Pramathi Samvathsara Sri Rama Navami series : Part I, Saint Thyagaraja's Dhivya Naama and Uthsava SampradhAya Krithis

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

This posting seems to have been lost

in transmission . This was posted

on March 25 , the time that Sri Mani

Varadarajan indicated that there might have

been some system problems in deliverey of

the digest . Hence I am retransmitting it.

 

Best Wishes for a joyous Sri Rama Navami Celebrations,

V.Sadagopan

 

>Dear BhakthAs :

>

>Saint ThyagarAjA's " dhaasya-Vaatsalya Bhakthi

>Bhaava VisEsham " has been cited as the inspiring source

>of his sacred krithis ; these krithis are considered as

>" the puNya theertham associated with the RaamAbhishEkam "

>that he performed during every moment of his earthly life.

>

>He was a garbha-BhaagavathA and is considered as the amsam

>of Sage VaalmikI , who blessed us with the magnificent

>IthihAsam , Srimath RaamAyaNam .No wonder that Saint

>ThyagaraajA became a Raama chaithanyA and performed

>Aaraadhanam with dhivya Naama kusumams for

>Sri Raamachandran with such ardour .

>

>The Exemplary Life led by Saint ThyagarAjA

>*******************************************

>

>He led a simple life and had parama vairAgyam .

>He spurned wealth and asked his mind " Nidhi chAla

>sukamA? Raamuni sannidhi sEva sukamA ? " and answered

>decisivly that the nithya , niravadhya kaimkaryam to

>Sri Raaman was the preferred sukham for him . In his

>Yamunaa-KalyANi krithi , " NaarAyaNa Hari , NaarAyaNa Hari ",

>he confessed to Sriman Raama NaarAyaNan :

>

>"NarAyaNa Hari ! nasvaramaina dhanAsvamulanu nE

>vishvasincha bhUjEsavara Hari Hari , kOtisulagani

>saaDilEni palku BhODi nOsagi mummADiki vEDanu ,

>aasa pishAchAvEshamu galugu dhanEsula gaachEDu dEsamu

>nElanu "

>

>(Meaning): " Oh Jaanaki RamaNA ! I consider perishable

>(material) wealth in the form of money , cattle as worthless.

>I shall certainly not approach rich men and beg them

>for wealth through krithis praising them .I shall not

>go near places frequented by greedy men , who are

>possessed by the devils of desire and attachment to

>material things ".

>

>With parama vairAghyam , Saint ThyagarAjA stayed away

>from royal courts and felt uncomfortable about the status

>of VidvAns , who eked a livelihood from musical services

>to the wealthy ones. He reminds us in this context of

>Swamy Desikan's memorable decalaration in his VairAghya

>Panchakam :

>

>" vayam vaachA mahIsvarAn thruNamapi na YaachAmahE "

>

>(meaning): We shall never ever beg even for a blade

>of grass from the kings (wealthy ones)". He concluded like

>Swamy Desikan that the great wealth , Sriman NaaraayaNan

>that gladdens the hearts of BhaagavathAs is the eternal,

>ever-lasting wealth . Swamy Desikan's words are:

>

>" Dhananjaya Vivardhanam dhanam udhUDa Govardhanam

> susaadhanam aBhAdhanam sumanasAm samArAdhanam "

>

>Like Swamy Desikan , Saint ThyagarAjA conducted

>unchivrutthi every day and lived on the alms that

>the citizens of ThiruvaayARu gave him. He presented

>it to Sri RaamachandrA , performed AarAdhanam for Him

>and partook of the naivEdhyam and spent his day and night

>singing about the glories of his Raama NaarAyaNan .

>

>The origin of the Dhivya NaamA Krithis

>***************************************

>

>During his unchivrutthi around the streets of this river town,

>the Saint used to sing with ThamburA in one hand and

>chapLa kattais on the other hand the dhivya naamAs of

>his AarAdhana moorthy , Sri Raamachandran . Out poured

>moving krithis that were composed on the spot with

>great Bhakthi . These krithis are known as dhivya naama

>krithis and had many small charaNams and have great

>bhakthi bhAvam .

>

>The Raagams used in the Dhivya Naama krithis

>**********************************************

>Rakthi Raagams , Ghana Raagams,upAnga-BhAshAnga raagams ,

>sampUrNa, varja-vakra and chAyalaka raagams

>took their turns to be adorned in his free-flowing

>Saahithyams and to take their immortal place as dhivya-

>Naama Krithis emanating from the bard. The musical genius

>of Saint ThyagarAjA blending perfectly with his great

>Bhakthi gave us a body of dhivya naama krithis that

>have very few parallels in Bhakthi literature .

>

>Typical raagaas used by the Saint in composiiton of these

>dhivya naam krithis are: Aananda Bhairavi, Kaapi, BhouLi,

>SaavEri, Bhairavi, AsAvEri, Thodi, MadhyamAvathi ,

>PunnagavarAli , GowLipanthu and NaadhanAmakriya,

>ReethigowLai and some times even MukhAri and rare

>raagams like KalakaNTi.

>

>Typical Features of a Dhivya Naama Krithi

>******************************************

>These dhivya Naama krithis have many , short charaNams

>that permitted singing with manOdharam , while moving

>from house to house receiving bikshai. Usually , these

>krithis do not have any anupallavi.The message will be

>like an upadesam .

>

>An Example of a Dhivya Naama krithi in GhouLipanthu raagam

>***********************************************************

>

>Pallavi: Raama Raama KrishNa yanarE raathiri-

> pahalumaa Sitha

>

>( Oh People You will all do well by chanting

> the holy names of my SitA Raaman and KrishNaa

> day and night)

>

>CharaNam 1: ithara maarga soukyamulaku

> athani hrudhayamE Saakshiyu (Raama Raama--)

>

>( Your heart will be the witness (ssakshi) to

> the fact that there are no other ways to

> get happiness and deliverance . " Naanya:

> panthA ayanAya vidhyathE " is the message of

> Purusha Sooktham ).

>

>CharaNam 2: kAnipanulu kOri kOri

> karaguchuNDu maanavulu ( Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 3: kuthisathapu maaDalaku

> uddhuga pOrElEDu janalu (Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 4: sarvasAsthramulanu jdhiva

> aasa dhaasulayinavAru (Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 5: yedhuDi paccha jUDalEka

> hithavu mADalADu Janulu (Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 6: challani vaakulu Baliki

> svAntha manalamainavAru (Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 7: palukanErcchi yaDukaBhOthE

> teliviki haaniyainavAru (Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 8: JaathiheenulainavAru

> JaaNalainaaradhE Saakshi(Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 9: paamu pandhi Gaja pisAcha

> paathakAgrEsarulE Saakshi ( Raama Raama)

>

>CharaNam 10:ThyagarAju dhelusukOnna

> taaraka mihapara sAdhakamu( Raama Raama)

>

>The beauty of the architecture of the dhivya Naama

>Krithi and the symmetry of the individual CharaNams

>set in Aathi Taalam is exquisite.There is not an extra

>word in each of the CharaNa Vaakhyams. The refrain is

>a sweet lilting "Raama Raama KrishNa yanarE ".The meanings

>and the references are deep .

>

>General Meaning of charaNams 2-10 :

>

>Oh people , You who chase after desires and

>activities forbidden by ShAsthrAs and revel

>in them ! You will do well by cbanting

>the Lord's name day and night !

>

>Oh People , Who wallow profoundly in demeaning

>talks and who have become helpless slaves to Your

>desires , even if you have gone thru all shAsthrAs!

>You will have salvation by reciting the Lord's

>names day and night.

>

>Oh People! who are filled with asooyai (jealousy)

>because your neighbor is prosperous and yet are

>pretending to mean well by saying kind words in

>front of them ! You can get relief from all these

>miseries, if you chant the names of my SithA Raaman

>and KrishNan .

>

>Oh people, who talk sweetly , while having poison

>in your hearts ! You will overcome these harmful

>dispositons , if you chant my Lord's names .

>

>Oh People, who have been formally educated

>to use your speech effectively ! When the time comes to

>demonstrate your intelligence , you are unable to

>manage your speech and give the right ansewers .

>

>The unassailable fact that low birth is no hindrance

>to salvation by chanting the Lord's names has been

>proven by many.They are the witnesses to the redemptive

>power of the Lord's names and naama sankIrthanam ,

>which leads up to total self-surrender at the lotus

>feet of our dhivya Dampathis.

>

>Prominent among this assembly of heinous sinners

>are the serpent (Ajakaran), Pig ( MookAsuran), Elephant

>(MatthakAsuran),the demon /PisAsu( DhunthumAran).

>Their sins melted away ,when they chanted Hari's names.

>

>This path of redemption has been learnt by ThyagarAjA

>as the means to achieve moksham .Raama Naamam is the Taaraka

>manthram known to Thyagarajan as Iha Para Saadhanam .

>You will do well by reciting the Lord's many names.

>

>We will cover the introduction to the Uthsava SampradhAya

>krithis in the next posting and come back to selected

>examples of dhivya naama and uthsava sampradhAya Krithis

>in subsequent postings.

>

>AdiyEn, Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

>ThiruviNNagar BrahmOthsava Hanumantha Vaahanam day

>Panguni Kettai ( March 27, 2000 )

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