mukhaari krithi

[Guest guest]

Dear SrivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

It is not prudent on my

part to write on the krithi, after our respected moderator Sri

V.Sadagopan swamin [VS] has given his excellent points on a Saint

thyaagaraaja [sT] krithi. But the pointers which he made in the notes

of the krithi only made me link this krithi with the sreemadh

raamaayaNam incident. I was thinking about where is the incident and

the points helped me.

 

 

It is raavaNa raama

yudhdham – wherein sage agasthya comes and tells raama that great

“aadhithya hrudhaya” sthothram and the next scene is what this

krithi describes. How to get the link and why etc will be unfolding

now. [Perhaps that will also serve as a reminder about the soorya

grahaNam and those willing can recite that soorya preethi sthOthram].

 

 

 

Just to recall the krithi –

chinthisthunnaaDE -- Raagam: mukhaari

 

Pallavi: chinthisthunnaaDE yamuDu

[chinthi]

 

Anupallavi: santhathamu sujanulella

sadh-bhajana jEyuTa joochi (chinthi)

 

CharaNam 1 Soola paaSa dhrtha bhaTa

jaalamula joochi mari mee kOlaahalamuluDugu kaalamaayena anuchu

(chinthi)

 

CharaNam 2 vaaridhi SOSimpa jEyu

kroora kumbhajuni reethi ghOra narakaadhulaNachu thaaraka

naamamunu thalachi (chinthi)

 

CharaNam 3 dhaari theliya lEka

thiruguvaaralaina chaalunaNTE saaramani thyaagaraaju

sankeerthanamu paaDEranuchu (chinthi)

 

summary of meaning: [as

already given]: The Lord of Death is worried. Looking at all pious

people ever involved in devoutly singing names of Lord, the Lord of

Death is worried. Looking at the multitude of (his army of) warriors

wielding trident and noose, telling them that now time has come for

abatement of your uproar, the Lord of Death is worried. In the same

manner as the ferocious sage agasthya (one born of a pitcher) who

dried up the ocean, thinking of the sacred name of the Lord which

subdues even the terrible hell etc, the Lord of Death is worried. He

thought that it would be sufficient if atleast there are people who

wander about not knowing the path (of salvation) (so that he could

lay hand on them), but, noting that they also are singing the songs

of the thyaagaraaja considering them to be the essence (of the

thaaraka naamam), the Lord of Death is worried.

 

 

Points:

1. the selection of

raagam – it is mukhaari – split it and reverse the name -

as mukhaari = ari + mukha

–

ari as verb means

faithful – as per Monier Williams dictionary

ari as noun means a

faithful, pious, devoted person

ari also means enemy,

envious, hostile man

 

 

mukha means face, chief,

principal, a direction

 

So ari mukha means - is

chief's face, or enemy's face, or a pious man's face. Now link the

name of raagam to raama or raavaNa – for both it suits

raama is a pious man

and his face

raavaNa is hostile

person or enemy to raama – and how is his face

 

Oh great – see how ST

places both in one word by selecting a raagam's name which can be

applicable to both.

 

 

2. what is the scene

which ST wants to link this krithi – both raama and enemy raavaNa

are facing each other. How is enemy's face? RavaNa is facing the

death and as such is in a mixture of rasams. On one side for raavaNa,

a hostile, envious person in raavaNa – has his fear about raama now

- bhayam, another side has his own veeram - bravery.

Other side of war front

is raama - a pious faced person, Saantha swaroopi -sOmavath priya

dharsana repeats vaalmeeki in many places – a cool faced person

like moon.

Both are facing each

other in war. So a very apt raagam selection – ari mukha or

mukhaari.

Also raagam means desire

– so both are having a desire to finish the job.

 

 

3. How to get that link –

it is from that reference to sage agasthya in the krithi. And also

the mention about yama. When yama came to the battle front is the

next question.

 

 

Just when raavana was

facing raama and when raavaNa was hit by raama's arrow, the

charioteer of raavaNa carefully drove away the chariot. So raama was

waiting for raavaNa to return.

 

 

At that stage agashthya

came and taught raama that aadhithya hrudhaya sthothram – in praise

of sun god. Along with agasthya many gods came says vaalmeeki.

 

 

thathO yudhdhha pariSraantham samarE chinthayaa

sthhitham |

raavaNam cha agrathO dhrishTvaa yuddhaaya

sam-upasthhitham || 6-105-1

dhaivathah cha sam-aagamya dhrashTum

abhyaagathO raNam |

upagamya abraveedh raamam agasthyO bhagavaan rishih

|| 6-105-2

meaning: Approaching Raama standing absorbed in

fight in the battle-field, exhausted as he was by the fight, and

seeing RaavaNa who came nearby, facing him duly prepared for the

battle, the glorious sage agasthya, who had come together with the

gods, to perceive the battle, then spoke as foolows.

When so many gods came we

can presume yama also came, and was waiting for raavaNa to be killed

by raama. In the battle field yama is now thinking. So ST says

'chinthisthunnaaDE yamuDu' in pallavi.

 

 

4. The rasam what ST

wants to convey in raagam mukhaari is - as per VS's point -quote --

chinthisthunnaadE yamudu:

Although yamA's name causes terror (bhayaanakam), the prevailing mood

is Saantham combined with adhbhutham -- unquote.

 

 

Yes – raama on one side

is Saantham – calm, peaceful, and awaiting, also adhbhutham – see

below for this adhbhutha rasam.

On the other side raavaNa

– full of bhayam – fear – for he is facing death – yama and

death are always associated – so 'chinthisthunnaaDE yamuDu'.

5. Moving on to

anupallavi -- santhathamu sujanulella sadh-bhajana jEyuTa joochi –

su janaa's enemy – good people's enemy - who is it? Answer is

raavaNa – for he is now facing raama – raavaNa's enemy no. 1 is

raama is well known to all.

 

 

6. In charaNam immediate reference comes as “Soola

paaSa dhrtha bhaTa jaalamula joochi mari mee kOlaahalamuluDugu

kaalamaayena anuchu” -- see vaalmeeki slokam – which just ST has

adopted in his charaNam --

thathO raakshasa sainyam cha hareeNaam cha

mahadhbalam |

pragriheeta praharaNam niShchEshTam samathishThatha

|| 6-107-2

samprayudhdhou thathO dhrishTvaa balavan nara

raakshasou |

vyaakshiptha hrudhayaah sarvE param vismayam

aagathaah || 6-107-3

naanaa praharaNaih vyagraih bhujaih vismitha

budhdhhayah |

thasthhuh prEkshya cha sangraamam na abhijaghnuh

parasparam || 6-107-4

meaning: Then, the army of demons and the huge army

of mokeys, stood motionless with their weapons held fast in their

hands. [2] Having their hearts captivated in seeing those two

warriors, a human being and a demon, both in full strength engaged in

a fight, all for their part experienced a great wonder. [3] Having

their hands occupied with various kinds of weapons, all those

warriors stood amazed in mind in beholding that duel. They did not go

for war on each other. [4]

The demons weapons are

those soolam trident, paasam – ropes etc. On the other side

[raama's side – with the monkeys and bears] - it is trees rock

pieces etc. So both were standing with weapons – both were wonder

struck – that is what the rasam from raagam mukhaari -–

adhbutham.

 

 

Both sides made noises,

both expected the death of other side – both feel the time of death

has come. Yama who came there, he, also waited when agasthya was

teaching. So 'chinthisthunnaaaDE yamudu'.

 

 

7. In charaNam 2

reference to sage agasthya - vaaridhi SOSimpa jEyu kroora kumbhajuni.

 

reethi ghOra naraka

aadhulaNachu thaaraka naamamunu thalachi –

see how agasthya starts

his conversation – by reciting raama naama twice --

raama raama mahaabaaho SruNu guhyam sanaathanam |

yEna sarvaanareen vathsa samarE vijayishyasE ||

6-105-3

meaning: " O Raama, the mighty armed! Hear the

following eternal secret, by which you can conquer all the enemies in

battle, my child! "

so that naama –

thaaraka naama – is uttered by sage twice. That is his reethi- his

way -agasthya's way. Then starting hey mahaa bhaahO – addressing

raama.

Some may says raama raama

mahaa bhaahO – is also addressing. It may be as addressing the

person standing in front – but for a staunch bhaktha like ST – it

is not addressing but uttering the thaaraka manthram first and then

talking what he wanted to talk.

 

 

8. in next charaNam 3 -

dhaari theliya lEka thiruguvaaralaina chaalunaNTE – in a real war

scene people will be roaming to find another suitable enemy to fight

– but since all were wonder struck as stated in slokams 2, 3, 4

above – the path is not clear – which way to fight – whether to

fight or not fight. That is also not clear – all stuck – so

yama's position became a little difficult. So 'chinthisthunnaaaDE

yamudu'.

 

 

It is clear from above

once again, that ST always follows vaalmeeki while giving a krithi

with a very apt selection of raagam. Enjoy the krithi once again by

listening to a good singer. [i am not sure which artist has rendered

this krithi so nicely].

 

 

Dhasan

 

 

Mangadu G.Vasudevan

 

 

[your old friend

Vasudevan MG - expands one of his intitials to reflect his native

place]