Fw: challaga natho

[Guest guest]



SrI:

 

Dear Sriman Vasudevan :

 

What you have done in terms of analysis of the Ingitam of Saint Thyagaraja in composing this kriti is some thing that I have never experienced .Thiis is an extraordinary anubhavam . You have held a mirror to the mind of Saint Thyagraja and connected to the particular Srimad Vaalmiki RaamayNa Slokama that inspired him . This is brilliant . Thank you .

Please reelase this article in Sangeetha Priya group . Your article needs to be widely read by all Saint ThyAgarAja kriti lovers .

NamO SrI RamachandrAya,

V.Sadagopan

 

---- Original Message -----

 

MG Vasudevan

oppiliappan ; raamabhakthi ; tiruvenkatam

Friday, November 13, 2009 4:37 AM

challaga natho

 

Dear sree vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

In continuation of what our respected Sree Sadagopan swamy [VS] gave on the krithi ‘challaga naathO’ in raagam vEga vaahinee, thyaagaraaja [sT] praises raama in so many words. To get a clue on how to link this krithi to some incident in sreemadh raamaayaNam, perhaps we have to look at how and why raama was praised with ‘such and such’ groups of words or phrases. First the krithi once again --

pallavi:challaga naathO palkumee raama

summarized meaning as given by VS: Oh Lord raama! Oh Lotus Faced! Oh Protector of holy men! Oh Lord reclining on sEsha [snake anantha]! Oh Peerless Hero! Oh Prop of the Universe! Oh Lord who is unapproachable to other (amorous) women! Oh Lord who destroys sins! Oh Lotus Eyed! Oh Lord of dark-blue hued body! Oh Sun who blossoms the Lotus of the heart of this blessed thyaagaraaja! In my mind, I am in love with You. Deign to speak to me pleasantly without taking note of my faults.

Points: 1. Identification to lead into the incidence:

a. There are 4 phrases – which have to lead us into the incidence of raama kathaa -

1. challaga naathO palkumee - Deign to speak to me pleasantly

2. ‘saadhu santhraaNa’ - Protector of holy men

3. ‘neevu naa thappulu enchaka’ – you, without taking note of my faults [have to speak to me]

4. ‘para kaaminee dhoora’ - who is unapproachable to other women [amorous]

b. Alternately starting from the raagam selection -- As I say usually, the raagam selection by ST also to some extent gives clues. Here the raagam is vEga vaahinee – a speedy river

- like that vEgavathee in the brahma’s yagnam episode wherein the dhevi sarasvathee, wife of brahmaa came in as a fast moving river vegavathee, and tried her hand in stopping the yagnam of brahma, her husband. [re—vega sethu sthothram of swami desikan].

- perhaps this incident in raamaayaNam which we want to identify is also happening nearby ‘a river’ – like 1. sarayu or thamasaa or yamunaa, 2. bhaageerathi or gangaa, 3.gOdhaavaree and last but not least, 4. The ocean, so that ST takes this ragam.

c. Taking one by one of the 4 phrases –