A Musical tribute to Sri RamachandrA

[Guest guest]

Dear Raama BhakthAs :

 

As Sri Raama Navami approaches , I thought it will be

nice to celebrate Sri RamachandrA through the divine

krithis of a Raama chaithanya, Sri ThyagarAja SwamigaL

and explore their meanings to illustrate the deep

Raama Bhakthi of the Bard of ThiruvayaaRu .

 

For a Sri Vaishnava like Saint ThyagarAja , any Raagam

which had the sambhandham of Hari was dear . Hari Naama

Sangeerthanam was his life .It is no wonder therefore

that the bard focussed on the 28th MeLam ,Hari KaambhOji

as a favorite Raagam for his many krithis . May be the fact

that the number 28 is made up of 2 followed by 8 , Dhavayam

and AshtAksharam sent him into raptures , when he composed

HarikAmbhOji krithis like " DinamaNi vamsa Tilaka laavaNyaa ,

Dheena saraNyA " .

 

Not only did Saint Thyagarajaa compose Krithis full

of Bhakthi BhAvam , MahA VisvAsam in HarikaambhOji , but

he also selected many janya RaagAs of this MeLa raagam

of BhaaNa chakram to construct exquisite garlands for

decorating Sri Raamachandran . HarikAmbhOji has atleast

105 janya raagams .Saint ThyagarAjA chose many of the gems

among the janya raagams to make his musical naivEdhyam to

the Lord of AyOddhi . Some of these beautiful janya raagams of

HarikAmbhOji chosen by Saint ThyagarAjA are listed below .

Many a Great SangItha VidvAns have sung these krithis

of Sadhguru SwaamigaL in divya desams and Bhajana Matams .

 

Each of these krithis are gems in their own right from their

Bhakthi BhAvam and artha gouravam . I will summarize the meanings

of these krithis in the subsequent posts . The other Most

favorite MeLa Raagam of Saint ThyagarAjA is Hari Hara priyA

( Karahara PriyA ) and its Janya Raagams . We will reserve

a study of them for another occasion . For now , we will

focus on the HarikAmbhOji MeLa Raaga Krithis and its

Janya Raaga krithis . One of the Krithis in the particular

Janya Raagam is included in paranthesis below :

 

 

1.AandhOLikA (AbhimAnamu lEthEni)

2.AtaaNA ( Naaradha Gaana lOla natha jana paripAla)

3.BahudhAri ( BhrOva BhAramA )

4.BalahamsA( Raama SeethA Raama ,Raama Raaja Tanaya )

5. DevamanOhari (KannataNDri naapai)

6.GhAnavArithi( dayajUsudaku )

7.IsamanOhari ( manasA Sri raamchandhruni maravaKE yE maravE)

8.UmAbharaNam (Nijamarammulanu telisinavArini)

9.KadanakuthUhalam

10.Kamas (Sujan aJeevana SuguNa BhUshaNa RaamA )

 

11.KhAmbhOji (Oh RangasAyee and Maa Jaanaki )

12.KaapiNAARAAYANI ( sarasa Saama DhAna BhEdha )

13.KuntalavarALi( sara sara samaraika soora )

14.Kedaaragoulaa ( karuNA jaladhi Daasarathi

klayAN asuguNa nidhi )

15.KarnAtaka BehAg (nEnandhu vEdakudurA Sri Hari)

16.kokhiladhvani ( koniyAte naayeta Daya velagu)

17.PrathApa VarALi ( VinanAsakoni)

18.ChenchukAmbhOji( VararAga layaj~nulu )

19.ChAyAtarangiNi ( Ithara dhaivamuluvalla ilanu

sukhyamA Raama )

20.NataNAARAAYANI

 

21.Navaraskannada ( ninnu vinA maa ma dhenthu nilvathE Hari Hari)

22.NagasvarALi ( Sripathi nee chinthanE Jeevanamu)

23.NAARAYANI ( RaamA neevE ghAni)

24.NAARAYANAgoulaa (kathalE vaadu Raamudu )

25.Naatta Kurinji ( Kuvalaya DaLa NayanA )

26.Bangalaa ( SaakshilE tanuthsu SaadhimpakE )

27.BalahamsA (Raama yEva Dhaivatham )

28.Gunjari ( AbhimAnamennadu galkurA )

29.MaaLavi(NenarunchinAnu )

30.YadhukulakAmbhOji( daya sevayyaa sadhaya RaamachandrA )

 

31.RavichandrikA (Niravdhi sukhadha nirmala roopa )

32.Raagapanjaram ( VaradhA navanIthAsA paahi)

33.Valaji

34.SahAnA ( dEhi tava padha bhakthim VaidEhi pathitha paavani)

35.Sarasvathi

36.Sarasvathi ManOhari ( yenthavEdukOntu Raagava bhantha mElarA )

37.SaamA (santhamu leka soukayamu lEthu)

38.Suddha SaavEri ( KaalharaNamElarA HarE Sri SeethArAmA )

39.SupOshiNi ( raminthsuvArevurA RaghUtthama ninu vinA )

40.Surati( GeethArthamu SangIthAnandhamu)

41.SvaravarALi ( PrArabhdhamitlunDukA )

 

Krithis in HarikAmbhOji MeLam

******************************

1.UnDEthi RaamudakadE

2.YentharAni tanakentha pOni

3.Yenthuku Nirdhaya yevarunnArurA ?

4.DinamaNi Vamsa Tilaka LaavaNya

5.Sani thEdi dEvE oh manasA

6.Oka maaDa Oka BhANamu oka pathni vrathutE

7.Raama Nannu bhrOvarA

8.vallakA tanaka SeethA vallabhaa

9.VinathA sutha Vaahanutai

10.RarA PaNi Sayana Ravi Jaldhija Nayana

11.Laali Laaliyani

 

The intense Bhakthi-laden krithis in HarikAmbhOji

and its many janya raagams are testaments to the

devotional ecstacy of this Raama BhakthA par excellence .

We will enjoy the meanings of some of the krithis

in the subsequent postings .

 

Sri Raamachanhra parabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan