Dr. Shrikaanth K Murthy

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Feb 2006, 06:34

Meaning for difficult words in SrI durgAparamESvari

rAga- jhEnkArabhramari

pAdayugame- 2 feet; nambi rANi- Am believing (rANi or raNE~ is iddEne/iruvenu/irukkirEn);
pAlipi-Please protect me; tribhuvana rANi- queen of the three worlds;

khaLa- cheat, wicked person; aruNa- aruNAsura;
mOhaka mokhu- enchanting face; kATi- having shown; konda sundari-Beautiful lass Who killed;
a^LanIrabhiShEkataNNu- By the abhiShEka of tender coconut;
harShamAna Sankari- Sankari Who was appeased by;
puLa- river; pUjicca- worshipped; nirISvari- You without an overlord;
kaLa kaTTara- That which is attractive and has a good stage presence;
yakShagAnu- A form of dance drama performed in coastal karnataka similar to kathakkaLi;
aLahi- beautiful; ALara- Ruling;
kaLavaLu- dilemma, wretchedness, sorrow (kaLavaLa, kalavaram);
tIripiyara- Removing;

Running meaning

O durgAparamESvari! O queen bee That makes the hum of jhEnkAra.
jhEnkAra signifies both the hum/drone of a bee as well as the twang of the bowstring
(war sound). Thus it is implied here that She declared war on aruNAsra as a bee.
It is of course the rAgamudre as well.

I am having faith in your feet alone. Protect me o queen of the three worlds.

O beautiful Lady Who slayed the wicked and devious aruNAsura by showing Your enchanting
face; Sankari Who was appeased by the abhiShEka of tender coconut; You without an Overlord
Who was worshipped by the river nandini and the sage jAbAli; You who loves lilting music
and engrossing yakShagAna performances; You Who rule the beautiful kShEtra of kaTIlu by
manifesting in the form of swayambUlinga; O sister of srikAnta! parabrahma swarUpiNi!
Remover of all doubts, dilemma and sorrows, please protect and guard me.

new_cmfan · Post by **new_cmfan** » 06 Feb 2006, 06:41

DRS - Thank you for that kriti. It was beautiful... Knowing the sthalapurana makes it even more enjoyable. To my untrained ear - the raga had traces of Bhairavi - am i way off? Can you please post a few lines on the raga?

Thanks much.

A request to some of the mridangists here - can you try recording over DRS' renditions accomplanying him on the mridangam? I think it would be great to hear a "virtual" ensemble version (of course if we have a violinist among us - please join in as well)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Feb 2006, 06:58

slightly nore elaborate story verrsion in
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/01/07/stor ... 871000.htm

The STING operation reminds one of the recent one by another incarnation

who subdued veerappAsura

. From RC's report the earth at Bilgirirangan Hills is now flourishing after the rout

(see JC thread)

DRS

I don't think there is a reference to aruNAsura in the devi mahatmya!
You have chosen the right raga to pay homage to the goddess! Has any of the dAsAs composed songs on her?

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Feb 2006, 07:35

I don't think there is a reference to aruNAsura in the devi mahatmya!
You have chosen the right raga to pay homage to the goddess! Has any of the dAsAs composed songs on her?

Thanks for the link to the artidle on kaTIlu in the Hindu.

aruNa is clearly mentioned in dEvimahAtmya/durgA saptaSatI

Chapter 11

yadAruNAkhyastrailOkyE mahAbAdhAm kariShyati || 52||
tadAham bhrAmaram rUpaM kRtvAsankhyEyaShaTpadam |
trailOkyasya hitArthAya vadhiShyAmi mahAsuram || 53||
bhrAmarIti ca mAm lokAstadA stOShyanti sarvataH |
ittham yadA yadA bAdhA dAnavOtthA bhaviShyati || 54||
tadA tadAvatIryAham kariShyAmyarisankShayam || 55||

The verses 54-55 are so reminiscent of kRShNa uvAca in the bhagavadgItA

yadA yadAhi dharmasya glAnirbhavati bhArata |
abhyutthAnam adharmasya tadAtmAnam sRjAmyaham ||

paritrANAya sadhUnAm vinASAyaca duShkRtAM|
dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE ||

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Feb 2006, 09:00

Thanks DRS for the reference!
I certainly missed that part where dEvI is offering the prediction during the sAvarNi manvantara to what would happen in the vaivasvata manvantara. She did fulfil the prophesy!

darshan · Post by **darshan** » 06 Feb 2006, 12:43

Here's some more info regarding Kateel. Sri Kshetra Kateel was not a very well known temple until quite recent times. But it was and continues to be a very hallowed place, especially for the Tulu people and Kannadigas. Being a varaprasadini, as DRS puts it, Sri Durga Parameshwari is actually in the form of a swayambhu linga, as in Kollur, but this can only be seen during the wee hours of the mornings when Abhishekam is performed. Later, a Kavacham of Amba with all the ayudhams described by DRS is kept in front of the Linga, which indeed shows Amba in her most Soumya roopam. This beautiful form lingers in the mind of the devotee for long. More over, the temple itself is set amidst picturesque landscape, being right in the middle of the river. I remember, as a kid about some 15-20 years ago having visited the temple, a ordinary but old structure, connected by a simple bridge over the river Nandini. Now by the grace of Amba, devotees from several parts of Karnataka and other places throng the temple and it has become a beautiful complex. The prasadam of Amba here is a speciality. Urge members to visit this place, half and hour to 45 minutes from Mangalore, when they tour this area.

DRS, are you aware of another hallowed place called Kamalashile, near Kundapur?

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 06 Feb 2006, 20:32

Darshan/DRS,
Doesn't the Nandini river go around the temple (used to remind me of a song my mom used to sing: 'Aru rendum kAvEri, adu naduvil srIrangam')? A visit to this temple is great from several aspects: it is very calm and soothing, and the Nandini river makes it very scenic.
Darshan, does the temple still feed all the devotees?
If I remember correctly (I do not have access to my little notepad that we made notes in of all the temples we visited with my parents - my dad used to insist), Nandini is supposed to be the daughter of the divine kAmaDHenU,
right?
Ravi

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 06 Feb 2006, 20:33

Sorry guys: my questions were answered in the link provided by CML and the sTHala purANa given by DRS.
Thanks.
Ravi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Feb 2006, 21:40

DRS - Thank you for that kriti. It was beautiful... Knowing the sthalapurana makes it even more enjoyable. To my untrained ear - the raga had traces of Bhairavi - am i way off? Can you please post a few lines on the raga?---

Spot on. There are strong imprints of bhairavi and mukhAri in the rAga. Not surprising given that they all belong to the same cakra-vEdacakra.

Darshan
I had heard of kamalaSile and thanks to your post, I was spurred to do an online search and found out more about brAhmidurgAparamESvari at kamalaSile.

CML
I am not aware of songs by haridAsas on kaTIlu bhramarAmbike. But that is not the final word as there are hundreds of dAsas and thousands of dEvaranAmas.
You have mentioned the suitability of the rAga for the deity. Can you elaborate on this please.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Feb 2006, 23:07

jhEnkArabhramari (jhankArabhramari) is the 19th asampUrNa mELa, the sampUrNa mELa being
jhEnkAradhwani. The scale is

SR2G2M1PD1N1DPDS* | S*NDPMGRG,RR,S ||

This can be simplified to
SRGMPD(ND)S* | S*NDPMGRS ||

subbbarAma dIkShitar remarks in the SSP that this is the most beautiful among the rAgas with
Suddha niShAda. He was not wrong at all. The 4th cakra is the most beautiful in the 72 mELas.
This is due to R2 and G2 occuring in the pUrvAnga. The rAga can be elaborated well which I
hope people could gather from my singing. Some phrases sound like mukhAri and bhairavi.
"S,P,", "P,S,", "NDDP", "GRG,", ""RMGMP", "PG,R" and "G,RR,S" are rakti sancAras in the rAga. The last one is considered particularly beautiful/important and is hence included in the scale itself. Usages such as "GGRS | NNDP | *G*R*S* |" and "G*,R*R*,S* | N,DD,P |G,RR,S |" can be used to characterize the rAga. I have used the same in my composition.
R is rendered sharp and steady while G, D and N are swayed around their swarasthAnas. R,M and P are halting notes.
The rAga is bhakti and dInarasa pradhAna. It has a gAmbhIrya despite the dainya.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 06 Feb 2006, 23:19

I composed the above kRti on 02.06.2004. Some points in the kRti to which I would like to
draw your attention;- The kRti stars as "S,P,S*," and the rI of durgAparamESvari halts on the RShabha note to create a swarAkShara. There are several other swarAkSharas. I will mention 2 here- In the madhyamakAla sAhitya "padharI" of rUpadharI and "pa" and "rI" of parAtparI. As in most of my compositions, I have maintained antyaprAsa throughout.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 07 Feb 2006, 02:07

DRS

I did ask you to post the notes for the pallavi and anupallavi as well as the first line of charanam (your neraval spot!).

I will explain why. I did notice a strong use of both madhyam as well as taara rishabham. The janTai prayOgam typically gives the bhramara illusion.

You have aptly given the avarohana ss
S*NDPMGRG,RR,S with the rishabham taking the brunt. It does oscillate rapidly from G1 to S with a trill. For example in the kalpana swaram at 14:19 you use
D S' R',R'R'R'R'S' which gives the illusion of the swarm of bees....As it ends in khaLa aruNAsura the illusion is perfect (just wanted to reconcile the notes whence my request).

Now you know why complimented you on the choice of the raga to fit the theme!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 07 Feb 2006, 03:01

DRS

I did ask you to post the notes for the pallavi and anupallavi as well as the first line of charanam (your neraval spot!).---
----
D S' R',R'R'R'R'S' which gives the illusion of the swarm of bees....As it ends in khaLa aruNAsura the illusion is perfect (just wanted to reconcile the notes whence my request).----!

touche! I havent forgotten your request. Here it is

rAga jhEnkArabhramari, rUpakatALa

pallavi

1) S , | P , | S* , || N D P,- | M G | R S ||
SrI dur--gA pa--ra---mE-----Sva

R ,- | M , | G~ G~ || M P- | M D P M | G R S R ||
rI jhEn--kA-------ra bhrama---ri

2) R R S ,- | D D P ,- | R* R* S* ,- || N D | M , D P | M G R S ||
SrI dur--------gA- pa-ra---mE------------Sva

R ,- | M , | R G G M- || M P P D |________ ,,_______||
rI jhEn-kA----------ra-

3) G R S ,- | N D P ,- | G* R* S* ,- || ______ ,,________ ||
SrI dur--------gA----

R ,- | S* , S* , | N D P M- || P , P , | M G R S- | R , R , ||
rI jhEn-------kA----------ra---- bhra-ma--rI

anupallavi

1) S* , | N D- P | D S* ||N D G* | R*- S* R* | G* R* S* , ||
pA-----da yu-game nam-----bi rA-------------Ni

R* , | M* G*~ | ,- R* ||S* N D D | P ,- G M | G R S , ||
pA----li---pi tri--bhu--va---na rA--------Ni

2) _________ ,, ________ ||D P- N D- | G* R*- G* M* | G* R * S* , ||
nam---------bi rA---------------Ni

R* , | M* P* M* | G* R*- S* - || N D D P | P M- M G | G R S , ||
pA---li--pi-- tri------bhu-va---na rA--------Ni

caraNa(partial)

, M M | , M M , | M M || G G R S | R ,- M | M M ||
khaLa a-ru--Na-na mO----- -ha-ka mo-khu

G , | M- P , D P | D P || P D | M D | P , ||
kA---Ti kon------da sun----da--ri

The swaras in red are in druta kAla i.e double underline which cannot be shown usng HTML here.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 07 Feb 2006, 03:03

CML
RShabha occuring as jaNTi(or multiple) as well as madhyama in the same way with some use of jAru reminds one of the hum of bees.

Badri/coolkarni and others
I am still waiting for himAcalakumArIm etc.

abadri · Post by **abadri** » 07 Feb 2006, 03:22

DRS, I haven't been able to locate the MD kriti yet.
Here's the Thyagaraja kriti in Jhenkaradhwani:- [rapidshare link deleted]

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 07 Feb 2006, 07:56

Thanks DRS!

TMT's phaNipatisayana in jhankaaradvani sounds quite different from the jhakaarabhramari and the mood is distinctly different! Would love to hear himaacalakumari for a change!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 07 Feb 2006, 16:12

Aswhin
Of the few musicians that could possibly have rendered himAcalakumArIm, Sri.SRJ is definitely one. Ca you post his rendition of the same? We would be indebted.

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 07 Feb 2006, 18:20

DRS, wonderful, please keep going.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 07 Feb 2006, 23:43

The next one is here. Its is"kaLLanArIrIti" in nArIrItigauLa, khaNDacApu tALa. I have a sore throat and hence have not sung as well as I would have otherwise. Please bear with me.

http://rapidshare.de/files/12758019/kaL ... h.wma.html

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Feb 2006, 00:39

DRS

no problem with the audio (I mean your voice

Now awaiting the lyric as also from our MD-loving friends
Nilotpalambam as well as
Shri Nilotpalanayike

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 08 Feb 2006, 01:16

Do you mean the lyrics of Shri nilothpalanayike?
Here they are then...
Pallavi: Shri Nilothpalanayike Jagadambike
Sreenagara naayike Maamava Vara daayike

A P: Deenajanaarthi Prabhanjana Reethigowravey
Desikaapradaarchitha Chridroopini Natha Bhairavey
(M.S.) Aanandaathmaanubhavey Adriraajasamudhbhavey
Soonasaraari Vaibhavey Gnaanasudhaarnavey Sivey

Charanam: Sankalpavikalpaathamaka Chittha Vrithi Jaaley
SaadhuJanaaraadhitha Sadguru Kataaksha mooley
Sankataharadhureenatara guruguhaanukooley
Samastha viswothpatthi Sthithi layaadi kaaley
Vidanka Thyaagaraajarchitha Vichitra Leeley
Sankari KrupaalaVaaley! Haatakamaya chelaey
(M.S) Pankaja Nayana Visaaley Padamaraaga mani maaley
Sankara sannutha baaley Saarada Gaana loley http://rapidshare.de/files/10055524/Sri ... a.wma.html

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Feb 2006, 01:48

Thanks Kiran. BMK renders the song in neat classical rItigowlai. I assume DRS sticks to MD style with a dominant shuddha dahvatam. I hope he will clarify the subtle differences when he discusses the raga lakshana.

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 08 Feb 2006, 02:06

Iam looking forward to it. BMK`s rendtion of the song is amazing

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 08 Feb 2006, 04:04

mAtu for kaLLanArI rIti

rAga-nARI rItigauLa( 20th asampurNa mELa); khaNDacApu tALa

kaLLanArI rIti | kauLikava mADida ||
kaNDu pELe geLati | kANade ODida ||P||

maLLanante bandu | maruLu mADidanamma ||
mAyAvi tA mATra maruLAgalillamma ||AP||

ellelli nODIdaru | alle kANUvanamma ||
ennavanu ennutale | mAYavAguvanamma ||
illa bErAva gati | ene ODi bahanamma ||
iLeyolivanannu SrI | kANtanennuvaramma ||C||

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 08 Feb 2006, 04:19

Meaning
kaLLanu(thief/devious chap)+ Aru(Who?)+ I(this)+ rIti(manner,way)+ kauLikava(cheating,deceit)+ mADida(has done)

Who is this thief who has commited deceit in this manner? Please find out and tell me my friend(geLati=sakhi).

He came posing as a nice and innocent person and drove me crazy. But the clever bloke (mAyAvi) that he is, he himself did not lose his his equanimity or go crazy.

Wherever and in whichever direction I look, I see him. But the moment I call him mine, he disappears into thin air. But the moment I say that I have no refuge but him, he comes running hither to me. They call him SrIkAnta in this world. O geLati! I beseech you. Please find out and let me know.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Feb 2006, 06:59

DRS

Nice lyric. In spite of the absence of word meanings the meaning posted with my knowledge of tamil enables me to sight-read the import. You have very cleverly couched the raga mudra in the first line! The raga appears appropriate for the deviousness and mystery conveyed in the ideas. Reminded me of kalki's 'maalai pozhithinile' though that is a raga maalikai (boosted by the melodious voice of MS)!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 08 Feb 2006, 07:26

THe lanugage is kannaDa and hence I left out the word to word meaning. Anyway here it is

kaLLanu- thief, stealthy person, devious person; Aru- who?; I rIti- this man; kauLika- deceit, fraud, cheating(mOsa, mOs; mADida- He did.
kaNDu- After seeing, after finding out; pELe- Tell me;
geLati- female companion(sakhi, tOzhi);
kANade- becoming invisible, disappearing from sight; ODida- He ran away.

maLLanante- Posing as an innocent person; bandu- having come; maruLu- crazy, nadness, befuddled; mADidanamma- He made me;
mAyAvi- mAyAvi, crafty guy that He is; tA mATra- But he himself; maruLAgalillamma- was least affected and did not lose his equanimity or rationality.

ellelli- wherever; nODIdaru- I see; alle- there only;
kANUvanamma- He is visible;
ennavanu- My man(possessively); ennutale- as soon as I say;
mAYavAguvanamma- He disappears;
illa bErAva gati- No other refuge (anyathA SaraNam nAsti);
ene- If I say; ODi bahanamm- He comes running hither;
iLeyolu- in this world; avanannu- Him; SrIkANta; ennuvaramma- They call him by the name of SrikAnta.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Feb 2006, 20:59

Thanks DRS. That clarifies some missing expressions and also teaches us some rudiments of Kannada (which apparently is not too difficult for Tamils (except for sheer lethargy

). Did you conceive this as a padam? This is very nice (idea-wise too) for dancing (especially rItigowlai is a great rakti raga)!

By the by who is this paramour

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 08 Feb 2006, 21:14

The kRti is also a pada as you have pointed out. The paramour is kRShNa/viShNu as stated in the last line(He is called SrIkANta). The kRti can be interpreted both erotically as well as devotionally/philosphically. I am sure you have noted this. Please post your thoughts and interpretations. I shall post later. And you are right, tha rAga is rakti. nArIrItigauLa does have mystery/mysticism around it given the fact that it is itself shrouded due to the popular version with the caturaSruti dhaivata.
The composition admits various interpretations and provides ample scope for abhinaya(sancarI bhAvas).
Can someone post a recording with Sudhhadhaivata(even though the sancAras may not conform to the original version)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Feb 2006, 22:51

This is not a criticism of your rendering. But this lyric deserves to be sung as a dance piece with frills and jathi (in rItigowlai). In my view sahaana's voice would be more appropriate (the high pitch as well as the elasticity and femininity (you are too masculne!). The naayaka/naayaki bhaava should be brought out more explicitly! it will be nice if one of our Rasika's has a go at it. Why not post the swaras so that they may try it out? Speak up folks!

I don't think bhakti bhaava will go in here. Sri kANta need not be conceived as viShnu; more akin to KShetrayya's muvva Gopaala (or Casnaova if the lady was on my consulting couch

!To me 'maruLu mADidanamma' is certainly erotic! (more in the realm of 'fantasy' than 'spiritual reverance')!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 08 Feb 2006, 22:58

DRS,
GREAT padham! Correct me if I am wrong: but AFAIK, there are not many 'true' padhams in kannada (unlike the situation in tamizh and telugu)
For some reason, this padham reminds me of a kAvadi chindhu 'nEthi rAthiri vELayil' with some similar sentiments!
Ravi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 09 Feb 2006, 01:48

As with all padas, the bhAva is bAhya SRngAra antarbhakti |

The kRti can be seen as a straightforward outpourings of a pining lover for her paramour.
The song conveys the feelings of a damsel expressing her distress to a trusted friend. And entreating her to find out the lover`s whereabouts. And she complains that he bewitched her but himself did not get entangled in those emotions. Her love for him is so intoxicating that she sees him wherever she looks. But she is frustrated in her attempts to claim him as her own. The moment she attempts to do so, he slips away like the will of the wisp. But when she completely surrenders to him without making demands on him, lo and behold! He comes running to her side. And to help the friend in her search. she gives her his name- SrIkAnta.

A deeper/alternative philosohical interpretation can be made thus. Indeed kRShNa is the
paramour non-pareil. The whole universe woos Him and Him alone. He is the yOgamAyA that
shrouds and befuddles the universe without Himself being touched or affected by it. In this respect He is a cheat Who is unfair. He stands beyond all this. But Who can question Him. He is there wherever You look or see. He is omnipresent and allpervading. But the moment one becomes possessive about Him, he disappears. But upon surrendering oneself utterly to Him, He comes anon and take sone under His wing and looks after one totally.

Here let us recall a few purANik incidents/anecdotes.
In bRndAvana He dances with all the gOpis all at he same time. But when the gOpis sniff this
business out, they start claiming that the One Who had been withthem was kRShNa, he disappears immediately leaving them on the cold lurch. Only to rAdha does he appear as she surrenders completely to Him without being possessive.

And who will forget the beautiful depiction of this point by tyAgarAja in his opera "naukA caritram". It was only complete surrender to kRShNa that saved the sinking boat and the gOpis in it. They even had to give up their clothes before He would do anything.

Reminds me of the famous song from the movie, missiyamma where Gemini Ganesan sings to Savitri;-

bRndAvanamum nandakumAranum yAvarukkum poduccelvamanRO
EnO rAdhA inda poRAmai yArtAn azhagil mayangAdavarO |

Plain SRngARa where a guy teases his lover. And yet it can be easily interpreted philosophically.

It is the same with satyabhAmA and rukmiNi. satyabhAma is possessive about kShNa and He eludes her constantly. rukmiNi on the other hand accepts Him a He is without trying to own Him and He is always beside Her. She is ever His favourite.

Also when duSSAsana is stripping draupadI, KrShNa does not come to her rescue so long as she clutches to one end of her saree. But the moment se gives up trying and surrenders herself to Him and calls kRShNA! He is at her side and rescues her from the situation.

kurupatiyu draupadiya sIreyanu seLeyutire | taruNi hA kRShNA endodare kELdu |
bharadindakShayAmbaravitte | hastinAvatigu dvAravatigu kUgaLateyE |
(lines from the neautiful "elliruvanO ranga"kanadAsa, also attribiuted to purandaradAsa)

The SlOka from the bhagavad gIta sums this up

ananyAScintayantO mAm yE janAH paryupAsatE |
tEShAm nityAbhiyuktAnAM yOgakShEmam vahAmyaham || (9-22)

Both the words ananya and niShkAma are of key importance here.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 09 Feb 2006, 01:52

DRS,
GREAT padham! Correct me if I am wrong: but AFAIK, there are not many 'true' padhams in kannada (unlike the situation in tamizh and telugu)
For some reason, this padham reminds me of a kAvadi chindhu 'nEthi rAthiri vELayil' with some similar sentiments!
Ravi

Let me rephrase what you said. There are not many padas in vogue in kannaDa unlike in telugu or tamizh. There is no need for the qualifying epithet "true".
There are scores of dEvaranAmas which can only be called padas. You would be surprised at the candour with which the dAsas have portrayed dalliance and eroticism. Same platform as jayadEva and kShEtraj~na. Also many contemporary composers have composed varNas, padas etc exclusively for dance.

Sahana-priyan · Post by **Sahana-priyan** » 09 Feb 2006, 04:15

Shrikaanth sir,
Your explanation is truly scholarly. In support of that, i will take some time today to upload a Jaydevar astapathi reflecting the same sentiment.

The nariritigowla was also excellent. Have you composed any form of music in Ragam Sahana?

Thanks.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 09 Feb 2006, 05:34

DRS,
I was referring to the padham as it is used in a dance repertoire: originally, the post-varNam part of a mArgam had a padam and jAvaLI...both composed in the shrigAra rasa with a lot of pining (viraha), accusation of infedelity etc that are by-products of 'love'...several types of nAyikAs are described based on these emotions. Expressing these emotions was considered an essential skill, without which a dancer could not perform. In fact, a leading yesteryear dancer even said: 'how can women in conventional relstionships (i.e.: marriage) portray the feelings of a woman who wakes up every morning wondering if the man has left or not?'. It was only after RDA's efforts to 'sanitize' Bharatanatyam replaced shringAra with Bhakti that devarnAmAs and krithIs were used instead of 'true' padams. It is to bharatanatyam's eternal credit that it has survived and 'erotic'/shringAra laden poetry has made a come-back.
That is what I meant by a 'true' padham - Kshetrajna poems are definitely earthy: so are tamizh songs like 'tiruvottriyUr tyAgEsan'. Not really seen Kannada compositions like that during a dance performance. On the other hand, many many dancers have danced to krishNA nI bEganE bArO, yAdavarAya brindAvana doLu vENunAdava, bAro namma manegE gOpAlakrishNa, and BhAgyada lakshmI bArammA to name a few: I do not consider these 'true' padams - but I consider them very appropriate for a post-varNam piece when the dancer is a young girl. (As an aside, I am aghast at some of the pieces chosen for young girls).
Ravi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 09 Feb 2006, 05:51

Ravi
The very defining difference between padas and jAvaLis is that the former expresses love to a divinity treated a a lover. The latter does not refer to any God as a lover. kShEtraj~na padas, earthy yes but still directed towards gOpAla. There is of course not a direct mention of the lover as God. There is hardly a lyric that can compare with jayadEva aShTapadi of terms of eroticicm. You will come across some such lyrics in kShEtraj~na and surprise surprise! dAsara padas. When I said dEvaranAmas, I did not mean kRShNa nI bEgane bAro or bhAgyada lakShmi bARamma. Its a pity that such compositions are not seen often on dance stages.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 10 Feb 2006, 03:23

This is not a criticism of your rendering. But this lyric deserves to be sung as a dance piece with frills and jathi (in rItigowlai). In my view sahaana's voice would be more appropriate (the high pitch as well as the elasticity and femininity (you are too masculne!). The naayaka/naayaki bhaava should be brought out more explicitly! it will be nice if one of our Rasika's has a go at it. Why not post the swaras so that they may try it out? Speak up folks!---

Looks like no one is going to speak out. Anyway
"en kaDan paNi seidu kiDappadE" (Rangaramanuja Iyengar quoted this in his book kRtimaNi mALai)

http://rapidshare.de/files/12909148/nAr ... h.pdf.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 10 Feb 2006, 03:32

Shrikaanth sir,
Your explanation is truly scholarly. In support of that, i will take some time today to upload a Jaydevar astapathi reflecting the same sentiment.

The nariritigowla was also excellent. Have you composed any form of music in Ragam Sahana?

Thanks.

Sahana-priyan. I have neither ignored nor overlooked your request. Just holding my tongue after being warned by CML

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 10 Feb 2006, 05:20

Yes DRS!
The silence was deafening. But it was my fault. (I should have said 'sing back!'). If I were 40years younger I would venture to sing them back to you though my voice was never great! My stage performances were limited to singing vandemaataram during the pre-independance days! My sons are physicians and a lawyer (finding 24 hrs inadequate for a day!) and the CM gene has yet to manifest in my grand daughters (durgAparamEshvari willing!). But I don't doubt for a while that these fine kritis are being practised inside the privacy of their closets by avid CM Lovers and it is just a question of time we will hear it on the stage or AIR waves! (Thanks to you for the carte blanche!).

Your cryptic message suggests something nice is coming! Getting ready...

Ashwin · Post by **Ashwin** » 10 Feb 2006, 05:36

Aswhin
Of the few musicians that could possibly have rendered himAcalakumArIm, Sri.SRJ is definitely one. Ca you post his rendition of the same? We would be indebted.

DRS,

I'm sorry for the delayed response - I must have missed your post while scrolling through the first time. I'm not sure whether SRJ Mama knows this kriti, but I'll be sure to ask him at my next opportunity.

Looking forward to your next composition,

Ashwin

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 10 Feb 2006, 07:46

CML
As always, your response is encouraging. It would indeed be a treat to hear your voice, for your sheer enthusiasm(Never mind how good it sounds)!

Ashwin
Thanks. Will wait to hear further from you.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 10 Feb 2006, 08:56

DRS

I will one of these days!
ODu meen ODa uRu meen varumaLavum ...

Incidentally when did you compose the narIrItigowlai? Do you compose the devotional songs after visiting the temple and drawing inspirations from the deity? Also my question is whether you choose a raga (or the mood) first and then compose the lyric or choose the theme and then choose the raga?

Sahana-priyan · Post by **Sahana-priyan** » 10 Feb 2006, 10:20

Shrikaanth sir,
Thanks for your words. I will wait patiently.

Here's a recording of Vahati Malaya Sameere in Raga Ananda bhairavi denoting 'Bhagavat Vatsalyam' to Radha. I thought it reflects the sentiments as portrayed by shrikaanth sir in his composition.

http://rapidshare.de/files/12926842/Vah ... ameere.mp3

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 10 Feb 2006, 14:34

DRS

I will one of these days!
ODu meen ODa uRu meen varumaLavum ...

Incidentally when did you compose the narIrItigowlai? Do you compose the devotional songs after visiting the temple and drawing inspirations from the deity? Also my question is whether you choose a raga (or the mood) first and then compose the lyric or choose the theme and then choose the raga?

I composed the nArIrItigauLa kRti on 03.06.2004. Some of the songs I compose after visiting the temple but more often I just get the "lahari" to compose on the particular deity when I come across information on sthaLapurAna. I draw from past visits too and sometime my composition drives me to visit the temple.

Again, regarding choice of rAga and theme, it can work both ways. When I pick on a rAga, I choose subconsciously a theme appropriate to the mood of the rAga. Labouring too much about these matters consciously is detrimental to flow. Sometimes my mood will dictate the theme and the choice of the rAga.

Sahana-priyan
Thanks for the aShTapadi. Have you rendered it yourself? Its nice.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 10 Feb 2006, 18:13

Here is a varNa in rAga Sahana, miSra tripuTa tALa. (Sahana-priyan! I composed this yesterday)

http://rapidshare.de/files/12944106/Sah ... h.wma.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 10 Feb 2006, 19:00

We are going out for the weekend. I may not have regular access to the internet. Please keep posting.

Sahana-priyan · Post by **Sahana-priyan** » 10 Feb 2006, 22:56

"Sahana-priyan
Thanks for the aShTapadi. Have you rendered it yourself? Its nice.

Last edited by drshrikaanth (Today 06:27:13)"

Not at all. It was sung in 1971 by Kumbakonam E.K.Srinivasa Iyer who is an exponent in Sampradhaya bhajans(including ashtapathis). It was recorded by my grandfather(who is a noble soul himself). It was a house recording. I have it as LP records (what more could i ask for my inheritance:)).

Sahana-priyan · Post by **Sahana-priyan** » 10 Feb 2006, 22:56

BTW, Thanks for the sahana varnam. It was very nice. I just heard it loud at work.

I am assuming more sahana is to come...

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 10 Feb 2006, 23:29

DRS
Can I have the notation for the varnam?
Thank you
Kiran

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 14 Feb 2006, 22:40

3 posts in 5 days! Thanks guys. I am encouraged.