Inta Saukhyamani

नववर्षाभिनन्दनम्, புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்! Ramanavami is just a few days away, so I convey my greetings for that occasion too! रामनवमी शुभाशयाः ! ராமநவமி வணக்கங்கள்! If you are lucky enough, perhaps you will get to hear a lot of live Carnatic Music at this time of the year. My ‘cultural’ immersion was last month.

March started with a concert by Sanjeev Abhyankar. I have adored his music ever since I chanced upon his videos some 10+ years back. So, it was very exciting for me to finally hear him live. Oh! What a wonderful, ecstatic experience it was! His voice is just out of the world! What mastery! Ah! I floated in a little cloud of perfect music for the few days following. It’s quite impossible to convey one’s experience of music or art to someone else, is it not? My experiences are a result of multiple factors – the acuity of my senses (or lack thereof), cultural heritage, understanding of the music, past experiences, frame of mind and so on. Sadly, music to my ears, finally, is music particular only to my ears. Yet, here I am, somehow trying to share my experience with you all!

Back to March, I also had the pleasure of listening to a series of lectures by the very popular Dushyant Sridhar – seven days on Srimad Bhagavatam. His knowledge is impressive, as is his memory. He has excellent presentation skills; the discourses are peppered with touches of humour and music too. It is easy listening and quite entertaining. Did I come away with a lot of new information? I don’t think so. The subject is a familiar one as I have heard a few Bhagavata Saptahams online. But I genuinely enjoyed rushing off every evening to listen to him. What I didn’t enjoy is seeing the rising pile of saris waiting to be ironed in my cupboard! Fellow NRI ladies will appreciate my pain….

Then it was தலைவர் Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s concert which was quite wonderful! He has such stage presence! It has been many years since I heard him live. I think his voice sounds the best it has ever been. His knowledge and skills are, of course, quite amazing. My heart and soul were musically replete by the end of the concert.

With this happy state of my heart, I have chosen a kriti for you in which Tyagaraja explains exactly what I feel! Inta Saukhyamani in Raga Kapi gives such saukhyam! It is also my small comment on the furore currently raging in Carnatic Music circles. Tyagaraja says that – I paraphrase it here – Very few can relish the great, indescribable bliss which is the sweetness of Rama Nama mixed in with the nectar of music. Note – it clearly states how music is mixed in with devotion! I have been examining CM lyrics since I started this blog in January 2011. It is undisputably evident Carnatic Music is, in essence, Hindu devotional music. As a theist spiritual seeker, I consider listening to this music to be just as much of an act of devotion as going to a temple or performing puja. There is a ‘Places of Worship Act’ in India, so as to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to maintain the religious character as it existed on the 15th August, 1947. Please, can we have a ‘Music of Worship Act’ too so as to stop the cultural misappropriation which seems to be happening here?

To present this music, I have chosen a rendition by P.Unnikrishnan whose soft and gentle voice is particularly suited to the gentility of Kapi, I think. I must say that most of the 10+ renditions I have listened to in the past few days were all good. There is something quite beautiful about this composition. I confess, I do have a tendency to listen to my favourite artists repeatedly (I heard 3 versions by KVN, my current addiction – do listen to him too. I should try and find one from the 1960’s, when he was younger.).

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Footnote: Lyrics and Translation

Composer: Tyagaraja
Raga: Kapi
Language: Telugu
Note- I do not speak Telugu; I have used various online resources for the lyrics and translation, in particlar the site Thyagaraja Vaibhavam.

Transliteration in Devanagari

पल्लवि
इन्त सौख्यमनि ने जॆप्प जाल
ऎन्तो एमो ऎवरिकि तॆलुसुनो

अनुपल्लवि
दान्त सीता कान्त करुणा
स्वान्त प्रेमादुलके तॆलुसुनु कानि

चरणम् 
स्वर राग लय सुधा रसमन्दु
वर राम नाममने कण्ड चक्कॆर –
मिश्रमु जेसि भुजिञ्चे
शंकरुनिकि तॆलुसुनु त्यागराज विनुत

Transliteration in English

pallavi
inta saukhyamani nE jeppa jAla
entO EmO evariki telusunO

anupallavi
dAnta sItA kAnta karuNA-
svAnta prEmAdulakE telusunu kAni

charaNam
svara rAga laya sudhA rasamandu
vara rAma nAmamanE kaNDa-
chakkera mishramu jEsi bhujinchE
shankaruniki telusunu tyAgarAja vinuta

Translation

pallavi
So great (inta) is this bliss/happiness (saukhyamu) that I (nE) an unable (jAla) to express it (jeppa)! Who (evariki) knows (telusunO) what (EmO) and how great (entO) it is?

anupallavi
The bliss/happiness (implied from pallavi) is known (telusunu) only to those (AdulakE) self-restrained people (dAnta) having innate (svAnta) compassion (karuNA) and love (prEma) for the spouse (kAnta) of sItA (=Lord Rama), otherwise (kAni) who knows what and how great it is? (from pallavi)

charaNam
That bliss/happiness (implied) is known (telusunu) by Lord Shiva (shankaruniki) who consumes/enjoys (bhujinchE) the sugar-candy (kaNDa chakkera) called (anE) the supreme/precious (vara) name of Rama (rAma nAma) after mixing (mishramu jEsi) in (andu) the nectarine (sudhA) essence (rasa) of music (implied) made of notes (svara), melodic framework (rAga) and rhythm (laya).

I also quote the following translation from ‘Lines of Devotion’ by A.V.S.Sarma Pulished in 1954
What Happy Ecstasies are enjoyed by those
Who chant the name of Rama nectar-like!
All those that conquer self and love the Lord,
Sita, and the great Siva, who combines sweet
Ambrosia of Swara, Raga, Laya
With Candy sugar of the name of Ram!

Notation is available here: http://www.shivkumar.org/music/intasaukhyamani-kapi.pdf

Sadananda Thandavam

शिवरात्रि शुभाशयाः ! சிவராத்ரி வாழ்த்துக்கள்! Shivaratri Greetings! Prayers to the Lord to protect us always!

I have such a great affection for the Lord in his form of Nataraja, the Dancing Lord. What is it about this particular depiction of Shiva which fascinates me so? There is elegance and beauty in the form, but of course! I am sure that everyone will agree that the bronze-casts of Tamil Nadu are second to none. But there is more than that. That unperturbed face seems to be quite in opposition to the vigour of the Tandava, for surely the dance must be vigorous to make the hair fly so! On one side, the damaru beats time incessantly to remind us that the fire in his left hand is ready to destroy and regenerate, yet his right arm is in Abhaya mudra says, ‘fear not‘. His pose is elegant and perfectly balanced yet he stands on the unsteady back of the demon of ignorance, Apasmara. So many opposing factors coming together to make a wonderful whole! In my mind’s eyes, I picture His Tandava, the eternal dance which keeps this universe ticking, and I am filled with awe.

Curious about the origin of the word Tandava, I looked up a translation of the Natya Shastra to see if this 2000+ year old document says anything. I found references which say that Lord Shiva ‘invented’ dance forms and taught them to Tandu Muni. The Muni set them to a dance with instrumental music. That is the origin of the word Tandava – the dance as taught by Tandu. A random quote from the Natya Shastra which I liked very much: ‘Dance is occasioned by no specific need; it has come into use simply because it creates beauty‘ (Chapter 4, verse 267). Can that be said of Nataraja’s dance too? Does the universe go through its cycles of creation and destruction simply because it creates beauty?

I have featured many compositions devoted to Nataraja – Natanam Adinar, Kaalai Thookki, Adum Deivam, Aadi Kondar and Ananda Natanam Aduvar Thillai. Today I am pleased to offer one more song for the Dancing Lord. Sadananda Thandavam in Raga Bahudari was composed by Achyuta Dasar. Not knowing much about him, I did a bit of research. He was born in Polur, North Arcot district in 1850. His mother tongue was Telugu, but he also knew Tamil and Sanskrit very well. Though he was married, he was not interested in domestic life. Instead, he followed his calling in spirituality. Slowly, all worldly ties fell away and with the help of a guru, he reached the deep state of meditation called Nirvikalpa Samadhi in which he stayed for 8 days. He composed many songs based on his spiritual experiences. He achieved samadhi in 1902.

As his spiritual quest interested me very much, I was very keen on what he has to say in his lyrics. Not many people who reach the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi hang around telling us of the experience! I struggled through the translation for indeed it was quite a difficult task. Please excuse the many errors which I have no doubt made! He says that, to reach Nirvikalpa samadhi, one goes beyond thought and thoughlessness. We all know that in meditation one tries to still one’s mind and go beyond thought. But what is the stage beyond even that? In the second charanam, he says that the true meaning of Vedanta is to reach a singular state of non-attachment. That is an interesting interpretation. The third charanam seems to imply that he had a vision of the Lord. I wonder if I’m reading it right…

I cannot but feature the musician whose voice pops up in my head whenever I think of this song! My father was a great fan of Madurai Mani Iyer and I have heard his renditions countless times in my childhood. A matter of nostalgia for me…

If you cannot see the above embedded video, here is a link to YouTube.

Here is a recent, very nicely rendered version by Sriranjani Santhanagopalan.

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Footnote (Lyrics and Translation):

Composer: Achyuta Dasar
Raga: Bahudari
Language: Tamil

பல்லவி
சதானந்த தாண்டவம் செய்யும் பாதா – வரம் தா தா- ஜகந்நாத

அனுபல்லவி
சிதாகாசத்தில் (alt:சிதாகாரத்தில்/சிதாகாசத்திடை) அற்புதாகாரமாய் ஒளிர தாமுறை தெரிய சுதாம்ருதம் சோரிய

சரணம் 1
முக்தரும் சித்தரும் முநிவர்களும்
மோத மாதவரும் மூவார்களும்
நித்திரையாதிவிட்டு நினைப்பும் மறப்புங்கெட்டு
நிர்விகல்பத்தை (நிருவிகற்பத்தை) நன்று மருவித் தனி நின்று

சரணம் 2
ஜாதி (alt:சாதி) சமய மதாசாரமென்னும்
சழக்க கன்றனைத்திலும் சமமென்னும்
நீதி விளங்கும்படி நிகழ்த்தும் நிகமமுடி
நிஜப்பொருள் வெளியாகப் பசையாமிருனேக

சரணம் 3
தனு* மூன்று அதில் அவஸ்தைகள் மூன்றும்
தாண்டிச் சந்தாய்ப் பெருந்தகை தோன்றும்
தினகரன் அம்புலிக்கும் திவ்ய தேஜஸளிக்கும்
சீரகண்ட பதமாய் நேரில் அச்சுதமாய்

Lyrics sourced from அத்வைத கீர்த்தனானந்தலஹரி (1995) published by Sri Semmangudi Srinivasier Golden Jubilee Trust, with minor variations.

Transliteration

pallavi
sadAnanda tANDavam seyyum pAdA varam tA tA jagannAthA

anupallavi
chitAkAshattil (alt:chidAkArattil) aRputAkAramAi oLira tAmuRai teriya sudhAmRTam soriya

charaNam 1
muktarum sidhdharum munivargaLum
mOda mAdavarum mUvArgaLum
niddiraiyAdivittu ninaippum maRappungkeTTu
nirvikalpattai (alt:nirvikaRoattai) nanDRu maruvit tani ninDRu

charaNam 2
jAti samaya matAchAramennum
chazhakka kanDRanaittilum samamennum
nIdi viLangumpaDi nigazhttum nigamamudi
nijapporuL veLiyAgap pasaiyAmirunEka

charaNam 3
tanu* mUNDRu adil avasthaigaL mUNDRum
tANDi sandAi peruntagai tOnDRum
dinakaran ambulikkum divya tEjasaLikkum
sIrkaNDa padamAi nEril achchudamAi

Translation

O Lord (nAtha) of the Universe (jagan) whose feet (pAdA) perpetually (sadA) perform (seyyum) the dance (tANDavam) of bliss (Ananda), grant (tA) me (implied) a boon (varam)!

anupallavi
Shining (oLira) as an amazing (arputa) form (AkAramai) in the space (AkAsam) of consciousness (chit), displaying (teriya) nobility (tAmurai-*1 below), pouring forth (soriya) the nectar (sudhA) of immortality (amRtam).

charaNam 1
The liberated (muktarum), yogis/sages who have acquired supernatural faculties (siddharum) and seers (munivarum), joyous (moda) ascetics (mAdavarum) and the celestials/Devas (mUvArgalum-literally, those who never age–*2 below), forsaking (vittu) sleep (niddirai) etc (Adi) and loosing (kettu) both (implied) thought (ninaippum) and thoughtlessness (maruppum-literally forgetfulness, but thoughtlessness matches better), stand (nindru) alone (tani) well-embracing (nandru maruvi) the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi (nirvikalpattai– *3 below).

charaNam 2
O Lord (implied) who explains (nigazhttum), such that it is understood (viLangumpaDi), the truth/law (nIdi) of equality (samamennum) in all matters (anaittilum) which are insignificant (kanDRu) and useless (sazhakku) such as (implied) clan/race (jAti), current (samaya) religious practices (matAchAram) and explains such that (implied) the true (nija) meaning (poruL) of Vedanta (nigama-vEda, muDi-end or anta in Sanskrit) comes to light (veLiyAga) thus reaching (implied) the singular (Eka) state (iru, short for iruttal or existence) of non-attachment (pasaiyA).

charaNam 3
Having overcome (tANDi) the three (mUNDRu) bodies (tanu – *4 below) in (adil) their three (mUNDRum) states (avastaigaL -*5 below), the noble person (peruntagai) who gives (aLikkum) divine (divya) brilliance (tEjas) to the sun (dinakaran) and the moon (ambulikkum), appears (tONDRum) like a messenger (sandAi) of complete (akhanDa) excellence (sIr) and joy (padam), appearing (nEril) as the imperishable (achchutamAi).

*1: Though I could not find தாமுறை in the dictionary, Chat GPT assures me that it means it means nobility/honour/courage etc. I asked for quotations with தாமுறை and it listed a few. Check for yourself!

*2: The lyrics I consulted showed மூவர்கள், not மூவார்கள். I did some exploring as it did not fit well. mUvArgaL fits much better, so I have chosen this word instead. mUvargaL may indicate Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva if you wish to stay with that.

*3: Deepak Chopra’s site says that ‘Nirvikalpa Samadhi is a higher state of awareness where the ego and samskaras have been dissolved and only Consciousness remains. Patanjali says the material world has become like a shadow from which you are completely free. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi there is no mind as you know it—there is only infinite peace and bliss. Here nature’s dance stops, and the knower and the known become one. Here you enjoy a supremely divine, all-pervading, self-amorous ecstasy. You become the object of enjoyment, the enjoyer, and the enjoyment itself.‘.

*4: Hindu philosophy defines our bodies to be three-fold – the कारण शरीर (Causal body), सूक्ष्म शरीर (Subtle body) and the स्थूल शरीर (Gross body).

*5: Hindu philosophy talks of three अवस्था – states of being which are जाग्रत waking state, स्वप्न dream state and सुषुप्ति  state of deep sleep. तुरीय -Turiya- meaning the 4th, is the state beyond these states.

Janani Mamava

Happy Saraswati Puja! For those South Indians wondering if they have read right, yes, indeed it is Vasanta Panchami (वसन्तपञ्चमी) which is celebrated as Saraswati Puja in many parts of India. After 42 years of being married to a Bengali, I happily celebrate Her twice a year! The community here celebrates this annually but on a smaller scale than Durga Puja. Saraswati Puja is the day when young children will be initiated into their first steps in learning.

Our family too has seen young ones take their first steps of education during this month of தை or मघ. I’m happy to say that my eldest grandson, who is five years old, has just started school! This is the start of his primary education which will continue until he finishes grade 6. We went with the family for his first induction into Prep in October. He clung like a koala to his mum, cried when asked to sit inside the class and ran out at the first opportunity! Since then, there were two more days of acclimatisation. When the school opened in the last week of January, he went proudly and happily, even refusing to take off his uniform after coming home! His first steps into formal education have begun. My prayers to the Goddess for his continued well-being.

Learning and the blessing of the Goddess comes in many ways, does it not. My youngest grandson, just 7 months old, has also taken his first steps (crawl!) away from home. He has had to learn to be taken care of by his grandparents! He has put up a good protest, refusing milk and sleep that first day, refusing to be put on the mat, flooding our home with his tears and wails. But he is coming around. He has mastered the skill of ‘swimming’ on the floor; at present I observe him trying to get up on his hands and knees. My prayers to the Goddess for his everlasting well-being.

The Goddess has had to re-train his Patti (grandmother) too. I am re-learning the demands of a little one, with two-hourly naps, three-hourly bottles, pureed solid feeds, burps which get stuck and cause such pain, the agony of teething, the smell of regurgitated milk, and his beautiful and watchful eyes following me everywhere! May I warn future grandparents that the routine is a killer at our age! But I’m so grateful for him; when he rests in my arms for comfort, my soul gets comfort too. My gratitude to the Goddess for giving me one more chance to learn.

Whether young or old, we all have to keep learning and that capacity to learn is the Goddess incarnate, I think. I pray that She will bless us to learn what we need to and bless us even more by giving us the opportunity to keep learning as long as we live. May She shine the light of knowledge in all our minds.

I was looking to feature an artist from Kerala. On searching, I came upon this wonderful rendition by Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer. I am quite ashamed to say that I have not heard this illustrious musician before. More learning to do! Wanting to know more about him, I found this tribute by Prince Rama Varma, perhaps you’ll like to read it too. The Raga Alapana starts at 13:01 and the Kriti at 36:32. Enjoy!

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Footnote (Lyrics and Translation):

Composer: Swati Thirunal
Raga: Bhairavi
Language: Sanskrit

पल्लवि
जननी मामवामेये भारति जय सरसिजासन जाये

अनुपल्लवि
अनुपमित कमला वासे चारु हसित कृत कुन्द निरासे
देवि मुनिवरेडित विमल चरिते मोहनीय गुणौघ भरिते

चरणम्
तरुण वारिद निभ वेणि देवतरु किसलयोपम पाणि
कलित वरदाभीतिमुद्रे कल्याणि पूर्ण शरदिन्दु सम कान्ते वाणी
सुरुचिर नयन जितैणि परम करुणारस शिशिर वेणि
देवि चरणगत जन भरण निपुणे परमामृत मधुर भाषिणि

Transliteration

janani mAmavAmEye bhArati jaya sarasijAsana jAyE

anupallavi
anupamita kamalA vAsE chARu hasita kRta kunda nirAsE
dEvi munivarEDita vimala charitE mOhanIya guNaugha bharitE

charaNam
taruNa vArida nibha vENi dEvataru kisalayOpama pANi
kalita varadAbhItimudrE kalyANi pUrNa sharadindu sama kAntE vANi
suruchira nayana jitaiNi parama karuNArasa shishira vENi
dEvi charaNagata jana bharaNa nipuNE paramAmRta madhura bhAshiNi

Translation
pallavi
Protect (ava) me (mAm) O Immeasurable One (amEyE), mother (janani) Saraswati (bhArati), wife (jAyE) of Brahma (one with the lotus (sarasija) seat (Asana))!

anupallavi
O dweller (vAsE) on an incomparable (anupamita) lotus (kamalA)! Smiling (hasita) beautifully (chAru), you make (kRta) the jasmine (kunda) seem (implied) flavourless (nirAsa)! O Goddess (dEvi) implored (IDita) by the best of (vara) sages (muni) with spotless (vimala) conduct (charita)! O One full of (bharitE) an abundance (Ogha) of enchanting (mOhanIya) qualities (guNa)!

charaNam
With braided hair (vENi) similar to (nibha) fresh (taruNa) rain-clouds (vArida), with hands (pANi) like (upama) sprouts (kisalaya) of a divine tree (dEvataru), furnished with (kalita) gestures (mudrE) of boon-giving (varada) and fearlessness (abhIti), O Auspicious One (kalyANi), bright (kAnta) as an autumnal (sharada) full-moon (pUrNa-indu), O Saraswati (vANi – name of Saraswati)! Your radiant (suruchira) eyes (nayana) are more beautiful (implied by jita=wins) that of an antelope (aiNi)! O most (parama) compassionate one (karuNA rasa) with the moon (shishira) in your braids (vENi)! O Goddess (dEvi) expert (nipuNE) in supporting (bharaNa) the people (jana) who have fallen at your feet (charaNagata)! O One who speaks (bhAshiNi) as sweetly (madhura) as the best (parama) nectar (amRta)!

Notation is available here.

Hecharikaga Ra Ra

जय श्री राम ! ஸ்ரீ ராம ஜெயம் ! Hail Lord Rama!

I have been following the news about Ayodhya for quite some time. Now that it has reached its date for प्राण प्रतिष्ठा (prANa pratishTHA) when the विग्रह (vigraha) will be ceremoniously consecrated, the internet has been inundated with content on Ayodhya. It has all reached a feverish pitch now, hasn’t it! I have been spending more time on checking out these videos than I should, I confess. Well, I couldn’t let the moment pass without posting a suitable song to celebrate the occasion. So here I am, rather sooner than normal!

So, what have I learnt in the recent past? Quite a bit, actually. I am halfway through reading a book called The Battle for Rama, Case of the Temple at Ayodhya by Meenakshi Jain, published in 2017. The author gives many historical references to the जन्मस्थान (janmasthAna) from various sources, including Arabic, Persian, Urdu and European language manuscripts. They have all noted the devotion of Hindus and their worship, notwithstanding the presence of the Masjid. Babar, it seems, came to Ayodhya first on 2nd April, 934. His memoir resumes only in September; it is proposed that Babri Masjid was constructed during that period.

The first instance of a formal dispute was in 1822, where a note was submitted to the Faizabad Court. There is evidence of continuing dispute from then on, with riots breaking out in 1912, 1934 and the destructive one in 1992. In 1949, unnamed persons entered the Masjid and placed an idol of Sri Rama. What puzzles me is the claim that leftist Hindus sided with the Muslims, going so far as saying that Rama worship is an 18th-19th century phenomenon! I wonder, for those Hindus who spread such falsities, does political identity come before religious affiliation? That seems so contrary to what I feel!

The book also notes the archeological evidence, about which I had learnt earlier last year from an interview by K.K.Mohammed. This was very interesting; I recommend listening if you have the time. I still have to find books on the period before Babar as temples must have been constructed and re-constructed from ancient times. There are some references in this talk between Nityanand Misra and Ami Ganatra. I often listen to Nityanand Misra, just for the pleasure of listening to such pure and beautiful Hindi!

I am waffling on about this, aren’t I! When I think about all the temples which were destroyed, the conversions by Muslim and Christian rulers (in Goa especially) under torture, the insidious conversions by missionaries, the taking over of our holiest sites like Mathura by the Muslim rulers, the way our own ancient history has been coloured and changed to suit the Eurocentric worldview, and so on, I am so very saddened by all this history. Like many other Hindus, I have always had a very secular mindset. Our thinking is influenced by our scriptures which say things like:

इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमाहुरथो दिव्यः स सुपर्णो गरुत्मान् । एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः ॥
indram mitraṃ varuṇam agnim Ahur aTHO divyaḥ sa suparNO garutmAn | ekaṃ sad viprA bahudhA vadanti agniṃ yamam mAtarishvAnam Ahuḥ ||
They have styled (him, the Sun), Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is the celestial, well-winged Garutmat, for learned priests call one by many names as they speak of Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan.
Rig Veda 1.164.46

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् | मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्थ सर्वश: ||
ye yathA mAm prapadyantE tAnstathaiva bhajAmyaham
mama vartmAnuvartantE manuṣhyAḥ pArtha sarvashah
O Arjuna! In whatsoever form one seeks Me, I reach him in that form, for all mankind are but following the paths I laid down for them.
Bhagavat Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 11

I quote Shashi Tharoor “Tolerance, after all, implies that you have the truth, but will generously indulge another who does not; you will, in an act of tolerance, allow him the right to be wrong. Acceptance, on the other hand, implies that you have a truth but the other person may also have a truth; that you accept his truth and respect it, while expecting him to respect (and accept) your truth in turn. This practice of acceptance of difference—the idea that other ways of being and believing are equally valid—is central to Hinduism and the basis for India’s democratic culture.“. Herein lies the problem, I think. We assume that just as we respect their truth, others will respect ours. But that is anathema to Abrahamic religions, is it not. Their faith demands that ‘infidels’ be either converted or destroyed. If one keeps tolerating, finally there will be none left to do the tolerating! Yet, we are what we are. If we change this idea of tolerance and acceptance, we will no longer be following our faith. A dilemma.

But let us set all that aside and celebrate the new temple at Ayodhya with some music, shall we?

I have chosen this beautiful kriti by Tyagaraja in raga Yadukula Kambhoji to celebrate the day. It is no surprise that Tyagaraja, who had devoted his life to Lord Rama, celebrated Him every day (nityotsavam). The Utsava Sampradaya Kritis were used by Tyagaraja for his daily worship, from waking him up, welcoming him to his dais every morning, then admiring his form, celebrating his wedding with songs for every occasion, and songs for putting him to bed at night. These songs were not written for others to listen or admire; they were a very personal dialogue between a devotee and his Lord. Hecharikaga is the first of those kritis, which welcome Lord Rama with beautifully descriptive words. With the same words, let us welcome Rama to the new Ayodhya temple.

To present this song, I have chosen a rendition by the great Balamurali Krishna; I have had this CD from the nineties and have an affection for it.

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Footnote (Lyrics and Translation):

Composer: Tyagaraja
Raga: Yadukula Kambhoji
Language: Telugu
Note- I do not speak Telugu; I have used various online resources for the lyrics and translation.

Transliteration in Devangari

पल्लवि
हॆच्चरिकगा रारा हे राम चन्द्र
हॆच्चरिकगा रारा हे सुगुण सान्द्र

अनुपल्लवि
पच्च विल्तुनिगन्न पालित सुरेन्द्र

चरणम् 1
कनक मयमौ मकुट कान्ति मॆरयगनु
घनमैन कुण्डल युगमुलु कदलगनु
घनमैन नूपुर युगम्बु घल्लननु
सनकादुलॆल्ल कनि सन्तसिल्लगनु

चरणम् 2
आणि मुत्याल सरुलल्ललाडगनु
वाणि पतीन्द्रुलिरु वरुस पॊगडगनु
माणिक्य सोपानमन्दु मॆल्लगनु
वीण पल्कुल विनुचु वेड्क चॆल्लगनु

चरणम्
निनु जूड वच्चु भगिनि करम्बु चिलुक
मनसु रञ्जिल्ल नी महिमलनु पलुक
मिनु वासुलॆल्ल विरुलनु चाल जिलुक
घन त्यागराजु कनुगॊन मुद्दु गुलुक

Transliteration in English

pallavi
hechcharikagA rArA hE rAma chandra
hechcharikagA rArA hE suguNa sAndra

anupallavi
pachcha viltuniganna pAlita surEndra

charaNam 1
kanaka mayamau makuTa kAnti merayaganu
ghanamaina kuNDala yugamu kadalaganu
ghanamaina nUpura yugambu ghallananu
sanakAdulella kani santasillaganu

charaNam 2
ANi mutyAla sarulallalADaganu
vANi patIndruliru varusa pogaDaganu
mANikya sOpAnamandu mellaganu
vINa palkula vinucu vEDka cellaganu

charaNam 3
ninu jUDa vachchu bhagini karambu chiluka
manasu ranjilla nI mahimalanu paluka
minu vAsulella virulanu chAla jiluka
ghana tyAgarAju kanugona muddu guluka

Translation

pallavi
O (hE) Lord rAmachandra! O (hE) Lord (implied) full of (sAndra) good qualities (suguNa)! Come (rArA) carefully (hechcharikagA)! [I think that perhaps hechcharika is ‘Hail’, equivalent to பராக்கு parAkku in Tamil, to call attention before the Lord enters. But most sources translate it as ‘carefully’ so I have followed suit]

anupallavi
O begetter (anna) of the one with the having green (pachcha, implying sugar cane) bow (villu) (Note-Manmatha holds a sugar cane bow)! O protector (pAlita) of Indra (surEndra)!

chanaNam 1
With the lustre (kAnti) of the golden (kanaka mayamau) crown (makuTa) gleaming (merayaganu), with a pair (yugamu) of great (ghanamaina) ear ornaments (kuNDala) swaying (kadalaganu), with a pair (yugambu) of great (ghanamaina) anklets (nUpura) tinkling (ghallanu – making a sound like ‘ghall’), as Sanaka and others (Adulu), everyone (ella) exults (santasillaganu) on beholding (kani) you (implied) – come carefully.

charaNam 2
With necklaces (sarulu) of faultless (ANi) pearls (mutyAla) swinging (allalADaganu), with Brahma, the husband (pati) of Sarawati (vANi), and Indra (indrulu) praising (pogaDaganu) on both (iru-two) sides (varusa-rows), on (andu) the bejewelled (maNikya) steps (sOpAnamu), listening (vinuchu) to the gentle (mellaganu) sound (palkula) of the Veena, to our delight (vEDka chellaganu) – Come carefully.

charaNam 3
With the mind (manasu) delighting (ranjilla) in your (nI) glory (mahimalanu) spoken (paluka) by the parrot (chiluka) in the hand (karambu) of your sister (bhagini) who comes (vaccu) to see (jUDa) you (ninu), with all (ella) celestials (minu-heaven, vAsulu-dwelling) showering (jiluka) lots of (cAla) flowers (virulanu), so that this honoured (ghana) Tyagaraja may behold (kanugona) your beauty (muddu) spread (guluka–ooze) – Come carefully.

Annapurne Vishalakshi

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Note Before: I cannot write this post without mentioning how sad I am at the passing of O.S.Thyagarajan and Rashid Khan in recent weeks. The world of music has suffered a loss. I have only heard them online, not even once on a live stage, yet their passing has left me grieving. I am, at present, re-studying the Gita. I am told that death is no more than a change of clothes for the Atma. So why the grief? But there it is…and life goes on.

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My very best wishes to those who celebrate Pongal / Makara Sankranti! May the Gods bless all of us with abundance!

Curious, I looked up a Tamil dictionary to what it says about Pongal. Here is what I read “Solar festival when the sun enters Capricorn and takes a northward course, being the first day of the month Tai, when poṅkal is prepared as an offering; சூரியன் மகர ராசியிற் பிரவேசிக்கும் நாளான தைமாத முதற்றேதி யன்று சூரியனைப் பூசித்துப் பொங்கல் நிவேதனஞ் செய்யும் திருவிழா”. This puzzled me a bit, because I thought Sun entered Capricorn on December 21st or thereabouts. Further reading confused me even more. Wiki says “Every year sidereal and tropical equinoxes slide by 50 seconds due to axial precession, giving birth to Ayanamsha and causing Makara Sankranti to slide further…….In 272 CE, Makara Sankranti was on 21 December. In 1000 CE, Makara Sankranti was on 31 December and now it falls on January 14. After 9000 years, Makara Sankranti will be in June.” My respects to anyone who understood that! Going back to the dictionary definition of Pongal, it also means “Fullness, abundance, excess, profusion; மிகுதி”. I assume that the act of allowing the pot to overflow when cooking Pongal signifies that?

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Feeling ashamed of my ignorance after I wrote the above, I tried to educate myself a bit. A very tiny light switched on in my brain after listening to a lecture by Raj Vedam here. I know so little about all this! Have much to learn.

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Wondering which song to feature, my thought went to this lovely composition on Annapurna who holds a pot filled with payasa-anna in one of her hands. What is Chakkarai-pongal but that? A little Googling brought up the information that Annapurna is also the Goddess of the Shaktipeeth in Kashi where she is called Vishalakshi, as named in this composition as well. The Annapurna Stotram, which is written by Adi Shankaracharya ,says “वामे स्वादुपयोधरा” i.e. holding delicious/sweet milk in her left hand. It seemed to me that a Goddess holding rice-payasam and responsible for plentitude in this world is perfect to pray to and sing about on this day!

I must rush to explain that there is no religious or cultural association of Annapurna with Pongal/Sankranti; it is purely my own flight of fancy!

I do like the gentleness of the Raga Sama, don’t you? I heard quite a few renditions of this song in preparation for this post. But as I am going through a mad-addiction-for-KVN phase, the rendition below sounded best to my ears. So go for it – pick up a nice bowl of Pongal, switch on the music and enjoy both on this auspicious day!

For an instrumental version, here is U.Srinivas on the Mandolin. How he made the instrument sing!

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Footnote (Lyrics and Translation):

Composer: Muthuswami Dikshithar
Raga: Sama
Kshetra: Kuzhikkarai (near Tiruvarur)
Language: Sanskrit

पल्लवि
अन्न पूर्णे विशालाक्षि रक्ष अखिल भुवन साक्षि कटाक्षि

अनुपल्लवि
उन्नत गर्त तीर विहारिणि ओंकारिणि दुरितादि निवारिणि
(मध्यम काल साहित्यम्)
पन्नगाभरण राज्ञि पुराणि परमेश्वर विश्वेश्वर भास्वरि

चरणम्
पायसान्न पूरित माणिक्य पात्र हेम दर्वी विधृत करे
कायजादि रक्षण निपुण तरे काञ्चनमय भूषणाम्बर धरे
(मध्यम काल साहित्यम्)
तोयजासनादि सेवित परे तुम्बुरु नारदादि नुत वरे
त्रयातीत मोक्ष प्रद चतुरे त्रिपद शोभित गुरु गुह सादरे

Transliteration

pallavi
anna pUrNE vishAla-akshi raksha akhila bhuvana sAkshi kaTAkshi

anupallavi
unnata garta tIra vihAriNi OMkAriNi duritaAdi nivAriNi
pannagaAbharaNa rAjni purANi paramEshvara vishvEshvara bhAsvari

caraNam
pAyasAnna pUrita mANikya pAtra hEma darvI vidhRta karE
kAyajAdi rakshaNa nipuNa tarE kAnchanamaya bhUshaNa-ambara dharE
tOyajasanAdi sEvita parE tumburu nAradAdi nuta varE
trayAtIta mOksha prada chaturE tripada shObhita guruguha sAdarE

Translation

O Goddess Annapurna! O wide-eyed (vishAla akshi) One! O Goddess (implied) of glances (kaTAkshi) which witness (sAkshi) the entire (akhila) universe (bhuvana)! Protect (raksha) me (implied)!

O Goddess (implied) who resides in (vihAriNi) the eminent (unnata) Kuzhikkarai (garta-tIra pit-shore, literal translation of Kuzhikkarai)! O Embodiment of Om (omkAriNi)! O Goddess (implied) who wards off (nivAriNi) difficulties (durita) etc (Adi)! O Queen (rAjni) of the one who is adorned with snakes (pannaga AbharaNa)! O Ancient-One (purANi)! O Shining-One (bhAsvari) with (implied) the Supreme (parama) God (Ishvara), the Lord (Ishvara) of the world (vishva) (Lord Shiva)!

O Goddess (implied) in whose hand (karE) is a gem-studded (mANikya) vessel (pAtra) with a golden (hEma) ladle (darvI) filled with (pUrita) rice pudding (pAyasa-anna)! O Goddess (implied) who is the best (-tara suffix) at protecting (rakshaNa) Manmatha (kAyaja – not sure of this) etc (Adi)! O Goddess who (implied) wears (dharE) clothes (ambara) with decorations (bhUshaNa) made of (maya suffix) gold (kAnchana)! O Supreme One (parE) worshipped by (sEvita) Brahma (tOyaja Asana, one who sits on a lotus) etc (Adi)! O Best One (varE) worshipped by (nuta) by Tumburu, Narada etc (Adi)! O Goddess who (implied) is skilled (chaturE) in providing (prada) liberation (mOksha) beyond (atIta) the three (traya) (possibly means wake, dream and sleep states or dharma, artha, kAma)! O One Respected by (sAdarE) by Guruguha (Kartikeya, also the composer’s signature) who is adorned with (shObhita) the three-words (tripada, meaning three-word mantra)!

Ee Vasudha

Yet one more year is coming to a close. Has it been a good one for you? 2023 was a hard one for me. I clung to my faith for strength. I honestly don’t know how people without faith manage! Thankfully, I have made it safely to the end of this year with God’s blessings. I am sharing my story with you, my dear readers, in the hope that those with major health issues may take heart from it. It’s a long story; if you only want the music, just jump on to the end!

This post is about me and so is the picture. Taken in October 2023, in front of Ma Durga.

But first, a very Happy New Year to all of you! May the good Gods bless us all!

17 May 2023
I am aware of being aware. Nothing more. I hear some voices. They sound familiar. My daughter “Can she hear us?”. Then a stranger’s voice “Yes, speak to her, it will do her good“. My husband “Suja..Suja“. My daughter’s hand strokes my bare shoulder. Bare? Why? Her voice “You are okay“. Was I not? I say something it seems. Then I fade out.

Pain. A stranger’s gentle presence. An angel wipes my forehead. I can feel her kindness radiating through. A name – Daisy. More pain. The night comes and goes in a hazy fog. Did I exist?

18 May 2023
Very early in the morning my awareness drifts back, much stronger this time. Daisy is buzzing about. “Oh Good, you are awake!” she says “Drink some water“. She wipes me down, brushes my hair. I am like a child, reborn. I am told later that my son visits me, but I have no recollection.

The nursing shift changes. Lou is another angel. She says I have to sit up in a chair for a while. It is torturous even with all the drugs. My surgeon comes with reassuring words, so does the physician in charge. My husband stays the whole day. He seems weary. Yesterday he sat in the waiting area from 1 pm when they took me in to prep for surgery to 9 pm when they wheeled me out to ICU. There were some complications it seems. Waiting is hard.

That day they take me to Radiology. Two nurses help me down off the bed and stand me up for the X-Ray. For a few seconds I have to stand without support. The agony! A second X-Ray, sideways this time. I stand, my gown gaping open at the back, holding up a bag of urine, tubes draining at my feet, in so much pain that tears stream down my face of their own volition. A low point. After that, the world fades away into a haze. I have family visitors, but I can’t remember much. At some point they transfer me from ICU to a ward.

19 May 2023
I wake up at 3 am in pain. I have a button for self-medicating morphine, but it does not help. The nurse comes in with more heavy weight drugs. It is a day of pain. I do get up to go to the bathroom but afterwards I have uncontrollable shivers. My son comes in with his wife and baby. I try to put on a smiling face. I receive phone calls. But the pain is still acute. I just want to be left alone in my misery.

20 May 2023
A better day. The pain is much reduced. The physio comes and makes me walk to the door of the room and back; the effort drains me, and I fall asleep in exhaustion. My daughter comes in for a visit. Just one month left for her delivery. She looks as exhausted as I am!

I think back to the 4th of May when I stepped off the bed and almost doubled over with the excruciating pain down the back of my leg. “I’ll rest today” I think “I’ll be better tomorrow“. The next morning at 4 am I can’t feel my toes. I look at my husband silently. It doesn’t look good. I call the Nurse-on-Call service to ask what I should do. “You need to go Emergency at once” she says and calls the ambulance service for me. I stay in Emergency for the day and night; the medications don’t seem to solve the problem. They want to transfer me to a ward. My daughter, a doctor, is ready with a list of recommended spine surgeons. There is one at a nearby hospital and thankfully they have a bed for me. I see the surgeon; I like him. They take me for an MRI and then he comes to see me the next day. It’s not good news. He asks, “Surgery or Wheelchair?“. I choose surgery, of course. I go home armed with medications to wait for surgery, but every day is painfilled. That was the 6th of May.

So, today, on the 20th, I see a reduction in pain for the first time in over two weeks. I am grateful. I was very lucky with my surgeon. He is a bit abrupt but also kind. For the eight days I was in the hospital, he does not miss a single day in visiting me, often in scrubs straight after surgery. Blessings come in many guises; mine came in the competency of my surgeon and the care in his heart.

25 May 2023
I have made vast improvements in the last four days. I’m walking around the ward many times a day with a walker. I am taking care of my own hygiene needs, change of clothes etc. I’ve enjoyed visits from the family including my eldest grandson. I’m even enjoying my meals!

In the afternoon, an ambulance arrives to transfer me to a Rehab hospital. I remember the pain filled ambulance ride when I first came to the hospital. This ride is a breeze. I meet a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist; they set up a schedule for me. The ward Physician is a pain specialist. She is very good. The nursing care is equally good.

1 June 2023
Home once more! Oh I’m so glad! I am so much better! I’ve done all the exercises under the supervision of the physio in the gym in Rehab. I have walked and walked in the gym and around the ward; I am up to 4000 steps a day!

6 June 2023
My 4-year-old grandson comes for his day with us. I cook his lunch, glad to be in the kitchen again. He says, “It makes me happy to be with you Patti“. My heart overflows with love. I can’t yet sit up for more than 15-20 mins. It is easier to stand or walk. “Sleep well so you can get strong enough to play with me” are his instructions as he leaves that evening!

17 June 2023
My first walk in the neighbourhood. Just 2500 steps, not much. But outdoors. Yay!

26 June 2023
A day of celebration! My daughter has presented us with one more grandson, her 3rd child and my 4th grandson! We have her 4-and-a-half-year-old and the almost-2-year-old since yesterday. They will be here for 5 days. Our son and daughter-in-law help, and my son-in-law spends his time between the hospital and his children here. I am glad that I am well enough to cope with them. I’ve come a long way since my surgery.

28 Dec 2023
I have made much progress in the past six months. I am almost back to normal, but I do tire easily. I’ve managed to do quite a few 8 km walks but that leaves me worn out so I can’t do it often. I manage almost all the tasks I normally do at home. I’ve kept my mind strong and worked hard at getting better. However, I acknowledge that nothing really was or is in my control and I owe everything to Divine Grace. Thank you, God.

It was my faith which kept me strong this year. Every moment of every day, I am aware of the blessings that God has showered me with. To acknowledge this, I have chosen a Tyagaraja kriti with very apt lyrics. He says, “For those who happily happen to be in residence for even half a minute in Your town, You remove all weariness in their minds and give a lot of wealth, longevity, devotion and vigour/health“. The kriti refers to a particular town, but isn’t His town the one populated by His devotees? Then surely, I too am a resident! Indeed, Tyagaraja has said the truth; I have been blessed with all that he says. If longevity hasn’t been proven yet, no matter, for I am content with whatever it is. Set in the soothing Raga Sahana, the composer’s devotion is palpable across the centuries.

I have chosen a lovely rendition from an old favourite, T.N.Seshagopalan. Enjoy!

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Footnote: Lyrics and Translation

Composer : Tyagaraja
Raga: Sahana
Kshetra: Kovur Sundareshwarar Temple
Language: Telugu
Please note that I do not speak Telugu and depend on various online references for word meanings. As I do not know the Telugu script, I am using Devanagari script.

Note: Notation with chittaswarams available here

पल्लवि
ई वसुध/वसुधा नीवण्टि दैवमु नॆन्दु कानरा

अनुपल्लवि
भावुकमु कल्गि वर्धिल्लु कोवूरि सुन्दरेश गिरीश

चरणम्
आसचे अर निमिषमु नी पुर वासमॊनर जेयु वारि मदि
वेसटलॆल्लनु तॊलगिञ्चि​ धन रासुलनायुवुनु
भूसुर भक्तियु तेजमुनॊसगि भुवनमन्दु कीर्ति कल्ग जेसे
दास वरद त्यागराज हृदय निवास चिद्विलास सुन्दरेश

Transliteration

pallavi
I vasudha/vasudhA nIvaNTi daivamu nendu kAnarA

anupallavi
bhAvukamu kalgi vardhillu kOvUri sundarEsha girIsha

charaNam
AsachE ara nimishamu nI pura vAsamonara jEyu vAri madi
vesaTalellanu tolaginchi dhana rAsulanAyuvunu
bhUsura bhaktiyu tEjamunosagi bhuvanamandu kIrti kalga jEsE
dAsa varada tyAgarAja hRdaya nivAsa chidvilAsa sundarEsha

Translation

Pallavi
In this (I) world (vasudha), a God (daivamunu) like (vaNTi) you (nI) cannot be seen (kAnarA) anywhere (endu).

Anupallavi
O Sundaresha of Kovur town (kOvUri) which has (kalgi) the good fortune (bhAvukamu) of thriving (vardhillu)! O Lord (Isha) of the Mountains (giri)!

Charanam
For those who (implied) happily (AsachE – with desire) happen to (Onara-jEyu) be in residence (vAsamu) for even half a minute (ara nimishamu) in your (nI) town (pura), you (implied) remove (tolaginchi) all weariness (vEsaTalu ellanu) in their (vAri) minds (madi) and give (Osagi) a lot of (rAsulanu) wealth (dhana), longevity (Ayuvunu), devotion (bhaktiyu) and vigour/health (tEjamunu). For your (implied) devotees (dAsa), you give the boon (varada) of bringing about (kalga jEsE) fame (kIrti) in this (andu) world (bhuvanamu). O Lord Sundaresha who lives (nivAsa) in the heart (hRdaya) and shines (viLasa) in the consciousness (chit) of Tyagaraja!

Discovering Devi

Happy Deepavali/Diwali to all!

Today, I come with a story for you, my dear readers! This story is from a time before time, so long ago that even time has forgotten when. Or perhaps, it is a story which happens every day in the minds of each one of us mortals.

There is one heroine, the great Goddess, Adishakti, she who is the Original Power. Or perhaps there are many heroines, starting with Maha-Lakshmi, Maha-Kali and Maha-Saraswati, followed by many other Shaktis. The villains are many, from Madhu, Kaitabha, Shumbha, Nishumbha, Dhumralochana, Raktabija, Chanda, Munda, Durdhara, Durmukha, to name just a few. Each of these asuras have their own unique powers and are accompanied by their hordes. Or perhaps there is just one villain who sits enthroned inside our minds and traps us in myriad ways, taking shape as kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), mada (ego), moha (delusary attachment), and matsarya (envy). We Hindus are so comfortable with seeing one in many and many in one, aren’t we!

The battle between the Goddesses and the Asuras is fought ferociously. It is bloody, it is gory. It is a grand battle, with asuras being eliminated one by one. But today let us just reflect on Mother Kali and her battle with Raktabija. After all, it is the day to venerate Her on this day of Kali Pujo which is celebrated in the Eastern parts of India. As a Bengali bou (wife), I too will be celebrating the Mother with the Bengali community here in Melbourne this evening.

Mother Kali emerges from the forehead of Ambika in the midst of the battle. She is a terrifying sight – clad in tiger skin, she is dark, with an emaciated body and a garland of skulls, a gaping mouth with the tongue hanging out and sunken reddish-eyes. It is She who slays Chanda and Munda, thus getting the name Chamunda. When Raktabija attacks, there is mayhem because every time a drop of his blood falls on earth, a clone is generated which too engages in battle! It is Mother Kali who stops this from happening by drinking up his blood before it hits the ground, leading to his defeat and destruction. My few words do not do justice to the blood-curling descriptions in Devi Mahatmyam; you will need to read it yourself to get the full impact!

Does Raktabija’s powers remind you of your own mind? It does to me! Like a monkey, my mind jumps from one thing to another, each thought endlessly generating many more. Desires and wants, they too are like that, aren’t they? Desire leads to either gratification or frustration, but the story does not end there. Just like Raktabija’s blood clones him, desires clone themselves endlessly. How can I ever defeat this asura within me? This Deepavali, I beg the grace of Mother Kali to destroy the Raktabija in my mind.

To honour the Goddess, I am featuring a dance by Rukmini Vijayakumar. When I first saw it, I had goosebumps! It was like seeing Devi herself! It is quite exceptional. I was surprised to see tears flow down my cheek even at my 5th or 6th viewing. The power of the Goddess is visible in her every movement. When she turns ferocious like Mother Kali, it is thrilling indeed! I have given a few viewing notes below but they are not needed; the dancer conveys everything more beautifully than words can ever do. Happy Deepavali!

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Footnote : Viewing Notes

Start to 1:45 – the alankara (decoration) of the deity. I do like the little smile of satisfaction at 1:33!

1:46 to 5:09 – Mantra worship using Bija mantras. The singer chants:

ॐ ऐं ह्रीं श्रीं श्री माते शिव प्रियायै नमो नमः

Om aim hrIm shrIm shrI mAte shiva priyAyai namO namah
Note: the singer sings the second bija as haim but as per my very limited understanding, aim is correct

Bija mantras followed by ‘Salutation (namo namah) to the respected Mother (shrI mAtE) who is the beloved (priyA) of Lord Shiva’.

5:10 to 5:58 – first stanza of Sri Rajarajeshwari Ashtakam as given below:

अम्बा शाम्भवि चन्द्रमौलिरबलाऽपर्णा उमा पार्वती
काली हैमवती शिवा त्रिनयनी कात्यायनी भैरवी
सावित्री नवयौवना शुभकरी साम्राज्यलक्ष्मीप्रदा
चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी

ambA shAmbhavI chandramaulirabalAparNA umA pArvatI
kAlI haimavatI shivA trinayanI katyAyanI bhairavI
savitrI navayauvanA shubhakarI samrAjyalakshmIpradA
chidrUpI paradEvatA bhagavatI shrI rAjarAjeshvarI

Oh Mother (ambA), wife of Shiva (shAmbhavi), adorned with the moon on top of your head (chandramauli), lady (abalA) who does not even consume a leaf (aparNA). O splendorous one (umA)! You are the daughter of the mountains (pArvatI)! O dark one (kAlI)! You are the daughter of Himavan (haimavatI)! O Auspicious-one (shivA) with three eyes (tri-nayanI)! You are worshipped by Rishi Katyayana (katyAyinI)! You are awe-inspiring (bhairavI)! You are daughter of the Sun God (sAvitrI)! You are in the prime of your youth (navayauvanA)! You are the cause of prosperity (shubhakarI)! You are the provider (pradA) of wealth (lakshmI) and sovereignty (sAmrAjya)! You are the personification (rUpI) of consciousness (chit)! You are the supreme deity (paradEvatA), O Goddess (bhagavatI) Shri Rajarajeshwari!

5:59 to 6:32 – A line from the Argala Stotram, a part of Devi Mahatmyam from Markandeya Puranam. The line recited is as follows:

रूपं देहि जयं देहि यशो देहि द्विषो जहि

rUpam dEhi jayam dEhi yashO dEhi dvishO jahi

Grant me (dEhi) beauty (rUpam), grant me (dEhi) victory (jayam), grant me (dEhi) glory (yasha), and destroy (jahi) my enemies (dvisha).
Note: Better interpreted as wishes for spiritual beauty, spiritual victory, spiritual glory and destruction of the enemy within oneself.

6:33 to 7:21 – Pallavi of Ardhanareeswaram by Muthuswami Dikshithar. I have featured this in a blog post many years ago. The pallavi is as follows:

अर्ध नारीश्वरम् आराधयामि सततम्
अत्रि बृगु वसिष्टादि मुनि बृन्द वन्दितम्

ardha narIshwaram ArAdhayAmi satatam
atri bRgu vasishtAdi muni bRnda vanditam

I offer my prayers (ArAdhayami) to Lord Ardhanareeshvara all the time (satatam). He is extolled (vanditam) by groups of (bRnda, another form of vRnda) sages such as Atri, BRgu, and Vasishta.

7:22 to 8:03 – The first verse of Ardha Nareeshvara Stotram, which I give below:

चाम्पेय गौरार्ध शरीर कायै
कर्पूर गौरार्ध शरीर काय (sung as कायै but काय is correct ) |
धम्मिल्ल कायै च जटा धराय (sung as धरायै but धराय is correct )
नमः शिवायै च नमः शिवाय ||

chAmpEya gaurArdha sharIra kAyai
karpUra gaurArdha sharIra kAya
dhammilla kAyai cha jatA dharAya
namah shivAyai cha namah shivAya

Salutations (namah) to Shakti (shivAyai, feminine) and salutations (namah) to Shiva (shivAya-masculine), embodied (kAyai-feminine) in half (ardha) the body (sharIra) as fair (gaura) as champa flowers (chAmpEya, fair with a yellowish tinge) and embodied (kAya-masculine) in the other (implied) half (ardha) of the body (sharIra) as fair (gaura) as camphor (karpUra, fair with a white tinge), embodied (kAyai) with braided-hair wound around the head (dhammilla) and (cha) wearing (dhara) matted hair (jatA).

8:03 to 9:11 – A repeat of the line from Argala Stotram

9:12 to 9:58 – Second verse of Sri Mahakali Stotram as given below:

शवारूढां महाभीमां घोरदंष्ट्रां हसन्मुखीम्
चतुर्भुजां खड्ग मुण्ड वराभयकरां शिवाम् |
मुण्डमालाधरां देवीं ललज्जिह्वां दिगम्बराम्
एवं सञ्चिन्तयेत्कालीं श्मशानालय वासिनीम् ||

shavArUDHAm mahAbhImAm ghOradamshtrAm hasanmukhIm
chaturbhujAm khadga muNDa varAbhayakarAm shivAm
muNDamAlAdharAm dEvIm lalajjihvAm digambarAm
Evam sanchintyEtkAlIm shamshAnAlaya vAsinIm

She is the auspicious one (shivAm) who is mounted (ArUDHAm) on a corpse (shava), is extremely frightening (mahA bhImA) with a laughing (hasan) face (mukhIm) showing (implied) hideous (ghOra) teeth (damshtram), holding (implied) a sword (khadga), a skull (muNDa), and hands (karAm) in gestures of (implied) boon-giving (vara) and fearlessness (abhaya). She is the Goddess (dEvIm) who wears (dharAm) a garland (mAlA) of skulls (muNda), has a lolling (lala) tongue (jihvAm) and is unclothed (digambarAm, literally sky-clothed). Thus (Evam) should one reflect on (sanchintayEt) Kali, who lives in (vAsinIm) in the abode (Alaya) of the cremation ground (shmashAna).

9:59 to 10:22 – Chanting of ॐ काली महा काली भद्र काली भैरवी नमोस्तुते , Om kAlI mahAkAlI bhadrakAlI bhairavI namOstutE, Salutations to the great Kali.

10:23 to 12:05 – First verse of the Annapurna Stotram as follows:

नित्यानन्दकरी वराभयकरी सौन्दर्य रत्नाकरी
निर्धूताखिल घोर पावनकरी प्रत्यक्ष माहेश्वरी ।
प्रालेयाचल वंश पावनकरी काशीपुराधीश्वरी
भिक्षां देहि कृपावलम्बनकरी मातान्नपूर्णेश्वरी ॥

nityAnandakarI varAbhayakarI soundarya ratnAkarI
nirdhUtAkhila ghOra pAvanakarI pratyaksha mAheshvarI
prAlEyachala vamsha pAvanakarI kAshIpurAdhIshvarI
bhikshAm dEhi kRpAvalambanakarI mAtAnnapUrNEvarI

O Giver (karI – maker) of eternal (nitya) joy (Ananda)! O Giver (karI) of the boon (vara) of fearlessness (abhaya)! You are the ocean (ratnAkarI) of beauty (soundarya)! O Purifier (pAvana karI) of all (akhila) the terribly (ghOra) tormented (nirdhUta)! You are the manifest (pratyaksha) soverign Goddess (mAheshvarI)! O Purifier (pAvana karI) of the lineage (vamsha) of the snowcapped (pralEya) mountains (achala)! You are the Mistress/Lady (AdhIshvarI) of the city (pura) of Varanasi (kAshi)! Grant me (dEhi) alms (bhikshAm), you who hold (avalambana) grace (kRpA) in your hands (karI), O Mother (mAtA) Goddess (IshvarI) Annapurna!

12:06 to end – Chanting of a salutation to Goddesses Annapurna, MahaKali and Rajarajeshwari.

ॐ देवीं नमः अन्नपुर्णेश्वरी नमः महाकाल्यै नमः श्री राजराजेश्वरी नमः ॐ

Om dEvIm namah annapUrNeshvarI namah mahAkAlyai namah shrI rAjarAjeshvarI namah

Sachamara Rama Vani

Navaratri greetings to all my readers! May the Goddesses bless us all!

Today, I am writing in gratitude for the pleasure music gives me. I am grateful to all the musicians who spend lifetimes in learning and honing their craft, the fruits of which I enjoy. I am grateful to all the gurus who have taught their shishyas with diligence. I am grateful to the composers who have written such beautiful music that it leaves generations of music lovers entranced. I am grateful to the poets who use words that leave an imprint in our minds forever. I am grateful to those who make instruments which sing in the hands of the artists. I am grateful for all those devoted music lovers who support the musicians so that they can continue to thrive along with their music. Above all, I am grateful to the Goddesses who have blessed me with ears to listen, the mind to process it and the heart to melt in the beauty of it all.

I had plans for this Navaratri post; I have been listening to lectures on the Devi Mahatmyam (देवीमाहात्म्यम्) and had thought to write a short summary of the story to celebrate Navaratri. But then I came upon this concert by Dr. Sherthalai Renganatha Sharma in which he sang this beautiful song in Hamsanandi composed by Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (HMB). Who doesn’t like Hamsanandi? I also learnt that HMB created this raga based on the Hindustani Sohini.

I was charmed by the song and surprised that I had never heard it before. I did some reading up and came to understand that HMB has written 108 songs in a group called Sri Chamunda Ashtottara Shata Kirtanams (श्री चामुण्ड अष्टोत्तर शत कीर्तनानि), based on the stotram of the same name. The songs are also influenced by Sri Lalita Sahasranamam (श्री ललिता सहस्रनामम्). I am familiar with a number of songs from this group, however I had not known about this group. In many of the songs, the Goddess is described as enjoyer of music, a fact that appeals to me greatly!

In this song, HMB describes the Goddess as सङ्गीत रसानुभावे sangIta rasAnubhAvE. Does it mean that She herself is the esthetic experience of music? Or is it that She causes this effect in us? My Sanskrit is not up to the task, but I am happy with either or both! I like to think of the Goddess coursing through my veins as I smile at Vasanta, weep with shubhapantuvarali, nod at the majesty of Kharaharapriya, melt with Kamaas or quieten with Ahiri. Whether it is She herself or Her gift, it is a wonderful feeling. My gratitude.

Let the Goddess be within you as you listen to the music! (Raga at 22:52 followed by kriti at 38.25)

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Footnote: Lyrics and Translation

Composer: Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar
Raga: Hamsanandi
Language : Sanskrit and Kannada

पल्लवि
सचामर रमा वाणी सव्य दक्षिण सेविते

अनुपल्लवि
शचीन्द्र नुते शक्ति देवी सचराचर जगद्रूपिणी

चरणम्
सकल ब्रह्माण्ड साम्राज्य सुवैभवे
सुख विवाग्विभव सङ्गीत रसानुभावे
सुखादि भक्तजन सुख दायक सुरुचिर भावे
सुख सुधा बुधि हरिकेश सुख दायिनि सलहौ

Transliteration

pallavi
sachAmara ramA vANI savya dakshiNa sEvitE

anupallavi
shachIndra nutE shakti dEvI sacharAchara jagadrUpiNI

charaNam
sakala brahmANDa sAmrAjya suvaibhavE
sukha vivAgvibhava sangIta rasAnubhAvE
sukhAdi bhaktajana sukha dAyaka suruchira bhAvE
sukha sudhA budhi harikEsha sukha dAyini salahau

Translation

You are (implied) the one who is served (sEvitE) by Lakshmi (ramA) and Saraswati (vANI) on your left (savya) and right (dakshiNa) with (sa-) chowries (chAmara).

You are (implied) the one who is praised (nutE) by Shachi (wife of Indra) and Indra. O Goddess (dEvI) of Power (shakti)! You are (implied) the one who is in the form (rUpiNI) of the world (jagat), along with (sa-) all creation, animate or inanimate (chara + achara=charAchara).

You are (implied) the great (su-) glory (vaibhavE) of the empire (sAmrAjya) which is (implied) the entire (sakala) cosmos (brahmANDa). You are (implied) the one who pronounces judgement (vivAk) on happiness/prosperity (sukha) and wealth/fortune (vibhava). You are (implied) the aesthetic experience (rasa (sentiment) + anubhava (experience) = rasAnubhAva) of music (sangIta). You are (implied) the provider (dAyaka) of pleasure (sukha) etc. (Adi) to the devotees (bhakta jana) in a radiant (suruchira) manner (bhAvE)! You are the wise one (budhi – not sure of this) who is the giver (dAyini) of the nectar (sudhA) of pleasure (sukha) to Shiva (hariKesha, also the signature of the composer)! Protect me (salahu in Kannada)!

(note: I am a bit unsure about the translation as there are a couple of extra ‘sukha’ I haven’t accounted for in the last two lines but I hope I have the gist of it!)

Gam Ganapathe Namonama

My wishes in advance to all my readers for a very happy Vinayaka Chaturthi! It falls this coming week, but I will be busy with my grandchildren, so I am posting ahead of time. May Lord Ganapati shower blessings on all! I have never made kozhukattais (मोदक), I should make an attempt sometime. Enjoy yours!

Have you all been reading about the furor over Sanatana Dharma? That there is a Sanatana Abolition Conclave in Tamil Nadu? I’ve been reading about it with great sadness. I too am strongly against caste discrimination, untouchability, gender-inequality etc. which are criticisms against Sanatana Dharma. Arguments made by Periyar and Ambedkar came from a place of bitter experience.

But is there not a difference between Sanatana Dharma and its interpretations? Is it not the same Sanatana Dharma which says ‘Tat Tvam Asi‘, ‘Ayam Atma Brahma‘ etc. without any caveat of caste, creed or sex? Surely, so many of the so-called rules and regulations have been made by human beings based on the societal norms of the time? When we say Sanatana Dharma, do we not mean something eternal, divine?

I know so little about all this that I cannot offer any arguments for my case. I am just sad that with the intention of removing divisiveness, even more division is being created. Is it not the time for humanity to stand undivided, in acceptance of each other and in sympathy, having a common goal to go forward?

You see, life has taught me that the divisions are superficial, that in reality there is a great commonality amongst us all. I was born in what the anti-Sanatana Dharma activists will call a privileged family – I was born in an educated, well-to-do Tamil Iyengar family. I didn’t know as a child that it was privileged. As I grew older, I saw the differences; it was the financial inequalities which gave me the most cause for thought, not the religious ones. My identity as an Iyengar girl-woman remained strong.

I married a Bengali who is not of the same caste. Many new cultural experiences came into my life. I started enjoying not only rasam-sadam but shukto and labra too. Food cooked in gingelly oil smelt as good as food cooked in mustard oil. I struggled with my husband’s non-vegetarianism; I still do. However, I do not question anyone’s choice to eat meat. Over time, my Iyengar-woman identity expanded to become an Indian-woman identity. I say ‘expanded’ because that core of Iyengar-woman has never been lost; even this blog and love of Carnatic Music originates from my upbringing, does it not.

At some point of time, we took up Australian citizenship. At that time, it was a practical choice. I was still very much an Indian-woman in my head. But over time, my links to my adopted land became more and more strong. My habits changed, my outlook too. I was no more the Indian woman who had left India’s shores in 1983 but an Indian-Australian woman. Then we moved to USA and then onto Switzerland where we lived for more than 16 years. I met and mixed with people from many parts of the world. My Indian-Australian identity too dropped to a large extent. Where I saw differences before, I started seeing only commonality. But I still clung to my ‘brown-coloured’ identity.

Then my children married white Australians. Ah what a grand university this life is! Every barrier gets broken whether you want it to or not! Now my extremely white, kind and gentle daughter-in-law is as dear to me as my daughter. My calm and steady, equally white son-in-law is a great match for my daughter. And best of all, my darling grandchildren, who are a grand mix of ethnicities, are the apples of my eyes! I am now almost colour-blind! I say ‘almost‘ because though I don’t differentiate based on ethnicity, I do notice it. Maybe the time will come when I will not even notice it anymore.

Of course, I still have endless discriminatory thoughts! I cannot see criminals, child-abusers and wife-beaters with the same sense of oneness. I can be quite judgemental in other ways too. The difference is this – I know intellectually that we are all the same and that it is my shortcoming that I cannot truly experience it.

What has divisiveness / oneness to do with Ganesh Chaturthi, you may wonder! The thought came to me that in a Hindu universe made of so many sects and subsects, of philosophical differences and regional preferences, Ganapati may well be the one God who is worshipped across most geographical and sectarian divides in India. I wonder if I am right… Hard core Sri Vaishanvites will no doubt demur, but still…

I have chosen a charming kriti composed by Muthiah Bhagavatar – ‘Gam Ganapate’ in Hamsadhwani – to celebrate the occasion. Here are the Trichur Brothers with a rousing rendition in the video below (listen from 50:39 to 59:40). I do like their beautiful voices, always such a pleasure to listen to!

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Footnote: Lyrics and Translation

Composer : Muthiah Bhagavathar
Raga : Hamsadhwani
Language : Sanskrit

पल्लवि
गं गणपते नमो नम शङ्करि तनय नमो नम

अनुपल्लवि
अङ्कुश धर मङ्गलकर पङ्कज चरणा वारणा

चरणम्
पङ्कजासनादि वन्दित भक्तार्ति हरण मुदित
कुङ्कुमाप गुण निधे हरिकेश कुमार मन्दार

Transliteration

pallavi
gam gaNapatE namO nama shankari tanaya namO nama

anupallavi
ankusha dhara mangala kara pankaja charaNA vAraNA

charaNam
pankajAsanAdi vandita bhaktArti haraNa mudita
kunkumApa guNa nidhE harikEsha kumAra mandAra

Translation

pallavi
Gam (Bija mantra of Ganapati)! Salutations (namO nama) to Ganapati! Salutations (namO nama) to the son (tanaya) of Parvati (Shankari – wife of Shiva)!

anupallavi
Salutations to (implied) the elephant-faced one (vAranA) who holds (dhara) a goad (ankusha), who causes (kara) welfare and auspiciousness (mangala), who has lotus-like (pankaja) feet (charaNa).

charaNam
Salutations to (implied) the Ganesha deity made from Indian Coral tree root (mandAra, a sacred tree – unsure of this translation), who is worshipped (vandita) by Brahma (pankaja Asana – the lotus-throned-one) etc (Adi), who removes (haraNa) the grief (Arti) of devotees (bhakta), who is pleased (mudita) with Kumkum and water (kunkuma Apa – unsure of this translation), who is a reservoir (nidhi) of good qualities (guNa), the son (kumAra) of Shiva (harikEsha, also signature of composer).

Santana Gopala Krishnam

I am sitting on the floor, ‘reading’ a book to my grandson as he sits across from me. He gets up, turns his back to me, wiggles his little bottom closer and plonks down on my lap, saying ‘oolf‘ as he points to a picture of a wolf. I smile to myself, hugging him close. This little one likes a cuddle as much as I like cuddling. Match made in heaven!

As I watch him, I feel so very proud and happy! I am delighted to report that he can name almost all the domesticated and wild animals in his book of animals, counts to ten, makes a fair attempt at a few nursery rhymes, communicates well in two-or-three-word-sentences, understands Tamil as spoken by me, Bengali as spoken by his grandfather and English too, of course. He puts up a good fight with his older brother for toys, makes half-hearted ventures at tantrums and is a happy little boy, quite content with his world. I am supremely grateful to all my Gods. You see there is a story here. But then, I wouldn’t write a post without a story, would I!

Two years ago, all our excited anticipation of our second grandson turned quickly into extreme fear and anxiety. After a normal pregnancy, during what would have been a normal delivery, this boy inhaled a lungful of meconium. This is an early stool passed by a newborn, normally after delivery. Unfortunately, he passed it during delivery and breathed it in. This compromised his lungs, and he could not breathe well on his own. Unfortunately, a short while passed before the problem was identified. At the same time, my daughter developed postpartum eclampsia and Hellp syndrome, a life-threatening complication. As it was COVID time, we could not even go to the hospital! I was out of my head with worry! Except for praying, there was little we could do.

My daughter was the first to recover and was finally able to return to her home. The baby had to stay for longer and finally came home after three weeks accompanied by an oxygen cylinder. It was a day of celebration when he finally came off the oxygen. But I continued to worry. Would oxygen deprivation on that first day leave an effect on him? So, I feel not only grandmotherly pride, but also a great sense of relief, when I observe him passing every developmental milestone.

This week, Emil, who is a joy and privilege for me to love, turns two. To celebrate his birthday and to mark the happy occasion of Janmashtami / Gokulashtami / Srijayanthi, I have chosen this lovely and very apt kriti in Kamas composed by Muthuswami Dikshithar. In this, he offers prayers to Santana Gopala, who is expert at bestowing the fortune of progeny. I believe that this kriti is written in praise of the deity Santanagopala Krishna at Sri Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi. I hope that one day I will have the good fortune to visit this temple.

Here is an expert rendition by Sanjay Subrahmanyan sung in his inimitable style. His ‘team’ always work beautifully together, don’t they! I confess, in the instances when I listen to performances where S.Varadarajan or Neyveli Venkatesh are not accompanying SS, I am always rather put out!

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Footnote (Lyrics and Translation)

Composer : Muthuswami Dikshithar
Raga : Kamas
Kshetra: Sri Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi
Language : Sanskrit

पल्लवि
सन्तान गोपाल कृष्णं उपास्महे श्री

अनुपल्लवि
सन्तान सौभाग्य वितरण निपुण तरम्
(मध्यम काल साहित्यम्)
सन्ततं सद्-गुरुगुह सन्नुतं सारस करम्

चरणम्
श्री रुक्मिणी सत्यभामा समेतम्
अर्जुन प्रेमास्पदं आश्रित जन फलदम्
(मध्यम काल साहित्यम्)
नर्तन मुरळी धरं नत शुक सनक नारदम्
नीरजासनादि नुतं नील मेघ जित गात्रम्

Transliteration

pallavi
santAna gOpAla kRshNaM upAsmahE shrI

anupallavi
santAna saubhAgya vitaraNa nipuNa taram
santatam sad-guruguha sannutam sArasa karam

charaNam
shrI rukmiNI satyabhAmA samEtam
arjuna prEmAspadam ASrita jana phaladam
nartana muraLI dharam nata shuka sanaka nAradam
nIrajAsanaAdi nutam nIla mEgha jita gAtram

Translation

pallavi
I worship (upAsmahE) Krishna, the cowherd (go-pAla) child (santAna).

anupallavi
I worship Him who is (implied) the master of (nipuna-taram) of bestowing (vitaraNa) the good-fortune (saubhAgya) of progeny/continued succession (santAna), who is praised (sannuta) by the good (sat) Kartikeya (guruguha, also signature of the composer), who has lotus-like (sarasa) hands (karam).

charaNam
I worship Him who is (implied) together with (samEta) Rukmini and Satyabhama, who is the object (Aspadam) of Arjuna’s love, who rewards (phaladam) those who seek refuge in him (Ashrita jana), who is the dancer (nartana) holding (dharam) a flute (murali), who is bowed to (nata) by Shuka, Sanaka and Narada, who is praised by Brahma (nIraja Asana – One seated on a lotus) etc (Adi) and the beauty of (implied) whose body (gAtram) surpasses (jita) that of blue (nIla) clouds (mEgha) (rain-clouds).