avyAja karuNA kaTAkSi - sAlanga nAta - tripuTa

Hope you all had a wonderful week. After a long time, I am publishing posts back to back in consecutive weeks. It already gives me a great feeling and hopefully, without jinxing, this streak continues :). Last week was a pretty productive week at work with teams visiting from Seattle and engaging with our team in a Summit. For the better half of this year, I have been a part of sustainability-related initiatives at Amazon and contributing in my own small way, positive impact on the environment. On that note, it is also heartening to see the protests carried out across the world last Friday (and expected to continue every Friday going forward), with people from all age groups and backgrounds standing strong together for the noble cause of saving our planet. I hope strong actions are taken both at an executive level by all countries and also at an individual level, by each one of us taking a pledge to reduce our own carbon footprints and positively impacting the society and environment around us.

Today's composition, avyAja karunA kaTAKSi always evokes strong emotions in me, as it reminds me of the good old times that we, as a music group, nAdOpAsana used to enjoy and share together in late 2000s. Continuing with the post on kAnCi kSEtra and Goddess kAmAkSi from last week, I thought it would be a good follow up post and it struck me that may be I can do a "kAmAkSi" series before moving on to another kSEtra thereby making this blog a pilgrimage tour in itself :). Before jumping into the composition, I will narrate a small incident of how I came across this composition for the first time. I vividly remember it was a winter evening in Michigan back in 2006, when we (Hari and myself) stumbled on a beautiful lecture demonstration by the great research scholar, Prof. SR Janakiraman. In that lec dem, he explained the structure of sAlanganATa, an upAnga janya of mAyAmALavagowLa (MMG) and burst into this small but powerful composition on dIkshitar. It was so beautiful on so many dimensions that Hari and I both kind of gave up, got emotional, and played it over and over again to enjoy the beauty. We then got on a call with our dear friend Shreekrishna (SK) and made him listen to share our joy. It turned out to be a beautiful evening, as it set the tone for us to delve deeper into other compositions on MMG and its plethora of janya rAgAs that dIkshitar has composed extensively in.

A word or two about the rAga and the composition itself before jumping in. sAlanga nAta is a rare, upAnga janya rAga of the 15th meLa, MMG. The ArOhaNa is a straightforward srmpds (similar to malahari). The avarOhaNa is where the matter is. While sangIta sampradAya pradarshini gives the avarOhaNa scale as sampUrNa (Sndpmgrs), the Sndp phrase does not exist and is instead replaced by SnSdp. This structure is well-established in the gIta prabandhas and is strictly adhered to in this composition by dIkshitar too. Similarly, in the descending purvAnga phrase, mgrs is also not very prominent and is replaced by mgmrs. This makes the structure symmetric on the descent and also adds an extra beauty to the rAga and this composition.

The composition itself is a simple, small samASTi caraNam kriti and like many of his other compositions, dIkshitar embellishes it with a beautiful citta swaram at the end which helps to clearly establish the structure and the significant prayOgas of this rAga. He also shows his brilliance in word play by bringing in the rAga mudra in the caraNam effortlessly while conveying a very important aspect of the Goddess and mAya/delusion in general. The whole composition is written in sambOdhana pratama vibhakti, directly appealing to the Goddess. Starting with the pallavi,

Pallavi:
avyAja karuNA kaTAkSi aniSam mAmava kAmAkSi

Meaning:
dIkshitar sings "O kAmAkSi! The one whose glances ("kaTAkSi") bestow unconditional/unbiased ("avyAjA") mercy/compassion ("karuNA")! Please always ("aniSam") protect me ("mAmava")".

In this simple pallavi, dIkshitar appeals to the merciful/compassionate side of Goddess kAmAkSi and seeks protection on behalf of all humanity. As the folklore goes, this is a very important KSEtra for Srividya upAsakAs, as the mEru in this temple is made of sAligrAma and is supposed to have been installed by sage durvAsa, a primordially renowned Srividya upAsakA himself. However, over time, due to neglect and rise of more inequality and greed with kali yuga, kAmAkSi became a ugra (angry) version of the Lalita tripurasundari, that led to droughts and damage of the land surrounding this temple. It is believed that the great advaitin, Adi Shankara, himself pacified the Goddess and reinstalled the shrI cakra in this temple thereby making Goddess kAmAkSi the epitome of mercy and compassion.

dIkshitar hence appeals to this side of the Goddess to protect him and all of us who sing the dEvi's praises along with him. It is also worthy to note that dIkshitar directly borrows the beginning words of the composition from Lalita sahasranAmam, where tripurasundari is described as "avyAja karuNA mUrti". Musically, dIkshitar establishes the gAndAra-nishAda varjya ArOhaNam in the pallavi itself with the opening phrase of "RMP" at "avyAjA" followed by the beautiful avarOhaNam of "dpmgmrs" at "karunA kaTAkSi".

Moving on to the caraNam,

caraNam:
ravyAdi nava grahOdayE rasAlanga nATaka kriyE
divyAlamkrtANgASriyE dInAvana guruguha priyE
savyApa-savya mArgasthE sadA namastE SukahastE

Meaning:
dIkshitar begins the caraNam by describing the Goddess as "The one who is the origin/one responsible for the rising ("udayE") of Sun ("ravi") and the other ("Adi") nine celestial bodies ("navagraha")". Since kAmAkSi is the amSa of Goddess tripurasundari, the ruler of all the three worlds, this is indeed an apt description both from a physical as well as from a celestial standpoint.

He then demonstrates his musical and lyrical brilliance by slipping in the rAga mudra, while describing the Goddess as "the one who is the enabler/creator ("kriyE") of the drama ("nATaka") comprising of ("alanga") all the different rasAs/emotions". This is probably the most beautiful part of the composition as he weaves in the rAga mudra effortlessly while conveying a very deep meaning. dIkshitar seems to refer to the whole creation as a cosmic drama, born out of delusion and related to human emotions of the navarasAs. He then refers to the Goddess as the creator/conductor of this whole drama, while in the process, slipping in the rAga mudra, making you once again wonder how dIkshitar does this. Does he choose a rAga for the composition while thinking of what to compose or does it happen the other way around? After thinking about this a lot in the past (as there are so many beautiful compositions which tend to create the same thought in your head), it seems to be a symbiotic process, where the whole composition is built, not piece by piece, but as one single integral product from the very beginning, with the whole composition arriving in his thoughts as a finished product before bursting forth in a single outflow. This is the only possible explanation to such brilliance.

Moving on, dIkshitar continues to describe the Goddess as "the one whose body ("aNga") shines ("ASriyE") decorated by the divine ("divya") ornaments ("alamkrta") and is the favorite ("priyE") of Lord Guruguha, the protector of the destitute ("dInAvana")". This line, establishes the centre/backbone of the small caraNam, acting as a bridge/platform for dIkshitar to jump into the madyamakAla sAhitya.

dIkshitar finishes the composition by describing the Goddess as "the one who represents the right and left/prohibited paths ("mArga"), "savya and apa-savya" of upAsana. Salutations to you ("namastE"), always ("sadA"), the one who holds a parakeet ("Suka") in Her hand ("hastE")". The savya and apa-savya paths that dIkshitar alludes to here, corresponds with the dakSinAcAra and vAmAcAra forms of worshiping the divine respectively. The savya/dakSINAcAra way of worshiping refers to spiritual, orthodox practices of following one of the well-established yogic margas (karma, bhakti, gnAna) to unite with the divine. The apa-savya/vAmAcAra way of worshiping is the more darker, tAntric, unorthodox version, used more to attain special powers/siddhis and utilize for personal power/manipulation of the elements rather than seeking divine union. While the divine energy is again unconditional and available to both forms of worship, needless to say, the former way of worship is most preferred and hence practiced traditional. The latter, is more gross and prohibited as it restricts the practitioner to the physical realm and does not help in transcending/uniting with the divine.

Coming back to the composition, musically, my favorite phrases in the caraNam are "dSrmg" at "rasAlanga" and the predominantly mandira prayoga of "sdmpmppds" at "guruguha priyE". dIkshitar rounds it off nicely with a beautiful citta swaram that clearly establishes the rAga svarUpa. The citta swaram gives goosebumps with some amazing prayOgas with dIkshitar saving the best for the last as it ends with the whole avarOhaNam in its entirety as "sdpmgmrs" before looping back beautifully into the pallavi.

Overall, an amazing, amazing composition, probably the only one in this rAga and thereby requiring extra attention/care. We need to preserve and pass on this composition to our future generations so that sAlanga nAta as a raga is available for posterity and this composition continues to withstand time and tradition and serves as a strong demonstration of how this rAga is unique and needs to be handled. Lastly, if you have not heard this composition, please google and find Prof SRJ's version, enjoy the beauty and learn it. Signing off for today, with the hope of coming back with yet another post on Goddess kAmAkSi next weekend. Until then, wish you a great musical week ahead!!

nIrajAkSi kAmAkSi - hindOLam - rUpaka

I can't believe it has been 9 months since I published my last post on this blog. Even today's post, I am publishing after being gently nudged by one of closest friends (Thank you!!) asking me not to slack :). And so, here I am with my first post in 2019. Though nothing much has changed in the past 9 months, I think age is finally catching up with me. I have become a little less sharper, gained a few more grey hairs on my head and have probably become a little slower with anything I do. As typical mid-life crisis sets in, there are of course things that I love which I hold on to and survive the tug of war between the passionate heart and the analytical brain.

Today, I will write about one of my most favorite morning compositions of dIkshitar, nIrakjAkSi kAmAkSi in rAga hindOLam set to rUpaka tALa. Before I jump into the composition itself, a few words about the rAga, the importance of this particular composition and the significance of this kSEtra to set the stage and create the complete context which will help us enjoy and understand the composition much better.

hindOLam is predominantly a north indian rAga, has its roots in hindustani music and goes by the name mAlkauns. This pentatonic scale subsequently transcended into the South Indian music scheme with purandaradAsa composing the first carnatic composition in this rAga. The beautiful audava structure without rishaba and panchama automatically yields a symmetry to this rAga, which is probably the greatest hallmark of this scale and the main reason why it is so pleasant and mellifluous to the ear. Capable of conveying both shringAra and bhakti rasAs, the raga is attributed to vasanta ritu and is best experienced in the mornings. Again because of the symmetry, the rAga can be subjected to Graha bedham, yielding 4 other major/beautiful pentatonic scales of mOhanam, suddha sAvEri, udayaravicandrikA and madyamAvati.

While tyAgarAja's sAmajavaragamanA is probably the most famous composition in this rAga, dIkshitar weaves his own magic in his three compositions showcasing both the carnatic as well as the hindustani aspects of this rAga thereby paying tribute to its true roots. He handles govardana girIsham and sarasvati vidhiyuvati in typical carnatic hindOLam style with gamakAs and movement-laden prayOgas. However, in this particular kriti of nIrajAkSi kAmAksI, he constructs the composition in a dhrupad/north indian style, aptly supported by the rUpaka tALa, with the rAga's scale itself being used purely with more flat notes, relatively lesser gamakAs and finally rounding off with a citta swara that again has prayOgas supporting the hindustAni style of swaraprasthAras. In other words, this seems to be a conscious experiment by dIkshitar to showcase the origins of the rAga while at the same time, interweaving it into traditional carnatic music once again showing his musical genius.

Briefly explaining the significance of this kSEtra, Goddess kAmAkSi (whose name literally translates to "one whose eyes evoke desire") resides in kAnchipuram and is considered the ultimate form of LalitA tripurasundari, whose name resonates in Lalita sahasranAmAm. At this kSEtra, the Goddess is seated in the majestic padmAsana posture, signifying links to yoga and prosperity, instead of the traditional standing pose, holding sugarcane bow, flowers, lasso (pAsha) and goad (ankusha). There are no other Goddess temples in kAnchipuram showing the importance of this particular temple, with links to the great Adi Sankara who is believed to have calmed down the dEvi from her earlier ugra swarUpa and re-instated the shrI cakrA at this temple. dIkshitar being a shrI vidyA upAsaka, aptly highlights all of these significant features in his composition, bringing in the nava-Avaranas and using references such as "nIla cikura", "tripura" and "gaurI" which are directly borrowed from LalitA sahasranAmam.

With the context set, I will start with the pallavi of this composition.

Pallavi:
nIraja-akshi kAmAkshi nIrada cikurE tripurE

Meaning:
Setting the tone for the entire composition, written in the eighth vibhakti (sambOdhana pratama), dIkshitar directly addresses the Goddess as "O lotus-eyed ("nIraja-akshi") Goddess kAmAkshi! The one with tresses ("cikurE") akin to dark water-bearing clouds ("nIrada")! The one who is the Queen of the three worlds ("tripurE")! (Protect me!!)"

In my opinion, the pallavi is probably the highest point of this composition. dIkshitar starts off on a high, kicking it off with swarAkshara "nI" in "nI"rajAkshi. He then beautifully sketches a waterfall by using the avarOhana to land the typical "gMgs" phrase at "kAmAkshi" which more importantly, sets up the stage for the knock-out punch, a mandira sthAyi swarAkshara "nI"rada. He then uses "sns" at "cikurE", followed by "Mgsgm" at "tripurE" which gives the dhrupad effect of hindustAni music and helps loop back to "nI"rajAkshi".

One can't appreciate the pallavi more here with the beautiful swaraprasthAras and the kAla pramAna that dIkshitar sets for this majestic composition. He also uses terms such as "nIrada cikura" and "tripurA" which are direct references to lalita sahasranAma. One should also observe the usage of flat notes in the pallavi, not your typical hindOLa prayOgas. It is apparent, that the usage of flat notes is conscious throughout the composition, clearly dIkshitar showing his prowess and making an exhibition of how a north indian rAga can be used for a carnatic composition. This also creates a sense of calm and peace throughout the entire composition, as he traverses the octaves with no fuss, little gamakAs, as if a ship sailing the waves of the calm Pacific ocean.

Moving on to the anupallavi,

Anupallavi:
SAradA ramA nayanE sArasa candra-AnanE
vArija pAdE varadE tAraya mAM tatva padE
Meaning:
dIkshitar describes the Goddess as "The one who has Goddesses sarasvati ("SAradA") and Lakshmi ("ramA") as Her eyes ("nayanE")" physically describing how Goddess kAmAkshi is flanked on either sides by these two Goddesses and who they rule the three worlds together in unity. He continues to describe the beauty of Goddess kAmakshi by calling Her as "the one whose face ("Anana") is as beautiful as the swan ("sArasa") and as radiant as the autumnal moon ("candra")".

He then continues to describe the merciful and compassionate aspects of the Goddess by describing Her as "the one who has lotus-like ("vArija") feet ("pAdE") adept at granting boons ("varadE")". He then requests the Goddess to "protect and help him ("mAm") transcend ("tAraya") to the other side by showing the truth/essence ("tatva") of which She is the authority ("padE")".

Musically, he starts off the anupallavi with a serene shadja, again creating swarAkshara at "SA"rada flowing down to the gAndara and ending with madhyama at naya"nE". He then lilts from madhyama directly to nishAda at "sA"rasa before coming down to the flat dhaivata which is what brings the utmost beauty of this interpretation of hindOLa. Throughout the composition, dIkshitar consciously avoids the straight "gmdn" prayOga typical of hindOLa and always uses "gmndn", thereby bringing in that additional beauty of the north indian version.

As a final embellishment, dIkshitar unleashes a beautiful citta swaram that is hard to describe in words. The prayOgas once again extract the maximum possible beauty of this rAga, transcending all the three sthAyis with such grace and aplomb that all one can do is just relish and experience the sancArAs he exposes. The citta swara finally culminates with "sgs, ndmggmm" setting the platform to loop back to the swarAkshara "nI"rajAkshi, thereby completing the magic thread that he wove in the anupallavi.

dIkshitar then moves on to the caraNam, which again starts with a sedate shadja setting the ground for a crescendo.

caraNam:
gaurI hindOLa dyuti hIra maNi-maya-AbharaNE
Sauri virinci vinuta Siva Sakti-maya nava-AvaraNE
nArImaNi-Adi-arcita nava nAtha-antaHkaraNE
sUri jana saMsEvita sundara guru guha karaNE
Meaning:
dIkshitar starts off the caraNam with a beautiful "sm" phrase with a direct reference to Lalita sahasranAmam by using the word "gaurI" which literally translates to "one who is white/golden in complexion". He then brings in the rAga mudra by describing the Goddess as "the one who is bedecked with ornaments ("AbharaNE") that is filled with ("maya") resplendent ("dyuti") diamonds ("hIra") and other gems ("maNi")". Hindola also literally translates to "ornamental swing/cradle" and this line can be interpreted as dIkshitar comparing the Goddess's necklace/ornaments to a beautiful swing/cradle.

He then describes the Goddess as "the one who is worshipped ("vinuta") by Lord Vishnu ("Sauri") and Brahma ("virinci")". Dikshitar then begins to bring in the esoteric references to Sri chakra (which, as I had earlier mentioned was re-established in this shrine by Adi Shankara himself) by describing the Goddess as "the one who resides in the nine realms ("nava-AvaraNE") of the Sri cakra which houses Shiva and Shakti". He then begins the madhyamakAla sahitya by referring to the traditional worship of the Goddess by women seeking to attain purity and greatness by worshipping Her on Fridays and describes Her as "one who is worshipped ("arcita") by gems ("maNi") among women ("nArI")".

He then brings in references to the navanAthas sampradaya, the school of thought which believes in the nine saints, beginning with the trinity themselves, who spread the philosophy of one ultimate truth. dIkshitar describes the Goddess as "the one who resides in the hearts ("antaHkaraNE") of the navanAthas" and as "the one who is worshipped ("saMsEvita") by men of knowledge/wisdom ("sUri jana"). dIkshitar concludes the madhyama kAla sAhitya by using his composer mudra and describes the Goddess as "the one who is responsible for the creation ("karaNE") of the handsome ("sundara") Lord Guruguha".

To complete the structure, dIkshitar once again employs the citta swaram (sometimes sung in second/third speed) to once again loop back to the beginning of the pallavi. He again employs some amazing prayOgas in the caraNam, my favourites being Sauri virinci where he uses "nsdm gmns" and the lilting "snsnsmgs" at "nArimanyA". Even if you have listened to this composition before, I would highly recommend you try and listen to this again after reading this post. I am sure you will be able to enjoy it that bit more and probably enjoy it as much as I did :).

On that wonderful note, I will close this post. I hope to ride this wave of new found enthusiasm and pick up another majestic composition to post next weekend. Until then, wish you a great week ahead and hopefully a week in which you the get the chance to indulge a bit more in music :). Shri gurubhyO namah!!