Flowers ar Lord SrinivAsA's Sacred Feet : A Monograph and a set of 4 CD ROMs by Dr.Pappu VeNugOpAla Rao : Part I

[Guest guest]

 

SrI:

 

NamO VenkatEsAya

 

Dear Devotees of the Lord of Saptha Giri :

 

Two weeks ago , I had the good fortune of attending a Multimedia

Presentation by the outstanding linguist , Scholar on Saint AnnamayyA Krithis

and Musicolgist on the Vaibhavam of Lord SrinivAsa . The Scholar's name is

Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao . He is so blessed by Lord VenkatEsa and

Saint AnnamayyA's sankeerthanam that inspires him to drench one with

the intense and life giving showers of Bhagavath anubhavam .

 

Dr.P.V. Rao is a student of Padma Shree , Padma VibhUshaNa

Dr. M.Balamurali Krishna .

 

DR. Balamurali KrishnA's Tribute to Dr.P.V.Rao

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Let us enjoy what a Guru says about his sishya :" Dr.PV. Rao is one of my dear

disciples , is a scholar of great repute , in Sanskrit , Telegu and in Musicology....

We need scholars like Dr.P.V.Rao to help musicians understand the nuances and

the intricacies of Annamayya lyics ...His book , " Flowers at His feet " is a solid

comntribution to the field of literature , Music and spiritualism in general and

AnnamAchArya's Compositions in particular.....His analysis , his intrepretations

and his innumerable quotations from various texts in support of the intrepretations

make this book indispensable ( to Sri VenkatEsa BhakthAs around the world). "

 

Dr. NedunEri KrishNa Moorthy's Tribute to Dr.P.V.Rao

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Sangitha KalAnidhi Nedunuri Krishna Murthy has tuned more than 108

krithis of Annamayya in his role as the Principal of Sri Venkateswara Music

college in Thiruppathy . Let us hear what Sri NedunEri says about Dr.P.V.Rao:

 

(Background: Dr.P.V.Rao gave a series of 12 lectures on the Sankeerthanams of

Annamayya in Chennai from June 2003 to May 2004 before standing room only

crowd of Sri VenkatEsa BhakthAs at the TTD Information Center . A portion of

these lectures were released in the form of the book , " Flowers at His feet

and 4 delightful Audio CD ROMs containing excerpts from his lectures and

some of the songs as rendered by the Musicians during this Lec-Dem sessions

I will provide additional information on the content of this book and CD ROMs

in the subsequent postings ).

 

Now coming back to Sri NedunEri's observations: " Dr.P.V.Rao is not an ordinary

scholar and Musicologist , but one who has an evolved mind and soul in

propagating , popularizing and promoting AnnamAchAryA's works ....In his

12 lectures , 100 songs were demonstrated . Each lecture had a different

singer . (Dr . P.V.Rao introduced the krithis and commented on their

uniqueness ). His soul-stirring lectures show the involvement and

earnestness of the speaker and the pulse of the speaker can be felt in

all these lectures .What strikes me the most about his book is the freshness

and spontaniety so characterestric to Dr.P.V.Rao's lectures ...The book

will be a great treat not only for the connoisseurs of Music but also the lay public.

.... Some of the facts and figures that he gives in this book are mind boggling.

Some of the information he gives in this book is a revelation to even felow

musicologists and scholars...More than a scholar and Musicologist , I know

Dr.P.V.Rao as an ardent devotee of Lord VenkatEswara . May the Lord of

the Seven Hills bless Pappu and May Pappu offer more flowers at His feet ".

 

The introductions by two of the greatest living Musical stalwarts set

the stage for me to say a few words about Annamayya's life

and sankeerthanams and attempt an advocacy as to why this

extraordinary book and the accompanying set of audio CDs

should be at every Sri VenkatEsa BhakthA's home . Please invite Sri

VenkatEsa to Your homes and enjoy the wealth of information provided

in this book of Dr.P.V.Rao and the 4 Audio CDs . At the end of this posting,

I will provide information on how to acquire this precious material.

 

Sankeerthanams of AnnamAchArya

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Saint AnnamAchArya (1408-1503 C.E) , who after a divine intervention

pledged to compose at a minimum of one Krithi during every day of his life

about the Lord . He fulfilled that vow by creating 32,000 Krithis out of

which 14,000 are available today thanks to his family's efforts to have them

inscribed in Copper plates and safely stored in Sankeerthana BhandAram

inside the Lord's temple at Thirumala .

 

These compositions rested there for more than 400 years without anyone

knowing about them and in 1922 , TTD took out these copper plates on

which Annamayya's krithis were etched for preservation . TTD established

the Annamacharya project in 1978 to study the Sankeerthanams , their musical

content , Saahithyam and philosophy of VaisishtAdhvaitham learnt from

the First Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam , the great Aadhi VaNN SaThakOpa Jeeyar ,

who was initiated into SanyAsAsramam by Lord Narasimhan Himself.

 

Annamayya composed Krithis about every VaikAnasa ritual relating to

nithya and Uthsava SevAs of the Lord at His scared temple at Thirumala

from SuprabhAtham to SayanOthsavam . Annamayya composed krithis

about BrahmOthsavam , VasanthOthsavam , Pushpa Yaagam , Thirumanjanam ,

ShOdasOpachArams , ThirukkalyANothsavams . Annamayya composed

Krithis about His Mother , Alamelu Manga , about His AchAryan , Adhi VaNN

SathakOpa Jeeyar and about Ahobila Narasimhan and other dhivya dEsa

EmperumAns . Some of These compositions were in Sanskrit (~100 ) and

Sundara Telungu( the rest) . They dealt with AdhyAthmikam or SrungAram

aspects relating to the dhivya dampathis.

 

The 12 Chapters of the Monograph

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The monograph of Dr. P.V.Rao has 12 chapters modelled after the themes of

his Chennai lectures:

 

1. Introduction to Annamayya's sankeerthanam

 

2. AadhyAthma Sankeerthanams

 

3. Devotional compositions on VenaktEswara

 

4. Devotional Compositions on Other deities

 

5. Nithya Seva and Uthsava SevAs

 

6. Madhura Bhakthi

 

7. Sanskrit Compositions: I

 

8.Sanskrit Compositions : II

 

9. Folk Compositions

 

10. Social Compositions

 

11. Annamayyaaa-AlamElumanga

 

12. Literature & Music of AnnamAcchArya

 

How to acquire a copy of this Book & the 4 CD ROMs

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Te Book and the set of 4 CD ROMs are priced modestly

at 30$ without postal expenses . You can add an additional 5 $ for

shipping . The funds generated by these distributions are going to be

used to bring out the next edition . Right now 1000 copies were printed

and are being avidly acquired by devotees and raskikAs .Soon , Dr.Rao

will run out of copies .

 

Please send e-mail to Dr. K.V.Rao and Dr. Jyothi Rao to acquire

Your copies . They are at Queens, NY :

 

devi0114

 

Some Facts from this Monograph & extended observations

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Let me conclude this First Posting by including a few facts that many of

us may not know even if we have visited the Famous temple of the Lord

more than once :

 

1) The Svayambhu(Self-Manifest) dhruva BhEra ( the 8 feet tall

Lord VenkatEsa ) is NOT the object of daily formal worship at Thirumala .

 

2) The formal worship is done only to a Kauthuka Bhera ( 8 inches tall )

installed right next to the Dhruva bhEra. The power of the Dhruva bhEra

is invoked (AavAhanam) in the Kauthuka bhEra since latter can be worshipped

(approachable) by both Worldly and spiritual aspirants . The Dhruva bhEram

can be worshipped only by Tapasvis (Maharishis) and Brahma DevA & the like.

 

3) The Kauthuka bhEram is a small silver replica of VenkatEswara and

bears the name of BhOga SrinivAsan . A Pallava princess with the name of

Samavayi created and consecrated BhOga SrinivAsan in the year 966 C.E.

That is 1040 years ago . All the AarAdhanams are for BhOga SrinivAsan

and the decorations (AabharaNams , Flowers , Vasthrams) are for Lord

VenkatEsa in His dhruva bhEram form even today .

 

4) The Dhruva bhEram and the Kauthuka bhEram are intimately connected

thru a Sambhandha Kurcham ( a bunch of 32 blades of dharbham gold link

and silk cord.

 

5) The Uthsava Moorthy , whom we offer worship during BrahmOthsavam ,

ThiukkalyANam , Sahasra dheepa AarAdhanam in the evenings is named

Malayappa Swamy with Sri Devi AND BhU Devi . He is the processional deity

whom we enjoy today in BrahmOthsavams , Dolai et al. Malayappa Swamy was conserated only in 1330 C.E. That was 646 Years ago . From 966 C.E to 1330 C.E,

for a period of 364 Years , BhOga SrinivAsan was the processional (Utsava)

Murty .

 

4) Malayappa Swamy was consecrated ( 1330 C.E) 78 Years before

Annamayya was born (1408 C.E). At the time of AzhwArs , there was only

the Dhruva BhEram ; at the time of Swamy Naatha Muni ( 824-924 C.E) ,

There was only ThiruvengadamudayAn , the Dhruva BhEram for worship by

the VaikAnasa priests. YaamynAchArya ( 916-1041 C.E) , the grandson of

Swamy Naatha Muni , the Pallava Princess , Samavayi had BhOga SrinivAsan

consecrated . YaamunAchArya was 52 yers old , when formal worship of

Kauthuka bhEram commenced .

 

5)Thirumalai Nambi ( 973-1073 C.E) , the maternal uncle of

AchArya RaamAnuja was 7 years old , when BhOga SrinivAsan

was consecrated by Samavayi . There was no Malayappa Swamy

then in the Garbha Graham , only BhOga SrinivAsan.

 

6)Being a Pallava Princess , Samavayi must have left

the Lion's statues on the VimAnam . Some assume that

the Dhruva BhEram of Lord VenkatEsa is Sakthi roopam

based on the presence of lions in the corners of the Aanandha

Nilaya VimAnam .

 

6) AchArya Ramanuja was born in 1017 C.E and that was 51 years after

the BhOga SrinivAsan's consecration . By the time Ramaanuja was born ,

Thirumalai Nambi had established himself well in Thirumala and was peforming

Kaimkaryams there . RaamAnuja Visited Thirumala thrice in his life time.

 

7)Ramanuja sent ANDAn PiLLai (AnanthAhwAn ) to Thiruppathy to perform

Nandhavana Kaimkaryam in 1056 C.E . There was no Malayappa Swamy

then . Only BhOga Srinivasan ruled supreme as Uthsava Moorthy .

 

8) First visit of Ramanuja to Thirumalai : 1057-58 C.E. Srimath RaamAyaNa

KaalakshEpam & avathAram of VedArtha Sangraham before the Dhruva BhEram

of ThiruvEngadamudayaan .Sri Ramanuja was 40 year old then .

 

9) Ramanuja returned to Thirumala in 1060 C.E on his second visit

and settled the issues of Moorthy at Thirumala being the archa of

Sriman NarayaNan . One overlooked fact is that Bhoga Srinivasan

archa is that of Sriman Narayanan as consecrated in 966 C.E. By

inferrence , one can conclude that the original model for Bhoga

SrinivAsan must be Sriman NarayaNan with Conch and Chakram .

 

10) During His second trip to Thirumala in 1060 C.E , Ramanuja

created the MangaLa slOkam for Sri BhAshyam and commenced

the commentary on Brahma Soothrams . He was 43 years old then.

Six yers later, Sri BhAshyam is completed ( 1066 C.E) .

 

11) Ramanuja arrives at Thirumala for the third and final time , when

he was 73 years old ( 1091C.E ). Prathishtai of Govinda Raja takes place

at Keezha Thiruppathy . Four years after the above visit to Thirumala ,

Sri BhAshyam is expanded by 150% . RaamAnuja was 77 now.

KurEsar (1010-1116 C.E) , EmbAr ( 1026-1131 C.E) , Mudali AaNDAn

were with RaamAnuja during this visit.

 

12) Swamy Desikan ( 1268-1369 C.E) was 62 when Malayappa Swamy

was consecrated . He was born as the avathAram of the GhaNDA (Bell)

of ThiruvEngadamudayAn . He created Dayaa Sathakam during his visit to

Thirumala earlier .

 

(To Be continued )

 

NamO Sri VenkatEsAya ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

P.S : Please send your checks for $35 to acquire the Book ,

"Flowers at His Footstep " and the 4 Audio CDs to

Dr.K.V.Rao , 47-07 Burling St, Flushing , NY 11355-3528

or send e-mail to : devi0114