Thoughts evoked by listening to Dinamani vamsa Tilaka LaavaNyaa! kriti of Saint ThyagarAja Swamigal : Part 1

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Sriman VaradharAjan :

 

Many thanks for snding me the lovely rendering

of the HarikAmbhOji Krithi of ThyAgarAja

SwamigaL by Ariyakkudi RaamAnuja IyengAr .

Like MaayaamaaLa gouLai MeLa Raagam based

Janya Raagams were dear to Sri Muthtuswamy

Dheekshitar , HarikAmbhOji and its Janya Raagams

were dear to Sri ThyAga Brahmam . He composed

many moving krithis in this MeLa Raagam and

its Janya Raagams .

 

Thanks for sharing of the Krithti of

"DinamaNi Vamsa Tilaka LaavaNyaa "

by the inimitable Ariyakkudi Sri RaamAnuja

IyengAr, who was a dear friend of our Family .

I am sure our Members are going

to enjoy listening to this precious rendering :

 

http://www.yousendit.com/download/Q01FNHB3Q3RtNEpFQlE9PQ

 

I will now add a few observations on the anubhavam of

Saint ThyagarAja in enjoying the Lord's dhivya soundharyam.

 

Krithi :

 

Pallavi:

 

DinamaNivamsa tilaka! laavaNya!

dheena SaraNya !

 

Anupallavi :

 

manavini BhAguga madhini dalamchuchu

chanavanu nElu chAlugaa jAlu

 

CharaNam :

 

Sarvavinuta nanu samrakshimchanu

garvamu yEla gAchuvaa rEvarE ?

nirvikAra guNa! nirmala karadhruta-

parvata ! ThyAgarAja-sarvasvamou

 

(Meaning according to Sri C.RamanujAchAri):

 

" Oh Refuge of the Meek ! Pray, give Your best

consideration to my appeal and protect me with

affection .That will do and will also be appropriate.

Why this pride in the matter of protecting me?

Who else there is to do it ? You are everything to

ThyAgarAja ".

 

Comments: This is a dainyOkti krithi ( Plaintive

Pleading for protection by the Lord) . When Lord

Raaamachandran does not listen to his soulful

pleading , ThyagarAja will articulate his grievance

and anger in chosen words such as in the Bhiaravi

krithi ( IndhukA BhuDDichitivi nannaindhukA

BhuDDimchitivi?) : " Is it for this that you have

created me -for me to toss about and for You

to enjoy the fun at my expense ? ". This kind of

protest of the aggrieved devotee for being abandoned

by his Protector is known as the amarsha rOsha

rOshOkti (ARR) . To this group of ARR kritis

belong the UmAbharaNa Kriti of "Nijamarmamulanu"

which we will take up in a seperate posting .

 

Now reverting to the DhainyOkti Kritis , they

convey the melancholic mood of ThyAgarAja

SwamigaL arising from the feeling of neglect

and indifference of his Lord and Sarva Swami ,

Lord Raamachandran . He will become despondent

over the Lord's indifference and will feel like

a spurned pativrathai and angrily ask the Lord :

" parAku jEsina neekEmi phalamu galugurA ?".

In the pallavi Vaakyam of the JujAvaLi krithi ,

the upset devotee, ThyAga Brahmam asks :

" Oh the Most Supreme! What indeed do you

gain by being indifferent to me? ".

 

In another kriti set in ReetigowLai raagam

( chera rAvadEmirA ? Raamayya !) ,

Thyaga Brahmam will ask with a great

sense of pathos : " How is it that You do not

come to me ( anymore ) ?" . It is not proper

conduct on Your part. I am like an orphaned

girl without any protection clinging to her

husband's feet as her sole refuge for ptotection.

I rely on You totally for my samrakashaNam .

I am implorign You so many times to protect me

and not abnadon me . Should you look away as

I meditate on Your bewitching face and pine for

You ? This kriti has been rendered beautifully by

Aalatthur brothers movingly .

 

In a KaambhOji rAga Kriti made famous by

SrI T.R. Mahalingam and his sihsyar , SrI

N.Ramani , one can resonate to the soulful

cry of ThyAga Bhramam , when he questions

the Lord tightly and casts his doubts about

His power to protect His sincere devotees

and claiming the title of Bhakta ParAdheenan :

" yevarimADa vinnAvO, raavO-yindhu lEvO?

bhaLi! BhaLi!"

 

(Meaning): " Oh Lord ! To whose words have You

listened ? Wont You come (to me) ? Or is it that

You are not here ? well ! well ! "

 

Oh Lord ! I am dumbfounded at this mystery .

Having been brought up in the Vedic and

Saastaic traditons , I find it very difficult to

understand this mystery and unravel this

paradox.

 

All Your dear bhakthAs , who were blessed

to have Your saakshAthkAram have asserted

that You are forever engaged in the service of

Your bhaktAs . I have been feeling happy that

You are the sarva saktan who is bhakta parAdheenan

and one of saatvic frame of mind and reliable .

What am I to think now ?

 

The Raagam SankarAbharaNam was often

Saint ThyagarAja Swamy's choice to express

his sense of desolation at being abandoned by

Lord Raamachandra . Three Examples of

such SankarAbharaNa dhainyOkti krithis are :

 

1) YENDHUKEECHALAMU "

 

Why are you cross with me , Your

dear devotee? To whom am I to appeal

to redress the situation ? Where has

Your legendary forbearance gone ?

"taaLa naa taramaa ? " ( It is not possible

for me to bear this sufferign any longer ).

2) Yeevaraku juchinAdhi chAladhA ?

inkanAreetiyaa ?

 

You have a silent witness to my long sufferings

in thsi samsAric world . Is n't what You have

witnessed sofar sufficent for you to come to

my help ? " ninu vinaa yevaru?" . Who is

there for me except Your noble Self as

my rakshakan ? Accepting that You are

my only protector , I have been directing

my plaintive prayers to you all this time .

 

3) Raamaa-ramaNa raaraa Oh !

 

Oh Lord of Mahaa Lakshmi ! Oh Raamaa !

Please come before me ! " RaNAdhiSoora

SarNagata TvaccharaNam bhavatAraNamBhu

jEsunu " ( Oh greatest victor in the battles with

Your enemies ! adiyEn has surrendered at

Your lotus feet with Mahaa ViswAsam ).

Can not You shower Your KaruNA kaDAksham

on me and bless me promptly ?

 

We will continue with additional thoughts

on the dhainyOkti Kritis of Saint ThyagarAja

in the next posting .

 

Sri Raamachandra ParaBrahmaNE nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

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