दधि-शंख-तुशाराभं क्षीरोद्धार्णव-संभवं |
नमामि शशिनं सोमं शम्भो: मुकुट-भूषणं ||
dadhi-shankha-tushArAbham kSheerOddhArNava-sambhootam |
namAmi shashinam sOmam shambhO: mukuTa-bhooShaNam ||
I salute chandra, also known as sOma, whose complexion resembles that of curd and a conch (a tinge of pale yellow on a background of brilliant white), the one who emerged from the ocean of milk, during the samudra-mathanam (churning of the ocean of milk), and the one who is glamorously adorned by shiva as his crown, with grandeur.
After a long hiatus of 15+ years, I am completing this beautiful post that my dear friend Shreekrishna (SK) had left halfway through. I will continue the Navagraha kriti series that he so beautifully started 15 years ago on this blog space with the brilliant krithi "sUryamurthE namostutE" in sourAshtram. I will aim to complete the rest of the navagraha kritis over the next few months, including the spurious compositions on rAhu and kEtu (for the sake of completion) that are disputed and very unlikely that they were composed by dIkshitar but rather composed by some disciple later in the years just to complete the master's set.
This lovely masterpiece of dIkShitar is in asAvEri, a rAgam which I have only come across dIkShitar exploit to its fullness, both in this krithi and to outdo this, in kumAraswAminam, another of his masterpieces, which I've heard only Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan sing.
A little about the rAgam before I progress onto the krithI as such. asAvEri is easily, at least in my experience and opinion, amongst the most difficult rAgams to sing elaborately and with a sense of control. What makes it so is the rather intricate structure of the rAgam. It is a bhAShAnga-janyam of tODi, with two bhAShAnga swarams - chatushruti RuShabham (R2 henceforth) and shuddha niShAdham (N1 henceforth). While the R2 usage is more common, SSP says the N1 usage is something that vaiNikAs can demonstrate best. (I know very little about this rAgam to elaborate a huge deal, and hence I refer the aspirant to SSP, which I was just perusing before writing this, and I found the lakShaNageetam to be slightly too majestic to describe! Hence, the referral!). There are also chAyams (shadows) of a teasing shuddha gAndhAram, though to the best of my knowledge, there is no 'explicit' usage of this swaram.
Anyway, the ArOhaNam is pretty much that of sAvEri with R2 instead of R1. This is more of canonical practice than theory. The usage of R1 is of course also seen, just that the R1 usually possesses an anuswAram of the shaDjam. In some sense, the R in asAvEri is what is referred to as the 'trishruti' RuShabham - harmonically, it is between R1 and R2, which means that the common usage of RuShabham would be that of R1 with an R2 anuswAram, perhaps being weighted more towards R1. The avarOhaNam is traditionally sung with a vakram - S N2 S P, although SSP okays S N2 D1 P, which is a usage that can be found in the krithis of MD - especially the D1 P M1 G2 R1 S usage (sudhAkaram anisham in chandram bhaja, ashESharanjanam in kumAraswAminam, for example).
As such, mere verbal description and qualifying of the rAgam is far from giving a complete idea of the beauty it brings with it. I once again refer the aspirant to the magnum opus, SSP for a very exhaustive study of the rAgam.
Moving onto the krithi now. This is set to the 2nd of the suLAdi-saptatALams, viz., chaturashra jAti maThya tALam. The tALam follows a laghu-dhRutam-laghu (1-0-1) structure. The krithi is usually rendered in Eka-kaLa (each beat once), and I have seen no contrary cases. This is one of the only 2 krithis by the trinity that is in this tALam. The other one is MSD's bAlAmbikE pAhi in manOranjanI, the 5th mELakarta rAgam in MSD's school. MSD aptly chose the tALam based on the fact that this is the 2nd navagraha krithi and that maThya tALam is the 2nd of the suLAdi-saptatALams after chaturashra jAti dhruva tALam (1-0-1-1).
The krithi runs throughout in the dwitIyA vibhakti (accusative case), save the sambOdhana vibhakti (vocative case) usage in mAnasa. The only verb in the entire kriti is bhaja, a लोट verb (commanding verb) in the second person, simple present tense, singular.
The pallavi starts off grandly with the classical asAvEri phrase - R2 M1 P D1 P (chandram bhaja). The rAga-ChAya in the first line pretty much "finishes" up asAvEri. The meaning is pretty lucid, and translates to "Pray to chandra (chandram bhaja), the one (who shines) with purity as that of the heart (thoughts) of noble men (sAdhujana-hRudaya-sadRusham)". It is perhaps of value to note here that from an astrological perspective, chandra is supposed to influence the mind, thought processes and the stability and harmony of the mind. It is hence not without substance to say that the usage "chandram bhaja, mAnasa" could be a particular reference to this, though the term "mAnasa" is almost always used in musical literature to refer to the "conscious mind" as an entity.
As such, mere verbal description and qualifying of the rAgam is far from giving a complete idea of the beauty it brings with it. I once again refer the aspirant to the magnum opus, SSP for a very exhaustive study of the rAgam.
Moving onto the krithi now. This is set to the 2nd of the suLAdi-saptatALams, viz., chaturashra jAti maThya tALam. The tALam follows a laghu-dhRutam-laghu (1-0-1) structure. The krithi is usually rendered in Eka-kaLa (each beat once), and I have seen no contrary cases. This is one of the only 2 krithis by the trinity that is in this tALam. The other one is MSD's bAlAmbikE pAhi in manOranjanI, the 5th mELakarta rAgam in MSD's school. MSD aptly chose the tALam based on the fact that this is the 2nd navagraha krithi and that maThya tALam is the 2nd of the suLAdi-saptatALams after chaturashra jAti dhruva tALam (1-0-1-1).
The krithi runs throughout in the dwitIyA vibhakti (accusative case), save the sambOdhana vibhakti (vocative case) usage in mAnasa. The only verb in the entire kriti is bhaja, a लोट verb (commanding verb) in the second person, simple present tense, singular.
|| pallavI ||
चन्द्रं भज साधुजनहृदयसदृशं
chandram bhaja mAnasa! sAdhu-jana-hRudaya-sadRusham
चन्द्रं भज साधुजनहृदयसदृशं
chandram bhaja mAnasa! sAdhu-jana-hRudaya-sadRusham
The pallavi starts off grandly with the classical asAvEri phrase - R2 M1 P D1 P (chandram bhaja). The rAga-ChAya in the first line pretty much "finishes" up asAvEri. The meaning is pretty lucid, and translates to "Pray to chandra (chandram bhaja), the one (who shines) with purity as that of the heart (thoughts) of noble men (sAdhujana-hRudaya-sadRusham)". It is perhaps of value to note here that from an astrological perspective, chandra is supposed to influence the mind, thought processes and the stability and harmony of the mind. It is hence not without substance to say that the usage "chandram bhaja, mAnasa" could be a particular reference to this, though the term "mAnasa" is almost always used in musical literature to refer to the "conscious mind" as an entity.
In Vedic astrology, the Moon is considered the karaka, or significator, of the mind (manas) because it is believed to influence a person's emotions, mental state, and psychological well-being. The Moon's position in a person's birth chart is thought to indicate their emotional nature, sensitivity, and intuition. Its phases are also believed to affect human behavior and moods. This association between the Moon and the mind is deeply rooted in Vedic astrological traditions and is an important aspect of interpreting a person's chart. Moon is fickle, like the mind. Every day it changes, moves faster than any other planet and just like the mind, a moment it here and a moment it is there. Someday it is full and white, just like a fully alert mind. Someday it just goes black, like a grieving mind. It grows bright and it grows dark from time to time. Moon is responsible for the high tides and low tides of the ocean. Just like the mind is responsible for the flow of emotions, the highs and lows.
Hence, dIkshitar having studied astrology himself and having great command over this subject, aptly chooses the words here asking the mind to pray to the moon to hopefully appreciate the influence of the moon over the moods of the mind and gain control over it.
I also believe dIkshitar chose the matya tALam specifically for this composition on Chandra as the matya tAla structure of 1-0-1 is also how the moon goes from being a full moon (1) down to being fully absent on new moon (0), as Chandra transitions through the 16 phases. This is also a beautiful segway to the Anupallavi where he describes this.
||anupallavi||
इन्द्रादि लोकापालेडित-तारेशं
इन्दुं षोडशकळाधरं निशाकरं इंदिरा-सहोदरं सुधाकरं अनिशं || च ||
इन्द्रादि लोकापालेडित-तारेशं
इन्दुं षोडशकळाधरं निशाकरं इंदिरा-सहोदरं सुधाकरं अनिशं || च ||
indrAdi lOkapAlEDita-tArESham
indum ShODashakaLAdharam nishAkaram, indirA-sahOdaram, sudhAkaram anisham
indum ShODashakaLAdharam nishAkaram, indirA-sahOdaram, sudhAkaram anisham
The anupallavi as such, is very conveying. Chandra is one who is extolled by indra, varuNa, agni and other lOkapAlakas (divine beings who oversee the ecological harmony of the universe). He is the husband of the 27 nakShatrams (tArEsham = eesha: (the lord of) tArANam (the stars), tam (to him - accusative usage). (I'll list the 27 wives of chandra in order in an appendix.).
The reference to Chandra as the husband of tAra here also reflects the folklore of how Chandra made tArA, the wife of Brihaspati fall in love with him, abducted her and made her his queen. Brihaspati, after multiple failed peace missions and threats, declared war against Chandra. The Devas sided with their teacher, while Shukra, an enemy of Brihaspati and the teacher of Asuras, aided Chandra. After the intervention of Brahma stopped the war, Tara, pregnant, was returned to her husband. She later gave birth to a son named Budha (the planet mercury), but there was a controversy over the paternity of the child; with both Chandra and Brihaspati claiming themselves as his father. Brahma once again interfered and questioned Tara, who eventually confirmed Chandra as the father of Budha. dIkshitar aptly references this in the pallavi of his navagraha kriti on Budha (budhamAshrAymi in nAtakurinji) and calls Budha as the son of the moon and tAra ("chandra-tArA sutam").
What follows is the madhyama kAlam, which is an amazing exploitation of asAvErI. chandra is described as the one who manifests in 16 phases ("ShODashakaLAdharam", of 22.5 degrees each) (during a cycle of the moon - amAvasyA (new moon) to pourNamI/pourNimA (full moon)), the one who defines night (nishAkaram, as opposed to dinakara, who is sun), the brother of lakShmI (indirA-sahOdaram). dIkshitar also describes the qualities of the moon's rays as cooling ("indum") and references Chandra as the one whose rays are as sweet as nectar ("sudhAkaram"). Finally, he reminds all of us to worship him always ("anisham") and uses that as a beautiful pivot back to the pallavi lines.
What follows is the madhyama kAlam, which is an amazing exploitation of asAvErI. chandra is described as the one who manifests in 16 phases ("ShODashakaLAdharam", of 22.5 degrees each) (during a cycle of the moon - amAvasyA (new moon) to pourNamI/pourNimA (full moon)), the one who defines night (nishAkaram, as opposed to dinakara, who is sun), the brother of lakShmI (indirA-sahOdaram). dIkshitar also describes the qualities of the moon's rays as cooling ("indum") and references Chandra as the one whose rays are as sweet as nectar ("sudhAkaram"). Finally, he reminds all of us to worship him always ("anisham") and uses that as a beautiful pivot back to the pallavi lines.
Yet another reference to unpack in the anupallavi would be indira-sahOdaram where dIkshitar describes Chandra as the brother of Goddess Lakshmi. This goes back to the dhyAna Sloka at the beginning of this blog post which describes Chandra's birth during the churning of the ocean of milk. Goddess Lakshmi is also known to have been born from the same churning incident and hence Chandra is referenced as Goddess Lakshmi's brother.
Musically, dIkshitar exploits the harmony in the notes of this rAga to the fullest in the anupallavi. The trishruti rishabam in many places quite conspicuously such as "srGrsr" at "indum-shodasha" followed by the beautiful "pdpmpds" phrase at "nishAkaram". dIkshitar rounds up the anupallavi with the very grandiose "nsdpgrs" phrase at "sudhAkaram anisham" which neatly puts a bow on this beautiful anupallavi, looping back to the pallavi seamlessly. It is also worthy to note that the sangIta sampradAya pradarshini lists a really beautiful chitta swara portion in this composition which is usually sung at the end of the caraNam to complete the entire picture of the rAga that dIkshitar presents in this amazing composition.
With that, we will move on to the caraNam which further elaborates on the characteristics and kAraktwams of the moon.
||caraNam||
शङ्कर मौलि विभूषणं शीत किरणं
चतुर्भुजं मदनच्छत्रं क्षपा-करम्
वेङ्कटेश नयनं विराण्मनो-जननं
विधुं कुमुद मित्रं विधि गुरु गुह वक्त्रम्
(मध्यम काल साहित्यम्)
शशाङ्कं गीष्पति शापानुग्रह पात्रं
शरच्चन्द्रिका धवळ प्रकाश गात्रम्
कङ्कण केयूर हार मकुटादि धरं
पङ्कज रिपुं रोहिणी प्रिय-कर चतुरम्|| च ||Sankara mauli vibhUshaNaM SIta kiraNaM
caturbhujaM madana-chatraM kshapA-karam
vEnkaTESa nayanaM virAN-manO-jananaM
vidhuM kumuda mitraM vidhi guru guha vaktram
SaSa-ankaM gIH-pati SApa-anugraha pAtraM
Sarat-candrikA dhavaLa prakASa gAtram
kankaNa kEyUra hAra makuTa-Adi dharaM
pankaja ripuM rOhiNI priya-kara caturam
dIkshitar then enters the crescendo portion of this composition with the madhyamakAla sAhityam, describing many more facets of the moon including a few which are quite scientific. He starts this passage by referring to the moon as "the one whose blemish resembles the rabbit ("SaSa-ankam") and the one who who was both blessed ("anugraha") as well as cursed ("SApa") by Brihaspati ("gIHspati"). The one whose body ("gAtram") shines bright ("dhavaLa prakASa") like the autumn moonlight ("Sarat-candrikA") and the one who wears ("dharaM") bracelets ("kankaNa"), shoulder-ornaments ("kEyUra"), necklace ("hAra") and crown ("makuTa"). The one who is the enemy ("ripuM") of the lotus ("pankaja"), the one who is skilled ("caturam") in pleasing ("priya-kara") his favourite rOhiNI."
While most of the caraNam is straight forward with direct references to either the qualities or the physical characteristics of the moon, there are a few of dIkshitar's allusions which deserve a double-click. Let us start with some of these "scientific" or "derivable" characteristics that dIkshitar brings in such as - "kshapAkaram" which fundamentally resonates with most of us as moonrise basically indicates the onset of the nightfall as Chandra takes over from the sun. Other derivable references include "SaSAnkam" (the rabbit shape which we all see due to the craters on the moon), "kumuda mitram" and "pankaja ripum" (which are again well-known observations that one can make everyday with lilies blossoming in the night while lotuses shrinking during the night, awaiting the next sunrise).
Perhaps the most interesting usage in the caraNam is the double reference that dIkshitar employs to describe the moon. He uses the autumn moonlight to describe the brightness of the object, which is the moon itself, which makes complete sense as there is probably no other true equivalent by which one can define the shining, resplendent nature of the moon. And just to signify how most of the things about the moon revolve around deception and mental interpretations of the mind, he describes Chandra as the one who was born from the manas of the supreme being itself. Which correlates again with how we talk about the moon as this shining, resplendent body while in reality it poses no real light of itself and just merely reflects the sun to get this shining stature.
One final word to explain is "vidhum" and how the moon got this word to signify it. Based on my research, it seems that this is a direct reference to the moon in the rig veda where Chandra is alluded to as 'wandering solitary in the midst of many’ (vidhum dadrAnam samane bahunAm).
While we could go on and on and sing the praises of both Chandra as well as dIkshitar who constructs this amazing imagery of the moon, I will stop here and let the rasika dwell further and explore this masterpiece.
On that note, I wish you all a fantastic start to this new year tomorrow and may there be peace and happiness in this world. In my next post, I will continue to explore the navagraha kritis with the majestic composition on the planet Mars, "angArakamAshrayAmyaham", set in probably my most favourite raga Surutti. Until then, take care and continue to celebrate the treasures that these great vAggEyakArAs have given us. Shri gurubhyO namaH
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