Sri Tyagaraja Kriti Series: Kriti: cintistunnADe Raga:mukhAri

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SrI:

SrI raghunandana parabraHmaNe namaH

Kriti: cintistustunnADE

Raga: mukhAri

In the kRti ‘cintistunnADE yamuDu’ – rAga mukhAri, SrI tyAgarAja says that the Lord of Death is worried because people had taken to chanting of names of Lord.

Pallavi

cintistunnADE yamuDu

Anupallavi

santatamu sujanul(e)lla sad-bhajana jEyuTa jUci (cintistu)

CaraNam 1

SUla pASa dhRta bhaTa jAlamula jUci mari

mI kOlAhalamul(u)Dugu kAlam(A)yen(a)nucu (cintistu)

CaraNam 2

vAridhi SOSimpa jEyu krUra kumbhajuni rIti

ghOra narak(A)dul(a)Nacu tAraka nAmamunu talaci (cintistu)

CaraNam 3

dAri teliya lEka tirugu¬vAral(ai)na cAlun(a)NTE

sAram(a)ni tyAgarAju sankIrtanamu pADEr(a)nucu (cintistu)

Gist

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 agastya (one born of 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 tyAgarAja considering them to be the essence (of the tAraka nAma), the Lord of Death is worried.

Word-by-word Meaning

P The Lord of Death (yamuDu) is worried (cintistunnADE) (literally pondering).

A Looking (jUci) at all (ella) pious people (sujanulu) (sujanulella) ever (santatamu) involved in (jEyuTa) devoutly singing names of Lord (sad-bhajana), the Lord of Death is worried.

C1 Looking at (jUci) the multitude (jAlamula) of (his army of) warriors (bhaTa) wielding (dhRta) trident (SUla) and noose (pASa), telling (anucu) them that now (mari) time (kAlamu) has come (Ayenu) (kAlamAyenanucu) for abatement (uDugu) of your (mI) uproar (kOlAhalamulu) (kOlAhalamuluDugu), the Lord of Death is worried.

C2 In the same manner (rItI) as the ferocious (krUra) sage agastya – one born of pitcher (kumbhajuni) – who dried up (SOSimpa jEyu) the ocean (vAridhi), thinking (talaci) of the sacred (tAraka) (literally to cross over) name (nAmamunu) of the Lord which subdues (aNacu) even the terrible (ghOra) hell (naraka) etc. (Adulu) (narakAdulaNacu), the Lord of Death is worried.

C3 He thought that (aNTE) it would be sufficient (cAlunu) (aNTE) (cAlunaNTE) if atleast (aina) there are people (vAralu) who wander about (tirugu) (tiruguvAralaina) not (lEka) knowing (teliya) the path (dAri) (of salvation) (so that he could lay hand on them), but noting (anucu) that they also are singing (pADEru) (pADEranucu) the songs (sankIrtanamu) of the tyAgarAja (tyAgarAju) considering them (ani) to be the essence (sAramu) (sAramani) (of the tAraka nAma), the Lord of Death is worried.

Notes –

C1 – kAlamAyenanucu – this is how it is given in all the books other than TKG, wherein it is given as ‘kAlamAyenEyanucu’. This needs to be checked. Any suggestions ???

C2 – vAridhi SOSimpa – The episode of sage agastya drinking up the ocean is found in mahAbhArata, Book 3 – Vana Parva – Sections 104 and 105. Please visit web site for full translation of mahAbharata –

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/index.htm

C2 – tAraka nAma – the name ‘rAma’. Please refer to discourse of kAJci paramAcArya on the subject ­

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/2952/mantra3.html

C3 – sAramani – SrI tyAgarAja states that his songs are the essence of the name of the ‘rAma’ -tAraka nAma.

Additional Notes by Sri V. Sadagopan:

This kriti in Mukhari rAgam is about the vaibhavam of sadbhakti and the sacredness of keertanam of the Lord as a part of expression of that sadbhakti. Saint tyAgarAja praised the sangeetam accompanied by bhakti (sadbhakti sangIta prasamsa) and denounced music without devotion (Sushka sangIta grahaNa).

In the series of krtis dealing with sadbhakti sangIta prasamsa, we find this mukhAri krti along with raaga ratna maalika ce in reetigowLai, naamakusumamulacE in SrI raagam, sogasukA mrudanga taaLamu in SrI ranjani, sangIta Saastra j~nAnamu in SaaLagabhairavi, svararAgasudArasayutha in SankarAbharaNam, sangIta j~nAnamu in dhanyAsi, mariyAda gaadurA in SankarAbharaNam, sItAvara sangIta j~nAnamu in devaghAndhAri and kaddana-vaariki in Thodi.

In this krti, tyAga brahmam deals with yamadharma raajan's anxiety about every one performing raama naama bhajana, which in turn has affected His business of meeting out justice to those who lead unholy lives by getting immersed in vishaya sukhams. Such people, who violate bhagavat Saastrams and commit many sins are easy targets for yamadharma raajan and His retinue of fierce servants. Now that every one engages in bhagavat dhyAnam and bhajanam, yama feels that they escape from Him due to their sad-bhakti. He and His army can not go near vishNu bhaktAs. Until that time the yama dUtAs with their sharp tridents and paasams (nooses) strutting stridently about the roaring business that kept them busy. Now yama worries about unemployment in the ranks of His army and becomes anxious about what is happening in bhU lOkam from the good men doing bhagavat bhajana all the time. The sacred name of Lord raamacandra drives away all the sins and dries up the samsAric ocean just like Sage agastya dried up the ocean by sipping it. That is the power of the tAraka naamaam of the Lord that is the antidote for yamadandaNi.

tyAgarAja swAmigaL has composed number of krtis in mukhAri raagam, which is generally considered to be a raagam to express Soka rasam (pathos). Swamigal has demonstrated thru many of his mukhAri krtis that shifting the emphasis from certain svarams and by giving prominence to certain phrases, the Soka rasam can be diluted and presented to convey other rasams. Being an expert in depicting various rasAs and shades of rasAs in his krtis composed in the same raagam, swAmigaL has blessed us with 9 mukAri krtis with different shades of rasam.

Regarding the handling of mukhAri, Professor SambhamUrty observes that rishabha is a very good graha svara for mukhari and that FOUR of swamigaL's krti starts with rishabha: (1) cintistunnade (2) Entanine (3) sangita Sastra j~nAnamu and (4) kaarubAru. Next to rishabha as graha svara, nishadha is in prominence and swAmigaL starts the krti, ksheeNamai, on this svara (NdP). The pancama svara is the svara of the third degree of importance (e.g): starting with pancama yeduppu in sarasiruhnanaa of SwamigaL. The ArOhaNa of mukhAri is "s r m p n d S". Occasionally, the mukhAri or other krtis can start with a viSesha sancAram as in sangIta saastra j~nAnamu (r m P d S) as pointed out by Professor SambhamUrty.

The Nine rasams in alankAra Saastram are:

 

Sringaaram (Love),

haasyam (Comical),

raudram (Fury),

kaaruNyam (Compassion with presiding deity of yamaa),

bheebatsam (disgust), bhayankaram (Horror)

veeram (Heroism),

adbhutam (wonder),

Saantam (Tranquility).

Two additional rasAs are also mentioned: vaatsalyam (Parental Love) and bhakti (spiritual devotion).

Amongst the 9 mukhAri krtis represening different rasams. Let us look at them one by one:

(1) In the krti, "indukaa yee tanuvunu pencina" the pathetic state of mind of swAmigaL comes thru with drenching Soka rasam.

(2) In the krti, sarasIruhAna raamyyaa, swAmigal has some disgust (bheebatsam) as he refers to the decline in the ethical standards of the learned people.

(3) In the krti muripEmu kalige, Aanandha or adhbuta rasam is enshrined as swAmigaL describes the pancanada kshEtram on the banks of the fast flowing cauvery and the Lord's choosing this fertile cOla dEsam for His residence.

(4) cintistunnAdE yamudu: Although yamA's name causes terror (bhayAnakam), the prevailing mood is Saantam combined with adbhutam.

In the entaninne Sabhari bhAgyamu krti, the prevailing mood is bhakti combined with adbhutam.

In the Elavatara mettu kontivo, swAmigaL asks with vaatsalyam and adbhutam about the reasons for incarnating as raamaa!

Is it for seeing the yogis in the forest? Is it for protecting various bhaktAs or is it for blessing tyagarAja for composing krtis in hundreds of raagAs?

In the krti, sangIta Sastra j~nAnamu serving as a phala Sruti, kaaruNya rasam is pradhAnam.

In kaarubAru krti, the glories of raama raajya are described and the krti is soaked in adbhuta rasam.

The genius of the true raama bhaktaa is supremely evident in the handling of the raagAs by swAmigaL to present the naama kusumAnjali.

Dasan Oppiliappan Koil V Sadagopan

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