Carnatic Compositions – The Essence and Embodiment-53

Carnatic Compositions – The Essence and Embodiment

– Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi 

Our intent for this essay is to highlight the great features of the language, emotion and melody (rAgam) of a krithi (song/composition) and also to provide the song for your listening pleasure.  Most of you may know these krithis, but when you discover the distinct features of a krithi, you may enjoy a new beauty or an attribute in the krithi.

Note: Krithi is defined as a song containing pallavi, anupallavi and charanam that have high musical value and can be sung elaborately with improvisations.  Whereas, Keerthana also has a pallavi, anupallavi and charanam but is sung in a single form or simpler pattern.

jaya jaya durgE jitavairi vargE
raagam: Durga
taaLam: cApu/aTa
Composer: NArAyaNa Teertar
Language: Sanskrit

pallavi
jaya jaya durgE jitavairi vargE viyada nilAdi vichitra sargE

caraNam 1

sundaratara charaNAravindE sukhi paripAlita lOka brindE
nanda sunandAdi yOgi vandyE nArAyaNa sOdari parAnandE

caraNam 2

anudayalaya saccidAnanda latikE AlOla maNimaya tATanka dhanikE
nAnA rUpAdi kArya sAdhanikE nArAyaNa tIrtha bhAvita phalakE

Meaning:

jaya jaya durgE – victory to Durga
jita – defeated
vairi vargE – enemy troops
viyada – wind
nilAdi – sky
vichitra sargE – extraordinarily skilled

sundaratara – beautiful
charaNAravindE – lotus like feet
sukhi – comfortable
paripAlita – ruling
lOka – world
brindE – groups
nanda sunandAdi – Nanda Sunanda and others
yOgi – yogis
vandyE – bow to you
nArAyaNa – lord nArAyaNa
sOdari – sister
parAnandE -always happy
anudaya – flowing with kindness
laya – rhythmic
saccidAnanda – happiness at heart
latikE – growing creeper
AlOla – unwavering
maNimaya – gem studded
tATanka – ear rings
dhanikE – wealthy
nAnA – various
rUpAdi – forms
kArya – task
sAdhanikE – achiever
nArAyaNa tIrtha – nArAyaNa tIrtha
bhAvita – at will/imagination
phalakE – bestows blessings

Summary:

Victory to goddess Durga, who defeated the enemy troops with her extraordinary skills in managing wind and sky attacks. She has beautiful lotus-like feet and rules the world righteously to keep her subjects happy & comfortable. She is worshiped by Nanda, Sunanda and other yogis and she is a sister of lord nArAyaNa. She is like a charming creeper of kindness with a happy mind. She is adorned with unwavering gem studded earrings and takes different forms to achieve her tasks and she bestows blessings and fulfills composer nArAyaNa tIrtha’s wishes.

          nArAyaNa tIrtha wrote “krishNa LIlA tarangiNI”, a number of songs that describe mostly krishNa’s life from birth to his marriage with Rukmini. Most of them are songs in describing KrishNa’s activities while this song is on goddess durga. The legend says that krishNa’s uncle Kamsa, took a vow to kill all his nieces and nephews (children of his sister Devaki & her husband vasudEva) due to a curse that he would be killed by one of them. KrishNa was their eighth child, however out of love, vasudEva miraculously takes him out of Kamsa’s custody and crosses the river Yamuna and leaves in Nanda’s house and brings back a baby girl, who is a yOga mAya. Upon notification of the child birth, Kamsa reaches to his sister’s quarters, sees a baby girl and tries to harm her by beating her on the floor. Being a yOga mAya, she then changes her form as Durga with eight arms and rises to the sky and curses Kamsa. Indra and all the celestial bodies praise her for her valor, skill, love and kindness.

Anupama Gunupudi is an engineer, works as a technical program manager.  She is a vocalist and a violinist in Carnatic music and violist in Western classical.  She provides violin support to local artists.  She is a disciple of Sri Arvind Lakshmikanthan and she resides in Los Angeles, CA.

***

pAhi jagat janani
raagam: hamsAnandi
taaLam: Adi
Composer: SwAti TirunAL
Language: Sanskrit

pallavi
pAhi jagajjanani pAhi maam
karuNaya pankEruhanayanE

anupallavi
vAhinIdhavasudE vitara kusalamayi
dEhi tavakasEvA mOhanadhAmE ramE

caraNam
nirupamasundari bhaktajanAmala
kalpakavallari ambikE
suguNamowLi virAjitapadayugaLE
bhuvanatraya vara nAyikE
viracaya subhamayi tilasuma madahara
mOhanadara Nija nAsikE
nIrajanAbha suvallabhE nUtana
nIrada kAnti samAlakE
sArasakrutanilayE paramasadayE
vidhrutavalayE munigEyE

Meaning:
pAhi – rescue
jagajjanani – mother of universe
pAhi maam – rescue me
karuNaya – kind
pankEruha – lotus, a flower born out of a pond
nayanE – eyed

vAhinIdhava – father of waves
sutE – daughter
vitara – distinction
kusalamayi – wellness
dEhi – provide
tavaka – your
sEvA – service
mOhanadhAmE – lives in a beautiful home
ramE – ramA

nirupama – unparalleled
sundari – beauty
bhaktajana – devotees
amala – unblemished
kalpakavallari – creeper of provider
ambikE – ambika
suguNa – good virtues
mowLi – crown
virAjita – shining
padayugaLE – pair of feet
bhuvanatraya – the three worlds
vara – boons
nAyikE – leader
viracaya – without any differences
shubhamayi – full of goodness
tilasuma – sesame flowers
madahara – destroyer of ego
mOhanadara – full of beauty
nija nAsikE – nose
nIrajanAbha – vishNu, one with lotus in his naval
suvallabhE – good consort
nUtana – new
nIrada – water bearing cloud
kAnti – brightness
sama – equal
alakE – hair locks
sArasa – tastefully
kruta – prepared
nilayE – home
paramasadayE – lives there
vidhruta – held
valayE – bangles
muni – sages
gEyE – praised

Summary:
Oh mother of the universe, kind and lotus eyed one, please rescue me. Oh ramA, you are the daughter of the lord of the waves (ocean god), you reside in a beautiful home, you bless wellness to everybody without any distinction, please bless me with your service. Your beauty is unparalleled. Oh ambika, you provide shelter to unwavering devotees. You are adorned with virtues and your feet shine with the shining jewels from the crowns of people that bow at your feet and you are the leader for the three worlds. You bestow goodness to all and remove ego. You have a beautiful nose. You are the consort of srI vishNu. Your little hair locks on the forehead shine like a dark cloud (water bearing). You live in a tastefully prepared home and wear bangles on your hands and you are praised by the sages.

Tanikella Chandra Bhanu is an accomplished Carnatic musician, teacher and a graded artist in All India Radio (AIR). She has performed extensively in India and abroad. She currently lives in Bangalore. She has rendered all 30 PAsurams for Sri Venkateswara Bhakthi Channel (SVBC) of TTD.

***

mAmavathu srI
rAgam: hindOLam
tALam: Adi
Composer: Mysore VAsudEvAcArya
Language: Sanskrit

pallavi
mAmavatu shrI sarasvatI kAmakOTi pITha vAsinI

anupallavi
kOmaLakara sarOja dhrita vINA sImAtIta vara vAGvibhUSaNi

caraNam
rAjAdhi rAja pUjita caraNe rAjIva nayane ramaNIya vadane

madhyamakAlam: sujana manOratha pUraNa cature nijagaLa sObhita maNimaya hAre
aja bhava vandita vAsudEva caraNAdbhuta sakala vEda sArA

Meaning:
mAm – me
avatu – protect
srI sarasvatI – Saraswati
kAmakOTi pITha – abode of kAmokoti
vAsinI – resides

kOmaLa – delicate
kara – hands
sarOja – lotus like
Dhrita – holding
vINA – vINa, musical instrument
sImAtIta – beyond measure
vara – possess
vAk – speech
vibhUSaNi – adorned

rAjA – kings
adhi rAja – king of kings (emperor)
pUjita – worshiped
caraNe – feet
rAjIva – beautiful
nayane – eyed
ramaNIya – graceful
vadane – faced

sujana – good people
manOratha – heart’s desires
pUraNa – fulfilling
cature – skilled
nijagaLa – in her neck
sObhita – shining
maNimaya – gem studded
hAre – necklace
Aja – brahma
Bhava – Siva
Vandita – worship
vAsudEva – vAsudEva/vishNu
caraNa – movement
adbhuta – amazing
sakala – entire
vEda – vEda
sArA – essence

Summary:
Oh goddess Saraswati, who resides at the abode of kAmkOTi, please protect me. Your delicate and lotus-like hands are holding vINa, the musical instrument and you are blessed with speech/vocabulary that is beyond measure. The kings and the emperor worship at your feet. You have beautiful eyes and a graceful face. You are skilled at fulfilling good people’s heart’s desires. You are adorned with a gem studded necklace. You are worshiped by Brahma, Siva and VishNu and your amazing movement is filled with the entire essence of vEdAs.

The power of music is profound
The joy of music is sweet and sound
The awe of music is abound
Music makes the world go round

Sreelakshmi Kolavennu is an accomplished musician, composer and music director. She has given a number of concerts in India as well as in the San Francisco bay area. She has provided score and set music to many Kuchipudi dance ballets. She also set music to many AnnamAchArya compositions. She lives in the San Francisco bay area.

*****