kanugonu - naayaki krithi

[Guest guest]

Dear srivaishNava

perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

The articles on sreemadh

raamayaNa sundara kaaNdam portions being written by Smt. Saroja

Ramanujam triggered me to write on another beautiful krithi of

thyaagaraaja in raagam 'naayaki'.

 

 

Krithi is kanugonu

-raagam naayaki. This is what sri Govindan writes -- In the krithi

'kanugonu soukhyamu’ – raagam naayaki, sree thyaagaraaja

exults in the vision of the Lord raama.

Pallavi:

 

kanugonu soukhyamu

kamalajuku aina galgunaa

[kanu]

 

 

Anupallavi:

 

dhanuja vairiyagu raamuni

 

dhaya galgina yatani

vinaa (kanu)

 

 

CharaNam:

 

thanuvu okachO manasu

okachO

thagina vEshamu

okachOniDi

janulanEchu vaariki

jayamounE thyaagaraaju

(kanu)

 

 

meaning: Excepting

for those persons who have attained the grace of sree raama, is the

comfort perceived by this thyaagaraaja, attainable even to brahmaa?

Will those whose body is somewhere and the mind is somewhere else,

and who deceive the people elsewhere by donning garb, ever achieve

success?

 

 

Instance in

raamaayaNam: The heroine seethaa, the naayaki, of the story is

located by hanumaan, in the aSOka vanam, he, being the able minister

of sugreeva and trustworthy person of raama and commissioned by

sugreeva to search and get information on whereabouts of seethaa.

 

 

Hanumaan crossed the

ocean, roamed in all places of lanka not leaving even 4 inches gap

[that is what is stated by vaalmeeki as chathur angulam] and after

doing raama naama smaraNam got to the location of asOka vanam, and

had subha dharsanam of seethaa. Now he enjoys that happiness and

thinks of raama and exults in the vision of raama by travelling to

him through his mind.

[just recall that sudhdha

bangaala krithi “raama bhakthi saamraajyam' included in thaaraa's

praise series - to place “raama naama mahaathmyam” just before

hanumaan could see seethaa, and in comparison to the 'raama sannidhi

mahaathmyam' happening to thaaraa]

 

 

raagm of the krithi

and its importance: Since the heroine, naayaki, of the story

raamaayaNam is located, ST uses raagam 'naayaki', meaning heroine. A

note on this raagam is added at the end.

 

 

Reference:

 

1. thaam dhrishTvaa hanumaan seethaam mriga

Saaba nibha eekshaNaam |

mriga kanyaam iva thrasthaam veekshamaaNaam

samanthathah || 5-17-28

dhahantheem iva nihSvaasaih vrikshaan pallava

dhaariNah |

sanghaatham iva SOkaanaam dhuhkhasya urmim iva

uthithaam || 5-17-29

meaning: Hanuman became happy on seeing Seethaa

 

with eyes of a fawn,

fearful like a she-deer,

seeing the trees with young shoots as though

she is going to burn by her sighs,

like a bundle of grief,

with a wave of sorrow risen up.

Point: that is the 'kanugonu soukyamu' of

thyaagaraaja – seeing dhEvi after a lot of struggle – that gives

immense happiness – to that hanumaan – that thyaagaraaja –

siva – who has come to asOka vanam as hanumaan – remember

hanumaan is being said as rudhra avathaaram. Further vaalmeeki

repeats this three more times -- as below --

 

2. thaam kshamaam su-vibhaktha angeem vinaa

aabharaNa SObhineem |

praharSamatulam lebhe maarutiH prekSya maithiliim

|| 5-17-30

meaning: Hanumaan, the son of wind god, on seeing

Seethaa, that Seetha, like the goddess earth, with well divided

body parts shining even without ornaments, obtained great joy.

3. harshajaani cha so~aSrooNi thaam dhrishTvaa

madhirEkshaNaam |

mumuchE hanumaan thathra namaSchakrE cha raaghavam

|| 5-17-31

meaning: Hanumaan on seeing there Seethaa, with

intoxicating eyes, shed tears of joy and also paid

obeisance to Sri Raama.

4. namaskrithvaa raamaaya lakshmaNaaya cha

veeryavaan |

seethaa dharSana samhrishTO hanumaan

samvrithO~abhavath || 5-17-32

meaning: Being joyful on seeing Seethaa,

Hanumaan, the mighty one, paid obeisance to Sri Raama and to

Lakshmana and became covered with leaves.

Point: a. see 4

repetitions by vaalmeeki. The poet vaalmeeki also enjoys saying about

how hanumaan enjoyed seeing that dhEvi seethaa – after struggling a

lot. So ST says that seeing of dhEvi itself is incomparable brahma

aanandham, [because it is our, human's habit to call even small

pleasures and happiness as 'brahma aanandham'].

b. Is it a wonder that

thyaagaraaja, another poet to enjoy that again and again in similar

lines of vaalmeeki – as kanugonu soukhyamu – so says 'this

happiness is not attainable even by brahmaa'.

c. Not only that – hanumaan pays his respects to

raama as per vaalmeeki – so ST also says without that raama's grace

is it possible? Answer is no – hence say 'thanks to lord raama'.

That shows again how closely ST follows vaalmeeki.

d. why to think about brahma now – vaalmeeki

places raavaNa coming there to asOka vanam at that stage – raavaNa

is from brahmaa's vamsam, pulasthya's grandson – also one who

received brahmaa's boons – further raavaNa says to seethaa you are

a wonderful creation of brahmaa. So thoughts about brahmaa for ST

also.

Continuation: when

hanumaan is just realising his happiness on seeing dhEvi, raavaNa

appears on scene and still hanumaan has not introduced himself to

dhEvi. So immediately hanumaan thinks of raavaNa – ST places that

as charaNam.

 

Reference from vaalmeeki:

 

bhriSam niyukthah thasyaam cha madhanEna

madhothkaTah |

na sa tham raakshasah kaamam SaSaaka aathmani

goohithum || 5-18-5

meaning: In that Seethaa's matter, directed a

lot by manmatha, 'the god of love' and excited by passion, that

Raakshasa was not capable to suppress himself that desire.

sa cha kaama paraadheenah pathisthaasaam mahaabalah

|

seethaasaktha manaa mandho mandhaanchitha gathir

babhou || 5-18-19

meaning: Husband of those women, of great

might, who was surrendered to lust, that Raavana also who was dull

witted, with his mind interested in Seethaa shone with a slow and

beautiful gait.

thvaam krithva uparathO manyE roopakarthaa sa

viSvasrik |

na hi roopa upamaa thu anyaa thava asthi Subha

darSanE || 5-20-13

thvaam samaaasaadhya vaidhEhee roopa youvana

Saalineem |

kah pumaan ativarthEtha saakshaath api pithaamahah

|| 5-20-14

meaning: raavaNa says to seethaa, " O one

with auspicious appearance! The creator of form, that creator of the

world, Lord Brahma has made you and stopped - I think. There is not

another who is equal to your appearance. O Seethaa! Obtaining you

endowed with beauty and youth, which man even if he is Lord Brahma

himself will disregard (leave) you. "

klishTa kouSEya vasanaam thanveem api

an-alankrithaam || 5-20-30

thvaam dhrishTvaa svEshu dhaarEshu rathim na

upalabhaami aham |

meaning: raavaNa to seethaa, " You are

wearing a silk cloth in a bad condition. You are emaciated. Even

though you have not decorated yourself, upon seeing you I am not

getting happiness in my wives. "

point: a. see how raavaNa reacts to

seethaa – that is what ST says as 'thanuvu okachO manasu okachO

thagina vEshamu okachOniDi janulanEchu vaariki jayamounE' –

Hanumaan thinks this way as to - raavaNa has put a garb of brave

husband in front of those wives of his who have come there, but he is

so much describing seethaa and her body, thanu. He is also so much

submissive to seethaa, because of his lust for the lady. Also seethaa

is not decorated nicely, as admitted by raavaNa himself, very dusty,

and is in poor robes. Inspite of all that raavaNa wants seethaa and

says openly not interested in his beautiful wives. So how such a

raavaNa can get success – let it be in getting seethaa, or, getting

a victory in war with raama”.

b. even if you want to connect to seethaa –

as hanumaan thinking --

sameepam raajasimhasya raamasya vidhithaathmanah |

sankalpa hayasam yukthair yaantheem iva manOrathaih

|| 5-19-7

meaning: Seethaa, with desires as chariot,

tied with thoughts as horses, as though going near to Raama, the lion

among kings, the famous personality, [was seen by raavaNa].

Point: Seethaa is poorly dressed, not strong

enough physically, for, as stated by vaalmeeki, she is 'upavaasa

kruSaam dheenaam'. But she is thought wise very strong, “with

desires as chariot, tied with thoughts as horses”, she reached

raama – which hanumaan can realise. In front of such a mentally

strong seethaa, 'manasu oka', with a different garb 'vEsham oka' and

weak body 'thanuvu oka', hey, raavaNa how can you get success with

seethaa.

 

 

On raagam naayaki: This

is an 'ubhaya vakra shadava sampoorna janya raga' derived from the

22nd mela Kharaharapriya. The notes taken by this raga

are Shadja^ Chatusruti Ri^ Sudha Ma^ Pa^ Chatusruti Dha^ Kaishiki Ni

and Sadharana Ga. In this upanga raga Ga is varjya in the arohana. Ga

and Ni are dirgha svaras and also are the jiva and kampita svaras. A

sarva klika raga wherein Pa comes as an amsa svara. Closely allied

raga is Duebar. Ga and Ni iin Nayaki are not in its exact place but

are sounded slightly higher than its own pitch. A minor raga having

ranges in three sthayis. The use of dirgha Ni and Ga is a specially

of this raga. Pdpsndp is visesha prayoga. According to Dikshitar

school^ Nayaki is a sampoorna raga in which Ga is elongated. In

Hindusthani Music Nayaki raga is believed to be invented by Gopal

Naik who adorned the court of Amir Khusro.

 

 

Conclusion: once

again it can be seen beyond doubt that ST follows closely to

vaalmeeki musically and just gave his krithis in his language what

vaalmeeki gave in sanskrit. Enjoy reading once again and listening to

the great krithi.

 

 

Dhasan

-- Vasudevan MG