Jayachamaraja Odeyar (Mysore Maharajah) - Part I

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:18

DRS

To be appropriate it must be
haravAmA^Nga and not haravAmA^Nka since
a^Nga = body and a^Nka = mark

Unfortunately the announcer and the singer (?) render it distinctly as 'a^Nka'. If that is correct then there must be a different esoteric interpretation! Can you check the original please?

mahitE = you who are highly worshipped or honoured!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:19

abadri
Thanks for the post about Ravikiran`s comments and the Orinavaram

Coolkarni
Thans for the rAmapriya recordings

CML
vAmAnka is correct. Not vAmAnga. anka means flank or side. It can also mean lap. Hence vAmANka can also mean "seated on the left lap". kAmESvarI is seated on kAmESvara`s left lap in the bindusthAna. This is the esoteric meaning. vAma is left/beautiful. anga is organ/body vAmAnga would mean left/ beautiful organ/body which wouldnt be a suitable meaning. Recall the occurrence of vAmAnka in several of MD`s kRtis.

abadri · Post by **abadri** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:19

Just to make the discussion on Ramapriya more complete, here's a varnam courtesy of Madurai Somu.
http://rapidshare.de/files/4558416/01-V ... a.wma.html

abadri · Post by **abadri** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:19

Just to make the discussion on Ramapriya more complete, here's a varnam courtesy of Madurai Somu.
http://rapidshare.de/files/4558416/01-V ... a.wma.html

abadri · Post by **abadri** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:19

My last digressionary post. Since the relationship between Ramapriya & Malayamarutam was brought up,
here's S Kalyanaraman again, this time singing the Thyagaraja kriti Mansa Yetulo in Malayamarutam.
http://rapidshare.de/files/4562453/S_Ka ... m.mp3.html

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:20

http://rapidshare.de/files/4572645/tns- ... m.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/4574192/tns- ... i.mp3.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:20

Thanks coolkarni although I havent downloaded them yet(too many users downloading!!!)
Will you post the next ones for discussion?

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:21

abadri,

This is off topic and so apologies. I hope the info posted is still useful.

Regarding Shri Ravikiran's comments about pratimadyama's "origins":

>> > Looked like the artist used only prati madhyama.
>> >
>> > Books say that the rAga gouLipantu is derived of mAyAmALavagouLa,
>> > but the madhyama is little sharper than the shudhdha madhyama.
>> The madhyamam is called tIvra s'uddha madhyamam by musicologists.
>>
> This is what has later on become prati madhyamam with the gradual
> practical disappearence of the 22 srutis.

I could be wrong, but I do not think there is historical textual evidence to support this i.e. for tIvra sudhdha madhyama leading to pratimadyama. The strongest evidence I could find (that is a disclaimer ) that directly refers to something that is akin to pratimadyama is info about ramakriya mentioned in kallinata's commentary on Sangitaratknakara. He mentions that in ramakriya, the madhyama in practice was "sharper" by 2 sruthis. Note that this ramakriya is believed to be today pantuvarali (?) although I must mention that in general it is extremely hard to interpret earlier texts in today's terms - that hasnt stopped scholars/musicologists from making fairly strong correlations

During kallinata's time, there appears to be no tIvra suddha madyama and such. So IMHO a prati-madyama in the form we know today may have existed quite a while ago when there is no mention of tIvra suddha madyama (to be frank these came later - IMO as a result of revisionist thinking).

Note also that all early texts mention varALi as well - although only from rAmamatya (later than kallinata) one could correlate its ma to prati-madyama without resorting to too much guessing/presumption. Note also that Kallinata does not explicitly mention varali's madyama to be sharper - but does so for ramakriya. And as you may now in the music of Sangitaratnakara and earlier, there was only one madyama.

Arun

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:21

Dr. Shrikaanth/Kulkarni sa'ab,
Who are the artistes rendering the rAmapriya krithi?
Ravi

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:21

Dr. Shrikaanth's erudite explanations have cleared a long standing mystery for me: Wodeyar was a true shakthi devotee, and to him all the various manifestations of shakthi (pArvathI, lakshmI or saraswathI etc..) are the same. It explains why in many of krithis, an ignoramus like I could become confused, because one charaNam may be addressed to what appears to be lakshmI, and the very next will be on pArvathI.
Thank you once again for your painstaking and time-consuming posts. And thanks to Kulkarni sa'ab for having introduced us to the Maharaja's genius.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:22

thanks to Kulkarni sa'ab for having introduced us to the Maharaja's genius.

karthik krishnaswamy..thanks in return ,to you..

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:22

DRS

Thanks for that logical interpretations of 'vAmA^Nka'. The esoteric interpretaion is equally appealing!

Now here is a nagging question on Sanskrit grammar. The problem is generic but let us look at the rAmapriya k^Riti. As you may notice all the epithets addressed to devi are in sambOdhana (vocative). In that context for the female terms ending in 'I' the vocative must end in 'i' the short vowel. As you know the vocative declension for 'nadI' is nadi, nadyau, nadyaH. This however is violated in the lyrics. Is it a typo or is there some special significance?

Incidentally the sambOdhana for 'ambA' is 'ambE' in vedic grammar but is 'amba' in classical grammar (anomalous derivation)(see for example Apte dictionary). However Odeyar starts as 'ambA'!

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:22

http://rapidshare.de/files/4588060/Math ... i.mp3.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:22

CML
Thanks for pointing out the error. I have not formally learnt sanskrit. I have made the necessary corrections in the sAhitya. But the use of hrasva rather than dIrgha for sambOdhane seems counterintuitive(Especially for us who speak dravidian languages wher the final vowel is lengthened when addressing/calling!).
As an aside, I can see you have started writing phonetically

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:23

rshankar
Thanks.
As for lakShmI, saraswati and pArvati being the same, let me quote SankarAcarya from saundarya lahari

girAmAhurdEvIm druhiNagRhiNIm AgamavidO
hareH patnIm padmAM harasahacArIm adritanayAm |
turIyA kApi tvam duradhigama nissImamahimA
mahAmAyA viSvam bhramayasi parabrahmamahiShi ||97||

Meaning
O queen of parabrahma! Those knowing the secret od Agamas call you as sarasvati, the consort of brahma; ViShNu`s consort lakShmI; and Siva's wife, the daugter of the mountains. But you are distinct from all the three. You are One a Who cannot be defined or described by words. You are teh mahAmAYa that makes this world go round.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:23

rAga: SuddhatODi ; khaNDatripuTa tALa

mAtanga kanyAm manasAsmarAmi |
marakata maNimayAngIm mEcakAngIm ||P||

mArtANDasannibha prabhAsahitAm |
mANikyavINA SObhitAm lalitAm ||
mAtRkA svarUpAm AryAm madana vairi mAnasa nilayAm SrIvidyAm ||AP||

bhadrAm chidagnikuNDa sambhUtAm |
bhaNDAsurAdi daitya mathananiratAm |
bhadrAdi navadEvI sampUjitAm |
bhavabhayaharaNa SaktiyutAm paraSivakAntAm ||
mudrAtOShitAm madAlasAm Suddha tODirAga mOditAm SAntAm ||C||

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:23

mAtanga kanyAm manasAsmarAmi- I think of the daughter of matanga in my mind;
marakata maNimayAngIm- Her bedecked with emerald and other gems and beads; mEcakAngIm- The dark-complexioned maiden.|

mArtANDasannibha prabhAsahitAm- Her with the effulgence of the sun.
mANikyavINA SobhitAm- Her resplendent with a gem-studded vINe; lalitAm;
mAtRkA svarUpAm- Her in the form of the saptamAtRkAs; AryAm-Civilized one; madana vairi mAnasa nilayAm-Her taking abode in the heart of Siva, the foe of manmatha; SrIvidyAm;

bhadrAm-Her Who is the personification of auspiciousness, munificence, prosperity, beautyl, grace, excellence etc (note bhadramUrti in the sahasranAma); chidagnikuNDa sambhUtAm-Her born in the fire-pit of pure consciousness (this is one of Her names occurring in the sahasranAma;)
bhaNDAsurAdi daitya mathana niratAm- Her engaged in decimating bhaNdAsura and other demons;
bhadrAdi navadEvI sampUjitAm- Her worshipped by bhadrA and the other 9 dEvis;
The 9 dEvis are dIptA, sUkhmA, bhadrA, vibhUti, vimalA, amOghA, sarvatOukhI, vidyutA(?) & rujA(?). I am not sure of the names. Is anyone able to clarify or give alternate names for the 9 dEvis? Here is a link for your perusal.

http://www.agasthiar.org/AUMzine/0012-rathna-garba.htm

bhavabhayaharaNa SaktiyutAm-Her with the power to allay/remove the fear of the illusory samsAra/life; paraSivakAntAm- Wife of paraSiva (not the same as Siva. This is parabrahma. As I said in the explanation for an earlier kRti, paraSiva is atattva)
mudrA tOShitAm-Her appeased by the mudres.
There are 10 mudres(Note daSamudrArcita in the sahasranAma). They are- sarva samkShObhNI, sarva vidrAviNI, sarvAkarShiNI, sarva vaSankarI, sarvOnmAdinI, sarva mahAnkuSA, sarvakhEcarI, sarvabIjA, sarvayOnI, sarvatrikhaNDA;
madAlasAm- Her languid with delight/rapture/exhilaration/intoxication; Suddha tODirAga mOditAm-Her pleased by SuddhatODi rAga; SAntAm- tranquil One.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:23

SuddhatODi is a ubhaya krama ShADava upAnga janya of janatODi/hanumatODi, the 8th mELa. It is a pancmavarjya rAga.
Scale

SR1G2M1DN12S* | S*NDMGRS ||

There is nothing much to say about this rAGa. It sounds very much like tODi. As we now, singing pancamavarjya phrases (along with phrases including the pancama note) while singing tODi is a well-established practice and is indeed sounds very beautiful(as in kalyANi). It is just that in SuddhatODi, P is eschewed completely. Avoiding of the P note enhances adbhuta rasa and some dainya as well.
In fact "Era nApai" varNa hardly has the pancama note in it. In the version I have been taught,P is absent in the etugaDe swaras and occurs in a few places in the P, AP and ettugaDe pallavi.
Some thoughts on the kRti and the choice of the rAga;- This kRtis is on mAtangI/rAjamAtangI who is a tAntrika form of saraswati and is an abhimANI of the 64 arts, particularly music. Now mAtangi hails from the caNDAla caste. The caNDAlas are also called pancamas. Did oDeyar choose this rAga to convey that despite hailing from the tribe, she was above the taint/taboo attached to the caste (not a pancama!)? That She is above everyhing nirguNA, nirliptA, niSpApA, niSaLankA?
I think vINe kRShNamAcARya has also composed in this rAga.
The sAhitya of this kRti is reminiscent of not only the tripursundarI aShTaka as mentioned in the kannaDa introduction but also of kALidAsa`s SyAmalA daNDaka.

mANikya vINAm upalAlayantIm
madAlasAm manjuLa vAgvilAsAm |
mAhEndra nIladyuti kOmalAngIm
mAtangakanyAm manasA smarAMi ||

mAtA marakata SyAmA mAtangI madaSAlinI |

kALidAsa also adresses Her as "mAtRkA maNDalaiR maNDitE", "SrIphalE".
I have mentioned but a few similarities that I noted. There are more.

Here is a link to the SyAmaLA daNDaka by Dr.Rajkumar from the very famous kannaDa movie "kaviratan kALidAsa". It is a Must Hear.
Listen to items 04 to 09 on this page for the daNDaka.

http://www.udbhava.com/udbhava/songs.jsp?id=289

Here is a fabulous rendition of SyAmalA daNDaka by a young DKP!

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/OJC ... vwrOupt7D/

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:24

Lashman
Can you post the list of compositions in SuddhatODi along with the other lists I requested for!

Coolkarni
Lets have the next 2.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:56

bhadrAdi navadEvI sampUjitAm- Her worshipped by bhadrA and the other 9 dEvis;
The 9 dEvis are dIptA, sUkhmA, bhadrA, vibhUti, vimalA, amOghA, sarvatOukhI, vidyutA(?) & rujA(?). I am not sure of the names. Is anyone able to clarify or give alternate names for the 9 dEvis?

I believe these refer to the navaavaraNa devataa as follows from:

navayOnIrnava cakraaNi dIdhirE navaiava yOgaa nava yOginyaSca |
navAnAM cakrE adhinAthAH syOnA nava mudrA nava bhadrA mahInAM||

(tripurOpaniShad 2)

They are tripurA, tripurEshI, tripurasundari, tripuravAsinI, tripurAsrI, tripuramAliNi, tripurAsiddhA, tripurAmbA, mahAtripurasundarI respectively.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:56

Incidentally the word bhadrA refers to 'auspiciousness'
(Ref: D.R. Brooks (1990) The Secret of the Three Cities, University of Chicago Press.)

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:57

Drs. Shrikaanth and CML,
Can you comment on the purANa where pArvathI is born as the daughter of mathanga muni (or is it mAthanga muni)? I assume mAthangi refers to her father and not to the fact that she is 'mAthanga vadhana (&) guha mAthE'...
Thanks.
BTW:
1.Even as I was downloading this krithi, I was thinnking of 'shyAmaLa dhandakam': My father used to listen to a recording of DKP singing it almost everyday.
2. Who are the singers?
Ravi

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:57

BTW, Hyderabad AIR had broadcast a recording of 'shyAmaLA dhandakam' by BMK and a group: It was absolutely fabulous. Kulkarni sa'ab, any chance that it is lurking somewhere in your 'akshayapAtram'?
Ravi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:57

rShakar
I think the singers are vid|| Padma Gurudutt and Kalavati.

Here is a link for the story of how She was born to RShi matanga from the lower caste.

http://www.ambaa.org/minakshi/minakshi1.htm

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:58

Bravo DRS!

In fact maatangi means a shudra girl (cf. Kadambari of BaaNa).

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:58

Thank you. That made for some very interesting reading!
Ravi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:44

CML
Please explain the meaning of the SlOka from tripurOpaniShad. I do not think oDeyar was referring to the navAvaraNa adhdEvatAs when he said "bhadrAdi navadEvi". bhadrA must be one of the 9 devIs. It appears in the SlOka you quoted that bhadrA is a generic term for tripurA et al. They would be more appropriately called navayOginI and oDeyar has often used the term yOginI to refer to them.

mAtanga in samskRta is derived from the old kannaDa word of the same meaning- mAdinga, mAdenga, mAdiga.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:44

navayOnIrnava cakraaNi dIdhirE navaiava yOgaa nava yOginyaSca |
navAnAM cakrE adhinAthAH syOnA nava mudrA nava bhadrA mahInAM||

This is an important defining verse of the upaniShad. It means:

The nine chakras created the nine yonis
There are nine yOgaas (dvaarapaalkaas) and nine yOginis (dvaarapalinis).
Under syOnA (the presiding deiy) in the nine chakras there are nine mudras (gestures) and nine bhadras (auspicious devis) in place.

Note that by implication the nine devis are interpreted as the navaavaraNa devataa. Also note that the mudras are listed as nine (not ten). And they are indeed nine. The tenth arises as the samaShTi mudra.

I agree there is none in the list named 'bhadra'. but I could not find any with that name either. My Tamil text 'Sri Vidya' by "aNNA' calls them collectively as bhadras. I am unwilling to accept the one from the site cited by you since it appears non-authentic. I am sure Odeyar will choose his terms with care. Let us wait and see whether there is any alternative explanation.

Do you have access to materials used by odeyar?

(I am sure you know all these shaktis, mudras etc have physiological and anatomical explanations since the tripura is the 'human body'. I am not going into those details since it will tkae us away from the focus on 'music')

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:45

http://rapidshare.de/files/4622821/Koki ... m.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/4623531/Gama ... i.mp3.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:45

This kRti has been rendered by vid||Sukanya Prabhakar and vid||R.N.Srilatha. Sukanya Prabhakar is a well-known senior vocalist from Mysore. Her PhD thesis is about oDeyar`s kRtis. Her singing is mared by bhAva. Srilatha is another senior, well-nown and very knowledgable vocalist from Mysore. She is the sister of Rudrapatna brothers.

|| nAdarUpiNIm ||

rAga: kOkilapancama ; dESAditALa.

nAdarUpiNIm vandEham |
navAkSharIm SrIvidyAtmikAm ||

nArAyaNIm kOkila pancamarAgiNIm |
navagraha balanAyikAm navadurgAm ||

kAdi hAnta mata antassthitAm |
avidyAmUla hAriNIm |
kAtyAyanIm karuNArasa paripUrNAm |
AgamaSAstra samstutAm
guru sampradAya tOShita bimbAm
gaNeSa skanda jananIm paradEvatAm ||

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:46

I shall split the explanation into 2 parts for the sake of brevity of posts.
Part 1
|| nAdarUpiNIm ||

rAga: kOkilapancama ; dESAditALa.

This song is on SrI cAmuNDESvarI, the presiding deity of Mysore.

nAdarUpiNIm vandEham- I salute Her in the form of nAda.
nAda can be taken to mean musical sound/OmkAra. It also has yOgic/tAntrika connotations. nAdarUpiNi occurs in the sahasranAma. nAda could also mean nAdabrahma which is indistinguishable form parabrahma. nAda is alos a name for the primeval sound/big bang that was the origin of the universe & all creation.

navAkSharIm- Her in the frm of the navAkShari mantra.
navAkSharI or navArNa mantra is, as the name implies, a mantra made of 9 bIjAkSharas for propitiating and appeasing cAmuNDI/caNDI.

aim hrIm klIm cAmuNDAyai viccE |

There are other navAkSharI mantras but the cAmuNDI mantra is what is being referred to here. Of course as She is everything, all the other antras too would ultimately be to propitiate Her only.

AkASAt patitam tOyam yathA gacchati sAgaram |
sarvadEva namaskAra kESavam pratigacchati ||

SrIvidyAtmikAm- The soul of SrividyA/Her whose essence/soul is SrIvidyA.

nArAyaNIm- The female form of nArAaNa/lakShmI; kOkila pancamarAgiNIm- Her affectionate towards kOkila pancamarAga;
navagraha balanAyikAm- Her Who is the ruler of the strengthas ad influence of the nava grahas(9 planets in astrology);

navadurgAm- Her Who is the 9 durgAs Herself.
navadurgAs are the 9 forms of Her that fought bhaNDAsura and mahiShAsura and their comrades on the 9 days of war as described in the lalitOpAkhyAna and dEvi mahAtme. These are the 9 days celebrated as navarAtri. The names of the 9 durgAs are as follows-
ShailaputrI, brahmacAriNI, chandraghaNTA, kUShmANDA, skandamAtA, kAtyAyanI, kALarAtrI, mahAgaurI, siddhidAtrI.
There are alternative names for the 9 durgAs but I have taken these as authentic as they occur in the navadurgAstOtra. As I have mentioned earlier in my notes on a previoys kRti, one of the interpretations as to why She is called durgA is because she helped the suras to overcome the insurmountable might of the asuras.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:46

Part 2
|| nAdarUpiNIm ||

kAdi hAnta mata antassthitAm- Her who is takes abode within various matas beginning with ka and ending with ha.
I have given explanations for kAdi, hAdi and sAdi mata/mantra in my notes on a previous kRti. There may be other less-known matas. So She is the soul of all those matas from ka to ha. kakAra is the first vyanjana/consonant while ha is the last barring kShakAra.

avidyAmUla hAriNIm- Her that destroys the root of ignorance.
kAtyAyanIm; karuNArasa paripUrNAm- Her brimming with compassion;
AgamaSAstra samstutAm- Her praised by the Agamas and SAstras;
guru sampradAya tOShita bimbAm- That parabrahma Who is pleased by the tradition/lineage of preceptors and disciples.

She is the ultimate guru. The knowledge of Her or SrIvidyA can only be obtained and understood with the loving grace of a guru. One has to be initiated and led by a guru. There is an unbroken line of guru-SiShya parampare from paramaSiva to each disviple. Him being indistinguishable from Her, She is the paramaguru. His first disciples were brahma, viShNu and rudra collectively called divyaugha. They in turn passed The Knowledge to siddhaugha and so on and so forh, thus producing an unbroken lineage to each guru-siShya/disciple among us mortals.
The derivation of guru is- 'gu' stands for ignorance/darkness while ru stands for the light of knowledge that dispels the darkness.

gukArastvandhakAraH syAt rukAratannirOdhakaH ||

guru is indistinguishable fro SrIlalitA. She is called as gurumUrti, gurupriyA, sampradAyESvarI and gurumaNDalarUpiNI in the sahasranAma. Also the kAdi vidye is called as sampradAya.

gaNeSa skanda jananIm-Mother of gaNESa and kArtikEya; paradEvatAm- The ultimate One.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:46

kOkilapancama is a upAnga janya of dhAlivarALi/jhAlavarALi, the 39th mELa. Srilatha clearly demonstrates the gamakas on each swara while singing the scale initially. For example one can grasp at once that D is sung from P upwards.
Scale

SG1R1SPD1N2S* | S*NDPM2GRS ||

I think the scale can be simplified to SPDNS* | S*NDPMGRS || as GRS is anyway accommodated by the avarOhaNa and hence need not be explicitly or especially shown in the ArOhaNa. There is a big leap from S to P in the ascent. Consequently, the avarOhI usages are more prominent. Also the uttarAnga is more prominent. But one has to keep showing the S-P jump every now and then to diferentiate tha rAga from varALi.
N & G are prominent chAyA swaras. R and M come next in prominence. The pancama note too is frequent. "S*NPDNS*" phrase is heard in places. In this rendition, I could here the PMD & PMP prayOgas creeping in at places. The use of S-P gives adbhuta/AScarya rasa, and a sense of awe mingled with bhakti. The usage "SS_PP_S*S_ " can be used with telling effect.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:47

Also note that the mudras are listed as nine (not ten). And they are indeed nine. The tenth arises as the samaShTi mudra.

Can you clarify which is the samaShThi mudre? The sahasranAma itself mentions the daSamudres as I have mentioned earlier. MD also refers to the daSamudrA in his punnAgavarALi navAvaraNa kRti.

Do you have access to materials used by odeyar?

Sorry I do not understand the context of the question.
The answer is no.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:47

Rendered by R.K.Sriantan and R.S.Ramakant

|| SrI gAyatrI dEvi ||

rAga: gamanaSrama ; caturaSra dhRuvatALa.

SrI gAyatrIdEvi vEda mAtR svarUpiNi mAmpAhi ||

SrI sAvitrI sarasvatI SaktyAdi samsEvitE lalitE |
SrIkaNThadayitE SrIpati pramukha sandhyOpAsita mUrtE
SrI vidyA mantra rahasya vEditE ajapa suprItE ||

muktA vidrumAdi kAntiyuta pancatEjOmaya SObhitE |
mumukShu sarvAnandapradAnAsaktE sarasija pIThavAsasthE |
bhaktAbhaya pradAna niratE kAmi kAmita phaladAna vikhyAtE |
bhagavati daSabhujAlankRtE kapAlAdiyuta kara SObhitE ||
bhargadEva varENyAnugrahIta buddhi vikAsa pracOdini
parabrahma gamanaSrama hitakAriNi kalyANi ||

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:48

The question is on the assumption that Odeyar or his contemporaries must have left some notes that will elucidate his train of thought. Are there any commentary on these kritis in Kannada? You have mentioned research being done on odeyar's work which implies the existence of materials. Are these in the public domain or under royal custody? The reason is the present discussions should spark renewed interest in the musical works of Odeyar and it will be nice to know what resources are available!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:48

CML
I am not aware of the existence of resources. That of course does not negate the existence of such material. The research done does not necessarily mean that resources were available. It could be a "original" piece of work. As Raja handra has mentioned earlier, oDeyar wrote down his kRtis in western notation. I doubt that oDeyar made extensive notes if any given the fact that SrIvidyA upAsane is secretive (rahastarpaNa tarpitA, rahOyAgakramArAdhyA) and a upAsaka is not allowed to reveal details except to a disciple in the ordained manner. The fact tha oDeyar was a king does not help matters either as much about the royal families are generally kept under wraps. Also, the liquidation of the kingdom and cutting down of finances would only have complicated things further. Of those chosen few who were privy to his thoughts ad beliefs, MV has not written much about his musical pursuits in his recollections (nenapugaLu & nA kaNDa kalAvidaru). Chennakeshaviah did write down the kRtis in notation around the time of oDeyar`s demise and he is the most likely person to have had access to whatever resources that might have existed. The fact that his painstaking efforts have not seen the light of day yet is another hurdle.
Raja Chandra would I am sure have more to say in this matter. Lets wait for him to respond.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:48

Part 1

gAyatri is thus called as She protects those who sing her praise.

gAyantam trAyasE yasmAd gAyatrI tvamataH smRtA ||

gAyantam trAyatIti gAYatri ||

What better way to appease her than to sing her praise as oDeyar has done!

|| SrI gAyatrI dEvi ||

SrI gAyatrIdEvi- O gAyatri; vEda mAtR svarUpiNi- Mother of the vEdas; mAmpAhi- Protect me

SrI sAvitrI sarasvatI SaktyAdi samsEvitE-Her subserved by the Saktis including sAvitrI & sarasvatI. sandhyAdEvi/gAyatrI has 3 subcomponents- gAyatrI, sAvitrI, sarasvatI representing the senses, life-force and speech respectively. They also represent the forces of creation, preservation and destruction; sAvitrI and sarasvati are also alternate names for gAyatri.
lalitE

SrIkaNThadayitE- Siva`s wife; SrIpati pramukha sandhyOpAsita mUrtE- You propitiated by viShNu et al;
SrI vidyA mantra rahasya vEditE- You who knows the secret of the gAyatrI mantra; ajapa suprItE- You Who is appeased/pleased by the unuttered mantra(gAyatrI).
ajapA manta is that which is un-uttered/not chanted. It is the mantra inherent in the breathing (in and out) of all organisms. It is represented by hamsaH-sOham. ham is the sound of inhalation while saH is that of exhalation. This, when accompanied by meditation upon Her is a very powerful mantra ad is calle the gAyatrI of the yOgis.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:48

Part 2

muktA vidrumAdi kAntiyutE- You with the radiance of pearls, corals etc
Recall the SlOka
muktA vidruma hEma nIla dhavaLacchAyair mukhaiH trIkShaNaiH | yuktAm indu nibaddha ratna mauTAm tattvArtha varNAtmikAm ||
gAyatrIm varadAbhayankuSa kaSAm Subhram kapAla gadAm |
Sankham cakramathAravinda yugaLam hastair vahantIm bhajE ||

pancatEjOmaya SObhitE- Her with wide-spread and far-reaching effulgence.
panca means wide, distributed, wide-spread.
But if we replace kAntiyutE with kAntiyuta (as rendered here), tEjOmaya seems rather superfluous. Of course one of the words may be wrong. I think this refers to her 5 faces (pancaSIrSha) referred to in the above SlOka. The 5 faces represent Aditya(sun), ambikA, viShNu, gaNanAtha, mahESvara

mumukShu sarvAnandapradAnAsaktE- You Who is ever eager to give bliss/ecstasy to those wishing to give up worldly ties and attai salvation; sarasija pIThavAsasthE- You seated on a throne of lotus(sahasradaLa kamala)
bhaktAbhaya pradAna niratE- You Who is engaged in granting refuge and removing the fear (of and from ignorance) of your devotees;
kAmi kAmita phaladAna vikhyAtE- You Who is renowned for granting all the wishes to those who desire.
The word kAmi here seems somewhat unsettling as it usually has negative connotations.

bhagavati- parabrahma; daSabhujAlankRtE- Her resplendent with 10 arms;
pancaSIrShAm daSabhujAm ShaTkukShIm vEdamAtaram |
trimUrti jananIm ambAm gAyatrIm tripadAm bhajE ||

kapAlAdiyuta kara SObhitE- Her with skull etc in her hands. (See 1st SlOka quoted above)

bhargadEva varENyAnugrahIta buddhi vikAsa pracOdini- You who stimulate and inspire the intellect granted by That great bharga.
bharga is variously explained as the (1)effulgence of parabrahMa that dispels ignorance (2) parabrahma (3) sun (4) viShNu. These are certainly not mutually exclusive.

Om bhUr buvaH suvaH
tat savitur varENyam bhargO dEvasya dhImahi |
dhiyOyOnaH pracOdayAt ||

parabrahma gamanaSrama hitakAriNi- You Who helps one along the difficult path to the realization of that Universal supreme Soul and make the path easier; kalyANi.

The names ajapA,avidyAdhvamsinI, bhargAtmikA, kalyANI, kAmamAtA, kAMarUpA, parabrahmATmikA, parA, lalitA occur in the gAyatrI sahasranAma

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:49

gamanaSrama is the 53rd mELa with the following scale

SR1G3M2PD2N3S* | S*NDPMGRS ||

This is a pleasing rAga which has ample scope for expansion. But the rAga has been eclipsed by pUrvikalyANi/gamakakriya(the mELa in venkaTamakhi/dIkShitar school) which is a much older rAga with a long line of umpteen compositions in it. gamanaSrama is a bhakti rasa pradhAna rAga. But this is not a very strong bhAva especially if D2 and G3 are emphasized. It will then be gAnarAsa pradhAna with a hint of SrngAra as well. All swaras are important.
oDeyar`s kRti lays out an elaborae canvas of tha rAga on a scaffolding of the caturaSra dhruva tALa in 2 kaLes. As I said earleir, it is a very effective and beautiful way of appeasing gAyatrI.

Apart from kRtis in the 72-mELa series by several composers, there is "pArvatISa mAm pAhi" by biDAram kRShNappa and "idi nIku nyAyama" by MV.

I am posting links to an arresting and mindblowing RTP by BalamuraLi Krishna and a sUrdAs bhajan by TNS.

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/P4m ... vwrOupt7D/

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/Pqm ... vwrOupt7D/

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/UJI ... vwrOupt7D/

Note the difference in the emphasis on swaras and the rasas evoked by Balamurali ad Seshagopalan.

Coolkarni
Do you have a recording of "pArvatISa mAmpAhi"? Please post whatever you have in this rAga. And post the next 2 in the series as well.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:49

Additional thoughts on the first line of the anupallavi

SrI sAvitri sarasvati SaktyAdi samsEvitE lalitE |

This could also be interpreted as
O SrI (lakShmi), savitri, sarasvati, Sakti; Adi samsEvitE- You who is worshipped first and foremost; lalitE

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:49

DRS

I agree with you about the secretive nature of Sri Vidya and as to how Odeyar as a true upaasaka would have kept his knowledge private. Even now discussion of the esoterics of Sri Vidya secrets are taboo without proper initiation. The mantras are very powerful and if improperly used will do more harm than good. I have associated in my younger days with Master Tantriks and have personally witnessed the good and bad effects of Sri Vidya upaasana.

There is no question about there being ten mudras. But they are associated with the navavaraNaas as follows:

sarva samkShObhNI, First
sarva vidrAviNI, Second
sarvAkarShiNI, Third
sarva vaSankarI, Fourth
sarvOnmAdinI, Fifth
sarva mahAnkuSA,Sixth
sarvakhEcarI, Seventh
sarvabIjA, Eightth
sarvatrikhaNDA; Ninth
sarvayOnI, samaShThi

The atharva shiirShOpaniShad (as commented by Bhaskara raaya)discusses the prayOgam of these mudras. I certainly would not like to discuss the esoteric meanings in public.

Apart from the devotional aspect, independantly these k^Ritis have a strong musical appeal. You are presenting a wealth of these information assembled from various sources. They should all be integrated and musicians should realize the value of Odeyar's magnum opus and render them more frequently for the enjoyment of the CM community.

I notice there are more than 3000 visitors to this thread and I hope many of them will realize the greatness of Odeyar's compositions. Thanks to you. Are there any organized eeforts to popularize these songs in KarNaaTaka?

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:50

DRS
The atharva shiirShOpaniShad (as commented by Bhaskara raaya)discusses the prayOgam of these mudras. I certainly would not like to discuss the esoteric meanings in public.

CML
2 quotes come to mind.

Ignorance is bliss.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

What little I know (right or wrong), I am sharing with others. But one thing I know for sure. As I am doing this with Her in mind and with the intent of serving music and giving credit where it is due, no harm will come to me. She will bear whatever might come of the mite I am doing. Let me quote another kandapadya of mine in sankEti (part of an antAdi)

pinnina pada capparu nI
konnina OmkAra rUpu guruSukiyE nA |
connadu cennO gunnO
innOdAnAlu nIye ediripidIya ||

O parrot Who are the preceptor for the three worlds! This tapestry of words that I have woven is but a form of the OmkAra that You so sweetly uttered (konjum kiLLai mozhi). What I have said may be beautiful or flawed. Be that as it may. Whatever it be and whatever the consequences, You shalll face and bear Yourself. It is solely Your responsibility and not mine.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:52

I notice there are more than 3000 visitors to this thread and I hope many of them will realize the greatness of Odeyar's compositions. Thanks to you. Are there any organized eeforts to popularize these songs in KarNaaTaka?

As for efforts to popularise oDeyar`s krtis in Karnataka, This radio series was one of them. The research in the form of PhD theses is another. Concert series have been organized with his compostions as the theme. There was one recently in the Gayana Samaja, Bangalore if I am not mistaken and also another in Mysore. Again Raja Chandra might be able to clarify.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:52

kAmi kAmita phaladAna vikhyAtE- You Who is renowned for granting all the wishes to those who desire.
The word kAmi here seems somewhat unsettling as it usually has negative connotations.

There is no negative connotation! you are interpreting 'kAmi' in the dictionary sense of lecher of libidinous person.

here the term is (I believe) kAmikAmita which is resolved as the bahuvrIhi compound yat kAminaH kAmitaH (that which is desired by the desirer) (It is derived from the word kAmin = desirer (Siva or the Supreme Being). In the latter sense it would mean that she is the one who bestows the fruits of desires to even Siva!

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:53

here is a rendering by kalyanraman-from a special series of concerts covering all the ragas in the 72 mela series.

http://rapidshare.de/files/4700438/kaly ... m.mp3.html

** rtp by MLV --
: http://rapidshare.de/files/4700712/mlv- ... 1.mp3.html
: http://rapidshare.de/files/4701202/mlv- ... 2.mp3.html

** and a concert rendering by TRS
: http://rapidshare.de/files/4701485/trs_ ... a.mp3.html
: http://rapidshare.de/files/4701929/trs- ... a.mp3.html

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:53

: http://rapidshare.de/files/4702311/Hind ... m.mp3.html
: http://rapidshare.de/files/4702509/Hind ... i.mp3.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:53

|| pAhimAm satatam ||

rAga: hindOLadESika ; Adi tALa ||

pAhimAm satatam jagajjanani ||

Ehi mudam dEhi parAtpari ||
aihikAmuSmika phala pradAnakari SrIkari SrIvidyESvari ||

sapta svarOtpanna sunAda |
samudra ghOShAntarangiNi |
Apta bhakta SirOmaNi SrImad a-
gastya muni pUjita mahAyOgini ||
satputrapautra kaLatradAyini hindOLa dESika sammOdini ||

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:54

Meaning of
|| pAhimAm satatam ||

rAga: hindOLadESika ; Adi tALa

pAhimAm satatam jagajjanani- Ever protect me O Mother of the universe.

Ehi-Come near; mudam dEhi- Give me happiness; parAtpari- Soreme amont the superior(parabrahma);
aihika AmuSmika phala pradAnakari-You Who give the fruits of both here and the hereafter; SrIkari- Doer of all that is good and auspicious; SrIvidyESvari - Mistress of SrIvidyA.

sapta svarOtpanna sunAda samudra ghOShAntarangiNi- You Who is the soul of the all tumult/sound arising from the ocean of music born of/created from the 7 swaras;
Apta bhakta SirOmaNi SrImad agastya muni pUjita mahAyOgini- mahAyOgini worshipped by sage agastya, the best among Your devotees and who is dear to You.
yOginI refers to Her as One with Him. yOga is fusion/joining. The two are inseperable as the word and its meaning; as the sun and his light; yOginI occurs in the sahasranAma. The navAvaraNa dEvatAs are also called yOginIs and the number of yOginIs varies in different contexts
(upto 64 crores!-mahAcatuSShaShTikOTi yOginI gaNasEvitA in th sahasranAma). As She is the Queen of all yOginIs, she is the mahAyOginI.

satputrapautra kaLatradAyini- You Who give good wife and progeny(childre and grandchildren); hindOLa dESika sammOdini- You Who is pleased by hindOLa dESika.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:54

sapta svarOtpanna sunAda samudra ghOShAntarangiNi

What a sonorous picturesque musical description!
First we enjoy the alliteration of the 'sa'.
Then look at the meaning!
As you say, she is the soul(antarangiNi) of the all tumult/sound arising from the ocean of music born of/created from the 7 swaras;
You split as ghoSha+antarangiNi, but you can also have it as the aluk compound
gOShAn +tarangiNi = the wave or the radiating energy of the tumultous ocean sound. Since She is the enrgy principle (shakti) everything is inert without her.

Again ghOSha means noise or properly white noise and hence sunAda ghOSha is an oxymoron but She is the one who converts the white noise into the divine music of the sapta swaras.

Beautiful Lyric!
Beautiful mind-stimulating Meaning! and
Beautiful Music!

Who is the singer?