SrI Nrusimha Jayanthi day , TaaraNa Samvathsaram

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

SrI Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaN E Nama:

 

On this day dear to SrI Lakshmi Nrusimhan , it is my pleasure

to share with you the compositions of Late Smt. K.M.Soundaryavalli (KMS).

 

SrIman Sunder Kidambi of Boston , who is doing so much for

archiving the texts and audios of our PoorvAchArya SthOthrams

has expanded his range of activities now to include one of the gifted

Musical Composers , Late Smt.KMS ( 1914-1994 C.E ).

 

Her life history , her compositions and audio recordings

in sung from are archived in SrI Sunder Kidambi's web pages

with the help of her son in law , Sriman K.N.Sundaram .

You will also find there the audios on "Yadhunandana Gadhyam

by a talented poet form Kerala and sung by Smt.K.M.S :

 

http://home.comcast.net/~skidambi/mp3_kns.html

 

She was born in Andhra Pradesh to a VaishNavite family from

Tamil NAdu. Her father was a reputed poet and scholar . His name

was NadathUr AmmAL Sri NarasimhAchArya. After marriage ,

the daughter moved to Tamil NAdu and relearnt Tamil . She had

minimum formal education and musical training. She lost in a row

the first six of her children in infancy. When she was pregnant

with her seventh child , she ascended the sacred hill of

ChOLa Simhapuram ( ShOLingar/KadikAchalam) , where

Lord Yoga Narasimhan and Sri Amruthavalli ThAyAr preside.

After her worship and soulful cry about the loss of so many

children in front of Lord Narasimhan , Smt . KMS fell asleep

and had a dream . In that svapnam , Sri Yoga Narasimhan

appeared and assured her that she will not only give birth to

the child that she was carrying but also have future issues.

In the same dream , she heard herself ask a question : " Why

should I not sing about the glories of the Lord , who is blessing

me with children? She heard the voice of the Lord saying:

" SING , I WILL LISTEN".

 

Smt.KMS woke up and composed a poem narrating the marvellous

sevai of Yoga Narasimha at the dhivya desam of ChOLa Simhapuram.

This wonderful narration born out of the krupA of Lord Narasimhan

is named : " Yoga Narasimha Seva ". She followed it up with

another poem entitled " DasAvathAram " .She began her life

as a composer in Telegu , Sanskrit and Tamil . She had 5 daughters

and 2 sons after recieving the anugraham of Vara PrasAdhi ,

SrI Yoga Narasimhan of ShOLingar.

 

She had many honors as a poet and singer . Four important

poems in Tamil about her Ishta Dhaivam , SrI Yoga Narasimhan

to remember on this Nrusimha Jayanthi day are:

 

1. Singarin Akshara Maala

2. Singarin ThingaL Maala

3. Saptha Vaara Sthuthi

4. Singarin VaravERppu

 

Singar is ofcourse Azhagiya Singar , the Lord of AhObilam

and ChOLa Simha Puram .

 

Akshara Maala is made up of lines starting with vowels,

consonants and vowelized consonants of Tamil Language.

Each line ends with Simmam .

 

Vowels are: A as in anbhu , Aa as in Aaanandham , i as in inbham ,

E as in Eeswaran , u as in ulaham , U as in Udurivi , Ye as in Yeppadi ,

yE as in yEmARRam , Ei as in Eivar , o as in oruvan , O as in OmkAram ,

Ou as in Oudatham .

 

Then the lines begin with Consonants and vowelized consonants:

 

Ka, kaa, ki, kee , ku , kU , kou , ko , kO etc .

 

This the format of Akshara Maala. Akshara Brahmam , Sri Narasimhan

is offered this garland of Aksharams as eulogy by the poet cum BhakthA .

 

Each of the lines starting with the vowels are repeated twice.

Here is an example of the Akshara Maala constructed by

Smt.K.M.S :

 

A. SINGARIN AKSHARA MAALAI

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

anbhuruvAna Narasimmam

anaitthulahum pORRi varum azhagiya Simmam

 

aadhArap-poruLAna Simmam

aanandhamudan yOgatthamarntha Narasimmam

 

inbamudan initthamarum Simmam

innal pala neeka varum iRaivanAm Simmam

 

EedilA puhazh Ongum intha

EerEzhu bhuvanangal eenRa Narasimmam

 

umbhar thozhum kazhaludaya Simmam anRu

utthaman PrahlAdhan uvanthadaintha Simmam

 

Oon koNDa uyir sErntha Simmam

Oodurivi iRaNiyan uram keeNDa Simmam

 

yekkAlum yenai aaLum Simmam yenRum

yeppadiyum Tannadimai yemakkaruLum Simmam

yEkkam tavirttharuLum Simmam

yEmARRam tavitthemmai yErkkum Simmam

 

EimkaranOdu amarar thozhum Simmam

EivarAm PaandavarkkaruL seytha Simmam

 

oppuyirvillAtha Simmam yenRum

oruvanAi-ulahu uyyavonRiyurai Simmam

 

OmkArap-poruLAna Simmam Tannai

OrAthavarhaLidam varAtha Simmam

 

OudhArya guNamikka Simmam yenRum

Oudatham pOl vinayai ahaRRum Narasimmam

 

akkArak-kaniyAna Simmam

mikkAnum takkAnumAi ninRa Simmam

 

AKKARAKKANI IS THE NAME GIVEN BY AZHWAR

TO YOGA NARASIMHAN OF CHOLA SIMHA PURAM.

These poems can be sung in Bhajanai format.

 

B. SINGARIN THINGAL MAALAI

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

These constitute 20 paasurams sung in RaagAs Naattai , GouLai ,

Aarabhi , VarALi , SrI ( Ghana Panchaka RaagAs) , KaambhOji ,

HindhOlam , SaarangA , SimhEndhramadhyamam , Amrutha VarshiNi ,

Hamsadhvani , Suradi ,ThOdi , Chandrakouns , ShaNmughapriya ,

MukhAri , Revathi , SubhapanthuvaraaLi , AtANA and MadhyamAvathi

in a RaagamAlika mode with Kanta ChApu TaaLam .

 

The first 12 Poems cover the twelve Tamil Months , where

Azhagiya Singar ( the Beautiful Lion ) is eulogized . From

Chitthirai Swathi , the poems continue through VaikAsi ,

Aani, Aadi , AavaNi , PurattAsi , Eippasi , Kaartthikai ,

Maarghazhi , Thai , Maasi and Panguni Swaathi .

 

The next 7 poems salute the PrahlAda Varadha Simmam

as " Saptha Vaara Sthuthi" ( Sunday to Saturday, one for

each day of the week ) .The 20th Paasuram is the Phala Sruthi

Paasuram .

 

C. SINGARIN VARAVERPPU

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

These are four Poems extending SvAgatham

for Azhagiya Simmam , MalOlan with PoorNa Kumbham .

 

These are set in chaste , sweet Tamil and are delectable

like Paanagam offered to the Lord of MangaLa Giri .

 

The first verse will provide an example of the Maadhuryam

of this SvAgatham. Without BhAvam , there is no Bhakthi.

We experience Bhaavam & Bhakthi here.

 

Kadigayil vaLar NaathA Varuha

adiyavar thozhum PaadhA Varuha

idar kadinthidum nEyA Varuha

Sudar MaNi Mudit-ThooyA Varuha !

 

---Poem 1 of 4

 

When Smt.KMS invites Lord Narasimhan of

ChOLa simha puram to take His seat in her

heart lotus with the appeal, "Varuha " , it reminds

us of the Mohana Raaga Krithi of Dikshithar addressing

the Same Yoga Narasimhar with the Pallavi:

" Narasimha Aagaccha "

 

4. SWAMY DESIKAN STHOTHRAMS

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

Besides KaamAseekAshtakam on Lord Narasimha

of ThiruvELukkai, Swamy Desikan composed 27 other

SthOthrams. Some were DhaNDakams and Gadhyams .

SMT.K.M.S sang and recorded these 28 sthOthrams

in different Raagams . Swamy Desikan's brilliant

Sanskrit sthOthrams have been recorded with precision

and clarity with the appropriate Sandhi bhEdhams . It is

not an easy task and the abundant anugraham of Sri

Yoga Narasimhan has made it possible for her to accomplish

this Kaimkaryam. Please listen to them in the MP3 format

through the URL cited above and maintained by SrI

Sunder Kidambi .

 

It has been a wonderful day listening to the Narasimha

SthOthrams and reflecting on the deep meanings of

the poems composed by Smt. K.M. Soundaravalli .

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan