Pramathi Samvathsara Sri Rama Navami Celebrations : Part II, Dhivya Naama Krithis, An Overview

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Dear Raama BhakthAs :

 

In the previous posting , we covered

the circumstances under which the bhakthi-laden

dhivya Naamaa krithis originated . I mentioned that

some of these krithis were composed by Saint ThyAgarAjA

as he went around the main streets of ThiruvayyARu

for his daily Unchivrutthi .

 

In Dakshina Desam , there is also another tradition

associated with the Dhivya Naama or Devaru Naama

krithis. They form the core of the Bhajana SampradhAyam .

It has been pointed out by Sri Aravind Krishnan in a private

note to me that Dhivya Naama krithi singing is nothing but

the enactment of the rAsa LeelA by the assembled

BhaagavathAs ( Srimath Bhagavatham : Canto X.33).

 

The Bhajanai matams of DakshiNa desam housed great

sanyAsis and BhAgavathAs and were centers that kept

the lamp of Bhakthi shining as NanthA ViLakku

( eternal lamp in Bhagavath SannidhAnam ). These

singing of Dhivya Naamams were interspersed with

the singing of Uthsava SampradhAya Krithis . Thus ,

there is a convention to classify a specific krithi

as either belonging to the Dhivya Naama group or to

the Uthsava SampradhAyam groups. Some are classified as

belonging to both the groups . Thus the shOdasOpachaarams

seems to get seamlessly woven into Bhagavath anubhavam

through the dhivya naamA krithi sung by the assembled

BhaagavathAs .These shOdasOpachArams are highlighted

in the AarAdhanam section of the recently released

CD ROM on the Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA .

 

The tradition of Dhivya Naama Singing at Bhajanai Matams

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

 

In Bhagavaan's sannidhi , the chief Bhaagavathar

will bring the KutthiviLakku from the altar and

place it at the center of the hall with enough room

for the BhaagavathAs to move around it in a pradhakshiNam

fashion. BhAgavathAs consider themselves as Gopis

and relate to the sacred lamp at the center as

SarvAbharaNa BhUshitha , JyOthirmaya Baala KrishNan

playing on His flute on the banks of YamunA river

and performing RaasaleelA with them .

 

The songs are sung as the BhagavathAs come around

the sacred dheepam . These songs are the dhivya-

NaamA krithis , which have many charanams ranging on

the average from 4 to 8 charaNams.Some have even

12 charaNams to prolong the enjoyment of the Bhagaavth

anubhavam during the sathsangam .

 

The tradition is for one bhaagavathar to sing one CharaNam

and the next Bhaagavathar to sing the next charaNam

and the pallavi will be sung in chorus fashion by all

assembled. This will all be done , while BhagavathAs

stand around the sacred dheepam representing the Lord

at the center. The BhagavathAs will then sit down and sing

slOkams from the gOpikA/Yugala) gItham chapter of Srimath

BhAgavavtham ( Canto X.35).These are the songs sung by

Gopis during the day time in rememberance of their Lord .

The 24th and the 25th slOkams of the YugaLa githam

provide an example of the intense adoration of

Lord KrishNA by the gOpis :

 

" with a bright look , sporting a floral wreath

and gladdening His friends , here comes KrishNaa ,

the leader of the Yadhu clan , like a moon assuaging

the day long heat of seperation of the inhabitants

of VrajA -His eyes rolling in a slightintoxication

of bliss , His face flushed like a BadarA fruit ,

His cheeks shining with the lustre of

golden ear-rings , and His gait resembling that

of a lordly elephant ( --mudhitha vakthra upayAthi

dhurantham mOchayan vrajagavAm dhina thApam)".

 

After the singing of the GopikA Geetham , the BhAgavathAs

will continue with the recital of " aN^gaNAm aN^gaNAm

antarE Maadhavam " slOkam and the circling around

the Dheepam as the enactment of Raasa leelA will

take place.

 

The symbolic mesage of Raasa leelA is summarized

by Sri NaarAyana Bhattadhiri this way:

 

virahEshvangAramaya: srungAramayasccha sangamEhi thvam

nitharAmAngAramayastathra puna: sangamEpi chithramidham

-- Sri NaarayaNeeyam : X. 66.9

 

(meaning ): Oh KrishNA ! for the gOpis , You were

like unbearbale heat during the seperations from You

(VislEsham ) and in union (samslEsham )with them

were like the essence of the bliss of srungAram .

Now during Your performance of raasa leelA , Thou art

anga aramayan ( bliss of KrishNAnubhavam ). What

a mystery your deeds are ? .

 

After the raasa leelA enactment , the sacred lamp

is carried back by the eldest bhAgavathA to the aasthAnam

(altar of the Lord) and the Lord is lulled to sleep

with the performance of dhOlOthsavam.

 

SAINT THYAGARAAJAA IMAGINED THIS LAMP TO REPRESENT

RAAMAA , HIS ISHTA DHAIVAM AND UPAASANAA MOORTHY

AND COMPOSED ALL HIS DHIVYA NAAMAAS ON RAAMACHANDRAN.

SADHGURU THYAAGARAAJA SWAMIGAL PERFORMED DAILY DHIVYA NAAMA

KRITHI SINGING AND DHOLOTHSAVAM. Even today , mostly

the krithis of Saint ThyagarAjA are used during

dhOlOthsavam (the Laali songs : uyyALa lUgavayyA

in NeelAmbhari , lAli yUgave in NeelAmbhari ,

KshIra Saagara vihAra in Ananadha Bhairavi ,

lAli lAli yani uchatarA in Hari KaambhOji

and lAli vana mAli in raagam , kEdAra gowLai ).

 

The many upachAra krithis are also sung at this time

as the Lord and His divine consort are offered

milk, bhakshaNams , TaambhUlam and the BhaagavathAs

pray for the blessings of SithA Raaman .AparAdha

KshAmaNam for any unintended flaws in AarAdhanam

are requested ; gadhya-padhya vachanams are

recited after singing the "pUla pAmbu paini "

in raagam Aahiri .ShObhAnam krithi ( shObAne )

is sung next.The Lord now rests in His Hamsa

dhULikA manjam (bed) and He is lulled to sleep

to the naadham of "jO jO RaamA " in raagam,

rIthi GowLai. The curtain is drawn down and

the slOkAs in neelAmbhuri are sung to enhance

His comfort :

 

dhvArakA nagara varE saaravindhu davaLa

shaudE kalita varaahadUpE karpUra dhIpayutE

mR^iga nAbhi parimaLatE mR^iduLOpadAna yutE

MAdhavi kusuma talpE mAdava sEshva sukam ...

 

SanakAdhi muni gEya sAkEta pura vAsa

JanakasudhA hR^innilaya Sri RaamA sEshava sukam ..

 

Saint ThyagarAja SwamigaL will now alert

the dhvAra paalakAs (gate keepers) that their Lord

is enjoying His Yoga nidhrA and ask them to avoid

any disturbance to their Lord"s sleep:

 

kaavEri thIrE kamanIya gEhE navatuLasI VanamAli

navarasa yutha dEvanAri chAmara malayAnilavara sevitE

Sri Raamachandra: SeethA samEtha chete Sundara sEsha sayanE

Sri Raama Raama RaamEthi geetham praakaara rakshaNam kurvanthu

 

ahO pUrvadvArashta: Jaya VijayAdhi

dhvAra paalakA: sarve parama bhagavOtthamA:

Sri Raamachandra SeethA sametha sannayodhyAnam

rathna maNtapE varyaN^kE

hamsadhULikA talpamaN^jE kusuma sayanE

yOga nidhrAm anubhavathi

tathra bhavantha: sAvadhAnatayaa

poorva prAkAra rakshaNam kurvanthu

 

BHADRAM . BHADROSMI .

 

After alerting the gate keepers, Sadhguru

Swami will sing the last MangaLam for the day

spent in Sri RaamAraadhanam in a mangala

raagam like GhantA , Aahiri or NaadanAmakriyA

to differnetiate them from other raagams used

during the day for MangaLams like Sri raagam

or MadhyamAvathi.

 

Sadhguru SwamigaL will now rest for the night and would

be blessed with divine conversations with the Lord

during his sleep .He will wake up at Brahma

muhUrtham for another day of worship of

his dear Lord .

 

Sri Raamchandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradaachAri Sadagopan

 

P.S : I am indebted to Sri Aravind KrishNan ,

one of the fellow editors of the SangItham

Journal of the Carnatic Music association

of North America for valuable exchange of

information on the DakshiNa Bhajana sampradhAyam.

 

PPS: One must remember the times of birth of

these Dhivya Naama krithis of Saint ThyagarAjA.

It was the time of sangItha medhais (genius)

like ThOdi SeethAraamaiah , SankarAbharaNam

Narasayaa et al, who used their manOdharmam

to elaborate extensively the svarUpams

of these Raagams thru raagam , thAnam and Pallavi.

These raagAs were their family jewels.

 

At this time, there were also many mahAns

who celebrated the Lord thru Bhakthi-laden

dhivya NaamAs and slOkams to stay away from

any ahankAra-MamakArams thru musical displays.

The common folk joined in these bhajanais and

grew their own Bhakthi to the Lord.Bhakthi here

took the first place and SangItham took

the secondary place at Bhajani matams .

 

It is at this time , Saint ThyagarAja

arrived on the scene and thru his Raama

Bhakthi mahimai united the bhAva thryams

( SangItha Bhaavam, Saahithya Bhaavam and

Bhakthi Bhaavam) and melted the hearts of

paNdithAs and paamarAs thru the hundreds of

krithis that he composed as nadha naivEdhyam to

Lord RaamachandrA.He united thus the sangItha

siddhAntham and the Bhakthi SiddhAntham and

his arpaNams flowed like a mighty river

touching both the banks of sangItham and Bhakthi.

The result was the nectar of Sri Raama Naama

siddhAntham , which was like navanItham/

ThirattuppAl and was distributed to the bhakthAs

during his Unchivrutthi , regular Bhajanais ,

EkAdasi vratha bhajanai , nithyOthsavams and

VisEsha Uthsavams like Sri Raama navami .He plunged

into the deep ocean of SangItham and brought out

radiant rare gems and pearls and strung them into

exquisite necklaces and placed them at the sacred

feet of the Lord as his arpaNams.

 

Jaya Jaya Raama! Jaya Jaya SithA Raama !