Kshtragnya padam composer

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[KshEtrajna - (April 1600 -1680) Born in Andhra Pradesh, he hailed from the village of Muvva. This 17th century composer was originally called Varadayya. He learned music as a contemporary of VenkaTamakhi (author of the 72-melakartha scheme) and became a great scholar in the field. The musician composed and travelled, visiting temples and other sacred spots (kshEtras) in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, earning the name Kshetragna or Kshetrayya.
He is still considered a great composer, though his compositions have only recently put down in notation.

His greatest contribution to music are his padams, composed mostly in Telugu, which he improved and composed in rare ragas, adding beautiful lyrics and moving tunes.
The padams describe longing for the Lord and like Jayadeva, take the situation of naayaka-naayaki, lovers who feel sorrow on separation and jealousy.
Many of his padams begin with the anupallavi, followed by the pallavi. He is credited with composing more than 4100 padams, and legend has it that he composed 1100 padams in four days!
Kshetragnya's padams are popular in both music and dance. Kshetragna seems to have been a great devotee of Gopala (Krishna), the presiding deity of his village. Thus, he chose the Mudra, Muvva Gopala, for his compositions. His mudra appears in any of the section of the Padam, as opposed to the usual norm where it appears in the last section. Popular compositions include Ramarama (Bhairavi), Gaddari (Kalyani), Yemandu namma (Kedaragowla), and Kontegadu (Surati).

Mudra: Muvva Gopaala, Muvva Gopaalaswaami

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"Kshetrayya Padam in Shankarabharanam by
ML Vasanthakumari"
https://youtu.be/vdEArUma_jw?si=kE6dxl34ylEI3tNs

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"MS Subbulakshmi

-Payyada-

Nadanamakriya"

https://youtu.be/yRvyHaIGEfE?si=X5C4YgDGKCbVwEmZ

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"From the Archives I
Smt T Brinda & Smt T Muktha I
Padam I
Raga Nadanamakriya



I Payyada I

Kshetrayya"

https://youtu.be/D71LrQh-Jbc?si=h0_P8-sD6-3Hcs3W

[sam]

"DK Pattammal -

rAma rAma prANasakhi

- bhairavi -

Kshetrayya"

.https://youtu.be/CkMnX8CuzXM?si=90_mO1BWGcnVMl-R

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"Rama Rama Pranasakh
by
Brinda & Mukta"

https://youtu.be/RN8kwrJ5UwQ?si=wi6XzS1suUv4BBfH

Very good English translation is given in commenrs section...



@carnaticfan

blessed be rAmA, having been separated from his beloved wife, how could he endure?
Thinking of the lotus eyed one, my heart gets worried with grief. What am I to say alas (blessed be....)
.
Were not the calls of parrots, in his time, as they are now. piercing his ears like lances?
Did not the moon, then, like now burn him like a scorching fire?
Not knowing day and night passing like this, did he not have to pine away in his heart?

Ever since I have been separated from my beloved. my mind is in absolute disarray!!


Would cupid like a sworn enemy have not teased the prince like this?
Would the call of the cuckoo not Have caused him anguish and distress? Would food and sleep, by far, have not been insipid to him but welcome?

Ever since I have been separated from my fair one I am subjected to the onslaught of cupid!!


Would he too have, on demand from her, not made promises many a time? When his gem of a woman was away were not his eyes filled with tears?
with a vicious type of love would he have put up with courage and will?
My chum who beckoned me with passion, calling me muvvagOpAla has hood-winked me alas, what am I to do?
*

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"Smt.R Vedavalli -

OsOsi nAmadi -

Mukhari -



Kshetrayya Padam"

https://youtu.be/NTIQCt0Z1EQ?si=DjGIxCCTd-1HQCUq

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Let us take the padam “KAshikki poyyEnE nIvala nE kashikki poyyEne”” of KshEtrayya in the rAgam MukhAri . Some sing the anupallavi line first which goes as “Ososi nAmadi nunnayaTTi nIdu ASalella nirAsha jEsukoni tO”.

The theme of the song is: A married man indulges in an illicit relationship with another lady. The so-called lover is, however, jilted by the lady. The man leaves his wife in search of the jilted lover. No luck, and he is desolate.

The pallavi line starts giving the message which is the subject matter of the padam, viz., “I am going to KAshi because of you”. The anupallavi line tells the beloved that, as a result, “her hopes are now in vain”.

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T Brinda and T Muktha

- Ososi -

Mukhari -

https://youtu.be/k-k8ZTEAG0c?si=8qMsY__xSg9DfIBs

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"R Vedavalli -

gaddari vagala / iddari sanduna -


kalyANi -

PADAM - Kshetrayya"

https://youtu.be/xxUMsaoFHXU?si=zqUeHekF1uqJOFWW
.
.

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"Gaddari Vagaa in
Kalyani
by
T Brinda & T Muktha"
With ibtrodecion by Prof.SRJ

https://youtu.be/r6yGzdouE90?si=QGzATAo_VuHUfeQP
.

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An excerpt from an article by T.S.Parthasarathy in Music ACademy journal.
Kshetrajna was a Telugu Brahmin who hailed from Muvvapuri.
A saint gave him initiation into the ‘Gopala mula mantra’ after repeating
which, he had a momentary vision of Lord Krishna. Inspired by the vision
he composed his first padam ‘Sripati sutu bariki’ in Anandabhairavi.
Kshetrajna was later patronized by Tirumala Nayak of Madura (1623-59),

Vijayaraghava Nayak of Thanjavur (1633-73) and

Golconda Abdulla
Kutubshah (1622-72).
He visited as many as 18 holy places from Srisailam in the North to
Kadirkamam in Sri Lanka and composed songs on the deities there, thus
qualifying himself to be called ‘Kshetrayya’.


Kshetrajna was a master of music, dance and alankara sastra. He
composed his padams to depict the ‘Nayakas’ and ‘Nayikas’ described
in the Rasamanjari of Bhanu Datta Misra. The dignity and restraint with
which he handles the subject of ‘Sringara’ and the felicity of his Telugu
idiom have not been equalled by any composer before or after him
.quote ends.

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Inta Telisi yundi……

Inta telisiyundi yee gunamelara !? Pantamaa? Muvva Gopalaa! Naa saamee! -2 Aluka jesi intiki raavaitivi. -2
Chelikattelunnaaraa? Piluva vaccheraa? -2
Chelikattevaina neeve ? Cheluvudavaina neeve? -2
Talachi chooda naa swamee daivamu neeve?
Inta telisiyundi….
Vintha daanivale nannu, veru chesi raavaithivi.
Antarangulunnaraa ? Nannaadarincheraa? -2
Antarangamaina neeve aadarinchina neeve.
Enchenchi chooda naa jeevanamunu neeve.
Inta telisiyundi…
Preminchi Muvva Gopalaa nannelaraa -2
Naanekulevaraina anandincheraa? -2
Naanekudaina neeve, nammi kolichina neeve.
Haayiga kolicheda naanandamuna ninne.
Inta telisiyundi yee gunamelara?

.
care for me, it is again you alone. None else.
I look again and again, but I find that it is you alone that pervade my entire life. You are so knowledgeable, so worldly-wise, still……

Love me. And lord over me, Muvva Gopala ! -2
Will any one other than your own will he take pleasure in you ?

If you feel you are separate from me, be it so. But you are the only one whom I trust in and whom I choose to serve. And I will serve you alone, happily and with pleasure.

You are so knowledgeable, worldly-wise, still……

.https://youtu.be/SsY6jq3qohU?si=ekdtzd-bddQujmtw


This is Kshetrayya padam sung by playback singer Balasaraswathi Devi .
The dance is by Lalitha as Chandramukhi in the Telugu version of Sarath Chandra classic Devadasu.

The music director was C.R.Subburaman.
.
Where is even a trace of obscenity here? either in the lyrics or in the dance?

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"Brinda Muktha -
Vintage Concert (Rare)"
.
https://youtu.be/CtSLpcnQLFo?si=V-pOk2b_5rwBVyvu.
.
01. Rama_Rama_Bhairavi_Adi - Kshetrayya

02. Paripovanara_Bilahari_Triputa - Kshetrayya

03. Moratopu_Sahana_Triputa - Kshetrayya

04. Kuvalayakshiro_Gowli_Pantu_Misra_Chapu - Kshetrayya

05. Mosamaye_Ahiri_Misra_Chapu - Kshetrayya

06. Parulana_mata_Kapi_Rupakam - Dharmapuri_Subbarayar

07. Neyyamuna_Ghanta_Triputa - Kshetrayya

08. Adiyaka_Kambhoji_Triputa - Kshetrayya

09. Sami_Rara_Manji_Eka

10. Ososi_Mukhari_Misra_Chapu - Kshetrayy
.