Bhaktuni Charitramu

[narayan]

On listening to S.Sowmya's very nice rendering of Bhaktuni Charitramu (Begada) through sangeethapriya.org, my old bugbear (or is it bee in my bonnet?) came up to raise the following.

The anupallavi is sung as Asakti ... I'm pretty much convinced that the A should be before the beginning of the talam cycle, so as to follow the rules, or at least the kti syllable should be at the same point in both pallavi and anupallavi, which it is not. In fact, the rest of the line has jivan muktudu and again I believe that the jivan has to be pushed a little earlier so as to get the same spot for the ktu syllable. Please correct my impression, if wrong.

For an example of what I'm talking about, I quote T.R.Subramaniam's rendering of Lakshanamulu (fine song in Suddha Saveri which I have not heard in any concert) through the same site, where the anupallavi second line begins ahead of the earlier line, so as to get the ksha (or ksa, since there is probably no such thing as "sh"!). A noteworthy feature of Lakshanamulu is that the ksa theme in the lyrics is carried right through the song, creating quite an effect.

[keerthi]

I am sorry if I have missed an older post, but could you outline the bee in your bonnet ?

This is a case of using a ViSama graha in the lyric, to maintain the prAsa concordance, and is seen in several examples, mostly in tyagarAja's songs -

1. kSINamai tirugA and gIr-vANa [MukhAri kRti]

2. Darshanamu sEya nA taramA and parA-marshimpa [nArAyanagauLa kRti]

3. vENugAnalOluni and ali- vENulella [kEdAragaula krti]


With all due respect, if someone chooses to sing that way, it represents a lapse in memory or pAthAntaraM.

This device of using an aTita eduppu, to maintain prasa has been called 'antarukti' by swati tirunAl in his muhana-prasAnta-vyavasthA; but the term has no textual precedents, and may be his coinage.

Examples can also be found in the songs of MArgadarSI shESayyangAr; whose songs were tirunAl's ideal.

[narayan]

Thanks, keerthi. I think this explanation sort of justifies what I mean. As I can recall, in kSINamai tiruga people sing vANa nATaka the first time and then come round with gIrvANa the next time. Same with vENu lella and alivENu lella in vENugAna. Never heard the Narayanagowlai song. This sort of thing does NOT happen in the Bhaktuni Charitramu song.

Bee in my bonnet is that ALL examples of atita eduppu are to maintain the prasa requirement. e.g. Anupallavi faster pace lines in Ranganayakam, Pancamatanga.

The small extension that I observe in TRS (Laksanamulu that I referred to) is that some of the lines have their start before the start point of the main line, but not necessarily before the talam cycle starts.

[keerthi]

The small extension that I observe in TRS (Laksanamulu that I referred to) is that some of the lines have their start before the start point of the main line, but not necessarily before the talam cycle starts.

I am sorry if i am being dense, but I didn't understand that.

[narayan]

In Laksanamulu, the start of the song is after 3 swarams in the first beat of adi. The ksa appears after 1 swaram of the second beat. The ksa at this position is maintained throughout, right through the caranam. A few additional ksas are thrown in for good measure! Reminds one of the madhyamakala line in Aksayalinga vibho.

So in the anupallavi second line, vicaksana the vi is after 1 swaram, the ca after 3 swarams and the ksa at the same place as in the pallavi line and the anupallavi first line. So while not atita with respect to the tala beginning, it is so with respect to where the song began earlier, so as to maintain the prasa.

May be too long-winded an explanation for something obvious, but do listen to the song if not heard before. It was a revelation to me.

[Ashwin]

I think I would have to agree with narayan on the bhaktuni caritramu point, even though I have learned to sing both the pallavi and anupallavi sahitya three matra-s into the samam. If I had to guess, I would say that the original setting of the anupallavi would have been in such a way as to put "Sakti" three-matra-s in either on samam or arai edam (i.e. "A" in "ASakti" would have started either on samam or arai edam). Perhaps I will ask SRJ Mama about this.

Ashwin

[narayan]

Perhaps I will ask SRJ Mama about this.
Ashwin

Please do. This is not something that a lot of other people are anyway going to try to follow up. Your inputs and keerthi's inputs most appreciated.