" Prakalla Nilabhadi koliche--" karaharapriyA Raaga kruthiof Saint ThyagarAjA.

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Raaama BhakthAs:

 

This great krithi containing some of the sahithya passage

gems and bhakthi rasAnubhavam of an advanced Raama

BhakthA has been popular with musicians for a long time.

Let us enjoy this bhakthi-soaked krithi of SrI Thyaga Brahmam.

 

This krithi is one in the series that celebrates

the MahAthmyam of BhakthAs of the Lord and defines

their attributes ( Bhaktha Lakshanam). The other krithis

on this topic are:Bhakthuni charithramu vinavE , ManasA

set in BhEgaDa rAgam , ataDE dhanyuDurA oh manasA set in

Kaapi rAgam and KaruNa yElAganDE nee vidhamE set in VarALi

Raagam.

 

Pallavi:

********

Prakkala(Pakkala) nilaBadi golichE mucchaDa

Baaga dhelpa raadhaa

 

(My dear Ones ), let me feast my eyes with delectation

to the fullest extent on the dhivya darsanam of Yours

with Lord Ramachandra as You both ( SithA PirAtti and

Lakshmana Swamy) stand on the alternate sides of Your Lord

with deep reverence and in an enduring mode of service to Him.

 

Anupallavi:

***********

Chukkala rAyani gEru-mOmugala

sudhathi Seethamma Soumithri Raamuni kiru

 

Oh Most beautiful Seethammma! Oh forever Dutiful LakshmaNa

Swamy known for Your Kaimkarya sampath ! Let me feast on

the nectarine anubhavam of the glorious sight of both of

You with Your dear Lord as You both stand by attentively

on alternate sides to serve Your Lord ! Oh my dear Mother

Seethamma!Your beautiful face is decorated with the lustrous

pearl-like teeth that defeats the Moon , the King of stars,

(Chukkala Raayuni) in their resplendence .

 

CharaNam

*********

ThanuvuchE vandhana mOnarinchu-chunnAra?

Chanuvuna nAma-keerthana sEyuchunnAra?

manasuna dhalaci maimarachi yunnAra

nenarunchi ThyagarAjanithO Hari, Hari! mee riru

 

Oh Charming SithammA! Oh Kaimkarya Lakshmi

Sampanna Soumithri! Are You both displaying

your Kaayika Bhakthi through Your prostrations

(ShAshtAnga NamaskAras) before Him with all your being ?

 

Are You both displaying Your Maanasa Bhakthi

through losing Yourself in trance , while You

meditate on His dhivya soundharyam and limitless

auspicious attributes (anantha klayANa guNams)?

 

Are You both displaying Your Vaachika Bhakthi through

the singing of His thousand auspicious naamAs ?

 

Please permit me to enjoy this aanandha anubhavam

of You both standing side by side with Your Lord

in a mood of reverence and Kaimkaryam.

 

Sage Naaradha in his Bhakthji SoothrAs and

His sishyan, PrahlAdhA in SrImad Bhaagavatham

have defined the 11 and 9 PrAkArAs ( major modes )

of Bhakthi. Some of these modes of Bhakthi are:

SravaNam , Keerthanam, SmaraNam , PaadasEvanam,

Archanam , Vandhanam , Daasyam , Sakhyam

and Athma NivEdhanam. All of these lead to

Tanmayathvam , a state of being totally

absorbed in Him .

 

DhyAnam , Naama Sankeethanam , Paadha Sevanam

are selected here to relate to Maanasa, Vaachika

and Kaayika mode of worship. In Jana ranjani Raagam,

Swamigal has pointed out that the happiness for him is

the constant memory of the Lord and His name.Here ,

ThyAgarAja SwamigaL salutes two exemplary BhakthAs

of the Lord of AyOdhyA , His divine consort and

brother filled with Kaimkarya SrI. Darsanam of

all the three of them thrills the heart of

ThyAgarAja SwamigaL as He enjoys them on Yeka Peetam

in his poojA gruham. This krithi burst out of him

during one such occasion. The sublime and insatiable

sight of the Lord being served by His divine

consort known for Her matchless beauty and

the dutiful LakshmaNa known for His sworn servitude

to his brother touches the heart strings of

Saint ThyagarAja and he longs for that darsanam to

persist a little longer.

 

Sudhathi SeethammA is mentioned first since

ThAyAr is always approached first in our tradition

for intercession with Her Lord. A great Bhaagavathan

like Lakshmana is addressed next as Soumithri.His Bhaaagyam

in serving the Lord without interruption at all times

and places has been celebrated by the Saint of

ThiruvayyARu in the Krithi : Soumithri BhAgyamu".

 

The intense desire to perform PaadhasEvanam for

His Lord has been expressed by ThyagarAja Swamy

in many keethanams like RaghunAyaka in Hamsadhvani,

SrI Maanini ManOharA in raagam Poorna shadjam .

He expresses his passionate longing for pressing

the Lord's Thiruvadi, a bhAgyam experienced by

SithA PirAtti and Lakshmana Swamy . He expresses

this desire in one of his SavEri krithi:

 

anudhinamu nIdu padhAbhjamula

nottucunnu teruna nAloni

 

(Will You grant me the boon and fulfil my

longing to press Your lotus feet every day ?).

 

SeethammA's kaimkaryam of preparing Milk at

the right temperature --neither too hot nor too

cold-- for Her Lord has been referred to in the ThOdi Krithi

of "AaaragimpavE , PaalAragimpavE".In this krithi,

the Saint asks the Lord to drink the milk made

holy (pavithree krutham) by the touch of

SeethammA's sacred hands.

 

Referring to the daily Kaimkaryams of Seethamma

and LakshmaNa Swamy , SwamigaL refers to them

serving their Lord with PaansupAri ( Vidamu

sEyavE Nannu VidanAdakavE )in Raaga Karahara Priya.

Here SwamigaL prays to the Lord to accept

the PaansupAri prepared with love by the very hands

of SeethammA as Lakshmana Swamy stands by with

gem-bedecked spitton in his hand on the other side.

 

The saahithya , SangItha and Bhakthi Bhaavam enshrined

in this KaraharapriyA Krithi makes it one of the most

beautiful krithis to listen to.

 

SrI SeethA Lakshmana SamEtha SrI RaamachandrAya Nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan