Jayachamaraja Odeyar (Mysore Maharajah) - Part I

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:55

CML
A very nice explanation for ghOShAntarangiNIm! She is called nAdarUpA and nAdarUpiNI in the sahasranAma. saraswatI is described as sangItasAhityastanayugaLE. In the saundarua laharI, She is gloriied as an expert in sangIta, gamaka eyc. In fact SankarAcArya picturesquely says that the 3 lines in her neck ( a sign of beauty in women) are like the 3 grAmas- ShaDja, madhyama and gAndhAra which never overlap!

galE rEkhAH tisraH gati gamaka gItaika nipuNE
vivAhavyAnaddha praguNaguNasankhyA prabhuvaH |
virAjantE nAnA vidha madhura rAgkarabhuvAm
trayANAm grAmANAm sthiti niyama sImAn iva tE ||

Coolkarni
Thanks for the RTP and the other pieces in gamanaSrama.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:55

hindOLadESika is a ubhaya vakra sampUrNa upAnga janya of nATakapriya/naTAbharaNa, the 10th mELa.
Scale

SM1R1G2MPD2N2S* | S*PNDMGRS ||

There are 2 wide jumps in the rAga, on each in the pUrvAnga (S-M) and uttarAnga (S*-P). This, when used in combination very nicely conveys the tumult and waves in the ocean and oDeyar has aptly used this in "saptaswara sunAda samudra---". He infact shows the sancAras in both the mandra and madhya sthAyi! The mark of a master craftsman indeed! The rAga conveys bhakti rasa. S-P conveys a sense of surrender.
I wonder if there are any other compositions in this rAga. Lakshman appears to be busy elsewhere.

Coolkarni
Do you have recordings of naTAbhraNa (MD`s viSvanAtham bhajEham)? If you do, lets have it.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:55

This kRti has been rendered by T.S.Sathyavathi and R.Chandrika.
sAhitya for

|| pAhimAm SrI paramESvari ||

rAga: hindOLadarbAr; khaNDa rUpaka tALa

pAhimAm SrI paramESvari |
pASamOcanakari SrIkari ||

pANDya kulOddhArakari Sankari ||
phAlAkSha sukhakari paratattvAdhISvari EkAkSari ||

kumkumavarNa suma SObhitE |
kumbhasambhava munipUjitE |
kumkuma kastUrI tilakayutE |
kunjaramukha ShaNmukhavinutE ||
gangAdi sakala tIrtha sEvitE SrIvidyAdhidEvatE |
gandhAdi sugandhalEpitE gauravarNadEhakAnti sahitE ||

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:56

Part 1 of Meaning for
|| pAhimAm SrI paramESvari ||

rAga: hindOLadarbAr; khaNDa rUpaka tALa

pAhimAm SrI paramESvari- Protect me O supreme mistress;
pASamOcanakari- Remover of all worldly ties; SrIkari- Doer of good and auspicious;

pANDya kulOddhArakari- You Who emancipated the pANDya clan
(by being born in it. She is mInAkShI born as a princess of the pANDya clan. She is invincible and defeats every army that dares to challenge her. So much so that She knocks at the gates of Mount kailAsa challenging Him to come for combat. But of course, the oment He appears and She sets Her eyes on Him, She falls in love and is unable to fight Him. He marries Her. I wonder what tricks Siva was upto that She weakened on seeing Him! I dont blame Her. poor Girl! Perhaps He appeared in his digambara style. )
Sankari

phAlAkSha sukhakari- You Who provide comfort and happiness to Him with the third eye in His forehead; paratattvAdhISvari- The presiding deity of the supreme doctrine;
Recall that She is the paratattva that enables the atattva (paramaSiva)EkAkSari- One in the form of a single letter.
This refers to hrImkAra. It could also be interpreted as OmkAra.

kumkumavarNa suma SObhitE- One adorned with vermilion/red-coloured flowers.
She is fond of the red colour and is herself described as of ruddy complexion or having a reddish hue. Red represents rajas and valour. Note the lines from the dhyAna SlOkas of the lalitA sahasranAma;-

aruNAm karuNA tarangitAkShIm |
aruNA mean 'the red One'

pANibhyAm alipUrNa ratna caShakam raktOtpalam vibhratIm |
raktOtpala is the red lotus/lily. ratna is ruby.

sindhUrAruNa vigrahAm trinayanAm--
sindhUrAruNa is vermilion red.

sakunkuma vilEpanAm alikacumbi kastUrikAm |
samanda hasitEkShaNAm saSara cApa pASAnkuSAm |
aSeShajana mohinIm aruNa mAlya bhUShAmbarAm |
japAkusuma bhAsurAm japavidhau smarEdambikAm ||

Note this SlOka above in particular as this kRti of oDeyar`s has telling similarities.

Some of Her names in the sahasranAma;-
sarvAruNA, padmarAgasamaprabhA, AraktavarNA, pATalIkusumapriyA, vidrumAbhA, dADimIkusumaprabhA, japAkusumanibhAkRti, madArakusumapriyA, bandhUka kusumaprakhyA.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:57

Part 2 of Meaning for
|| pAhimAm SrI paramESvari ||

kumbhasambhava munipUjitE- One worshipped by sage agastya;
kumkuma kastUrI tilakayutE- One bedecked with vermilion and kastUri tilaka;
kunjaramukha ShaNmukhavinutE- One praised by the elephant-faced gaapati and the 6-faced kArtikEya;
gangAdi sakala tIrtha sEvitE- One revered with/worshipped with all holy waters including gangA; SrIvidyAdhidEvatE- The reigning deity of SrIvidyA;
gandhAdi sugandhalEpitE- One annointed with sandal and other fragrant sunstances;
She is called 'candandrava dighdAngI' in the sahasranAma.

gauravarNadEhakAnti sahitE- One with a fair complexion.
white signifies sattva, fame/kIrti and benevolence. That is why our ancient kings had SvEtachattra or veNkoTRakkuDai. kESirAja, an ancient kannaDa grammarian(around 1 millenium ago) says in his 'Sabda maNi darpaNa'. SvEtam adara varNam. I am unable to recall all the lines at present.
Looks like oDeyar wanted to have the best of both worlds and hence gave Her a fair complexion and adorned Her with red flowers. Of course as She is the embodiment of all guNas ad nirguNa, She is at different times described as white(gaurI), red (aruNE, kumkumarAgaSONE) or black (kALI, SyAmaLE).
She is called SuklavarNA and gaurI in the sahasranAma.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:57

hindOLa darbAr is another rare rAga used by oDeyar. It is a svarAntara-ShAava upAnga janya of rAgavardhini/rAgacUDAmaNi, the 32nd mELa.
Scale

SG3M1PS* | S*N2D1PMR3S ||

The rAga is mentioned in R.R Keshavamurthy`s book. The occurrence of svarAntara(4 swaras) is as such rare in our music as 5 swaras are considered a minimum requirement for melody. The few that we know have svarAntara in ArOhaNa while the descent has more swaras (e.g navarasa kannaDa). Some new composers have made use of rAgas with only 4 or even less swaras in both ascent and descent to compose in. C.Rangaiah has composd in several such rAgas with only 1(arcikA) , 2 (gAthikA), 3 , 4 and more swaras. BalamuraLi krishna has composed a beautiful kRti in lavangi (4 swaras either way)-OmkArAkAriNi. (Whatever maybe his quirks, one cannot question his musicl prowess).

The avarOhaNa of this rAga is identical to that of rAgacUDAmaNi (MD`s SvEta gaNapatim). The prayOga "MGMR_S" is innate in the given scale. This prayOga is indeed common to nearly all rAgas of the Rtu and Aditya cakra(SR3G3M) and is a means to avoid the vivAdi dOSha. oDeyar has used more of the pUrvAnga swaras upto and including P. P, G, M, R are prominent notes as is the PS* phrase. He has relatively suppressed D and N which can deepen the bhakti/SOka rasa. The kRti conveys a sense of AScarya/adbhuta and a steadfast bhakti.
The tALa is khaNda rUpaka. The pallavi and anupallavi start on the anAgata graha after half a beat while the caraNa shows samagraha. oDeyar has experimented and composed in the various lesser known suLAdi tALas( The framework laid down by SrI purandara dAsa).

I wonder if anyone else has composed in this rAga(HMB?).

Coolkarni
Can you post "SvEta gaNapatim" of MD?

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 21:57

Coolkarni
In the next 2 krtis that you post, make sure you include the kRti in rAgavardhini. And do look up for other recordings in rAgavardhini and rAgacUDAmaNi. In fact rAgacUDAmaNi will be a nice bridge between the 2 rAgas. And we could then familiarise ourselves with rAgavardhini as well.
Let the other one be the gamakakriya kRti.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:00

DRS

other renderings in hindoladesika hindola darbar.i have drawn a blank.
md s viswanatham bhajeham .. also blank..only have it as a ragamalika.

rest of it, i will do as suggested

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:00

Coolkarni
As you appear to be busy, I am posting the rAgavardhini kRti. Post the other one and hopefullly also some other pieces in rAgavardhini/rAgacUDAmaNi. If you dont have any

http://rapidshare.de/files/4747155/Raga ... m.mp3.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:00

This kRti has been sung by T.S.Sathyavathi and R.Chandrika.
sAhitya

|| mRtyunjayam bhAvayEham ||

rAga: rAgavardhini ; khaNDa tripuTa tALa

mRtyunjayam bhAvayEham sadA |
mRkaNDu munisuta prANa samrakShakam ||

mRtyubhaya dhvamsakam tryambamkam ||
mRgapakSi mAnavAdi sakala carAcara prapancapAlakam tripurAntakam ||

vasiShThAdi mahAmuni pUjitam |
vAsarESa candrAgni nEtrayutam |
bhasitAngAShTa bhairavAdirUpam |
bhavapASa bhaya haraNa nijasvarUpam ||
SrI siddhivinAyakAdi sahitam rAgavardhinitOShitam SrIvidyArcitam ||

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:00

DRS
Sridhar(kamakshi7) has bailed me out this time.with these offerings.

Here is the naTAbharaNa composition, sung by Shri T.M.Thyagarajan. The recording is rather poor

http://rapidshare.de/files/4740492/vishvanAtham.mp3

Here is the other composition, sung by Prof Shri SRJ.

http://rapidshare.de/files/4740657/shvEtagaNapatim.mp3

thank you so much sridhar !!

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:01

Coolkarni
As you appear to be busy

DRS .
Boy are you fast !!
You remind me of the brightest chap in our class who, while the examiner would have just finished distributing the question papers , would be asking for additional sheets to answer...

so here are the next two

: http://rapidshare.de/files/4703677/Deva ... m.mp3.html
: http://rapidshare.de/files/4750677/Gama ... m.mp3.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:02

Meaning of
|| mRtyunjayam bhAvayEham ||

rAga: rAgavardhini ; khaNDa tripuTa tALa

mRtyunjayam bhAvayEham sadA- I ever meditate upon Him that has conquered death;
mRkaNDu munisuta prANa samrakShakam- Him that saved the life of the son of sage mRkaNDu(mArkaNDEya).

mRtyubhaya dhvamsakam-Him that destoys the fear of death; tryambamkam- The three-eyed Lord.
mRgapakSi mAnavAdi sakala carAcara prapancapAlakam-Him that protects and nourishes the moving and the static in the universe including animals, birds and men; tripurAntakam- Destroyer of tripurAsura.

vasiShThAdi mahAmuni pUjitam- Him worshipped by great sages such as vaSiShTha.
vAsarESa candrAgni nEtrayutam- Him whose 3 eyes are the sun(vAsarESa), the moon(candra) and fire (agni).
bhasitAngAShTa bhairavAdirUpam- Him with the ash-smeared body that is in the form of the aShTa bhairavas etc.
The aShTa bhairavas are, as the name suggests, eight in number. They are alocated one to each direction. This is the kShEtrapAla aspect of Siva by which he protects he city/grounds in all directions. bhairava is also associated with the cremation grounds.
Their names are ruru bhairava [S-E, agni], caNDa bhairava [S, yama], asitAnga bhairava [E, indra], kapALla bhairava [N.W, vAyu], krOdha bhairava [S.W, nirRti], unmatta bhairava[W., varuNa], samhAra bhairava [N.E, ISAna] & bhISaNa bhairava [N., rudra, kubEra] Alternativel they are-
mahA- , saMhAra-, asitAnga-, ruru-, kAla-, krodha-, tAmracUDa-/kapAla-, candracUDa-/rudra- bhairava.Note that the aShTa bhairavas are different from the aShTamUrtis of Siva.

bhavapASa bhaya haraNa nija svarUpam- Him with a form that removes the fear of worldly ties;
SrI siddhivinAyakAdi sahitam -Him accompanied by sidhhivinAyaka and others; rAgavardhinitOShitam- Him pleased by rAgavardhinI; SrIvidyArcitam- Him woshipped by SrIvidyA.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:03

DRS
Sridhar(kamakshi7) has bailed me out this time.with these offerings.

kAmAkShyai tubhyam namaH |

DRS .
Boy are you fast !!
You remind me of the brightest chap in our class who, while the examiner would have just finished distributing the question papers , would be asking for additional sheets to answer

In class and in college I used to get out of the examination hall by the time they finished handing the question papers out. I particularly disliked writing my tamizh and social studies papers (I loved both the subjects though. I still do) as they involved writing lengthy answers.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:04

rAgavardhini/rAgacUDAmaNi is the 32nd mELa. The scale of rAgavardhini is

SR3G3M1PD1N2S* | S*NDPMGRS ||

R, M, and D are the chAyA swaras. N is to a lesser extent (This is very important in rAgacUDAmaNi). There is bhIbatsa in the rAga. One might exect this feeling in bhairava who is at times associated with the cremation ground. Of course there is bhati as well. It is a direct "MGR" phrase that strengthens bhIbatsa. If G is softened, glossed over and somewhat elevated (closer to madhyama), or by singing "MGMR_" or "MGS" (skipping the RShabha), bhIbhatsa weakens and bhakti strengthens.
As stated in the kannaDa introduction, the kRti is based on the story of Siva kicking yama on the chest (thus becoming kAlakAla/mRtyunjaya) when the latter comes to take mArkaNDEya away as his time had come (not the pun here!. yama thought mArkaNDEya`s time had come but little did he realize that it was his own time that had actually come! ). The kRti also highlights the fact that although usually associated with destuction, he is also the One Who protects his devotees whenthey surrender themselves to him. He is beyond time and space and is neither born nor dies (Hence mRtyunjaya).He also redeems his devotees from the cycle of birth and death, thus making them mRtyunjaya too.
Despite being a virAgin (free from all affections, ties and afflictions), he takes pleasure in rAgavardhini due tothe boundless love for his devotees.

A very frequent feature among oDeyar`s krtis is the anAgata graha in the P and AP changing to samagraha in the caraNa with the madhyamakAla sAhitya making way for a smooth transition. Nice rAga, nice kRti in a nice tALa.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:04

kAmAkShyai tubhyam namaH |

kAmAShyE tubhyam namaH
will be more appropriate since he is 'masculine'

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:04

The second one caNDa bhairava is also known as kAla bhairava who is worshipped at kASi.

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:05

I am sorry !! I see DRS wanted me to answer some questions, but I missed out on the threas for a while.

Oh! boy DRS seems to be in a tearing hurry to forge ahead and getting a little knotty too !

DRS,

if you permit i will keep posting some personal aspects of HH, to answer some of the questions at my own slow pace.

kindly comment when ever the need arises

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:06

The second one caNDa bhairava is also known as kAla bhairava who is worshipped at kASi.

There is an interesting story connected with the origin of the oDeyar dynasty and kALa bhairva.

Two chandravaMshi rAjputs from dwAraka known as yadurAya and krsihnarAya were on a pilgrimage to yadugiri ( mElukOte) and thereafter visited mahAbalAdri( cAmunDi hills) on divine ordain in the year 1399. They came back and stayed in the kALa bhairba temple on the banks of the doDDa kere at mysore ( where the present mysore palace is located).
They were met by a jaMgama and on his advice rescued the damsel in distress- local princess from the clutches of a chieftain- mAranAyaka, who was making boorish attempts to marry her and claim the kingdom after the Kings death. The eldest of the brother yadurAya becomes the king of mysore after slaying the evil mAranAyak and marries the damsel !
thus the kALa bhairva temple also known as khODi bhairava hold a very special significance to the dynasty

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:06

This temple is actually a small shrine nestling right next to the ancient sOmeswara temple located on the north east corner of the fort. visitors to the palace seldom visit the temples.

the newest temples in the fort are gAyatri temple and bhuvanEswari temple built by oDeyar's guru shilpi siddalingaswamy at his behest around 1950.

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:06

Today is teacher's day. So let me quote from Dr.S.Radhakrisnan's introductory remarks on oDeyar's dattarEya to get a glimpse on his vast learning :

...............The writers translations and notes reveal his vast learning and deep devotion. The writer is not merely as theoretical student but a practicing sAdhaka. He not only points out how the two works are rooted in the classical scriptures of Hinduism but are endorsed by his own personal experience..........

One can read the entire introduction at

http://rapidshare.de/files/4764295/dattatrEya.pdf.html

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:06

pardon me for digressing away from the main subject but while talking about Dr.S.R. i should share with a small anecdote, which i heard it today.

During my morning walk today I happened to meet the grandson of Sri. H.V.Nanjundiah - first VC of Mysore University- he stays at Switzerland normally.

As is my wont I requested him to part with whatever records , books of his grand father's time. Then he narrated this story.

When the Mysore varsity was started , Dr.SV was working in Madras and he applied for a post in the English Department at Maharaja's college -Mysore. But unfortunately this information was leaked and the he was given marching orders from Madras. But the offer from HVN fell short of his expectation and a little below what he was already getting at Madras. So Dr.SV writes a fervent plea to HVN to save him from ruination.

This letter is still in the possession of HVN's grandson.

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:06

As dattatreya is over 280 pages , it may be too difficult to share with you all. But another small work of oDeyar will familiarize the readers about his immense knowledge.

Follow the link:

http://rapidshare.de/files/4764798/avadhUta.pdf.html

This is a copy of his lecture at Bangalore published by the Indian Institute of world culture.

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:07

as oDeyar mentions in avadhUta,

a bee gathers a drop of honey from each flower and does not harm them in the cat.

a sage must draw only the essence from scriptures, big or small and disregard the non-fundamentals

"dedication" note in dattrEya is as follows:

To My Mother:

who showed me the light of Datta, most gracious lady, Her Highness Sri Kempu Cheluvajammanni Avaru, the Yuvarani of Mysore, an example of the highest order of Indian womanhood, a great devotee and a loving and benign mother,

this book is most respectfully dedicated by her devoted and loving son, jaya chamaraja wadiyar

and

To, Mrs. Adiraja Urs, my maternal grandmother, who kindled in me an interest in Lord Datta, and was herself a great upAsaki of the Lord, this book is respectfully dedicated in affection, love and the deepest respect by her grandson, jaya chamaraja wadiyar

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:07

the above dedication exemplifies the very character of oDeyar.

As CML wanted sharing of some of the works of oDeyar, i have shared here a few glimpses of his many dimension in these small notes.

it also shows how a just few lines throws up some very unusual aspects of the unknown influences in oDeyr's upbringing.

I am sure, you ask 100 old Mysoreans about Mrs. Adiraja Urs, everyone will draw a blank , yet here is venerable old lady who has inspired in his grandson to become Datta upAsaka and write a magnum opus!

I think i have taken enough of your time away from DRS, Hope it was worth your time.

Happy gauri and ganesha festival. Enjoy the feasting too. good night

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:07

Look who was complaining I was too fast!!! So many posts in an hour or so !
Raja Chandra
thanks for sharing the anecdotes an avadhUta. Do read all the previous posts when time permits.
tamagU gaurI gaNESa Subha taralendu hAraisutta
Shrikaanth

meena · Post by **meena** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:08

oh boy!
it is hard enough to catch up with DRS. Now Rajachandraji too ??? - just kidding

DRS thanks again for the great job ur doing, and RCji for the anecdotes. And kulkarniji/karthik for the clips

THANKS!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:08

Not a singer, or just a scholar but a saint was he. It is amazing to realize the multi faceted splendour of Odeyar's genius. Avadhuta Gita is the essence of extreme Advaita or Nondualism. Here was a King ( an apt comparison would be Janaka) who as a saint expounds the secrets of Dattatreya and at the same time surrenders himself through a song celestial to lalithaambika, parabrahmam incarnate. One concurrently an iconoclast and an iconworshipper! One cloaked in western culture expounding the deep secrets of Eastern mysticism. One who writes traditional CM in Western notation! Thanks RC for sharing the anecdotes. I would love to read his 'Dattatreya'. If ever it is published again in print or on the Net please do alert me. Thanks.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:08

|| nIlakaNTham ||

rAga: gamakakRiyA ; khaNDa tripuTa tALa

nIlakaNTham mahAdEvam namAmi |
bAlakOTi sUryasama prabhAnvitam ||

bAlAmbikA manOharam Sankaram |
phAlanEtram SaSAnkaSEkharam ||
malayadhvajAdi pANDyanRpa vamSamAnarakShakam mArkaNDEya pAlakam ||

madhurApurinilaya SrI sundarESvaram |
madhura gamakakriyAdiyuta gAnAsaktam |
sAdhujana mOhanakara kailAsasthitam|
siddhasAdhyasEvita SrIvidyAsahitam ||
AdivyAdhihara bramharandhrAnila gamanatatpara paramahamsa sukhakaram ||

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:08

Part 1 of Meaning of
|| nIlakaNTham ||

rAga: gamakakRiyA ; khaNDa tripuTa tALa
This song is in praise of sundarESvara/cokkanAthar of madurai.

nIlakaNTham- Him with dark/blue-black throat/neck.
Siva is variously called as nIlakaNTha, SitikaNTha, SrIkaNTha (nanjuNDa, kaRaikaNDan) as his throat and neck are dark. This, as we all know, relates to the story of the dEvas and asuras churning the milky ocean for aMrta (nectar) to gain immortality. Of course as there is good and bad in everything and usually bad before good, a poison that threatens to envelop and suffocate the whole universe appears as the churning progresses. The dEvas and asuras run post-haste to the trimUrtis one after the other starting with brahma(There is a pecking order here. brahma is always the first port of call. The final port differs according to the situation. Siva, the ever benevolent and kind one, without a second thought catches all the posion in his palm and begins to swallow it. pArvatI, his loving and caring wife is obviously pale with fear. Ever the resourceful One, She immediately runs to Him and Holds his throat tight so as not to let the poison get into his stomach and do any further damage. (I wonder if She was waiting for a chance to choke him as She must have been outraged by his attire and manners and his eternal poverty. .Dont blame her ). This causes a discouration and darkening of his neck (partly from posion and partly a contusion from Her grip ).Ths he became nIlakaNTha.

mahAdEvam namAmi- I bow to mahAdEva;

bAlakOTi sUryasama prabhAnvitam- Him Who has a halo of radiance equal to a crore rising suns.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:10

Part 2 of meaning of nIlakaNTham

bAlAmbikA manOharam- Him Who has captivated the mind of bAlAmbikA;
Note that here bAlAmbikA refers to mInAkShi as a 16 year old lass(nityaSODhaSI, ever sweet-sixteen ). This bAlAmbikA is not the presiding queen of vaidISvarankOil

Sankaram; phAlanEtram- Him with an eye in the forehead; SaSAnkaSEkharam- Him crowned with the moon;
malayadhvajAdi pANDyanRpa vamSamAnarakShakam- Him Who safeguards the dwelling and respect of malayadhvaja and the other pANDya kings.

Let us recall the story of mInAkShi and Her marriage to sundarESvara.
kulaSEkhara pANDya discovers the Siva linga in the kadamba vana. This linga had previously been woshipped by indra to atone for the sin of killing a defenseless foe. kulaSEkhara built a temple(indravimAna) and the city of Madhurai around the temple. His son malayadhvaja pANDya and his wife kAncanamAla did not have children for long. The virtuous couple propitiate the Gods and do various vratas for begetting a child. A baby girl miraculously appears and they name Her tadAdagai. Recall the lines from the kIravANi kRti "dEvi nIyE tuNai"

malayadhvajan mA tavamE kAncanamAlaippudalvi.

taDAdagai means One with unhindered/unchecked excellence/beauty/valour/strength. I think there can be two ways of deriving this meanig;- as taDA + tagai (taDu is check/hinder/stop or dam. taDA is "IRu keTTa edirmaRai vinaiyeccam" of taDAda/unchecked. tagai is strnght, excellence, beauty or valour). It could also be split as taDAda+kai (strength. An extension of the meaning of hand). So much for semantics. Anyway, the only odd thing about this girl was that she had 3 breasts with the provixo that the extra one would fall of as soon as she set eyes on her Consort-to-be.

Now this girl grows up to be a very daring and valiant warrior as I mentioned previously. She sets out on a digvijaya and defeats all that dare to oppose her or accept her challenge. Recall here the lines from MD`s "mAmava mInAkShi rAjamAtangi" in varALi

SyAmE Sankari digvijaya pratApiNi.

She soon knocks at the gates of kailAsa challenging Siva. But no sooner does She set Her eyes on Him than She loses the will to fight and falls in love with Him. Of course her third breast too falls away. (So this is what happened. Hmm Perhaps Siva was not upto any of his tricks then. Shall we let Him off the hook?). He too falls head over heels in love with Her.

dEvAdidEvan sundarEsan cittam kavar bhuvana sundariyE (same kIravANi piece)

He asks her to return to madhurai saying He will join her in 8 days and promises to marry her. The marriage takes place in all pomp and glory with viShNu, Her brother giving her away to Siva. It is said that Siva as sundara pANDya and mInAKShi (As she has exqisitely beautiful eyes in the shape of fish) ruled Madhurai for many years. They then stay in Madhurai forever as mInAkShi and sundarESvara/cokkanAthan

mArkaNDEya pAlakam- Rescuer/protector of mArkaNDEya.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:10

Part 3 of the meaning of nIlakaNTham

One other thing;- mAna in sanskrit has the rare meaning of house(RgvEda says the dictionary) and I think being the scholar that he was, oDeyar has used the word in this sense.

madhurApurinilaya SrI sundarESvaram- SundarESvara Who has taken abode in the city of madhurai;
madhura gamakakriyAdiyuta gAnAsaktam- Him enthusiastic about songs embellished with sweet gamakas etc;
sAdhujana mOhanakara kailAsasthitam- That resident of kailAsa Who attracts the righteous and the virtuous;
siddha sAdhya sEvita SrIvidyAsahitam- The spouse of SrIvidyA (pArvatI) served by the siddhas and the sAdhyas.
The siddhas and sAdhyas are 2 classes of celestial beings said to reside in the bhuvarlOka. The 88,000 siddhas are well-versed in the aShTa siddhis and are nirliptas (unattached). siddha also means any one who has attained siddhis or any holy sage. But here it seems to refer to the celestial beings as they are accompanied by sAdhyas. The sAdhyas are said to be more refined and superior to the dEvas.

Adi vyAdhi hara- He that removes the first affliction.
The first affliction/illness is that of ignorance/mAyA i.e mUla aj~nAna. This could also be interpreted as birth.
bramharandhra anila gamana tatpara- Him engrossed in the movement of the wind in the brahmarandhra(this is wher the sahasrAra cakra is ); paramahamsa sukhakaram- Him that facilitates/ pleases/provides happinses to the Infinite/universal soul(parabrahma).

Iam not sure of anila(wind) here. Siva-Sakti, is one of them Siva?) the wind and Sakti the fire? Or am I mixing up with the praNava/anAhata nAda becoming the Ahata nAda? There is undoubtedly an esoteric interpretation which I am unable to fathom at present.

I had split the long sentence for the sake of convenience in explaining the meaning. In summation this means "Him that gives salvation(By removing ignorance), facilitates the realization of parabrahman and is engrossed in the sahasrAra." These are all interrelated as removal of ignorance, realization of parabrahman and facilitation at the sahasrAra all lead to/mean salvation or Self-realization.

Perhaps CML can throw more light on this matter?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:12

Siva, the ever benevolent and kind one, without a second thought catches all the posion in his palm and begins to swallow it. pArvatI, his loving and caring wife is obviously pale with fear. Ever the resourceful One, She immediately runs to Him and Holds his throat tight so as not to let the poison get into his stomach and do any further damage.

Well there is a more philosophical interpretation. All the 14 lokas are in the stomach (kukShi) of Siva. Hence if the poison were to enter the stomach of Siva, all the worlds will be destroyed. Hence jaganmaata out of compassion for the worlds squeezed and stopped the poison from entering his stomach !

Thadaathakai piraaTTiyaar story is the fourth ThiruviLayaaDal!

bramharandhra anila gamana tatpara

anila relates to the praaNa. Among yogis through the practice of kuNDalini the praaNa rises through the six cakras to the A~jnaa cakra. In the case of a fully liberated yOgi the praaNa escapes through the brahmarandhra (through yogic practice) to merge with the Absolute. This is the jyOti (ray of light) that is seen to escape from the head of realized souls. It is common practice to break a cocoanut on the heads of sanyaasis (called kapaala mOkSha) to release the praaNa (anila).

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:13

CML
Yes, there is always an intent of lOkakalyANa in all Her/His actions. Good that you pointed out the deeper meaning of Her stoppin the poison from descending any further than his throat.
And also, thanks for that simple yet profound explanantion of anila(=prANa) as the breath of life(figuratively).

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:13

The gamakakriya kRti has been sung by P.Rama ad R.Chandrika. Chandrika is the one who introduces the sAhitya. Chandrika is the lucky one among the lot as she gets to sing with 2 people in the series (Sathyavathi and Rama)!
And before I forget, the person who has sung with M.S.Sheela in the series is R.A.Ramamani. Ramamani is a popular senior vocalist. She too is a disciple of R.K.Srikantan (as the majority of the respected and well-known artistes in Karnataka!). She too sings (or used to sing) avadhAna pallavi as did T.S.Sathyavathi. M.S. Sheela, who is also skilled in bharatanATya and bhAvagIte does it. And so does Kalavathi. In fact there are several artistes in Karnataka who perform this most challenging art of keeping 2 tALas with different hands (or feet/body) while singing. Ramamani also regulary performs in fusion groups and sings jazz as well! I have listened to her singing a pallavi in ShaTkAla in Vani School, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore and IIRC have reviewed the concert too. She is the wife of the mRdanga exponent T.A.S.Mani.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:13

gamakakriya is the 53rd sampUrNa mELa. It is the same as pUrvikalyANi and the SSP actually mentions this point. Although there is no difference in the scale between the 2, SrItyAgarAja and the later composers of his lineage appear to have used "PDPS" in more than "PDS". MD and some other composers like oDeyar have stuck to using more of "PDS" prayOga which is very beautiful. In fact, even tyAgarAjas guru, soNTi venkaTasubbayya has composed an aTatALa varNa in gamakakriya.

gamakakriya is a very popular beautiful dESIya rakti rAga. G & D are important swaras. M & N come next. R too can be used beautifully. The rAga can be handled in any pace but is particularly beautiful in the viLamba kAla (Like the evergreen classic mInAShi mE mudam of MD) and also during evening times. haktirasa pradhAna. "PDS", "MDS" "DPS" and some pancama varjya prayOgas are very conducive to bringing out the beauty in this rAga that can be sung extensively. There is a surfeit of compositions in the rAga.

oDeyar has composed in the madhyamakAla. The rAga has come out well with more of PDS then DPS prayOga as I mentioned earlier.

Coolkarni
Please post any RTPs in gamakakriya/pUrvikalyANi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:14

|| SrI rAjarAjESvarIm ||

rAga: dEvagAndhAri ; AditALa.

;SrI rAjarAjeSvarIm sadA bhajarE rE mAnasa |
SrI lalitAm mahAtripura sundarIm kaumArIm||P||

kShIrAdi sapta sAgarAvRta SrI cakra purAdhISvarIm ||
kShityAdi SivAnta ShaTtrimSat tattva rUpiNIm harAdyupAsita SrI vidyA svarUpiNIm dEvagAndhArI santOShiNIm dAkShAyiNIm ||AP||

parama pavitra yadukula SEkhara lIlAvatAra kRShNa sahajAtAm |
padmarAga vaiDhUrya marakatAdi mahAmaNi vibhUShitAm |
suravara sampUjita kOmalakara pAda pankaja samSObhitAm |
surabhi kAmadhEnu kalpavRkShAdi dEva vaibhava virAjitAm
padmAkAra mahApITha SObhitAm acintyAnanta suguNa bharitAm ||C||

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:14

The gamakakriya composition is lovely!
Dr. Shrikaanth, I wonder if you noticed another neat fact: MD in his gamakakriya composition 'mInAkshI mE mudham' refers to Her (maDHurApuri nilayE) as 'vINA gAna dhashagamakakriyE' (the originator of the dhasha gamakas, right?) and here Wodeyar says that He (maDHurApuri nilaya srI sundharEshwarara) appreciates the (dhasha) gamakas! A wonderful moment of 'domestic bliss'!

I do not have any RTPs in gamakakriya, but here are two offerings from the nectar laden voices of 2 of our great maestros:
MSS:
http://rapidshare.de/files/4788540/01_m ... u.m4a.html
MLV:
http://rapidshare.de/files/4793376/3-02 ... m.m4a.html

Ravi

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:16

here is a rtp in poorvikalyani by semmangudi

: http://rapidshare.de/files/4791583/semm ... 1.mp3.html

: http://rapidshare.de/files/4793290/semm ... 2.mp3.html

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:16

and one by mlv
(recording is poor.but the rendering...no words for it)

: http://rapidshare.de/files/4794235/mlv- ... i.mp3.html

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:18

shankar

That was a very smart observation! Odeyar was obviously aware other musical compositions and has imbedded those ideas appropriately! And thanks for those classics!

coolkarni

Thanks for those traditional RTPs.
How about a scintillating pUrvakalyAN? (Amir khan?)

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

The Virtuous Way of Life
By HH Sri Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar

In the days when titles were still used in India, the Maharaja of Mysore, now Governor of Madras State, was already an outstanding exponent of Hindu culture. Since then he has become widely known as a cultural and intellectual ambassador abroad and an upholder of dharma at home. Most prominent of his books is 'Dattatreya, The Way and the Goal'*, containing an annotated translation of that purest of Advaitic texts the Avadhuta Gita. A thought-provoking little study of the Bhagavad Gita published recently, is reviewed elsewhere in this issue.

The Maharaja's predecessor had a private interview with Bhagavan, and he himself is a known visitor at this Ashram. We are glad to be able to publish this article by him.
____________________
* - Published by Allen and Unwin.

Ancient Indian literature is full of references to the advantage and necessity of leading an ethical way of life. In the earliest literary record of India, the Rig Veda, one finds appreciative statements made of the righteous way of life which a man is called upon to adopt. God Varuna, the presiding deity of the moral order of the universe, is often invoked in very humble terms to come to the aid of man and to help him in leading a sincere life characterised by the cultivation of truth and goodness. The Vedic seers are never tired of requesting the gods to bless them with fortitude which was so essential to them in order to lead the right kind of life. The same theme is continued in the philosophic treatises called Upanisads where it is pointed out that the ethical way of life alone can bring to man much coveted prize of Liberation. The greatness and the glory of following the virtuous way of life is also the subject matter for treatment in the succeeding stages of Indian literature, science and art. A thoughtful observation made in the mighty Indian Epic, the Mahabharata, on the nobility of a righteous life merits our earnest attention and reflection. Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers and the hero of the epic poem, was once confronted by a Yaksa or celestial being near a lake to which Yudhisthira went in order to drink water. The latter did not allow Yudhisthira to partake of the waters of the lake until he answered convincingly certain questions. And one important question that was addressed to Yudhisthira related to the virtuous way of life. The celestial being asked him: "What exactly constitutes 'the way'" (Ka dik) and Yudhisthira answered: "The good is 'the way'" (Santah Dik)1. By this answer, he was indicating to the questioner that man fulfils himself only by leading a good and virtuous life.
____________________
1 - Mahabharata: Aranyaparva: 297.6061.

In order to understand the full content of the expression "good way of life" it is well to bestow attention on an episode mentioned in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad2. According to it, once the gods, men and demons were residing with their Father, Brahma, learning the sacred scriptures. The period of their studentship was over and the gods requested their Father kindly to give them his final instructions. The Father consented to do so and cryptically uttered the single syllable "Da". The gods said that they understood the instruction and it was that they should control themselves (Damayata). And Brahma confirmed their understanding.. It was now the turn of the men to get instruction and when they sought for it Brahma repeated the syllable "Da". The men claimed that they too understood him and said that the instruction in their case was that they must practise charity (Dana). And Brahma agreed with their interpretation also. Next came the turn of the demons. Much to their surprise they found their Father pronouncing for the third time the syllable "Da". The demons were quick to follow him and replied that they also understood his advice and it was that they should practice compassion (Dayaddhavam). And the Father agreed with this interpretation too. We also learn from the Upanisad that when it thunders, the sounds of 'Da' are heard announcing the instruction of Brahma that everyone in the universe should practise the virtues of control, charity and compassion. These virtues constituted the very texture of man's good life and it was therefore man's duty to cultivate these in his own interest.
____________________
2 - Brhadaranyaka Upanisad: V. 2.1.

Annotated thus, the meaning of the expression "the good way" becomes clear. It is the assiduous attention to be bestowed by all men of wisdom on the three principal virtues of controlling the senses, of practising almsgiving and of cultivating a compassionate attitude towards all beings. Sri Sankaracharya makes these concepts clearer in his commentary on the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad. When the Father of the universe was instructing the gods, he knew that there was the danger of the gods becoming unruly because they could have everything they wanted on account of their acquired merit. Therefore, he was cautioning them against committing such an offence and advised them to practise control of the senses3. Sankara points out the reason why Prajapati or the Father of the universe asked men to practise charity. It was because there was the likelihood of men becoming greedy and cheating their fellow-beings of their rightful share. Hence the advice that they should cultivate the habit of giving gifts to others4. Then again the Father realised that there was always a chance of the demons misusing their natural strength and therefore called upon them to cultivate the virtue of 'compassion'5.
____________________
3 - 'Adanta yuyam svabhavatah
ato danta bhavata iti'
Sankara's Commentary: V. 21.
4 - 'Svabhavato lubdha yuyam
ato yatha saktya samvibhajata'
Ibid: V. 2.2.
5 - 'Krura yuyam himsadiparah,
ato dayaddhyam pranisu
dayam kurwata iti'.
Ibid: V. 2.3.

These three main ethical principles receive much attention at the hands of Indian thinkers and preceptors of law. Sage Yajnavalkya recommends control of the senses, alms-giving and mercy as good qualities which are to be practised by all human beings6. The Bhagavad Gita insists that a man aspiring to the highest spiritual value should cultivate these principles7. Vyasa, the revered author of the epic Mahabharata desires that human beings should dedicate themselves to the performance of tapas or austerity and that this is well done by the faithful observance of self-control, charity and compassion. He is firmly of the view that tapas or austerity of this nature will make a man great. (Tapasa vindate mahat)8. A man of charitable disposition is bound to become famous too and such is the opinion of Yudhisthira, an exemplar of Indian virtue9. (Danamekapadam yasah). Sage Vyasa is no less enthusiastic about the practice of compassion. He is of the view that it is the highest of all virtues (Anrsamsyam paro dharmah)10. Not less is his admiration for the principle of Dama or control of the mind11.
____________________
6 - Yajnavalkya smrti: 1.4.122.
7 - XVI. 1.
8 - Mahabharata. 3.29739.
9 - Ibid: 3.29749,
10 - Ibid: 3.29755.
11 - Ibid: 3.297.

These virtues were practised by famous men of India and their activities are recorded in the legendary lore and literary texts. One remembers often the name of Jimutavahana, the great Vidyadhara prince, who offered himself as food for Garuda the leader of the birds and thus saved the lives of many serpents which otherwise would have become victims of the greedy birds' wrath12. The unparalleled example of a person who practised charity of an extraordinary kind is described in the poem Raghuvamsa13. He was Raghu, son of Dilipa. He did many glorious deeds, conducted wars and achieved notable victories. Having gained universal sovereignty, he performed a great sacrifice called 'Visvajit' in which he gave away all the wealth he had. Indeed he became so poor that when a young sage called Kautsa came and requested of him a gift of money, the king had hardly any with him to give, and so had to go to war with Kubera, the God of Wealth. Amongst those who practised the control of the senses to the full may be mentioned the great Bhishmacarya of the Mahabharata. He was the son of King Santanu and Ganga, the river goddess. When Santanu, father of Bhishma was old he desired to marry again. Bhishma found a beautiful damsel for him. But the parents of the bride desired that the son to be born to their daughter should occupy the throne after Santanu instead of Bhishma. The great Bhishma readily consented and not only renounced the throne for himself but also remained a bachelor until his death.
____________________
12 - Vide 'Nagananda' a drama of Sriharsa,
13 - Raghuvamsa. Canto IV and V.

There are also instances recorded in ancient Indian religious and secular texts of people suffering a fall on account of their nonadherence to these important principles of virtue. The life of the sage Visvamitra is a case in point. He was born a Kshatriya but by intense austerities he wanted to become a great Rishi or seer. Unfortunately he developed a liking for Menaka, a celestial beauty. This moved him away from his intended goal and he had to toil hard to come back to his original ways. If the case of Visvamitra illustrates the ruin resulting from uncontrolled passion that of Duryodhana, the wicked opponent of the Pandavas, illustrates the evil effects of greed. He disregarded the truth that the Isavasya Upanisad teaches us, that one should not covet an other's property (Ma gradhah kasya sviddhanam) and ruined himself. To take another example, Ravana the cruel opponent of Rama shows by his behaviour that power in the hands of an evil-minded person leads to suffering and sin. The following story about Ravana illustrates how 'pride goeth before a fall'. Once he was travelling in his aerial chariot and came to mount Kailas, the abode of Siva. There Nandiswara, the great devotee of Siva, asked the king to go back and not to fly over the holy mountain. Ravana became angry at this challenge to his power, and in his inordinate pride dug his mighty arms deep under the mountain and began to shake it. This disturbed Siva and his consort Parvati. Siva understood the cause for the shaking of the mountain and gently pressed down his toe; and Ravana's arms were caught tightly. After vain attempts to free himself, he began to wail and thus came to be called Ravana (the Wailer). This story of Ravana and his pride is of topical interest and indicates the dangers of the knowledge of nuclear Science in the hands of an unscrupulous man or government. The lesson to be drawn is that those who possess the strength of a giant should use it in a virtuous way and for the good of mankind.

The Bhagavad Gita takes cognisance of the role of the good life in the progress of an individual. It mentions steadfastness, sacrifice, study, peacefulness and modesty as general characteristics of the good way of life. It speaks of two types of quality, the divine and the demoniac and points out that fortitude, purity, vigour and forgiveness are qualities which belong to the 'divine ' while arrogance and unwisdom belong to the demoniac. The chief purpose of this teaching is to call the good to the divine way of life and make them discard the demoniac14. In other words, it calls upon people not to combine power with pride but with God. The result is very like the combination of Siva, the God, and Sakti, his consort, which brings happiness to the sakta or devotee.
____________________
14 - Isavasya Upanisad: 1.

What is the ultimate goal of the 'good way of life'? The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad which speaks of the episode of Brahma and his repetition of the syllable 'Da' thrice, gives also the answer to this question. The Upanishad analyses the word "Sat ya" or Truth into three syllables, Sa ti and yam and identifies the first and the last syllables with Truth. It finally points out by implication that the person who practises the good way of life characterised by the three Da's Dama, Dana and Daya will know and realise Truth or Brahman15, and this realisation is the ultimate goal of the good way of life.
____________________
15 - Brihadaranyaka: V. 51.

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

i am sorry, i do not know whether it is appropriate to post such a long post on a subject not related to music.

this was actually from

http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/m_path/1 ... ameset.htm

the same site also has a review of THE GITA AND INDIAN CULTURE: By H.H. Sri Jaya Chamaraia Wadiyar. (Orient Longmans Ltd. Pp. 68. Price Rs. 3).

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

rShankar
Yes, that is a nice picture of anyOnya and domestic bliss. Thanks for the recordings. But there may be a copyright issue with moyyAr taDam by MSS. I am aware that it is a radio recording but the AIR released it as part of the 4 cassette album of MSS from their archives. Is that copyrighted?

Coolkarni
Thanks for the RTPs. MLV is always a winner.
Do look up rare pieces in dEvagAndhAri in your collection (Not kShIrasAgara Sayana or ennEramum)- perhaps MD`s kShitijA ramaNam or tyAgarAja`s other compositions or any body else`s. I doubt if anyone would have attempted an RTP in the rAga.

Raja Chandra
What you have posted is absolutely fine as it makes us all see what a man oDeyar was. Music cannot be separated from the man. Music is a part of ones personality. Thanks for those anecdotes form SAstra and purANas.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:20

Well, Dr. Shrikaanth, if it is a commercial recording, I will delete the link immediately. Thanks for letting me know.
Ravi

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:20

Part 1 of Meaning of
|| SrI rAjarAjESvarIm ||

rAga: dEvagAndhAri ; AditALa.

SrI rAjarAjeSvarIm sadA bhajarE rE mAnasa- O mind! ever sing the praise of rAjESvarI;
SrI lalitAm; mahAtripura sundarIm; kaumArIm- The female embodiment of kArtikEya/kumAra (One of the saptamAtRkAs)

kShIrAdi sapta sAgarAvRta SrI cakra purAdhISvarIm- Her Who is the queen of the city of SrIcakra which is surrounded by the 7 oceans (milky ocean etc).

The saptasAgara or 7 oceans according to hindu traditions are lavaNa- (salt), ikShu- (sugar syrup), surA-(wine), ghRta-(ghee), dadhi- (curds), dugdha-/kShIra (milk)- & jala- (water) sAgara. There are said to be concentric. They surround the earth/galaxy. It is worth noting here that the SrIcakra is a symbolic representation of the universe and SrIpura is the human body/heart/soul. Thus She is the regina of the universe as well as one`s Atman. She is called sudhAsAgaramadhyasthA, sAgarmEkhalA in the sahasranAma.

We have in saundarya laharI
sudhAsindhOr madhyE sura viTapi vATI parivRtE
maNidvIpE nIpOpavanavati cintAmaNi gRhE |
SivAkArE mancE paramaSiva paryanka nilayAm
bhajanti tvAm dhanyAH katicana cidAnanda laharIM ||

In SyAmaLA daNDaka of kALidAsa
jaya janai sudhA samudrAntarudyanmaNidvIpa samrUDha
bilvTavI madhya kalpadrumAkalpa kAdamba kANtAravAsa priyE
krttivAsapriyE sarvalOkapriyE ||

kShityAdi SivAnta ShaTtrimSat tattva rUpiNIm- Her in the form of the 36 tattvas beginning with the bhU)earth) tattva.
I have listed the 36 tattvas in my explanations for a previous kRti.

harAdyupAsita SrI vidyA svarUpiNIm-Her Who is the personification of SrIvidyA practised by Siva and others; dEvagAndhArI santOShiNIm_ Her appeased by dEvagAndhArI; dAkShAyiNIm

abadri · Post by **abadri** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:20

Some Thyagaraja compositions in dEvagAndhAri

(1) Seetavara
TMT : http://rapidshare.de/files/4802936/05-s ... i.wma.html
MMI : http://rapidshare.de/files/4803250/06-S ... i.wma.html
Brinda-Mukta : http://rapidshare.de/files/4803260/07-S ... i.mp3.html

(2) Namoralagimpave
Musiri : http://rapidshare.de/files/4803576/02_- ... m.mp3.html

(3) Karuna Samudra
S Rajam : http://rapidshare.de/files/4803426/07_- ... i.mp3.html
Santhanam : http://rapidshare.de/files/4803440/03_k ... i.mp3.html

(4) Vinarada Na Manavi
TMK : http://rapidshare.de/files/4803556/07_- ... i.wma.html

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:21

Part 2 of Meaning of
|| SrI rAjarAjESvarIm ||

parama pavitra yadukula SEkhara lIlAvatAra kRShNa sahajAtAm- That pure and divine sister of the crown of the yadu race, kRShNa.
The compere beautifully narrates the story of kRShNa`s birth.
To recapitulate, kamsa is the king of mathurA who is intoxicated with his own might and strays from the path of righteousness. He is cursed that he will be killed by his own nephew, the 8th-born. Outraged by this, kamsa imprisons his beloved sister and her husband despite all their pleas. (Now why did kamsa have to imprison the two together. Was it to provide company to his sister who he loved so much(until the curse)? Or Was it purely to obtain a sadistic pleasure from killing the infants? mAye! Strange are Her/His ways!). Of course, having nothing else on their hands, dEvaki and vasudEva produce child after child driven by fate. And ruthlessly, kamsa smashes each new-born against the wall and kills upto the 7th one. Now dEvaki is pregnant for the eight time and kamsa makes sure his guards keep a close watch on the captives. But as God`s will is different, everyone is put to sleep as the baby is born. Now nanda is the chieftain of cowherds in gOkula. His wife yaSOdA too gives birth to a daughter(after not having children for a very long time). By the work of divine hand, nanda carries his own daughter in a basket in torrential rain. Even in gOkula, all the others have been put to sleep. The yamunA is overflowing but opens up to make way for nanda to be able to walk wit the baby. He reaches the palace of kamsa and thence the prison. The doors unlock by themselves and he decamps with kRShNa, leaving behind his own daughter. Everyone wakes up once nada is safely back in gOkula. The yamunA is back on her normal course too. Now kamsa comes to kill this baby too. dEvakI and vasudEa plead pitifully saying, "this is only a girl and not a boy that would kill you." All these expectedly fall on deaf ears. kamsa refuses to spare the bay and throws it down. But as he does so, the baby slips and flies into the air. She then laughs aloud and says "The boy Who is destined to kill you has already born and is safe. Iam not the one you need to be after and disappears. Thi girl is yOgamAye, none other than pArvatI who, despite being the youger sister, is always there to protect Her brother. (typical girl! Bless Her). We may recall here that She saved viShNu by slaying madhu and kaiTabha.

I wonder if there is more to the meaning than meets casual eye. oDeyar too belonged to the yadu race. There were several kRShNa`s in this illustrious clan. I wonder if oDeyar is using SlEShAlankAra and hitting 2 mangoes with one stone. Raja Chandra may be able to clarify.

padmarAga vaiDUrya marakatAdi mahAmaNi vibhUShitAm-Her bedecked with various precious gems such as ruby, cats-eye, emerald.
suravara sampUjita kOmalakara pAda pankaja samSObhitAm-Her Who shines with tender hands & lotus feet worshipped by the Gods.
(if we take the sAhitya as kOmalatara, then the reference will only be to the tender lotus feet. This will not cause any detriment whatsoevr to the meaning)

surabhi kAmadhEnu kalpavRkShAdi dEva vaibhava virAjitAm - Her splendid with celestial riches such as the wish-giving cow kAmdhEnu, kalpa tree.
padmAkAra mahApITha SObhitAm-Her seated illustriously on a lotus shaped throne(sahasrAra); acintya ananta suguNa bharitAm- Her filled with infinite good qualities and attributes that are beyond the reach of ones reckoning or thought.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 18 Dec 2005, 21:53

you blew me away with Bhimsen Joshi! When was this at the MA?

it was in 1986 if my memory serves me right.
I was there on the dias , a few feet away from him.I had been looking forward to sitting so close , since my uncle , a veteran rasika , used to say bhimsen Joshi would almost knock off mikes in the process of singing

But that day was different.If there is one thing that I remember very vividly that night, it is the level of concentration he attains while singing.Unbelievable.There were three tanpuras , but two were by local volunteers.the drone from their tanpuras was so inaudible.Eyes closed he kept on asking for more and and more sound.there was a lot of confusion among those two until the main tanpura artist (who must have accompanied him on the tour) taught them how.As the drone started filling up the atmoshphere, I was wondering how could any one on earth sing anything and make it audible over that background.
And then the curtain rose and for the only time in my life I saw Academy audience from the dias.It was quite fascinating to see the occupants of the first row.all the big names in carnatic music .
Even to this day I am amazed by what I experienced that one night.Shakes me up right through.
I have one more similar recording of Yaman with a sublime Basanth.we will have it some other time.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 18 Dec 2005, 21:55

http://rapidshare.de/files/4775606/Nara ... a.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/4267243/Bhav ... y.mp3.html