A Musical tribute to Sri RamachandrA

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs : Sri RaamyaNa NavAha Patanam is a tradition ,

where the seven cantos of Srimadh RaamAyaNam is recited

over 9 days prior to Srirama Navami. On Sri Raama navami day ,

PattabhishEkha sargam is recited and Special ArAdhanam is

performed for Sri SitA sametha Raamachandran . Sri HanumAn

sits in front of the Koil AzhwAr with folded hands and

tear-brimming eyes in raptourous attention . What I started

on March 17 in the spirit of navAham through the postings

on Saint ThyagarAjA's adbhuda Anandha anubhavam of Sri Raaama-

Chandra parabrahmam will come to a conclusion this year

on March 25 . I will now continue with the select janya

Raaga Krithis of Hari KaambhOji MeLam in this posting .

There are a total of 28 Krithis to be covered yet. We

will cover the first seven in today's posting :

 

1.DevamanOhari (KannataNDri naapai)

2.GhAnavArithi( dayajUsudaku )

3.IsamanOhari ( manasA Sri Raamchandhruni maravaKE yE maravE)

4.UmAbharaNam (Nijamarammulanu telisinavArini)

5.Kamas (Sujana Jeevana SuguNa BhUshaNa RaamA )

6.KaapiNAARAAYANI ( sarasa Saama DhAna BhEdha DhaNda chathura )

7.KuntalavarALi( sara sara samaraika soora )

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08.Kedaaragoulaa ( karuNA jaladhi Daasarathi

kalyANa suguNa nidhi )

09.KarnAtaka BehAg (nEnandhu vEdakudurA Sri Hari)

10.Kokhiladhvani ( koniyAte naayeta Daya velagu)

11.PrathApa VarALi ( VinanAsakoni)

12.ChenchukAmbhOji( VararAga layaj~nulu )

13.ChAyAtarangiNi ( Ithara dhaivamuluvalla ilanu

soukhyamA Raama )

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

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15.NAARAYANI ( RaamA neevE ghAni)

16.NAARAYANAgoulaa (kathalE vaadu Raamudu )

17.Naatta Kurinji ( Kuvalaya DaLa NayanA )

18.Bangalaa ( SaakshilE tanuthsu SaadhimpakE )

19.YadhukulakAmbhOji( daya sevayyaa sadhaya RaamachandrA )

20.RavichandrikA (Niravdhi sukhadha nirmala roopa )

21.Raagapanjaram ( VaradhA navanIthAsA paahi)

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

23.Sarasvathi ManOhari ( yenthavEdukOntu Raagava bhantha mElarA )

24.SaamA (santhamu leka soukayamu lEthu)

25.Suddha SaavEri ( KaalharaNamElarA HarE Sri SeethArAmA )

26.SupOshiNi ( raminthsuvArevurA RaghUtthama ninu vinA )

27.Surati( GeethArthamu SangIthAnandhamu)

28.SvaravarALi ( PrArabhdhamitlunDukA )

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We will cover 7 krithis on each of the remaining four days .

Today ,we will cover the krithis in the RaagAs DevamanOhari ,

GhAnavAridhi,IsamanOhari ,UmAbharaNam ,Kamas, Kaapi NaarAyaNI

and KunthalavarALi .

 

1.DevamanOhari Krithi:Kannna tanDri Naapai

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In this morning Raagam , Saint ThyagarAjA has

composed three krithis including the above .

Kanna TanDri Naapai is a plaintive cry for

the Lord's DayA . Sadhguru asks : " Oh My

Father ! Please do not hold back your compassion

for me . I can not bear the suffering caused by Your

neglect. Please do not ever deny me Your DayA on

the grounds that (1) I am just going through the daily

routines of life such as eating and sleeping and

leading an animal edition of human existence (2)I do

not have the resolution and faith to possess ceaseless

devotion to You and (3) I do not understand the relationship

between me as a Sesha Jeevan and Yourself as a SarvasEshi

and my supreme Master .

 

2.GhanavAridhi Krithi: Sva-Yogya kathanA krithi

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The pallavi starts with a prayer: Daya jUchuDa kidhi

vELarA ; DaasarathE . manjuLAkArA !This indeed is the time

to confer on me Your grace.Oh Lord , who is the lion against

the fierce elephant of SamsAric afflictions! The work You

assigned me has been carried out now with happiness .Please

bless me with Your grace . A mood of Aarthi Prapathti sets in .

 

3.IsamanOhari Krithi:ManasA Raamachandhruni

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This is a Maanasa SambhOdhana ktithi , where

the Saint appeals to his mind not to forget

Sri Raamachandran .He says: " Please do not get deluded

over the thought that He took the human form (mere mortal).

Please always reflect on the truth that He is

the Supreme Being appearing in Human form . Please

read the third and the sixth chapters of Srimadh

RaamAyaNam to remind yourself that He is the Supreme

Lord who incarnated as the son of King Dasarathan

at the request of the suffering BrahmA and the DevAs .

Please remember that He has assigned the duties of

Srushti (creation ) ,Pushti ( protection ) and nashti

( destruction ) to the thri-mUrthys as belonging to

a lower order and is concentrating on what He likes

to do the most (viz).,engagement in the act of granting

boons to His dear devotees .

 

4.UmAbharaNam Krithi: Nija marmamulanu delisina vaarini

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Oh RaamachandrA ! Why do You take pleasure in harassing &

testing even those vivEkis , who are well aware of the real truth/

nija Marmam (viz).,that it is You , who created the demi-gods

and assigned them duties appropriate to their sthAnams .

These vivEkis are aware that it is You who create DehAthma-

Bramai ( the delusion that the perishable body is the same as

the eternal aathman ) even amongst those who are experts in

Veda-Saasthra-PurANams , who comprehend the six Vaidhika Mathams ,

who recite Your names and who are rulers of the Earth .Why

do You taunt even these VivEkis , who fully understand Your

nija marmam and avathAra rahasyams ? Is it fair ?

 

5.Kamaas Raaga Krithi: Sujana Jeevana SuguNa BhUshaNa Raama

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Kamas is known for many JaavaLis . In Saint ThyagarAjA's time ,

it was an UpAngha Raagam . His lineage of disciples grew its

ranjakathvam over time and made it into a BhaashAnga Raagam

that it is today . The heart of the krithi is a prayer to

the Sujanan Jeevanan , Sri Raaman to protect him . The Saint

in a ripe mood of Bhakthi calls the Lord with delectable naamAs

and requests his Ishta Dhaivam to protect him .Some of the sweet

names chosen by the Saint for Sri RaamA here are : Chaaru nEthra

( One with beautiful eyes ), Sri kaLathra ( SithA PirAtti's

husband ), Sriramya gAthra ( one with beautiful appearance ),

Taaraka Naama ( One of redeeeming naama mahimai) , Sucharithra

( One of auspicious history) , Dharma paalaka (one who is

the protector of Dhramam/DharmO vigrahavAn ) and Nirmala

(One who is free of any inauspiciousness ). Sangeetha KalAnidhi

Srimathi DKP has rendered this krithi majestically with bhAvam .

 

6.Kaapi NaarAyaNi Raagam : Sarasa Saama DhAna Bedha Danda--

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This Krithi was made famous by SangItha KalAnidhi , Madhurai

Mani Iyer . Here Sadhguru celebrates the greatness (mahAthmyam)

of Sri Raamamoorthy .He admiringly says: " Oh RaamA ! Can there

be anyone equal to You in statesmanship and in handling the Raaja

neethi ? Even among Gods , there are none , who could match Your

skills in using the four expedients , conciliation (Saama) ,

DhAna ( winning the enemy over thru choice gifts), Dividing

the enemies ( bhEdha ) and punishing them by military means

( DhaNdaa ).Even , the great Siva BhakthA , RaavaNA could not

gauge these crafts adequately . You used Saama through Your

benevolent advice to him , which he did not care to heed .

You offered him AyOdhyA in the event that he gave up his bad

ways and sought Your protection (DhAnaa). You were ready to

deed him AyOdhyA , since LankhA was already promised to

VibhishaNA at Sethukkarai . You displayed BhEdhA skills ,

when You offered the kingdom of LankhA to VibhishaNA ,

even when his brother was on that throne .Finally You

destroyed the evil RaavaNA in war ( DhandhA ). Thus You

displayed to the full Your statecraft .

 

7. Kunthala VarALi Krithi: Sarasara samaraika soora

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This krithi made famous by SangItha KalAnidhis ,

AlatthUr Brothers celebates Sri RaamA's many valorous

deeds as Raghuveeran . This is a Rishabha-GhaandhAra

Varja Oudava upAnga Raagam .Here , the Saint asks

for the protection of SoorAdhi Sooran, Raghuveeran for

His protection and reminds Him of the many heroic deeds

that he performed .Our Sadhguru salutes them this way :

" Oh Great One who empowered a blade of grass as the mighty

BrahmAsthram ! Oh hero of matchles valour , who single handedly

destroyed the moola bhalam of RakshasAs in DaNdakAraNyam !

Oh mighty One , who quelled the pride of the King of Oceans!

Oh proud One , who were the fire to the cotton bales of

RavaNA's reserve forces ! Oh , who served as the awesome axe

to chop down the forests of sins accumulated by people

from previous births ! Oh Lord of incomparable prowess,

who broke the collosal bow of SivA into two , a feat

that was beyond the power of anyone in the world !

Please bless me and protect me .

 

Sri Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari SadagOpan