Please provide meanings of this Mahakali varnam

Classical Dance forms & related music
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nishita_702
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Nov 2017, 08:23

Please provide meanings of this Mahakali varnam

Post by nishita_702 »

Re: Need lyrics and meaning of Mahakali varnam - Raga:Revathi
Sent: 12 May 2020, 09:15
by nishita_702
Thank you Lakshman Sir! I truly appreciate your help.
If anyone can help me with meanings, would be great!
Here is a Youtube video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP-Wl87rdqs
Thank you!


Re: Need lyrics and meaning of Mahakali varnam - Raga:Revathi
Sent: 17 Apr 2020, 08:05
by Lakshman

Dear Nishita: I listened to the dance piece and wrote down the words as I heard them. There may be minor errors. I am attaching the lyrics. Please post them on rasikas.org in the Natya thread with a request for the meaning. Most likely rshankr will provide it. You may want to give the link for the video as well.
As a pada varNA it seems incomplete to me.
With my best wishes.

Lakshman

mAtE mahAkALi (pv). rAgA: rEvati. Adi tALA. Harshan Payyanur.

shloka: Om cAmuNDE Om hrImkALi jaya jaya jAntE mahAkALi
P: mAtE mahAkALi tribhuvanEshvari undan pAda malar vaNangugirEn enrum
A: daitya shObhita vishUdini bhavAni
Om aim hrIm bhUm svaha jvalAya jvalAya jvala jvala prajyuna jvala jvala (x2)
Om aim hrIm klIm cAmuNDA hE vrkSi Om aim hrIm mAjAdi mAhiSyE
MK: mUlaiyilum uvagai tarum tAyE ennai kAttaruLvAyE
jhaNa jhaNaka jita nampuram kaTa kaTa pada tANDavam
dhIra mrdangani nAda dhanam phaNita kankaNa nAdarasam
bhairavi naTanamE nalayam shankara tANDava shElidasham
Om aim hrIm klIm Om aim hrIm
C: hrmkAra bOdhitE shrI lalitE nalvAzh-aruL ambikE
1: Om aim hrM klIm inru mUvar paNindiDum

Need lyrics and meaning of Mahakali varnam - Raga:Revathi
Sent: 16 Apr 2020, 19:18
by nishita_702

Hello respected Sir!

Would you please help me provide the lyrics and meaning of Mahakali Varnam in Revathi ragam and Aadi talam? It starts as "Om Chamundey Om...Mahadevi Mahakali Tribhuvaneswari....."
I'm also adding a Youtube link here of the dance performance by Riya Ramesh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP-Wl87rdqs

I would greatly appreciate your help.

My email id: nishita_702@yahoo.com

Thank you very much in advance,
Nishita Shah

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Please provide meanings of this Mahakali varnam

Post by rshankar »

Hi Nishita,

Here is the meaning - I have edited some of the words based on what I hear. Corrections welcome.
A couple of observations:
1) although labeled a bharatanATyam varNam, this is not a traditional pada varNam by any means. It appears to be more of something created specifically for competitions in Kerala - those seem to require pieces of ~10 minutes with a couple of jatis, and at least 1 opportunity for a sancari. I don't think they can replace a traditional padavarNam in a mArgam.
2) this varNam seems to be a combination of phrases in tamizh and saMskRtam thrown together.

OM cAmuNDi
OM hrIm kALI
jaya jaya dAMtE mahA kALI
pallavi
mAtE mahA kALI tribhuvanESvarI undan pAda malar vaNangugirEn enRum
daitya SONita nishUdini bhavAni OM aim hrIm OM svaha jvAlaya jvAlaya parjvala jvala jvala

Oh mother (mAtE)! The mighty (mahA) kALI [1]. The sovereign mistress (ISvari) of the three worlds (tribuvana), I always (enRum) offer worship (vaNangugirEn) at your (undar) flower (malar)-like feet (pAda). Oh bahvAnI, the bloody (SONita) [2] slayer (nishUdini) of the demons (daitya)! Oh incandescent flame (prajvala) that burns fiercely (jvAlaya, jvAlaya, jvala, jvala) [3].

anupallavi
OM aim hrIm klIm cAmuNDAyai …
OM aim hrIm klIm vArAhyai mAhishi
mUlaiyilum uvagai tarum tAyE yennai kAttaruLvAyE

Oh mother (tAyE) who grants (tarum) happiness (uvakai) even in corners (mUlaiyilum) [4], please bless (aruLvAyE) me (yennai) by protecting (kAttu) me.

muktAyi svara sAhityam
jhaNa jhaNa jhalita nUpuram taTa kaTa padA tANDavam
dhIra mRdanga ninAda ghanam kvaNita kaNkaNa nAda rasam
bhairavi naTana mELa layam Sankara tANDava kELi rasam

As your feet (pAda) , and hips (taTa kaTa) perform the tANDavam, your anklets (nUpuram) make the sound (jhaNita) ‘jhaNa jhaNa’, to the accompaniment of skillful (dhIra) and loud (ghanam) sounds (ninAda) from the mRdangam, and the twanging of your bangles/bracelets (kankaNa) creates music (nAda rasam). The musical scales (mELa) and rhythm (layam) emanating from pAravti’s (bhairavi) dancing (naTana) and the experience (rasam) of Siva’s (Sankara) playful (kEli) tANDava.

caraNasAhityam
OM aim hrIm klIm [5]
klImkAra bodhitE SrI lalitE nalvAzharuL ambikE

Oh lalitA (SrI lalitE) who instructs (bodhitE) (us) about the bIja mantra, klIm (klImkAra) [6]! Please grant (aruL) (us) a prosperous and happy life (nalvAzhvu), Oh mother (ambikE).

caraNasvara sAhityam 1
OM aim hrIm klIm enRu mUvar dEvar paNindiDum (klImkAra…)

Oh (SrI lalitE), who is worshipped (paNindiDum) by the three (mUvar) gods (dEvar) [7] through (enRu) the bIja mantras ‘aim, hrIm, and klIm’, (and who instructs on the bIja mantra klIm, please grants us a happy and prosperous life).

FOOTNOTES
[1] kALi/kAli - can refer to the form of pArvati as the dark-hued one; or the feminine form of Siva as time (kAla bhairava)
[2] kALi is always portrayed with blood oozing from her mouth, covered in blood, etc; in the kALi temple in Kolkota, they offer a goat sacrifice, and smear the blood on the deity - the blood is then used by married women (sumangali) as sindUr in their mAng
[3] Tautology for emphasis I suppose
[4] No idea what the relevance of 'corners' is
[5] The bIja mantras to invoke the dEvi in general
[6] As I understand it, klIm (kleem) is the specific bIja mantra for kALi
[7] Refers to the trimUrti - bramhA, vishNu, and mahESvara

nishita_702
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Nov 2017, 08:23

Re: Please provide meanings of this Mahakali varnam

Post by nishita_702 »

Thank you so much RShankar Sir! This truly helps.
- Nishita Shah

Nalini
Posts: 5
Joined: 25 Sep 2018, 14:52

Re: Please provide meanings of this Mahakali varnam

Post by Nalini »

Please, do you know who is Harshan Payyanur (I'm searching for more informations about the composer of this varnam) Thks a lot!

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