When the
curtains went up on day two, one could easily count the heads in the auditoriu.
And it was heart rendering to see this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi Sri. Trichur
Ramachandran along with his wife Smt. Charumathi Ramchandran was among the
audience. Understanding the meaning of the krithi and bringing out the bhava in
their rendition is basic tenet for all musicians, while for listeners the
reward of understanding the meaning and absorbing the bhava elevates their mind
and soul. Shouldn’t every musician and student and connoisseur of music attend
such performances?
Erode Sri.
Balaji Bagavathar started the concert by sharing the fundamental difference
between bajanai and kutchery. The former is sung in complete bakthi and seeks
the feedback of almighty, while the latter seeks the feedback from rasikas. He
also taught the real artha for Sangita Kalanidhi. I am using a Q&A format
to break the monotony.
Where is eternal sowkhyam?
According
to Thyagaraja eternal sowkhyam is in Rama bakthi. In the Kapi raga krithi, Intha Sowkhya, Thyagaraja shares his inability to
express the sowkhyam and anandam from singing the qualities of Rama and asks
who can explain sowkhyam and how can
one explain swara raga sudha rasa? He says this sowkhyam and taste is only known to Shiva who
mixes Rama namam and swarams (Chakkera mishramu jesi bhujinche).
How to worship Rama?
In the Sri raga krithi, Naama Kusuma,
Thyagaraja teaches how to worship Rama. He urges the mind to worship Rama in
the altar of one’s mind. He says to use Siva’s nama as flowers in the worship or
Rama and turn your mind and heart into an altar and decorate it with precious
jewels of nadha and swara to host Rama. He says atma puja is the highest form
of worship.
Who
is a true Sangita Kalanidhi?
Thyagaraja lived in abject poverty but never went
around singing praise of any nara janma for his jeevanam. In the Ranjani
raga krithi, Durmarga chara dhamulanu he teaches how not to make a living and
admonishes those who sing in praise of humans for the sake of wealth. Thyagaraja
says he cannot sing in praise of dur atma treading on the path of vice for money,
fame or grains and call them his boss (dora). He equates such behavior to
bartering Sarswathi.
In the Purnashadjam raga kirthi, Lavanyarama,
Thyagaraja sings “Nee manasu, Nee sogasu, Nee dinusu vere”, and says the
lavanyam, elegance, style is very different and that cannot sing another god
leave alone humans.
Why
is Rama Brahmam more sreshtam than Lord Rama?
It is a stated gramatical rule to introduce oneself
before the opera keerthanams like Prahalad Charithiram. In the opening lines,
Thyagaraja introduces himself through his father Rama Brahmam. Thyagaraja says
Rama brahmam gave away the house offered by the King to a stranger, while Rama only
offered his rajyam to his brother Baratha not to a stranger. He shared this to
showcase his lineage and pedigree. And as a kid, Thyagaraja composed the Desiya
Todi raga krithi, Namo namo raghavaya anisam with 8 charanams and offers
his salutations Sri Rama.
What does Rama bakthi bring upon
you?
Having born in Kali yuga, singing keerthanas and
namams in praise of Lord Rama will bring you both bukthi and mukthi. In the Todi
raga krithi, Dasarathe, Thyagaraja explains this in detail. Hearing
Thyagaraja krithis in Cleveland today is a testimony to the lines Aasatheera
dhoora deshambulanu, prakasimpa jesina rasika sironmani. Yet Thyagaraja
attributes this to Rama bakthi and kripa and not his proficiency.
What does hearing Rama Katha bestow
upon you?
In the Madhyamavathi raga krithi, Rama Katha
Sudha, Thyagaraja describes the benefits of singing and listening to the
story of Sri Rama and equates it to ruling a Kingdom. In the pallavi of the
krithi, he refers to Rama katha as amrutha paanam. He says Rama shines with his
parivar – Bhama mani janaki sowmithree barathathula in the anu pallavi. Hearing
Rama katha bestows the fruits of purshartha: courage, comfort, bliss, helps you
to cross the ocean of worldly existence and destroys the effects of kali yuga.
Where
does Rama parivar and Saint Thyagaraja derive their bliss from?
Apart from bakthi there is something more in Rama
that attracts everyone to him including his parivara. In the Asaveri raga
krithi, Lekhana Ninnu, Thyagaraja shares the details of their bliss. He
says Sri Rama soundaryam attracts and comforts Seetha, Lakshmana derives
comfort from your eye movement, Barathan derives comfort from watching the sundara
mukham of Sri Rama, Shatrugunan derives comfort from barathan kainkaryam with
the thought of Rama, while Anjaneya derives comfort from Sri Rama padhasevanam.
The entire parivaram enjoys bliss by merely watching Sri Rama and Thyagaraja
derives his bliss watching Sri Rama and his parivar.
What are the qualities of his
Parivar?
In the Karaharapriya raga krithi, Ramanee
Samanamu, Thyagaraja describes the qualities of his parivar. He starts the
krithis by extolling the character of Sri Rama as the king of Ayodhya and
swears none can match up to him. He says his wife Seetha is tender like the
shoot of sweet marjoram and she is the parrot singing in the cage of devotion.
And his brothers words drips of honey. Rama, the soft and sweet spoken (mrdu
subasha) who elevated the Raghu dynasty, can anyone match up to you?
In which krithi does Thyagaraja praise
the maya of Sri Krishna?
In the Chandrajyothi raga krithi, Baagayenayya,
Thyagaraja says that the teachings of Sri Krishna are both magic and confusing
to even Brahma. In the charanam, he says looking at Arjuna who said war is a
sin and you convinced him by saying the results of sins will not touch both
them. This convincing quality of Sri Krishna is a grand magic and even Brahma
cannot comprehend.
Sri Balaji
Bagavathar explains the context of Dasharatha wanting to have a child and how
he takes the helps of Vashishta to conduct Ashvamedha yagna and Puthrakameshti
yagna. And
completes the evening with Sri Rama Jananam.
Happiness from birth of Rama
While the world celebrates birth of Sri Rama Thyagaraja
in his Bilahari raga krithi, Inthakal Anandamemi, celebrates the birth
of Rama nama and Rama keerthana and the anandam in it. Thyagaraja says Rama
nama turns dwaitha bhava into advaitha bhava and unites you with paramatha. It
makes one think if this was the same state of exalted anandha (bliss)
Dasharatha must have experienced.
Please email me at kdbulls@gmail.com if you need a copy of the recording.
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