Compositions that reflect contemporary themes.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 18 Jun 2009, 06:04

cmlover wrote: In the name of benevolence thousands of rupees and even food are wasted which could benefit humanity!

But why blame God for human stupidity? bhAratidAsan asked the right question - what needs emphasis is that appreciating his question and agreeing with his ideas does not equate with atheism, but underscores the fact that one is merely bemoaning human foolishness.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 18 Jun 2009, 06:15

Wow! Lakshman
other than
Dharma shravana videtake murkhage-Adi-Purandaradasa
Tillana-?-Lalgudi Jayaraman
Gayati vanamali madhuram-Adi-Sadashiva Brahmendra
I have never heard the rest.

Arun
as far as I know Carnatic Durga is a janya of mela 22
22 karaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 D2 P D2 S
Av: S D2 P M1 R2 S
According to Thyagaraja suddha saveri is a janya of mela 28, with the famous composition Darini telusukonti...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 18 Jun 2009, 06:27

Shankar
Atheism is not foolishness; it is rationalism.
By the same token one can equate Bhakti with fear; is it not due to fear that many pay homage to God by putting lot of cash in the hundi for favours received, fearing God will punish them if they did not!
I receive once a month a chain letter stating that I should make ten copies of it and send it to ten people failing which I will meet dire consequences. I have been the target of many such letters from friends who I had considered quite rational

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 18 Jun 2009, 06:57

CML,
You say 'by the same token one can equate bhakti with fear'.
Well said.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 18 Jun 2009, 07:41

CML,

I did not equate atheism with foolishness - what is foolish is the behavior of men driven by their flawed perception of God, and perhaps, the perception that man's foolish behavior (in the name of bhakti/belief in God) is proof tha God doesn't exist

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 18 Jun 2009, 08:17

Any Act of bhakti with obligation (favor from Omnipotent) lacks divinity

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 26 Jun 2009, 00:31

Having sung about 'Atheism' I thought I would talk about the quintessence of Advaita. (partly an answer to the query raised by coolkarni

Sadasiva Brahmendra has composed a number of verses in this respect though I have seldom heard them sung in concerts. I have tried herein to capture succinctly the essence of the mahavakya and the related teachings of SankarAcArya! Do I believe in them? Yes! Since If I don't exist then nothing exists! That is true for each and every one of us. That makes it a Universal Truth!

Here is the lyric

P|| ahaM brahmAsmi..[1] manujA

AP|| nAhaM dEhaM nAhaM cittaM
nAhaM sthUlaM nAham sUkShmaM

C|| brahma vEdavAn brahmaiva bhavati[2]
na hi punar janma pashcAt mrityu
ahamEva satyam ahamEva nityam
ahamEva kartA ahamEva bhartA
praNavAtItaM prANa rahitaM
sadAnandaM sarva jagat kAraNaM

meaning:

I am the ultimate Brahman! Hey Man!

I am not the (corporeal) body; nor am I the memories (vAsanA)
I am not concrete, nor am I the subtle (abstract) body.

He who knows the brahman becomes Brahman himself.
No more rebirth, no more death.
I am the (eternal) Truth, I am the Eternity.
I am the Creator, I am the Protector.
I am beyond the PraNava, I am the one without a Soul
I am always in Bliss, I am the root cause of the Universe.

Notes:
[1] BrihadAraNyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 It is a Maha vAkya.
[2] muNDakOpanishad 3.2.9

Here is a tentative audio for those who may be interested
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1jmuys

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 26 Jun 2009, 00:52

Very nice! A question - does 'prANa rahitam' translate to 'I am without soul' or 'I am without life-force'?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 26 Jun 2009, 02:43

According to the Upanishad the Ultimate Brahman reincarnated Himself into the "soul' (prANa) and then entered the created Universe in every fibre. Since he is lying in everything shEtE iti shivaH (etymological derivation of the word shiva) or enters into everything vishatE iti viShnuH (etymological derivation of the word viShNu). Thus the ultimate brahman precedes the creation of soul!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Jun 2009, 08:01

CML,
Very good presentation too!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Jul 2009, 21:27

With the current interest in Malayalam songs and the popular Raga being discussed and as a consequence of the hilarious debate I had with ragam-talam (R-T) I thought I will venture a musical chat (of course with the indulgence of R-T

Here is the lyric

R-T : raagamum taaLamum mathiallE - (chETTA)
athil gItamum therakkum enthinE..

CML : raagamum taaLamum mathiyennaal - pinnE
Thyagaraajanum Swaathiyum enthinE... aniyA..

R-T : raagatthil ninnallE sangItam janikkunnu..
k^ritikaLil ninnallA aRiyillE...

CML : raagamum taaLamum kaalukaLANE
k^RitiyANE talA- talacchORu vENE..
raagamum taaLamum pallavi chernnaal
sangitam sampUrNamAyit theerum

sandhEham uNDe^Ngil
CML chol kELu

raagamum taaLamum mathiyillA..
sangItamum chernnu rasikkaNam
athai sangItamaay naamum bhajikkaNam...

Here is an audio in case you are interested!
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2pq4fw
Enjoy

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 07 Jul 2009, 21:44

CML,
Fantastic composition. I really liked it.
Was that your voice? Really? You sang very well indeed. Although I don't know malayalam, I understood it quite easily. You have such a fine talent! Thanks for that song! Nice, indeed! I will try to learn it.
But, I am really sorry. I couldn't identify the raga. Was it Begada? Or Shankarabharanam?
Whatever the raga, it was very melodious! I never knew that you had such a fine Vaggeyakara in you! Kudos! =)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 07 Jul 2009, 23:19

Thx srini
I thought the Begada is obvious though somewhat light music.
What triggered is
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ovies.html
and the mock duel with R-T @
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ic-p2.html

By the by where is R-T?

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 08 Jul 2009, 03:53

CML, brilliant!

I am happy our exchange has resulted in this masterpiece! To that extent, I feel happy I contributed in a small way at least. (Btw, a more accurate word in place of 'sandEham' is 'samSayam'.)

This one has all the makings of becoming a rasikas forum classic.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Jul 2009, 04:20

R-T
Thanks for being my inspiration! Let me confess a secret. I only know sanskrit (and of course Tamil) and little of malayalam. But I try to fill malayalam with my sanskrit words which of course blend nicely with it. This sweet language has the versatility of sanskrit and the vitality of Tamil and yet the beauty of 'naaDan' malayalam is unique which I miss too!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jul 2009, 08:44

ragam_talam,
Thanks for being the muse that inspired CML!

Mon ami,
sangItam sampUrNam!
Such a good piece from you. Your voice sounds very good as in the previous one. The anupallavi is essence of bEgaDa. Old IS gold, after all.
Cheers to golden years!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 08 Jul 2009, 10:56

CML: sabAsh! balE!! balE!!!

You were teasing with begada initially and bam... landed deep into begada at 'hyagaraajanum Swaathiyum enthinE', especially the first time around and also quite deep in 'k^RitiyANE talA- talacchORu'.

A few other ragas made their fleeting appearances for me which actually made it quite nice. Mohanam in 'vENE.. and 'Ayit theerum' and quite unexpectedly but very pleasantly Charukesi in '(sangIta)maay naamum' and shankarabaranam in 'bhajikkaNam'.

Quite entertaining.

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 08 Jul 2009, 17:37

CML

Fantastic. You indeed have a wonderful, baritone voice.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Jul 2009, 19:04

Thanks folks. I share the honours with R-T. As arasi often says that the muse is awakened by the context. Everytime we listen to Thyagaraja or MD we ask the question, on what occasion he composed it and look for a deeper meaning into those kritis. The classic 'nidhicAla..' becomes inspiring and meaningful when we understand the context and it comes alive touching our inner emotions. I have heard that P Sivan always wanted to know the context very well before composing his movie songs as did KaNNadAsan which infuses realism in the scenes as well as the words 'burn' into our psyche making the scenes unforgettable (sadly a technique toally lost among the present generation of movies

Music and especially CM for us is a medium of intimate communication from heart to heart!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 08 Jul 2009, 20:12

CML - I especially was touched by the 'cheTTA' and 'aniyA' references in your kriti. It feels more like a family feud now...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Jul 2009, 20:38

Isn't that what this Forum is all about..
Aren't we all part of one big CM Loving Family?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jul 2009, 21:09

Family and feuds--of the friendliest kind.
Curmudgeons, beware!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 08 Jul 2009, 21:54

Aren't we all part of one big CM Loving Family?

Ok, I get it now... we are all part of one big CML family!!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jul 2009, 22:09

CML the Elder!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Jul 2009, 23:52

'CML a elder ' is better (though violating grammar since it leads to the anagram:
CML leader

or can even lead me to be a favourite chinese
'call me red'

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Jul 2009, 02:06

Call him not a mere elder--
A shrub for a tree, name not
A lion a cat, puny, pathetic--

A mighty oak he sure is,
RasikA among rasikAs

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 09 Jul 2009, 04:38

call'm
(a rasi) kA rasikA

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Jul 2009, 07:14

'Excessive is thy praise! Here, I grant thee a duchy--
If false thy words prove, then off with your head',
The queen would say--but false is this sovereign,
What would she do but thank thee hundredfold

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 09 Jul 2009, 07:23

CML is the CM king,
He even knows how to sing!
Without him, rasikas.org is incomplete,
Without him, we are all obsolete!

His compositions reflect contemporary themes,
He is an elder it seems!
Physically, he may be old,
but mentally, he is as glossy as gold!
No one will believe that he is an elder,
receiving kind words from him is a honor!

He is the grand leader of our forum,
he is unparalleled in decorum!
CML, you are one who is praised gladly,
by Srinivas, almost daily!!

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 09 Jul 2009, 09:12

cmlover wrote:I only know sanskrit (and of course Tamil) and little of malayalam. But I try to fill malayalam with my sanskrit words which of course blend nicely with it. This sweet language has the versatility of sanskrit and the vitality of Tamil and yet the beauty of 'naaDan' malayalam is unique which I miss too!

CML, for you with the intellect anything will work for you. After all you are jack of all trades master of every one . My request to you is to try a manipravalam krithi next time ranging from your first love sanskrit,thamizh, malayalam ,telugu and kannada . A 5 rAga mAligA

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 09 Jul 2009, 19:51

WOW!
With such encomiums I should be getting ready to call quits

What indeed keeps me going is the Love of CM/Philosophy and the comraderie prevailing at this Forum!
When the call comes I will tell Him I have unfinished business at the Forum!

Anaatha Selvatthu arambayar puDai chUzha
vaanaaLum Selvamum maNNaraSum yaan vENDEn
thEnaar mozhi kURum valaippathivu rasikarkaL
vaayARa vAzhtthum vithi uDayEn AvEnE

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Jul 2009, 21:23

'valaip padivu rasigargaLilum', vayadu nURilE
avan tirup pAdam aDaivIr, ivvulaga valai nIngi!

Krishna would be thrilled to see your quoting tEn tiruvAi mozhi

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 10 Jul 2009, 03:50

ivvalai thEvalai
eman valai kavalai
Sivan valai viDuthalai!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jul 2009, 04:28

aDaDA! Krishna would be thrilled enREnE? viTTuNu vai viLittIrE enRu ninaindEn! Siva, Siva!
Krishna is busy with his studies, I think...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 10 Jul 2009, 04:52

viTTuNu valai maaya valai

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jul 2009, 07:47

aduvE tamakku ucitam, aduvaitam

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 10 Jul 2009, 18:09

When the call comes I will tell Him I have unfinished business at the Forum!

CML avargale, I for one will ensure you have lots of unfinished business here! We do want you around for a loooong time.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 10 Jul 2009, 18:13

sivalOka nathanai kandu, sevittiduvOm

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 18 Jul 2009, 07:48

Rasika's Tribute to Damal Krishnaswamy PaTTammaaL (1919-2009)

CM has again lost one of their stalwart women Trinity. This is the time to remember the great soul who has lived a full life than grieve! I remember DKP as seen in the picture at left as the Gana Saraswathy who inspired us during the Freedom struggle singing patriotic songs and daring the British Regime! Now all of us remember her as the picture on the right with the beatific eternal smile as also the Sangita Kalanidhi Padmavibhushan DK PaTTammaaL as an idelible icon of the pioneer among women who enrich CM now and for ever!

Here is a small musical Tribute on behalf of all of us in the style of the encomium for Bharathy whose songs were brought to life in all the corners of TN through her ringing voice.

May her soul rest in peace with all the rest of the CM greats!

PATTukku thalaivi PaTTammALaDA
avar pATTin isai nayatthai parukuvOmaDA

kETTu kiRu kiRutthu pOnOmE aDA..
antha kiRukkil avar ninaivai pathippOmaDA

Sollukku Sollazhaku SErumE aDA
antha Sollil shruti layamum viLayADumEyaDA

DikShatharum Sivanum azhaithAraDA..
athai maRukkAmal avarkaLaDi SErnthAraDA

illayE avarenRu E^NgalAmADA...
avar idhayatthil enRumE iruppAraDA..

pATTukku thalaivi (karNATaka) PaTTammALaDA
...paTTammALaDA! paTTammALaDA!! paTTammALaDA!!!

Here is an audio for your guidance
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ixw2lv
I chose to sing in DES as mark of respect for her patriotism!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 18 Jul 2009, 09:24

CML,
What a tribute! Your life-long admiration for the great lady flows into the lyrics and your singing of it.
As bArati dAsan sang of bArati (pATTUkkoru pulavan bAratiyaDA!), you have sung the praise of the grand dame of CM.
I am with you. She will keep enriching CM for generations to come.
As you say in your song, 'illayE avar enRu EngalAmADA?
avar idayattilE enRumE iruppAraDA!

Instead of ruing her demise, we could draw inspiration from her music and her radiant self.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 18 Jul 2009, 11:06

CML: Great tribute to the great lady.

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 18 Jul 2009, 13:07

cml: that is a touching tribute.. very nice.. "illaye avarendru aengalaamadaa?" time will heal...

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 18 Jul 2009, 15:03

bArathiyin pADalgaLai pADi maghizhndAr - anda
paravasattai namakkellAm pagirndaLittAr - tamizh
kURum nallulagirkkisai tonDu seydAr - pari
pUraNanukkE aDimai seyyap pOnAr

ADuvOmE paLLu pADuvOmE
amudanaiya paTTammALin arundamizh isai kETTu

:'-(

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 19 Jul 2009, 00:00

cml: the flourish with which you sang pattammalada (thrice) towards the end reminded me of the way I was taught to sing the word iraivaa (thrice - and towards the end) in bharati's ettanai koti inbam vaittai engal in des!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 19 Jul 2009, 00:34

Thx folks
The singing was spontaneous and the emotions took care of the rest. The composition comes effortlessly once your mind is focussed on the theme as arasi would vouch for it.

During the Freedom struggle we always used to sing 'thaayin maNikkoDi paareer..' in the fasion of DKP which used to be most inspiring. On one occasion Kamaraj was presiding at the rally and he was so emotionally touched by our singing that he came out of the dais with tears in his eyes and joined us in saluting our flag (the one with the charka instead of the Ashoka chakram).

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 19 Jul 2009, 00:37

Nice work sridhar!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 19 Jul 2009, 01:59

azhagAna pADal, Sridhar!
Now, waiting for Punarvasu and others to bring in pAmAlaigaL.

Yes, CML.
When we sang Ongi vaLarndadOr kambam and looked up at the flag, 'kaN panittadu', the voice faltered with emotion...

Sangeet Rasik · Post by **Sangeet Rasik** » 19 Jul 2009, 04:47

Dear Rasiks,

I am back - with apologies for my temporary absences, which are due to a variety of personal and professional commitments. Thanks to CML and others for keeping this fine thread going - I will reply in detail to you all soon.

For now, the next composition is presented. I composed it recently after waiting for (and witnessing) the monsoon season during a long trip to India. I will also create a separate post for notes regarding this composition.

Best Wishes,
SR

Sangeet Rasik · Post by **Sangeet Rasik** » 19 Jul 2009, 05:02

"mEghA vArshA AgatA"

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 19 Jul 2009, 05:13

Great Job with this rendition. The picture is worth 1000 words and the song reflects.