Bhadrachala Ramadas

[Guest guest]

Dear Raama BhakthAs :

 

On the eve of Sri Rama Navami , it is my pleasure to recall the life of another great Raama BhakthA

who preceded Saint ThyagarAja .He chose fewer RaagAs to express his apAra Raama Bhakthi as you

will recognize from his list of songs that are available to us today. Sangitha Kalanidhi Balamurali Krishna

has rendered number of them beautifully and you can access them on the net .

 

You can have a darsanam of Bhadrachalam and the celebrations of

Sri Rama Navami BrahmOthsavam there at:

 

http://www.bhadrachalarama.org

 

During April of 1996 , adiyEn published two articles on the vaibhavam of Bhadrachala Raama Das

in the Bhakthi archives , which has a wealth of information there for you to browse :

 

http://www.Ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr96/0024.html

http://www.Ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr96/0025.html

 

If you have trouble reaching this archived material from above URL ,

please go to Bhakti archives and link to April 07 , 1996 postings:

 

http://www.Ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives against April 07 96 date .

 

 

On Lord Raamachandra's Vaibhavam as Raghuveeran , please browse

the detailed salutation of Swamy Desikan in Sri Raghu Veera Vaibhavam ,

which is available as an e-book in Sundarasimham web site (Vintage 2006) :

 

http://www.sundarasimham.org

 

Bhadrschala Rama das( 1620-1688 C.E) composed many moving Keerthanams

seeking Raamaa's rakshaNam . The Naamaas that he chose and the words that

he strung together to offer his Naadha KusumAnjali are touching :

 

JadhEka Veeran -- in Naatakurichi Krithi

 

antha Raamamayam yee jagamantharaama mayam--Kaama vardhini Raagam

 

BhajarE SrIraamam , Taaraka nAmam DasaraTa Raamam ChAru BhadhrAdhri sanchAram dheeram --KalyANi Raagam

 

AalOla TuLasee VanamAla bhUshaNa Sri Raama Raama --SankarAbharaNam

 

charaNamu nammithi nee dhivya charaNamu nammithi--Kaapi Raagam

 

dinamE sudhinamu Raamuni golcu dinamE sudinamu--Kaapi Raagam

 

Raama Dhaiva SikhAmaNi--ThOdi Raagam

 

Raama ne nAmEmi Ruchira --Yamuna KalyANi

 

He will start with Nara Hari in some of his krithis and end up with Sri Raaman ,

his ishta dhaivam:

 

Narahari dEvA JanArdhana Kesava NaarAyaNa KanakAmbharadhAri

Raama Raama Sri RaghurAma Raama Raama ---Yamunaa KalyANi

 

When he addresses the Lord to come before him inside the prison of Taanishaah

( Garuda Gamana raa raa in Surutti Raagam) , the Lord respomds and pays the monies

due to the Shah and gets the release of His Daasan .

 

Bhakta Raama Das calls the day as Sudinam , when he can take Pushpams

in his hands and perform AarAdhanam for the Lord :

 

"Karamu velangu banga pushpannula cEta dhara Bhadragiri RaamadAsudu pujinchu

dinamE sudimamu Raamuni golcu dinamE sudinamu"

 

At BhadrAchala, . Lord is known as Sri Vaikunta Raaman . It is no wonder that Bhakta Ramdas

sees the Lord as Para VaasudEvan in many of his krithis:

 

DasaraTa Raama Govindha nanu daya jooDu Paahi Mukundha

 

NaarAyaNa VaasudEva ninnu nammithi , MahAnubhAva Garuda Gamana Hari ,

Gaja Raaja Rakshaka Parama Purusha , Bhaktha Paapa samharaNa

 

His krithis have many charaNams and ideal for Bhajana style of singing .He composed in so many Rakthi Raagams

which have intense sukhAnubhAavams. Some times , he will use gjana Raagams like Bhairavi , SankharAbharaNam ,

KalyANI , ThOdi , VarALi and KaambhOji . Most of the time , he will use rakthi raagams and Janya Raagams like

PunnagavarALi , Aanandha Bhairavi , AsAvEri , Senjurutti , Mohanam , Kamaas , NeelAmbhuri etc.

 

BhadrAchala Raama Das was an ummense source of inspiration for the great Raama BhakthA , Saint ThyagarAja .

One can hear the echos of many krithis of Raama Das and BhAvam therein in ThyAgabrahmam's krithis.

 

NamO NamO RaaghavAya aniSam ,

Raama Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan