Tyagaraja Kriti Series- krti for today - Aparama Bhakti Raga pantuvarali

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SrI:

SrI raghunandana parabrahmaNe namaha

 

Title: appa rAma

Raga: pantuvarAli

In the kRti ‘appa rAma bhakti’ – rAga pantuvarALi – SrI tyAgarAja extols the potency of rAma bhakti.

Pallavi

 

appa rAma bhakti(y)entO gopparA mA(yappa)

 

Anupallavi

 

trippaTalanu tIrci kaNTi reppa valenu kAcu mA(yappa)

 

Charanam1

 

lakSmi dEvi valacunA lakSmaNuNDu kolucunA sUkSma

buddhi gala bharatuDu jUci jUci solasunA mA(yappa)

 

Charanam2

Sabari(y)eGgil(i)ccunA candra dharuDu meccunA abala

svayamprabhaku daivam(a)cala padavin(i)ccunA mA(yappa)

 

Charanam3

 

kapi vAridhi dATunA kaliki rOTa kaTTunA aparAdhi tyAgarAjuk(A)nandamu heccunA mA(yappa)

 

Gist

 

Devotion to our father rAma is indeed very best which, by bringing to an end the wandering(s) (of the mind), protects the devotee like the eye lids (protecting) the eyes!

Devotion to our father rAma is indeed very best but for which –

(1) would lakshmI dEvi so fervently love Him? or

(2) would lakshmaNa serve Him with such dedication? or

(3) would bharata, having a sharp intellect, feel ecstatic by beholding Him again and again? or

(4) would Sabari offer (already) tasted (and thus unfit for offering) fruits? or

(5) would Lord Siva -wearer of (crescent) moon extol Him? or

(6) would the Lord bestow eternal state to the lass svayamprabha? or

(7) can a monkey leap across the mighty ocean? or,

(8) can an ordinary cow-herd woman tie the Lord to mortar? or

(9) can bliss be heightened to this sinner tyAgarAja?

 

Word-by-word Meaning

 

P Devotion (bhakti) to our (mA) father (appa) (mAyappa) rAma is indeed very (entO) (bhaktiyentO) best (goppa) (goppara)!

 

A Devotion to our (mA) father rAma is indeed very best which, by bringing to an end (tIrci) the wandering(s) (trippaTalanu) (of the mind), protects (kAcu) the devotee like (valenu) the eye (kaNTi) lids (reppa) (protecting) the eyes!

 

C1 Devotion to our (mA) father rAma is indeed very best but for which would lakshmI dEvi so fervently love (valacunA) Him? or would lakSmaNa (lakSmaNuNDu) serve (kolucunA) Him with such dedication? Or would bharata (bharatuDu) having (gala) a sharp (sUkSma) intellect (buddhi) feel ecstatic (solasunA) by beholding Him again and again (jUci jUci)?

 

C2 Devotion to our (mA) father rAma is indeed very best but for which – would Sabari offer (iccunA) (already) tasted (and thus unfit for offering) (eGgili) (SabariyeGgiliccunA) fruits? or would Lord Siva -wearer (dharuDu) of (crescent) moon (candra) extol (meccunA) Him? or would the Lord (daivamu) bestow (iccunA) eternal (acala) (daivamacala) state (padavini) (padaviniccunA) to the lass (abala) svayamprabha (svayamprabhaku)?

 

C3 Devotion to our (mA) father rAma is indeed very best but for which – can a monkey (kapi) leap across (dATunA) the mighty ocean (vAridhi)? or, can an ordinary cow-herd woman (kaliki) tie (kaTTunA) the Lord to mortar (rOTa)? or can bliss (Anandamu) be heightened (heccunA) to this sinner (aparAdhi) tyAgarAja (tyAgarAjuku) (tyAgarAjukAnandamu)?

 

Notes –

 

General – In the book of TSV/AKG, the rAga is given as ‘kAmavardhini’.

 

A – kAcu – this is how it is given in the book of CR; however, in all other books it is given as ‘kAcunA’. As the anupallavi is required to be connected to pallavi in order to complete the meaning, ‘kAcu’ is appropriate; it is not possible to connect anupallavi to pallavi with ‘kAcunA’. Any suggestions ???

 

C2 – SabariyeGgiliccunA – this is how it is given in all the books other than CR wherein it is given as ‘SabariyeGgiliniccunA’. This needs to be checked. Any suggestions ???

 

C2 – SabariyeGgiliccunA -‘eGgili’ means ‘leftover of eatables’ – As per vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, AraNya kANDa, Chapter 74 (rAma meeting Sabari), there is no mention of Sabari offering bitten and tasted fruits. The following verses are relevant

pAdyamAcamanIyaM ca sarvaM prAdAt yathAvidhi | 7 ||

...and offered (to the honoured guests) with due ceremony water to bathe their feet and rinse their mouth with and every (other) form of hospitality,...

Sabari said

mayA tu saMcitaM vanyaM vividhaM puruSarSabha || 17 ||

tavArthE puruSavyAghra pampAyAstIrasambhavaM || 18||

“O Jewel among men! Produce of the forest of every description growing on the brink of pampA has therefore been gathered by me for you, O tiger among men!â€

(For the traditional version of Sabari offering tasted fruits, please visit web site -http://members.rediff.com/saivani/Sabari.htm )

 

C2 -candra dharuDu meccunA -The reference to Lord Siva is from phalaSruti of viSNu sahasranAmaM where dEvi pArvathi asks Lord Siva the means for hearing the thousand(s of) names of viSNu recited by the learned every day. The Lord Siva replies that simple repetition of the name of ‘rAma’ would be equal to reciting viSNu sahasranAmaM.

 

C2 -abala svayamprabhA -The story of svayaMprabhA comes in the kiSkindA kAnda of rAmAyaNa. During their search of sIta, AJjanEya and others reach a divine cave, where they find a wonderful city guarded by an aged ascetic woman by name svayamprabhA. She is daughter of merusAwarNi and has been granted boons by Gods. However, vAlmIki rAmAyaNa doesn’t seem to contain any further reference about her emancipation in the hands of SrI rAma. This is found in adhyAtma rAmAyaNa – kiSkindA kANDa – 6th Chapter.

 

C3 -kapi vAridhi dATunA – Before leaping over the ocean AJjanEya utters these words to the monkeys –

“As an arrow loosed by Sri Rama would fly with the speed of wind, I too would likewise course to Lanka guarded by Ravana. If I don’t find Sita in Lanka, I shall certainly proceed with the same speed to heaven. If I don’t find Sita in heaven even after exerting myself, I shall bring Ravana, in chains. At all events I shall return successful with Sita†(SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, sundara kANDa, Chapter 1, verses 38 – 42).

However, in spite of his best efforts he could not locate sIta – even though aSOka vana, where sIta was kept as captive, was just in his sight. He becomes despondent and even contemplates of becoming an ascetic (ibid Chapter 13, verse 54). Then, drawing up courage, prays to rAma, lakSmaNa and sItA and other Gods before venturing into aSOka vana (ibid, verse 59). And, there, he finds sItA.

It is indeed strange that the grace of the very person who sent AJjanEya on this mission (SrI rAma) and the person searched (sItA) should be sought. SrI tyAgarAja enjoys this contradiction in the kRti 'rAma rAma nIvAramu gAmA’ – rAga Ananda bhairavi wherein he states -'marugu jEsukonun(a)TTi mahima rArA’ – ‘O Lord who seems as if His Might is screened’. SrI tyAgarAja worshipped SrI rAma as para brahman.

The great hari kathA exponent Brahma Sri TS Balakrishna Sastrigal explains (in his discourse on Thyagaraja Ramayana) the feat of AnjanEya leaping across the ocean as the effect of devotion of AnjanEya. But when the bhakta develops ego and thus boastfulness, the job undertaken does not fructify. The boastful AnjanEya at the beginning of the journey understands his limits and hence prayer to SrI rAma and mother sItA for their grace – for searching sItA Herself.

 

C3 -kaliki rOta kaTTunA -The episode in kRSNAvatara where yaSOda ties SrI kRSNa – as a child – to a mortar is mentioned here. The following verses in SrImad bhAgavataM, Book 10, Chapter 9 are relevant –

svamAtu: svinnagAtrAyA visrastakabarasraja: | dRSTvA pariSramaM kRSNa: kRpayA AsIt svabandhanE || nAyaM sukhApO bhagavAn dEhinAM gOpikAsuta: | jnAninAM cAtmabhUtAnAM yathA bhaktimatAmiha || (18,21)

“Perceiving the over-exertion of His mother, whose body was bathed in perspiration, the wreaths tied around his braid fallen down, SrI kRSNa allowed himself to be bound by Himself out of (sheer) compassion.

Lord kRSNa is not so easily accessible in this world to those identified with their body or even to men of wisdom who have become one with Him; but only to those possessed of devotion to Him.â€

Please also refer to kRti of Papanasam Sivan – ‘enna tavam saidanai yaSOdA’ wherein he wonders at the fortune of a milk-maid who could tie the Supreme Lord to a mortar.

 

Additional Notes by Sri V.Sadagopan:

 

Raagam Pantuvarali is the same as the 51st MeLa raagam, Kaamavardhini.

 

The ArOhaNa /AvarOhanams are ;

S R1 G3 M2 D1 N3 S/ S N3 D1 P M2 G3 R1 S

Suddha Rishabham, antara GhAndhAram, Prati Madhyamam, Suddha dhaivatam and Kaakali Nishadhams are involved. In Dikshitar’s/Venkatamahi’s asampoorNa Paddhati, this is known as KaaSi Raamakriya.

 

Madhurai Mani Iyer, Ariyakkudi RaamAnuja IyengAr have made the renderings of “Appa Raama Bhakti†famous. Madhurai MaNi Iyer’s svara PrastAram is included in this essay:

http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/audio/aparamabhaktiMMI.mp3

 

This kriti belongs to the class of kritis praising the greatness of Raama Bhakti such as the Thodi Kriti “yEmi jEsitE nEmi†made famous by Ariyakkudi RaamAnuja IyengAr, the Balahamsa kriti, “ika gAvalasina dhEmi manasA, Sukhamuna nunDvadhEmi?â€, the Suddha BangALa kriti “Raama Bhakti SaamrAjyamuâ€, and the Kannada kriti, “idhE bhAgyamu gAkayEmi yunnadhirA ? Raama!â€

Raama DhAsan, Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

NOTE: Those who prefer to have a PDF or WORD document copy of this write-up can download either of the format from the following links:

WORD doc: http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/word_docs/apparama_pantuvarali.doc

PDF: http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/tyagaraja_kritis_project/pdf/ apparama_pantuvarali.pdf