place 'the kritis 'para devata' and 'balakucambike' in this set. Why didn't you place 'arunachalanatham' in this set ? It features a word 'apitakuchamba'. :lol: :lol:

You need to get acquainted with our mythology, especially with Saiva temples before attempting to analyze the compositions of Deekshitar.
In many of the Siva temples, Ambaal is named as Kuchambika. It could be 'apitakuchamba', 'balakuchamba', 'sundarakuchamba' or 'bruhatsundara kuchamba'. Though I do not know the reasons behind this naming, I can definitely say they denote the Goddess enshrined in different kshetras.
Balambika is different from Balakucambika and both are not to be confused.
The kriti 'balakucambike' has got a strong reference. It says 'nilakanta manoranjani' and 'kadamba vana vasini', both refer to Kulittalai temple. The kriti 'para devata' has a line 'mahalinga mohini' referring to Mahalingeswara of Thiruvidaimaruthur. You feel these kritis were composed on Balambika of Vaitheesvaran Kovil, as they are located near by? :P

I can think only think of a kid unable to differentiate the good from the poor when given a box full of sweets, when I see other kritis grouped in this set.

I am much sure, you and many others will get wild. As I have mentioned earlier, my aim is only to straighten the bends. Otherwise, I appreciate your efforts in analyzing the compositions of Deeksitar.

nAdopAsaka
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Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

As usual you are missing the point/s. I give couple of responses.

The ucchista Ganapati is united (in the Tantra) with the devi he has seated in his lap.
It is to this aspect that the feminine in the anupallavi is being applied.
The charanam describes other details of their unity, and central to GanapAtyam to
make this abundantly clear (though maybe not to you).

I asked (not a decree) at outset of the post whether there was a formal bAlAmbikA set.
Why have a vibhakti set if you do not have the first vibhakti kriti. The dhanyasi came as close as possible.

Its OK to have opinions , even yours.

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

It seems not to have been commented on in the past but Dikshitars "sundaramUrtim AshrayAmi" in the
rAga takka carries the rAga mudra inferred via the line “guruguha modi-ta ga-da-nam”..

this word gadanam word appears twice in the kriti..

The rAga takka resembles rAga lalitA (discussed a few posts earlier) in places..

Unfortunately there is no good rendition of the kriti sundaramurtim (which honors the Sundaramurti of TiruvarUr)
available to me..

The incomparable TSKalyanaraman illustrates using the more widely known Tyagaraja kriti
rAkA saSi vadanA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xexb6EeoEJ4

bhakthim dehi
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by bhakthim dehi »

Its OK to have opinions , even yours.
Much appreciate your inclusiveness.
The ucchista Ganapati is united (in the Tantra) with the devi he has seated in his lap.
It is to this aspect that the feminine in the anupallavi is being applied.
You are wrong again. The word 'svarupini' used here is a pullinga sabda (masculine word). I stressed Sanskrit grammar only for this reason and also warned you to not see things superficially.
If you have understood Deekshitar, you would have not made this mistake. I will give two beautiful examples.

1. Whenever Deeksitar wish to address two deities, he uses the dual form available only in Sanskrit (I presume you know the basics of Sanskrit. If not, let me know). Sri parvati parameswarau is an example. Everywhere, in tht kriti, the dual form is used - chitbimbau, leelavigrahau etc.

2. Guruguha swamini, a kriti in the raga Bhanumati. Going by your understanding, I should take it as a kriti addressing Lord Muruga in his feminine form. You can stretch your imagination and can come out with some explanations to support your understanding. Unfortunately, Deekshitar has followed the Sastra and Sanskrit grammar available to all of us. The word 'swamini' is again a pullinga sabda.

Even going by your understanding, why should he use the phrase 'chidananda nathathmani' in the kriti 'uchista ganapatau'?

I would suggest you know the intricacies of his kritis after getting acquainted with these basics, instead of speculating and trying to force in some raga mudra. I was stunned when I read your statement saying the kriti 'herambaya namaste' was indeed composed in Nayaki :shock:
The charanam describes other details of their unity, and central to GanapAtyam to
make this abundantly clear (though maybe not to you).
Certainly not to me. How can a person with a normal understanding of Sastras can think like you? :D

Can you please enlighten me regarding the phrases mentioning their union ? I will proceed further once you do that.
I asked (not a decree) at outset of the post whether there was a formal bAlAmbikA set.
Why have a vibhakti set if you do not have the first vibhakti kriti. The dhanyasi came as close as possible.
So you were aware of the fact that the kriti 'paradevata' was not composed on Balambika. So my statement about your articles is very much correct. You are trying to manipulate, understanding the weakness of the readers. You want to show your prowess, not by giving genuine points. Imagine the plight of a novice who is unaware of the details. He will just beleive you.

There is no harm in speculating. But knowing a fact and manipulating it to satisfy your need is a sin.

P.S I have not touched on the authenticity of these kritis, as I felt your posts are to be first authenticated. I hope you will take this post too in a proper sense.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

I have very little doubt that there is indeed a formal Vibhakti set to the young Goddess known variously as kucAmbA or bAl-Amba.

The Dhanyasi "'Paradevate" is the only first vibhakti kriti that also makes this reference and also uses the familiar samrakSatu mAm invocation found in the other vibhakti sets.

On the tantric ganapati in union with the devi, I prefer my interpretation.

Lets leave it at that.

On the takka kriti, my point was that the re-use/repetition of the word gadanam, in the already rather short kriti seems like an artifice to incorporate the mudra. The rAga is a relatively obscure one.

bhakthim dehi
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by bhakthim dehi »

I have very little doubt that there is indeed a formal Vibhakti set to the young Goddess known variously as kucAmbA or bAl-Amba.

I never denied the possibility of the existence of a new vibhakti set. I raised an issue on considering the kriti 'paradevata' in this set. Balamba and Balakucamba cannot be equated. On all possibilities, Vaitheeswaran Kovil could have been a centre of SriVidya cult and in that case, Balamba connotes a different meaning. Again, this is only for people who think normally and go with the rules.
On the tantric ganapati in union with the devi, I prefer my interpretation.
As long you use the word 'my interpretation', you can even say the mentioned kriti is actually referring to Vishwaksena. :lol: :lol:
As I have mentioned, I have the least interest in correcting you or anyone else. A forum like this should not mislead a novice is my aim and that is well achieved by making it clear by using words that clearly denote your opinion.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

on the tODi rAga mudra in the Dikshitar kritis

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

As seen in many previous posts the Dikshitar insists on embedding rAga mudra especially
in his rAgAnga rAga (mela) kritis.

In most cases the rAga names appear guilelessly i.e. such as via gEyahEjjaji rAgapritikaram or
saindhavi ragapriye etc. etc. and the composer is not exerting himself too much.

For more common rAga names he contorts the lyric of course without distorting the melody
(e.g. pratibim-be gala-jita – begada , takka shown above, arabhi , ardradeshi etc. etc, )

Generally Dikshitar provides the rAga mudra in at least one kriti of several that could be in a rAga.

The question is whether there is an embedded rAga mudra for the tODi mela kritis.

It is certainly a weighty mela/rAga to be ignored for this interesting feature.

This mela is known formally as jana-tODI in the asampurna nomenclature.

In the known todi kritis of the Dikshitar
shrI kRSNam bhaja mAnasa, pAlayamAm bRhadIshvari , dAkSAyanI,
shrI subrahmaNyo mAm rakShatu and KamalAmbikE ASrita offer no clues in this matter.

The remaining have promise via
[1] mahAgaNapatim vandE in a-han-tAdi rahitam

[2] rAmacandrAya namastE which cites sAmagAnalOlAya sAdhu-jana-Adi

But I think possibly the best option is

[3] vEdAraNyEshvarAya namastE viNAvAdana viduSyAmbikA samEtAya
vEdAgamavinuta vaibhavAya vEdAntArttha tatva bOdhitAya

a chaste rendition of vEdAraNyEshvarAya namastE , a rather rare tODI is available..
This artiste has illustrated several rarer Dikshitar kritis and the effort is greatly appreciated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1-VMxfCA8

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (kriti-mAlikA's)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

kriti-mAlikA’s of Dikshitar - focused sequences of musical prayer and messages

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

The Dikshitar devotes an entire vibhakti set to the TyAgarajA (Siva deity) of Tiruvarur although it gets
somewhat less attention than the other major Tiruvarur Devi deity vibhakti sets.

Interestingly the dhyAna kriti of this TyAgarAja set “tyAgarAja pAlayAshu mAm” is in Gaula rAga.

Notably the Gaula-antya or Gaula ending rAga names are used for the NilotpalAmbA of Tiruvarur vibhakti set.

Of further interest is that the the first and second tyAgarAja vibhakti kritis make
direct reference to the NilotpalAmbA devi !

Finally, as the vibhakti set progresses thru the grammatically different invocations,
the KamalAmbA devi is cited (it’s the very last word of the 8th vibhakti kriti in Vira Vasanta).

A fine example of this rarer kriti and rAga is fortunately available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJq9H3Yme8A

The vibhakti sets of the Dikshitar are an extreme example of the kriti-mAlikA form.

Modern kutcheris rarely, if ever, render these sets as the continuous composite or kriti-mAlikAs they are, although they represent a continuous stream of evolving and connected ideas, highly focused on aspects of a particular deity.

While it is certainly possible to revel only in the musical and grammatical details of individual kritis, the message and purpose of these kriti-mAlikA’s is greater than the sum of these parts.

The KamalAmbA navAvarana is a well-known example (perhaps not to novices or their naïve guardians) of
such a staged development thru the vibhakti set, as the Dikshitar builds towards and then consummates the union of Devi per tenets of srividyA. A similar progression to the Siva-sammelana is also seen in the abhayAmbA set.

Whereas the so-called geyanAtakAs/operas of both TyAgarajA (i.e. the composer) and the maHArAja or the Devi navarAtri set of mahArAjA can also be considered as such thematic groupings, the vibhakti approach of the Dikshitar as a composite composition or kriti-mAlikA is unique.

RSR
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by RSR »

A single page list of all the MD kru'tis, with lyrics, ragam information.
at
https://www.sangeethamshare.org/murthy/ ... Kritis.htm

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (mAyavaram ksetra kritis to mAyuranAtham)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

mAyavaram ksetra kritis to mAyuranAtham

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

With reference to kriti-mAlikA’s (discussed in post # 469 above ) the abhayAmbA set at mAyavaram is well known.

Somewhat less known are the “consort” kritis of this shrine to the abhayAmbA-nAyaka also known as mAyuranAtha .

mAyura (the dancing peacock/peahen) is of course the central theme of this shrine.

Two of these consort kritis display an oddity !

The kEdAragauLa and the Ananda bhairavi share several words in both Pallavi and anu-pallavi !!
(reproduced below to properly illustrate )

kEdAragauLa
P: abhayAmbA nAyaka vara-dAyaka AtmarUpa prakAshakAvAva
A: ubhayAtmaka prapaHnca vyApaka Om-kAra svarUpAvakAshaka shubhakara

Ananda bhairavi
P: abhayAmbA nAyaka hari-sAyaka AtmarUpa prakAshaka avAva
A: ubhayAtmaka prapaHnca prakAsha dhIHN-kAra svarUpAvakAshaka shubhakara


There are 2 other terrific kritis to the Shiva at this shrine.

The Arabhi "gaurIshAya namastE shrI" And the DhanyAsi "mAyUranAtham anisham bhajAmi"

The Ananda bhairavi, Arabhi and DhanyAsi kritis all refer directly to the “mAyura” via the word “mAyuranatha” but in the kEdAragaula Dikshitar uses instead the indirect reference via “Nilakantha pujita “ to signify the the central motif of the shrine...namely.. the dancing blue-throated bird /disguise. (maybe this leaves the conspiracy theorists crestfallen)

Notably the Dikshitar also embeds the word mAyamaya in the dhanyAsi kriti signaling the mAyavaram ksetra as well !

A chaste presentation of the DhanyAsi is available !! ....the singer is commended for her crisp and clean delivery… and the rAga simply shines..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cj-xvVpWj4

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

Following up the previous post it is interesting to listen to and compare the 2 kEdAragaulAs,
one to the abhayAmbA dEvI and one to her consort, both sung by the Dikshitar at mAyavaram..

Although both kritis carry a common motif of “prakASa” or enlightenment, share starting words
and, of course, the rAga itself , the Dikshitar appears to ensure a different approach by
changing tAlam, vibhakti and by beginning each kriti at a different swara.

Fine renditions are available (the artistes are commended for these !)

to the consort
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR7l3mLfimA

to the dEvI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB2oNztiXz0

the dEvi kriti is from the exceptional collection of the abhayAmbA set discussed earlier in post # 391

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (dOsha in the Dikshitar kritis ! )

Post by nAdopAsaka »

dOsha in the Dikshitar kritis !

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

The Dikshitar uses the word “dOSa=dosha” (or flaw/defect) in a very limited number of kritis
(only 5 by my count).

The kritis, rAgAs and usage are shown below.

pavanAtmajAgaccha- nATa-apagatAkhiladOSa

bhaktavatsalam abhiSEkavallIyutam-vamshavati- gurutalpa dOSahara

shRHNgAra rasamaHnjarIm- rasamaHnjari-aHNgArakAdi grahadOSa

varadarAja mupAsmahE - sAraHNga - kali dOSahara

mahAsuraM ketum- cAmaram (shanmukhapriyA)-guNadoSacidAbharaNaM

The word “dOSa” is always an unmistakeable reference in Indian classical music to the so-called vivAdi “defect” of dissonance. (as an aside , somewhere in there is an assumption of conformity to what is consonance and what is dissonance, which seems to have been legislated centuries ago but that can be discussed elsewhere).

The purpose of this post is to observe that of the 5 instances listed above in the Dikshitar kritis,
the first 3 are in obviously vivAdi rAgas.

The fourth (in the deshya rAgA sArAnga) has been debated for similar possibilities although in the Hindustani system.

Finally the fifth, in the rAgA cAmAram doesn’t have vivAdi swaras, but being as it is a graha kriti, the usage of the synonym word could be related more to horoscopical defects, aka graha-dOSA or the woes of those who are “star-crossed” !

There are obviously more kritis by Dikshitar such as in varAli (or the timeless nAsAmani !) which are
vivAdi rAgAs that do not carry this effective “mudra”.

But its appearance in 3-4 instances of such rAgas in the entire collection of the Dikshitar does not seem coincidental.

A really good modern rendition of the varAli - shESAcalanAyakam bhajAmi to the viSNu at Tirupati is available

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWoSssutv3E

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (tArakESvara dayAnidhE)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

In all the confirmed mAyavaram ksetra kritis, the Siva is unambiguously described by Dikshitar
as the mAyuranAtha or similar i.e. a dancing peacock motif which is the mAyavaram ksetra signature.

Dikshitar’s kriti in SaNkarAbharaNam “tArakESvara dayAnidhE” is sometimes linked to the mAyavaram ksetra.

However, there are some ambiguities in this, as I see it.

No dancing peacock motif is seen in “tArakESvara dayAnidhE”.

The seeming reference to abhayAmbikA is made only in the very last word of the kriti, as abhayAmbik-AdhAra…AdhAra being rationale, basis, foundation etc. assuming of course this is the original word.

Notably a separate reference to a consort is already given earlier in the kriti….since in the anu-pallavi, Dikshitar uses the descriptor “tArA-nAyaka-sekhara” which is actually two synonyms since Siva is also tArA-nAyaka (tArA, mantrini etc. are names from the lalitA sahasranAma, e.g. in the nAsAmani kriti).

Invariably in Dikshitar’s kritis the Pallavi or the opening word/phrase itself carries adequate information on the specific deity. Given the specific nature of the mAyurnatha/peacock deity, as noted above, and the other details above it is reasonable to ask whether another shrine or ksetra is more applicable to this kriti.

Along these lines, a tArakESvara shrine (circa 10th century AD) is known in the KarnAtaka region of Hangal.
One distinguishing feature of this temple is intricate, large stone pillars that support the deities and the structures.

It is noted that Dikshitar uses the word for foundation/support more than once in the kriti , the tArakESvara described also as holding up the universe as viSwAdhAra. ...of course Siva-tArakeSvara, the ferryman for mortal existence is also the basis for the removal of fear....abhayam-AdhAra.

A fine rendition of this less-heard kriti is available..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7P2HfqEIo8 kriti starts at time 18.12

rshankar
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by rshankar »

A naïve question - isn't tArA nAyaka SEkhara the same as candraSEkhara? i.e., tArA nAyaka = chandra?

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Indeed it is....however it embeds the second synonym = tAra-nAyaka as well..

the usage (instead of chandra-sekhara) being driven by the tA-ra syllables of pallavi.....

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (tanjAvUr ksetra and Dikshitar’s kritis in rare rAgAs )

Post by nAdopAsaka »

tanjAvUr ksetra and Dikshitar’s kritis in rare rAgAs

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

tanjAvUr is considered famous today as the region where our great vAggeyakAras were born and whose air they breathed and turned into song.

Some could question or wonder if this is also the reason the Dikshitar himself considered tanjAvur famous as he notes in the charanam of prasanna venkateSa , the vasanta bhairavi, the phrase “prasiddha tanjA nagarasthitam” and then goes on to add the adjective for viSnu as “rasika-sekharam” !!

There is no question, however, that out of all the major ksetras where Dikshitar received his inspiration, tanjAvUr stands out with the maximum number of his kritis in rare rAgAs.

The combination of kritis that make reference to either BrihadiSwarA or the BrihanAyaki of this ksetra is remarkable for rAgA choice. A total of 22 of these kritis are known , 11 for each deity.... (including the rare “nabhomani chandrAgni”, which is made rarer by the fact that the guruguha mudra seems to be missing..ps. there is another kriti in nabhomani rAga by dikshitar which does carry the guruguha mudra)

A list can be made to illustrate better..roughly in the vibhakti ordering, although that does not seem to have been followed in full..(more on that later)

[1] bRhadIshvarO rakSatu mAm hari - gAnasAmavarALi =gAnamurti
[2] nabhOmaNi candrAgni nayanam - nabhOmaNi
[3] bRhadIshvaram bhajarE rE citta - nAgadhvani
[4] nAgAbharaNam nagajAbharaNam namAmi - nAgAbharaNam
[5] rAjarAjEndra cOjha pratiSThitam- guNDakriya
[6] brhadiswara katakshena -Jivantika
[7] bRhadIshvarAya namaste - shaHNkarAbharaNam
[8] stavarAjAdinuta bRhadIsha - stavarAjam
[9] bhOgachAyA nATakapriyE - bhOgachAyA nATa
[10] pAlayamAm bRhadIshvara pAlita bhuvanEshvara - nAyaki
[11] paHncabhUta kiraNAvaLim candra mauLim- kiraNAvaLi

-----------------------------
For the Devi here, i.e. the brihannAyaki or brhadAmbA, the rAgA choice is equally non-standard

[12] santAnamaHnjarI shaHNkarI -santAna maHnjari
[13] saccidAnandamaya vijRmbhiNIm -kumbhini
[14] bhUSAvatim maHnjubhASAvatim bhajEham-bhUSAvati
[15] bRhadISvarIM bhaja rE citta-Lalita panchamam
[16] bRhannAyaki varadAyaki - AndhALi
[17] himagirikumAri Ishvari -ravikriya
[18] shRHNgArAdi navarasAHNgI -dhavaLAHNgam
[19] saindhavI rAgapriyE shaHNkari santatam- saindhavi
[20] bRhadambikAyai namastE namaste -Vasanta
[21] pAlayamAm bRhadIshvari bhaktajanAvana shaHNkari -tODi
[22] pAmarajana pAlinI pAhi bRhannAyaki-sumadyuti

Of course there is a sprinkling of a few more common rAgAs,
SankarAbharanam logical due to the Siva deity, and nAyaki perhaps because of word association with brihannayaki etc.

Incidentally the shwetaGanapati kriti is considered also as sited at tanjavUr.

It would seem as if a vibhakti approach was followed for both the Brihadishvara set and the set for his consort….
at least for the first 3-4 of each set.

Notably vibhaktis 5-6-7 are missing but conversely there is a profusion of kritis in vibhakti 8.

A somewhat romantic explanation for this discontinuity could be that after the first few grammatical invocations the composer was already awash in the deities presence..and so dispensed with the organized approach, threw caution to the wind and resorted to more direct sambodhana vibhakti !

The choice of rAga leads to consideration of whether these kritis came much later in Dikshitars production timeline (coinciding with fame and age of not just Dikshitar but also his great contemporaries, as inferred also from the rasika-Sekharam reference)...and also after he exhausted the more conventional rAgAs at the other shrines or temple complexes (TiruvArur, Tiruttani, madurai, kAnchi) etc etc

Separately it can be noted that the Dikshitar needed to “check the boxes” in his asampurna-mela rAga exercise and found inspiration in the great tanjAvUr BrihadiSvara temple complex as fertile ground to complete this exercise.

Another king once sang “a little less talk, a little more action” so some examples of these rare kritis are in order..I give a couple here (if I find decent ones for others I will endeavor to post subsequently). I thank the artists and the uploading agencies for their sincere efforts..


Jivantika
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leWgVOs8W9w

Nabhomani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50CXNZ2lGpQ

An excellent shweta ganapati in raga chudAmani is also known (the acorn has not fallen far from the tree)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAVbshjoTs

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

following up the previous post ..

these 2 brihadisvara-brhadAmba kritis while not in rare rAgas are good listen

Voleti - sankarAbharanam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od0es0q77qY

it would be a mistake to ignore the percussion thani of the above , probably a rare video
(violin is also excellent)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CAaM6zKOpI

M. SanthAnam - vasanta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57mdvqvlt8

ajaysimha
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by ajaysimha »

Hi rasikas,

I was looking for the Dikshitar Krithis with chitta swarams, ones actually given by Dikshitar and popular versions in concert circuits.

Thanks,
Ajay Simha

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Citta swaras in the Dikshitar kritis can be contrasted to the more detailed swarajati's of sYAmA SAStrI....(perhaps there are other kritis of sYAmA SAStrI which also have citta swaras )

Arguably the most famous one is the kedAram kriti to the natarAja of Cidambaram which makes reference to "divya pAtanjali" in the kriti and subsequent embedded word "pA-ni-ni" for the grammarian and the commentator etc. at the start of the citta swara.

It could be interesting to see whether Citta swaras as used by the Dikshitar are associated with a deity or kriti that has a dancing motif or gait....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlT0orsmlNI

gives an interpretation of the kedAram from the viewpoint of leading dancers/choreographers..

in this regard vallabhAnAyakasya - begada may also qualify since it is also sung with Citta-swaras..

perhaps also the gowlA ganapati kriti..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhU5eXl2aHg

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

paramAnanda natana is a somewhat less-heard kriti in kedAram of the mahArAja to the Siva,
(instead of usual padmanAbha focus)
and there is no doubt it is influenced by the Dikshitar kedAram.

The anupallavi (if it can be called that) is also quite interesting..

The great composers are not immediately associated with conventional dance forms
although their song is nothing but the unceasing dance of the spirit.

An excellent version is available..thanks to vidushis and engines that allow this free access..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pByrMt1CSM

ajaysimha
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by ajaysimha »

Thanks nadopasaka for inputs on chitta swaras

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (ardha-nAriSwara and the Dikshitar’s “rite of the nite” )

Post by nAdopAsaka »

ardha-nAriSwara and the Dikshitar’s “rite of the nite”

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

There are not many kritis in the rAga kumudakriyA.., but I feel that even if there were, they could be hard put to match “ardhanAriSwaram ArAdhayAmi” by the Dikshitar.

kumuda-kriyA (the word) can itself be roughly interpreted as “the rite of the nite-lily”.

Suitably the Dikshitar reflects this rAga choice for the midnight puja in the kriti as “ardha-yAma alankAra”

It can be noted that in the asAveri Navagraha kriti the Dikshitar describes the moon as “kumuda-mitram”

kumudakriyA rAga avoids the panchamam in the Pantuvarali = kAmavardhani scale, which however may or may not explain why it has been avoided by most other composers.

Coincidentally the word kAmav-ardha-ni conceals the word “ardha” !!

a really good modern version is fortunately available
(pakkavadyas are equal to the crisp vocalist )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8-P16-eKY0

Clearly the duality of the deity does not extend to the “ride” i.e. the vehicle, only Nandi the sacred bull is noted in the kriti, …no weird half bull-half lion construct (which of course would then become “full bull”..)

similarly the deity has a uniform red tinge for both male and female aspects....could be what was visible at the famous Tiruchengode site.

The only other kriti of the Dikshitar with the ardha-nAriSwara aspect is the deity at Tiruvarur, referred via “nIlakaNThArdha sharIriNyAh” , which also has a midnight/flower motif, the so-called water-lily.

In this kriti namely NilotpalAmbikAyAstava in mAyamAlavagowlA the hue is blue, not red.

(some aspects of the gowla-antya set were discussed in post # 420 of this thread)

again we are lucky ! a fine rendition of this less-heard MMGowla is known
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVWFkFsFri4

ps to ajaysimha.. best wishes and happy listening !

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (kritis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

minor anomaly - pentatonic rAga kriti with sapta-svara reference

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

The Dikshitar kriti in rAga devakriyA “sandhyA devim sAvitrim vara gAyatrIm” is his only kriti
(that I am aware of) which refers directly to the “sapta svara” or the seven notes….this phrase is undoubtedly a Carnatic musicological icon/axiom.

“sandhya devim sAvitrim” is itself an auspicious kriti and apart from reference to the primordial gAyatri mantra, also describes an aspect of the saraswati devI as the enabler of krSnA's birth , as govinda Janani etc.!

The seven-note reference appears as “saptasvara mAtRkA rUpiNIm”..

Even that other great visionary, who need not be named in this enlightened forum, makes a reference as “vEda shiro, mAtR.ja saptasvara nAdACala dipa” in the famous Hindolam to the krSnA.

The (minor) anomaly of course is that the Dikshitar DevakriyA (which is identical to Shuddha sAveri)....
and the Hindolam are pentatonics i.e. 5-swara rAgas.

My explanation for this is that in the height of compositional fervor and fever, as these beautiful songs are “received” by these vAggeyakAras, the over-arching attribute of the deity (in this case Saraswati as the giver of music) has trumped the minor “musicological” detail…. similar anomaly is noticeable even in the jaganmohini , I believe

all-in-all a good excuse to listen to this kriti..which is fortunately available
(thanks as always to sincere efforts of artistes and uploaders)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9L7nggBGx8

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (comments on rudra chakra Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

rAgas (or roses).. by any other name

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar….

The rudra chakra melA, comprises mela #’s 61 to 66 with (asampurna paddhati) names which are
themselves melodious words such as kuntala, ratipriya, gitapriya, bhuSAvati and caturAngini.

The 6500 pound elephant in the chakra is of course mela # 65, the omnipresent and mighty Santa-KalyAni, also a pretty name.

Other than kalyAni and vACaspati=bhuSAvati and one kriti in caturAngini, the the Dikshitar only has shorter samaSti charana kritis in the other melas of this chakra, including the Amrutavarshini, (so-called janyA of caturAngini).

Although words like vACaspati , lathAngi and citrAmbari (i.e. the sampurna paddhati names corresponding to the rudra chakra) are also lyrically attractive, it is interesting to speculate on the consequences of the choice of this word with respect to the kriti and deity, in particular rati-priya versus rishabha-priya

Dikshitar begins the kriti with reference to mAra (aka manmatha, the god of love, seduction and charm etc.) only after which he uses the word Rati-priya , and immediately this beautiful rAga name/word falls into place for the charming aspect of the tanjAvur GovindarAja… one can hardly see “mAra-rishabha priya” as making any kind of sense !.. It is even possible that if rishabha priya was the only rAga name for mela 62 , the kriti may not have been on viSNu at all.

It is also the only kriti by the Dikshitar (which I am aware of,glad to be corrected) to a male deity which carries the description of “bhAva rAga tAla”

(the only other usages of this highly significant phrase are reserved for forms of the devi i.e the balAmbika kalyAni, the abhayAmbikA kalyanis and another one in bhairavi)

Having got all that out of the way, we are fortunate to have two expert and chaste renditions of this fine rAga..

[1] by a senior vidushi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Tlz9kbrx4

[2] And this s. rAjam narrative is invaluable to see the development of the Koteeswara Iyer rishabapriya classic "ghana naya desika" thru the lens of this distinguished vidwAn and polyglot..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4Q0y2spFsY

RSR
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by RSR »

Most kruthis of MD are in Sanskrit. There are two kruthis iin Telugu , which are said to be wrongly attributed to MD.
1) rupamu juci
2) nee sathi deivamu
-----
I am unable to find tgese two in Sri.V.Govindan's blog on MD kruthis and translation.
May I have the help of experts in MD kruthis ? I need word-by-word translation for these two compositions and transcripted lyrics.
@nAdopAsaka

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

I do not have word-for-word translations for these kritis..

It is noticeable (from the versions I have seen) that they do not carry the so-called guruguha mudra./signature of the Dikshitar....

I am doubtful these are Dikshitar kritis.....there are no Dikshitar varnams in other rAgas... for example...

ps The Todi varnam is quite popular in dance recitals and can be seen to do the rAga justice (in the right hands)

RSR
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by RSR »

p-487
Thanks.
How can a raga without words be exemplified by any dance?
NO.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Arabhi Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Dikshitars Arabhi

In the footsteps of NadaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

The kriti-mAlikAs of Dikshitar are like highly organized clusters, entire flotillas of kritis, that
travel an otherwise dark universe of consciousness illuminating its silence and ignorance
with the light of NAda-jyoti or NAdACala dipa.

Somewhat less grand designs and organizations are of course the classifications into rAga melAs and chakras.

One such grouping is the “ghana panchaka rAgas” namely SrI, gaulA, varAli, nAta and ArabhI, which are also appropriately treated as a composite set by the Dikshitar.

For example they all appear together at the beginning of his daSAvatAra rAgamalika “mAdhava mAm” and also in his caturdaSa rAgamAlika “Sri vishwanAtham” (which however replaces the rAga varAli with rAga gauri ..this is a separate story that will be examined later..)

It can also be seen that the entire set of 5 is used in Dikshitars Ganapati kritis
(see for example post # 421 of this thread in this regard , posted 5 pandemic months ago, seems like 5 regular years though)

In contrast, it is somewhat remarkable that these ghana panchaka rAgas do NOT figure prominently in his (many) Vibhakti sets or other clusters . They only appear sporadically such as the obvious use in gaula-antya NilotpalambA set , the natural SrI rAga based Mangalam kritis in the TiruvArur Devi vibhakti’s and the dhyAna kriti to the SivA of tiruvArur).

In this post I make some observations regarding one of these ghana rAgas, Arabhi.

Regarding Arabhi, somehow over the decades, “Sri saraswati namostute”, a short (samasti charana) kriti has become prominent as Dikshitars Arabhi. ganarajena also samaSti charana is perhaps next. While these kritis are gems, I believe the depth of this rAga and the scope it has afforded the Dikshitar imagination is not fully appreciated.

In fact Dikshitar has several kritis in Arabhis which carefully also span a range of tAlam.

At least 4 of them use the adjective Koti, either as koti lAvanya, koti prakAsa, bhanukoti etc etc. which suggests to me the possibility of “brain muscle memory” as each kriti emerged..The common motif of “light” or "prakaSa" in this is especially indicative.

Less recognized (so far) is that two of his Arabhis refer to the “aNimAdi siddhi”, which links them to the kamalAmbikA navAvarana, where the first Avarana in Anandabhairavi describes Devi as “ aNimAdi siddhIshvarI”.
These are “ganarAjena rakshitoham” and somewhat less well known “AkhilAndeSwaryai namaste”.

“AkhilAndeSwaryai namaste” is actually a summary of the KamalAmbika navavarana progression, and describes in sequence the 9 chakras and the associated 9 yoginis. The time (praharam) of this kriti appears to be the night given the multiple references shared with the asAveri graha kriti including SaratCandrikA dhavala.

It is interesting to speculate ( at least to sri vidyA upAsakas) whether these two Arabhis were intended to be sung prior to starting the kamalAmbikA navAvarana.

mArakoti
this youthful innocence is clean and crisp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xu-IwNlmCo

and from senior vidhushis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wjGMewzgEM

akhilAndeSvaryai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPfu1E-SvzU

my sincere thanks to artistes and upload agencies

The Lost Melodies
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by The Lost Melodies »

We celebrate Panguni Krithikai as the avatara dina of Sri Muthusvamy Diksitar. Is it just hearsay information or we have strong evidence to back up this faith?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8lx6Mx8HWM

Harika Ravinuthala
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by Harika Ravinuthala »

Hi all
I am new to rasika.
I am learning Carnatic music since 9 years, and i would love to learn a new and unique MSD Keerthana. Could you please suggest a new keerthana?
Thanks in advance

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (madhyamAvati of the panCanadi ksetra)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

madhyamAvati of the panCanadi ksetra

In the footsteps of NadaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

Sorry I am unable to comment on exact birth day and time of Dikshitar…perhaps others know better….
(this does not mean that I think the date/s being discussed or accepted by some historians or other entities etc. is inaccurate ) .

I suppose a day and time has to be picked, so perhaps this is a good one from an auspicious or even superstitious perspective. Same holds for his death (I have heard the respected vidwAn s. rAjam opine that Deepavali day coincides with the Dikshitar’s passing).

It all sounds good to me, he was obviously born and died at some two points in time and these choices appear reasonable, unless some other choices are also there or some family certificates (duly notarized) are unearthed, saying differently.

I am more concerned with what he did between those days/times for which the record is less digital but nonetheless quite detailed. I suspect some music rasikAs are also this way but am OK to be disappointed if this expectation is not met.

Along this discussion of timelines, the birth/death of the other two giants of his time also becomes mildly relevant.

In this regard, I observe that in the panCanadi ksetra both the Dikshitar and tyAgarAja have applied themselves to madhyamAvAti rAga to related deities, one to the Dharmasamvardhani and the other to her consort known as the pranathArThi-hara.

I refer to the respective masterpieces Dharmasamvardhani and Muccata BrahmAdulaku..

Whereas the Dikshitar addresses the Devi directly in the former, tyAgarAja uses the same rAga to describe “Siva-as-thinking-of-pArvati” in the latter !! So the effeminate aspect of madhyamAvati is preserved.

It seems (to me) there could be cross-influences between Dharmasamvardhani and Muccata BrahmAdulaku but one cannot be absolutely sure which kriti came first, or which is influencing which…since, once again, they did not put a convenient time stamp.

If I had to guess I would think the tyAgarAja heard the Dikshitar gem to the Devi and found the only way to work around it was to invoke the male deity instead … (notice that another giant of panCAnadi gave us pAlinsu kAmAkshi to the Devi in this same rAga, located however to the kAnci site)

It does not really matter, since part of the marvel of all these kritis is also in the not-knowing and wondering..and wonderment that they happened at all, whether on one krittika or another..

Dikshitar dharmasamvardhani
Hyd Bros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNtOf52MsLs

TyAgaraja Muccata brahmadulaku
s rAjam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnSDNFpK8MI

Perhaps madhyamAvati works for harikaR as a new kriti ?

or how about this nice one !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMzICCTt7wM

anyway just suggestions , best wishes ! and happy journey in the great aural garden...

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

Regarding the question on anniversaries it occurs to me that there is easily possible one Dikshitar kriti for each day of the year..and so (for me) every day of the year can be suitable for such an Aradhana..

In a previous post # 483 one aspect of the NilotpalAmba devi of TiruvArUr was noted as possessing
half of Sivas form/body. Post 483 described that the kumudakriyA flower/midnight aspect is limited to this particular Devi and the ardhanariSvara deities at Tiruchengode.

No such gentle flower mode is operative however for the demon destroyer aspect of the Devi enshrined in the mahiSAsura mardini stotra and also by the Dikshitar in his terrific kriti "mahiSAsura mardini namAmi" in rAga nArAyani where the reference appears as “shaHNkar-ArddhasharIriNIm”

The use of rAga named as nArAyani is a bit tongue-in-cheek, obviously by destroying the demon, the sister of viSnu acts as the preserver.

The Dikshitar is not devoid of wryness , although the tyAgarAja has certainly cornered this position with his grim wit.

Observe for example the use of su-vriSti , the careful appeal for just the right amount of rain , not a flood (ati-vriSti) after the famine (anA-vriSti) in the AmritavarSini.

An exceptional rendering of the nArAyani kriti is available.at 1.57.35 in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSJQu83 ... rt_radio=1

indeed all the selections rendered by all the artistes are notable...
(pakkavAdyas are well-known experts as well)

The organizers are commended for assembling !

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of NadaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

It is fairly obvious that the rAga name/word itself plays a role in several of the musical/lyrical sculptures we call the Dikshitar kritis.

Perhaps this is a sign of a composer who is also uniquely a vainika, whose mind has to formulate instructions to his fingers as well.

Indeed, the rAga itself as an offering to the deity (or as a way to praise/honor a deity) is also abundantly seen in the kritis.

The appearance of rAga mudra is therefore natural for most rAgas handled by Dikshitar (if not all) but not for all the kritis in the same rAga.

In some cases where rAga mudra is embedded it is provided as an inferred characteristic.

A terrific (hitherto unrecognized) example is the use of the phrase "ga-ma-pa-da di-nuta padAyai" in Yadukula kAmboji to the horse-rider abhayAmbikA as has been noted previously in post # 391. Here the Dikshitar uses it to point out the gAndharam in yadukula kAmboji arohana as per Dikshitar school, which is not usual.

An excellent version of this kriti is worthy of repeated listening..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAqxbmx ... Oq&index=5

Another fine example of these rAga mudra features can be seen in two other unchallengeable Dikshitar kritis where [1] the sun god namely Surya (i.e. “savitr”) and [2] his consort “sAvitrI” are addressed.

Surya is dealt with in the famous Navagraha kriti via "suryamurte namostute", fittingly in saurAStra rAga, whereas sAvitrI is invoked in the Devakriya, sandhyA devim sAvitrIm.

Both kritis reference the saur-aSta mantra, namely the gAyatri, although this important word itself only appears in the sandhyA devi kriti.

The specific rite/kriya or ritual of prayer where this mantra is used is enshrined as "Deva-kriya", the rite that precedes all other prayer. sAvitrI, the consort of savitr = Surya takes three hues/colors as well for morning, midday and evening, coinciding also with the times for use of this ancient mantra, aka sandhyA-vandanam.

To me, there is no question all these majestic kritis are authentic Dikshitar kritis.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Krithis)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

Like Sri rAma , the Dikshitar also submits to the gravitational pull of the daughter of the Earth.

KsitijA-ramanam captures the essence of both devagAndharI and the siTa-ramana aspect.

The Ksiti syllables used appear inspired by that other terrific devagAndhari Ksira-sAgara.

There are several renditions available from senior and experienced experts but sometimes
all that is needed to capture the composers intent is an innocence..

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

A senior vidwAn can be heard as well..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZUzb4NR7Sc

Not surprisingly VibhiSana is referred to in several of the Dikshitars rAmaCandra kritis, and
also in the Srirangam nAyaki, rangapura.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (the Friday Shukra navagraha kriti)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The Friday Shukra Navagraha kriti

In the footsteps of nAdaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

On this Friday, the auspicious Friday or Shukra Navagraha kriti of the Dikshitar presents many facets that are worthy of introspection.

In its choice of words it gives Dikshitar the least degree of freedom !
The percentage of required “non-negotiable” descriptors is one of the highest, if not the highest.

This is because out of all the Navagraha kritis, horoscopical details and words are used extensively only in this kriti, in keeping with the status of this Shukra graha as controlling.

This includes naming the amSa’s and other divisions of planetary transit that are intrinsic to horological calculations. He also has to give the relevant constellation names, the rASi’s.

However the Dikshitar, ever the great tone-poet, wears these bonds well, perhaps even exploiting
the horoscopical word pAri-jAt-AmSa to embed raga mudra
(another of his fine paras kritis "cintaye mahalingamurte" gives the mudra via sami-pa rju).

Noticeably , he also uses the invocation ‘he’ (pronounced “hay”) via “he shukra bhagavan”.

‘he’ usage as a call-out address is very rare for Dikshitar,.. elsewhere only the devi is addressed (once)
as “he abhayakare” in the Abhayamba SrI rAga kriti.

There is a degree of informality in this usage that is not the norm for the Dikshitar.

The invocation “re” = pronounced "ray" appears much more often as
for example bhajare re citta etc.., re mAnasa etc. etc.

However “he bhagavAn” is a more commonplace usage just like “he rAm”, and the
Dikshitar suitably sets this up in the anupallavi.

With all this planning it is logical to ask whether the rAga choice is not also random.

I believe it is not random and make a case below.

In post # 398 one explanation for the choice of rAga for the Navagraha kritis was linked to the number of satellites of each planet. The argument was based on the periodic/intermittent use of bhASAnga swaras similar to the periodic transit or movement of planets as well as their satellites.

Paras (or paraj=pharaj) rAga satisfies this svara description for the choice, but an explanation for the specific choice
is needed.

One explanation is as follows..

Etymologically the word for the horse has been linked to the Middle eastern usage pharas (also root of pars etc).

It is noted that Shukra the deity rides a horse , which therefore makes the paras rAga the natural way for the
Dikshitar to present this planet.

SRJ instruction video is interesting ( SRJ and MDR learned together from TigerV)
the way the upper shadja is approached , like a siren starting up !
SRJ is always a treat, what a blessing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGvn6DGg3cI

Also fine version is leading vidushi and students

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXxDob0IiWs

nAdopAsaka
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Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (JambukeSwarA/akhilAndeSwari kritis of TiruvanaikAval)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The JambukeSwarA/akhilandeSwari kritis of TiruvanaikAval

In the footsteps of nAdaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

The Dikshitar’s fantastic water image from the famous Jambupati water linga kriti “spills” into the
equally famous “akhilAndeswari rakSatu” jujAvanti (or dvijAvanti) ....seen for example in the “jharjhar vAdya” reference....jharna is itself another word for waterfall and the instrument cited makes the kind of sound that falling/splashing water might make…

How masterful that the “anir-vaCaniya nAda bindo” of the Siva has become the
babbling, gurgling brook in the Devi’s lap.

“akhilAndeSwari rakSatu” is of course different from the other dvijAvanti masterpiece in deity and tAlam,
the latter being to the krSna, cetah Sri bAlakrSnam.

In fact “akhilAndeSwari rakSatu” can be seen to have an impact on another massive DvijAvanti,
the colossal 5 charana “parama bhadra panCa nadISa praNata “ of swAti tirunAl mahArAja
in which the mahArAja intriguingly uses the words nikhila-loka, vimala and Akhila-amareSvara.

This kriti itself will be discussed separately in the swAti tirunAl thread.

The reason to mention it here is in the context of akhilAndeswari-the-jujAvanti.

It seems not to be fully comprehended that the mahArAja’s body of work (which comes only a few years after the Dikshitar) carries many signatures of the Dikshitars influence. It can therefore provide a substantially reliable source of information since it is based on the integrity and respect of one great and sensitive artist for another’s skill and legacy.

Back in JambukeSwaram....although the water-linga kriti dominates this particular shrine,
the Devi is clearly always at the center of Dikshitar’s attention.

For it is in JambukeSwaram that the terrific begada “Sri mAta Siva vAmanke” is also set,
(which of course uses the starting names and many others from the Lalita sahasranAma).

Indeed all three kritis Jambupate, akhilAndeSwari and Sri mAta share common usages in
words like Jambupati, vimale, akhilAnda-nAyike etc.

After all this talk, not hearing these kritis is to invite darkness….some selections

In this yamunA kalyAni , the artists name (siva-gangai !) qualifies him right away !, and he does a fine job

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWT7WLaO470

rising vidwAns - akhilAndeSwari

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDMYCNuj6qs

sri mAta - begada on veena by seniormost vainikA viduSi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxpO5VcFIKA

nAdopAsaka
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Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (rAgas derivable from the rides/vehicles of some navagraha deities ?)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

are rAgas derivable from the rides/vehicles of some navagraha deities ?

In the footsteps of nAdaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

As we have seen in post # 496 with Paras for Shukra as synonym/root of a word for the horse ,
the vehicle of Shukra, it seems logical to search for the appropriate rAga as the name of the “vehicle”
associated with some of the other Dikshitar navagraha deities.

The following two curiosities (with some small amount of hair pricking up on the back of my neck)
are immediately noticed.

[1] Brihaspati’s vehicle is the elephant.

athAna may have a phonetic link in the Indian/hindi word for elephant as “hAthi” derived from hasti..

In fact the Dikshitar uses the word "vara HathAna" as mudra in the vAmAnkA Ganapati kriti.

[2] Shani’s vehicle is the vulture.

YadukulaK may have a phonetic link in the Indian/tamil word for vulture as “Kaluku”
per a crude search I conducted.

Today being Saturday so above is good reason to propitiate the moody Saturn with the resonant classic linked here (somehow the acoustics of this recording captured the nasal twang of the vidwAn and the violins sharp tone, all super vidwAns)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRhk81mKvjY

The remaining Navagraha kritis can be looked at for similar oddities..

nAdopAsaka
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Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (musical archaeology of the Dikshitars musical sculptures )

Post by nAdopAsaka »

some more aspects of a musical archaeology of the Dikshitars musical sculptures

In the footsteps of nAdaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

On this auspicious Sunday (phAlguna Shukla purnimA), I submit the following..

It is hard for me to accept that the Dikshitar would “abdicate” (i.e. give-up) his responsibility in constructing the two important chAya-graha (rAhu and ketu) kritis of the composite Navagraha kriti set,
especially after doing his “duty” so ably with the first seven grahas.

Obviously the importance of the eclipse grahas cannot be understated in horoscopy.

I give now some possible (and to me, likely) explanations for the rAga choice ,
associated with these two kritis, that can be interpreted as quite indicative of the Dikshitars hand.

In association with other recent posts on the vehicles of some of these deities,
these constitute further excavations of the Dikshitar legacy..a musical archaeology of sorts.

I believe that in contrast to the vehicle names for other graha kritis,
the significant eclipse nature of these grahas is driving the rAga choice.

[1] rAhu with rAga ramA-manohari

The eclipse nature of the rAhu , more particularly as “taking-over-the-moon” is expressed as
raMa-mano-hari, where the raMa devi aka or Lakshmi who is born on sharad purnimA is symbolized as the moon.

[2] ketu with rAga Camara

first it should be mentioned that the word Camara is notably also Shanmukha-priya in rAga name parlance ,
the latter being a synonym for guruguha..
(see for example the terrific tOdi “shrI subrahmaNyo mAm rakShatu ShaNmukhAvatAra” or any of the (equally terrific) Tiruttani guruguha kritis)

But Camara is also fly-whisk or fly-swatter (see siddhi VinAyaka kriti etc) which is both an ornament
guruguha Camara-bharanam ! as well as has the utility of swatting away flies, which undoubtedly gives pleasure to guruguha and consequently also Shanmukha i.e. Shanmukha-priya.

The connection to ketu of course is the periodic motion of ketu which produces eclipses just like periodic motion of fly-swatter (Camaram) is producing periodic shadows (eclipses) on guruguhas’s face even as it swats away flies etc.

The chAya graha kritis are in mela rAgas (as was noted in post # 398 as well) which sets them apart from the bhASAnga and Suladi-tAla scheme fixed for the sapta-vara kritis.

Indeed both kritis are set aside in rupaka tAlam.

These symbolisms are entirely in keeping with all the other artifacts uncovered in the musical excavation...
the musical archaeology of the Dikshitar’s musical sculptures, which stand like the Pyramids as beacons of nAda in the desert of ignorance and silence !

fine rAhu kriti
KVN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5JhDkGqYZg
s rAjam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9tiNGnCQ7c

fine ketu kritis
s rAjam vocal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxonZu3d4U8

his brother s bAlachandar on veena
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl5bZoNCAWk

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Mutthuswamy Dikshithar (Navagraha kriti rAga basis summary)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Navagraha kriti rAga basis summary

In the footsteps of nAdaJyoti Muthuswamy Dikshitar..

Expecting the Navagraha kriti rAga choices to be somehow random is "delusional"....
..given the structure/rationale of this set and the general organized demeanor of the Dikshitar..

Accordingly I summarize the rAga choice basis for each of the 9 Navagraha kritis arrived at over last few posts
which seem quite plausible ( at least to me) ..

....I have not seen similar summary/analysis....perhaps it has been done...

....the often quoted compendium by Todd Mccomb and S. Ramanatham (Harvard Lib.) did not
address such rAga choice/basis.

Navagraha kriti rAga basis summary

[1] Surya – souraStra – from the gayatri “sour-aSta” mantra and sun worship/prayer.

[2] Chandram – asAveri – as a symbol of night, the anti-thesis of sAveri or daylight.

[3] Mangalam – suraTi – as symbolic of a ‘mangalam’ rAga.

[4] Budham – nAtakuranji – I believe this choice is based on the word “nAtaka”
(Budha is considered preceptor of the epic mahAbhArata (it being the story of the “lunar” dynasty) and its most emblematic, embedded poem/song , the Gita (madhura kavitA)

notably in some other kritis the Dikshitar uses “mahA-kAvya-nAtaka” to describe the mahAbhArata
also "nAtaka-priya" is actually natAbharana in asampurna scheme and also a mela, so doesn't qualify for a vAra kriti
(per my post # 398)

deity vehicle based

[5] Brihaspati – athAna - elephant – hathi – hasti

[6] Shukra – paras – horse – from faras/pharas

[7] Shani – Yadukula Kamboji - raven/crow/vulture – from kakola/kaluku/kAkula

eclipse grahas (chAyA grahas)

[8] rAhu – ramA-manohari – from “eclipse of the moon” (explained in post # 499)

[9] ketu – Camaram – the periodic fly-swatter (per post # 499)

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