Raama Bhakthi of Saint ThyagarAja(PART III): Dhivya Naama Krithis

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Raama BhakthAs:

 

In the context of the Creation of a special list

for saluting Raama ChaithanyAs like Saint ThyagraajA ,

adiyEn is copying the wider lists for one or two more

postings . After that , I will release the postings

in fewer lists including the RaamaBhakthi List:

 

RaamaBhakthi-

 

In this posting , adiyEn will cover the rest of

the twenty plus Dhivya Naama Krithis of Saint ThyAgarAja.

 

Prior to that , I would like to add a clarification

regarding Unchavrutthi practised by Saint ThyagarAja.

He belongs to the category of Unchavruthti BhAgavathars .

They are some times invited by devotees to grace their

villages to have the blessings of sambhandham with

such BhaagavathAs. Saint ThyagarAja was invited by

the residents of MaanambucchAvadi , KarumtattAngudi

et al for such Unchavrutthhi Bhaagavantha visits.

These are villages near Tanjore/ThiruvayyARu.

At his own home town of ThiruvayyARu, ThyAga Brahmmam

went once a week for Unchavrutthi around the Raaja

Veedhis of ThiruvayyARu , which was enough for him to

gather rice and other food materials to take care of

his family's jeevanam . The dhivya Naama krithis rose

on those occasions.

 

We will now continue with the next ten of the dhivya Naamaa

Krithis:

 

21) Yadhukula KaambhOji Raagam , Jampa TaaLam :

" SrI Raama raghurAma SrungAra Raamayani chinthinjarAdhE

oh manasaa with 9 charaNams.

 

Here ThyAga Brahmam asks his mind (Maanasa sambhOdhanam)

as to why it wont meditate upon SrI Raama , the beautiful.

He reflects on the great soubhAgyam of Mother Kausalya ,

DasaraTA , LakshmaNA , VisvAmithrA, AhalyA , SivA ,

King Janakaa, Jaanaki and Naaradha through their

various connections to Lord Raamachandra through

poorva janma sukruthams (Tapas)and longs for such

blessings.

 

KausalyA's soubhAgyam was the opportunity to

kiss the shining cheeks of her darling child

(TaLuku chekkalu muddhu BhEddu Kousalya munu

tapamEmi jEsinO teliya ). DasaraTaa had the soubhAgyam

of calling his dear son with affection as "Raamaa" .

Lakshmanan had ths great bhAgyam of serving his

brother exclusively ( tanivAra paricharya sEya

Soumithri munu tapamEmi jEsinO teliya). Sage VisvAmithra"s

soubhAgyam was to lead Raamachandran to SiddhAsramam

(KousikudutapamEmi jEsinO telita). AhalyA had the association

with the PaadhAngri rENu ( the speck of dust from the Lord's

Thiruvadi) ; SivA's bow had the sparsa soubhAgyam of

KalyANa Raaman; King Janaka had the good fortune of

giving away his daughter to the Lord as bride and feasting

his eyes on the beauty of the wedded couple; Jaanaki had

the MahA soubhAgyam of holding RaamA's hand with

ecstasy ( DaharamBhu karaga karamanu BhaDDa Jaanaki

tapamEmi jEsinO teliya).

 

22)Yadhukula KaambhOjI krithi with 9 charaNams: another

Maanasa SambhOdhana Krithi , where he begs his mind to

to meditate on the Lord : " ChinthithsarAdhE Oh Manasaa".

 

23)SankarAbharaNa krithi with 7 charaNams : The dhvani of

the krithi shows his joyous mood in celebrating the Lord's

dhivya NaamAs: " vara Leela GhAnalOla SurapAla GuNa Jaala

Bharitha neela gana hrudhAlaya sruthi moola sukaruNAlavAla

paalayAsumAm "

 

24)SankarAbharaNa krithi:" Gatha mOhA sritha BaalAdhbhutha

SeethA RamaNA " . RaamAyaNam is recognized by Sage VaalmIki

as " SeethaYaa: Charitham mahath" . Here , Saint ThyagarAjA,

who is an incarnation of Sage VaalmIki salutes Lord

Raamachandran appropriately as SeethA RamaNan.

 

25)SankarAbharaNa Krithi: "ParipAlaya DaasaraTE Raama mAm

paripAlaya DaasaraTE" with 7 charaNams.

 

26) SankarAbharana Krithi: Paahi Raamachandra Paalitha

SurEndhra " with 4 CharaNam.

 

27) SankaraAbharaNa Krihthi with 11 CharaNams: " SrI Raghuvara

DaasaraTE Raama".

 

28)Aarabhi Krithi : " Oh Raama Oh Raama OmkAradhAma

Oh Raama Oh Raama Onarinchu prEma" with 11 charaNam.

 

29) Aarabhi Krithiwith 10 CharaNams: " PalukavEmi Pathitha

Paaavana KaruNajilkavEmi sujana jeevana". The taaLam

is Tisralaghu. In a mood of dejection , ThyAga Brahmam

addresses the Lord as "Pathitha Paavan" ( Redeemer of

the Fallen). ThyagarAja SwamigaL questions the Lord

tightly : " How is it that You will not talk to me ,

nor display me even a little of Your abundant compassion ,

though I endure any amount of distress , though I weep

and cry aloud , though I study much about Your charithram,

though I contemplate on You constantly , though I perform

Kaimkaryams for You with affection , though I adore You

much , though I movingly appeal to You to come to my rescue,

though I follow the angAs of SaraNAgathi such as Aanukoolya

Sankalpam, PrAthikoolya Varjanam , KaarpaNyam , MahA VisvAsam

and GOpthruva VaraNam and Aathma samarpaNam , You do not

come to me quickly. Oh Ocean of DayA ! I am entirely Yours".

 

The dhvani of the krithi and the alliteration of

the Saahithya passages are moving :

 

"aaDina ninnu paaDina yEntha vEDina koniyADina,

kOrina marugu jErina ninnu dhUrina yEntha pOrina

telisina buddhi galsina joochi solasina pEru delisina

NaagarAja Sayana vEga raa SrI ThyAgarAjanutha gruNAsAgara "

 

30)DevagAndhAri Krithi with 7 charaNams : " Paalaya SrI

Raghuveera SukrupAlaya Raaja KumAra mAm"

 

31) PoorNachandrikA Raaga krithi with 6 charanams:

 

"SrI Raama Raama JagathAthma Raama

SrI Raama RaghurAma paahi ParamAthma"

 

The nAmAs by which ThyagarAja SwamigaL addresses

the Lord here in a mood of nirvEdha are moving :

 

JyOthirmayAkhaNda Roopa Paahi !

Sarva-grahAdhara bhUtha Paahi!

YOgijana HrudhayAbdha Mithra Paahi!

SrIdhAntha , BhOgisaayee ! Paahi

Saantha nirvANa Phaladha Paahi!

GeervANa Munivandhya ! sujanEshtadhAtha Paahi!

Dheera ! Bhava saagarOttharana Paahi!

 

He concludes in the fifth charaNam that there is

no one for him except the Lord :

 

Thvam vinA nAnyathra jaanE Raama

Thvam vinA kO gathirjAnakIjAnE ?

 

Oh Soul of the Universe ! I know of none

except You to protect me.I know of nothing

beyond You! Without You , what gathi (direction)

is for me ? Please come to my rescue .

 

32) Junjoodi Raagam with 12 charaNams:

" Raama Raama Raama Raama rArA SeethA Raama "

 

33) VarALi mELam with 6 CharaNams:

" Taranu Nee sari Dhaivamu ghAnara Raghuvara "

 

VarALi is an adhbhutha ghana Raagam chosen by

SwaamigaL for his Joyous Kana kana ruchira krithi.

He has composed 15 krithis in Raaga varALi and

five among them are Dhivya Naama krithis.In the other

MeLa Raagam of Dheera SankarAbharaNam , SwamigaL has

composed 31 krithis out of which five again are

Dhivya Naama krithis.

 

34) VarALi Krithi with 8 charaMams:"Paahi ParamAthma

Sathatham mAm"

 

35) VarALi Krithi with 8 CharaNams:" Paahi RamA Ramana

mAm pAhi , SathguNa GaNa harE Raama "

 

36) VarALi Krithi with 12 Charanams: " Raama SrIraama

jitha Raama gatha Kaama " The glories of PrAsam and

Laya Vimarisai of this krithi is exceptional to display

the genius of SrI ThyAga Brahmam as a Sahaja VaaggEyakArar

(Natural born composer) with a heart soaked in Raama Bhakthi.

 

37) VarALi Raaga krithi : SrI Raama Jaya Raama Sritha Jana

ripu bheema, srungAra guNa dhAma " with 11 charaNams.

 

38) Panthu VarALi (51st MeLam): " Param Paavana GuNasAli

nannu paalimpavE VanamAli"

 

39) SaarangA Krithi (MEcha KalyANi Janyam): with 6 charaNams:

" Maamava RaghurAma MaragathamaNi ShyAma " One of the 7 krithis

composed by the bard in this Raagam is this dhivya nAma krithi.

 

40) MOhana Raaga krithi with 11 charaNams : DayarAni DayarAni

DaasaraTE Raama"

 

The Bhagavd anubhavam expressed by the bard is exquisite:

 

" When the desire for You comes up in me , the whole

universe looks like a trifle as a blade of grass "

( " aasinchu vELa jagamantha thruNamAyEnu Raama").

 

Here SwamigaL begs for the Lord's grace to flow unto him.

When that grace flows , SwamigaL says that his bliss

would be indescribable ; his whole body will become

thrilled;tears of joy will roll down his eyes; all

my worries will disappear , when You are at my side.

 

41) KalyANi Raagam ( mEla Raagam ) . One of the 19 krithis

composed by Saint ThyAgarAja is this Dhivya Naama Krithi:

" BhajarE Raghuveeram Sara-bharitha DasaraTa KumAram" with 10

charaNams.

 

Here the athyantha Raama Bhakthan invites us us to worship

the Raghu Veeran , the RaajAthi Raajan , who has blessed

him with many boons.The UpadEsams of the Saint in this krithi

are universally appropriate as an AchAryan:

 

" Give up greed and unworthy desires; do not engage in

slander of others; control your five senses , deeeming

worldly happiness as nothing but poison;understand that

all things will not serve your purpose , but go their

own way , knocking about hither and thither; do not

engage yorself in other distracting work. Do not put on

false garbs to decieve the world , like the proverbial tiger

in cow's skin. Abandon all mischevous pursuits. Let the crossing

of the ocean of SamsAra be your sole aim. Take delight

in doing good deeds. Surrender all your actions to the Lord .

Join the company of true devotees and learn the path of

devotion. Have always in your mind SrI Raama ,who is

outside the three guNAs and worship Him. Subjugate lust

and other inner enemies and achieve your lofty goal

(parama PurushArTam)".

 

42) YamunA KalyANi Krithi with 3 charaNams: " Raama Raama

Raama mAm Paahi" . There are 5 krithis composed by the Saint

in this Raagam and this one is the only Dhivya nAma

krithi in this raagam.

 

There are number of other krithis , which will fit

the category of dhivya NaamAs on the basis of the assembly

of dhivya nAmAs in the Krithis. Few Examples are:

 

1)HusEni Krithi,RaamA ninnE namminAnu nijamukha SeethArAmaa"

 

2) KedAragowlai krithi , ChApu TaaLam: " KaruNAjaladhi!

DaasaraTE ! kamaneeya suguNa nidhi"

 

3) madhyamAvathi krithi : "Raama ! samayamu bhrOvarA

nApAli Dhaivama"

 

4) AsAvEri Krithi: " MaapAli vElasi"

 

The namskaraNams in this krithi suggest

that this krithi could easily be classed

as a dhivya Naama krithi :" DhIna Rakshaka! BhakthAdhIna!

SaakEthanagarAdhIsa! SamAna rahitha! BhavasAgarAnthaka!

SaraNAgathAptha! AapathbhAndhava! ThyAgarAja Vinutha! "

 

SrI Raamachandra ! Raksha mAm SaraNAgatham !

Raama Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VardAchAri SadagOpan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DaasOham , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan