Friday, October 10, 2008

Surdas

About Surdas
Surdas is one of the people who had great influence on the cultural heritage of India. He was a poet, a saint and a musician and played all the parts with the same finesse. Since there are no authentic records on the life of Surdas, his biography comes up as a combination of facts and fiction.

Early Life
There is a little disagreement regarding the exact birth date of Surdas, some scholars believe it to be 1478 AD, while others believe it to be 1479 AD. Same is the case of the year of his death, it is either considered to be 1581 AD or 1584 AD. As per the limited authentic life history of Surdas, it is said that he lived in Braj, near Mathura. Surdas was born blind and because of this, he was neglected by his family. As a result, he left his home at tender age of six.

Meeting Shri Vallabharacharya
In the eighteenth year of his life, Surdas went to Gau Ghat, a sacred bathing spot on the embankments of Yamuna River. It was here that he came across Shri Vallabharacharya, the great saint-savant. Vallabharacharya advised Surdas to sing Bhagvat Lila, the Creative Play of the Lord and introduced him to the secrets of contemplative devotion. From this time onwards, Surdas never looked back on the path of spirituality. Surdas spent the last years of his life in Braj, the place of his birth.

Literary Works of Surdas
The work of Surdas mainly consists of the following three compilations.

Sur-Saravali
Sur-Saravali, based on the festival of Holi, originally consisted of hundred verses. In this poem, he tried to create a theory of Genesis, with Lord Krishna as the Creator.

Sahitya-Lahiri
Sahitya-Lahiri is mainly associated with Bhakti (devotion) towards the Supreme Lord.

Sur-Sagar
Sur-Sagar is considered to be the magnum opus of Surdas. The poem has been woven around the life of Lord Krishna. It originally contained 100,000 poems or songs, out of which only 8000 have survived the travails of time.

Philosophy of Surdas
The Bhakti movement that was widely prevalent in India at the time of Surdas deeply affected him. He propagated the Shuddhadvaita school of Vaishnavism. It makes use of the spiritual metaphor of the Radha-Krishna Lila, derived from earlier saints.

Please take a listen to my audio:

Saturday, July 19, 2008

NAMDEV

By Sivananda

Introduction
Namdev of Maharashtra was a saint of mediaeval India. He was not a servant of Lord Krishna, but His companion. Namdev was an Amsa (part) of Lord Krishna.
Namdev was a contemporary of Jnanadev, the famous saint of Maharashtra, being his senior in age by about five years. He was born in 1269 A.D. He came of a family of tailors who were sincere devotees of Vittala of Pandharpur. The family members were observing the Wari of Pandharpur, i.e., going on pilgrimage twice a year on the first eleventh day of the Ashadh (June-July) and Kartik (October-November) months. The family originated from a village called Narsibamani on the bank of the river Krishna, near Karad, in district Satara. Being a great devotee of Vittala and wishing to improve his material prospects, Dama Setti, the father of Namdev, had moved to Pandharpur a year or two before his son’s birth.
Namdev, from his very childhood; was like Prahlad. At the age of two, when he began to talk, the first correct word he uttered was ‘Vittala’, and since then, he continued with the repetition of that sacred name incessantly, without any help or instruction from others. He found great pleasure when every day his mother Guna Bai took him to the temple of Vithoba for offering worship to the Deity. His next step was, when at the age of about seven, he prepared a pair of cymbals and spent his time in dancing and singing, doing Bhajan, to the neglect of everything—food, studies in school, rest, sleep, etc. His devotion to Vithoba was so innocent and sincere that he used to treat Him sometimes as his dearest brother or as his playmate.

One day, as Namdev’s mother was busy, she asked Namdev to take the plate of offerings to Vithoba. Namdev went to the temple, placed the plate of eatables before Vithoba and asked Him to accept the offering. However, when Namdev did not find any evidence of acceptance by Vithoba, he cried so bitterly that Vithoba actually assumed a human form and accepted the offerings gratefully. Namdev’s mother was surprised when her son came back in great joy with an empty plate and explained to her that Vithoba had accepted the offerings by actually consuming the eatables presented in the plate. So, the next day, she herself accompanied Namdev (but withodevotee.

Lord Vithoba—his only interest
In other respects, however, Namdev was the despair of his parents, and later, of his wife and other relatives. From the beginning he had no interest in worldly affairs; he neglected studies in school; he would not take interest in his father’s profession as a tailor, or in any other trade. His sole interest was to spend day and night in devotion to Vithoba. His parents were getting old; the family prosperity was waning. Therefore, their dearest wish was that Namdev, while devoting a reasonable spare time to his devotions, should help in maintaining the family in comfort. So, Namdev was sent to the bazaar one day to sell a few pieces of clothes. But Namdev was innocent of the tricks of the trade. To him, such things as prices, and money and its value, were unknown subjects. He went to the bazaar with the clothes, because his father forced him. He sat there on a stone doing Bhajan, entirely forgetting that he had gone there to sell the clothes. After a few hours the sun set and it was time for him to go to the temple for the evening devotional performance. Then only he remembered that he had not sold the clothes and that he would get a thrashing from his father. He was impatient to go to the temple. He therefore sold all the clothes to the very stone on which he was seated, i.e., he kept the clothes on the stone, appointed another stone as a guarantee that the first one would pay the money the next day, and went to the temple.

Namdev’s father was furious on hearing his son’s adventures and asked him to bring forth Dhondya (which means a stone and which is also used as a proper name among certain classes of people of Maharashtra) who had guaranteed the money. The next day Namdev went back to the bazaar, found that the clothes had vanished during the night and took the second stone (Dhondya) home, as it refused to pay the money, and locked it in a room. He then went to the temple and narrated all the events to Vithoba and explained his difficulties also. When Namdev’s father asked him to show him Dhondya who had guaranteed the money, Namdev replied that Dhondya had been kept in a closed room in the house and ran to the temple. When the father opened the room to demand the money, he found, to his surprise, a lump of gold. Great was the father’s joy; but Namdev was quite indifferent to it. He only praised God for saving him from a thrashing. Thus it went on.

His marriage
In the meantime, Namdev married Radha Bai. Radha Bai was a worldly-minded woman. In response to Namdev’s invitation, Vittal attended the naming ceremony of Namdev’s child in the guise of a human being, named the child ‘Narayana’ and gave good gifts on the occasion.

There was extreme poverty in the house of Namdev. Namdev neglected his worldly duties. Namdev’s mother and wife abused Lord Krishna. Under the guise of Dharma Setti of Vaikunthapuram and the pretence of past friendship with Namdev, the Lord visited Namdev’s house, gave magnificent gifts to Radha Bai and disappeared.
A Bhakta, named Parisha Bhagavat, propitiated Rukmini and got the philosopher’s stone which could convert iron into gold. Parisha’s wife gave the stone to her friend Radha Bai one day. Radha Bai showed the stone to her husband and said that his Bhakti was of no use and was inferior to the Bhakti of Parisha Bhagavat. Namdev threw the stone into the river. Next day Parisha came to know of everything and took Namdev to task. Namdev showed Parisha the place where he had dropped the stone. Parisha searched for the stone and found, not a single stone, but a whole lot. Parisha was struck with wonder. He admired the spirit of renunciation and the spiritual powers of Namdev.

Namdev felt it increasingly difficult to take interest in household affairs and in his parents, wife and children; and no amount of persuasion from all those people or his friends was successful in bringing him back to the worldly life. To him there was only one interest and that was Lord Vithoba. He used to spend hour after hour sitting before Vithoba, talking to Him, discussing spiritual matters with Him and doing Bhajan. To Namdev, Vithoba was the beginning and the end of everything.
Meeting with Jnanadev.

When Namdev was about twenty years of age, he met the great saint Jnanadev at Pandharpur. Jnanadev was naturally attracted to Namdev as a great devotee of Vithoba. That he might benefit from the company of Namdev, he persuaded Namdev to go with him to all the holy places on pilgrimage. Namdev did not want to go, as that would mean separation from Lord Vithoba of Pandharpur. However, wiser counsel prevailed and Namdev was induced to go on pilgrimage. This was the most important period in the life of Namdev. Practically from this time, the two great saints almost never separated till death parted them. The pilgrimage extended to all parts of India and almost all the holy places.

On the way, several miracles are reported to have been performed by both Namdev and Jnanadev. Once Namdev and Jnanadev reached the desert of Marwar. Namdev was dying of thirst. They found out a well, but the water was at such a low depth that it was impossible to get it by ordinary means. Jnanadev proposed to assume the form of a bird by his Laghima Siddhi and bring the water up in his beak. But Namdev proved superior to him. He prayed to Rukmini. The level of the water rose miraculously to the surface. The well is seen even today at Kaladji, ten miles off Bikaner.
Namdev and Jnanadev came to Naganathpuri. Namdev started Bhajan in the temple. There was a huge crowd. The temple priests were not able to enter the temple and so became angry. Namdev went to the western gate of the temple and spent the night in doing Kirtan. The image of the temple itself turned to his side.

A Brahmin of Bidar invited Namdev to do Bhajan in his house. Namdev went there with a large number of devotees. The Sultan mistook them for rebel troops and sent General Kasi Pant against them. The general reported to the Sultan that it was only a religious party. The Sultan ordered that Namdev should be arrested and prosecuted. He asked Namdev to rouse a butchered cow to life or embrace Islam. An elephant was sent to crush Namdev to death. Namdev’s mother requested her son to embrace Islam to save his life. But Namdev was prepared to die. Namdev raised the dead cow to life. The Sultan and others were struck with amazement. Namdev won the admiration of the Sultan and his party.

Namdev and Jnanadev met Narsi Mehta at Junagarh; Kabir, Kamal and Mudgalacharya at Kashi; Tulsidas at Chitrakut; Pipaji at Ayodhya; Nanak at a place in the Deccan and Dadu, Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath in other places.

When feeding of Brahmins was done by Namdev at the end of his pilgrimage, Vittal and Rukmini became the cooks and servers. They ate out of the very plate which Namdev used.

Namdev gained much, during the pilgrimage, from the society of Jnaneshwar and from Nivritti who was Jnaneshwar’s elder brother and Guru, and was able to look on this world with a wider vision as the manifestation of God.

As we saw earlier, Namdev’s world began and ended with the Deity ‘Vithoba’ of Pandharpur and he would not recognize any other Deity as the symbol of God. The pilgrimage lasted about five years and during this period Jnanadev advised Namdev to adopt a Guru so that he might be in a position to realise completely the manifestation of the all-pervading God and thus fulfil his own mission in life. Again Namdev hesitated as he thought that such action might alienate his loyalty and devotion to Vithoba. He plainly said that as long as he had the love of Vithoba, he had nothing to desire except constant devotion to Him. In fact, Vithoba was his Guru. It was, however, clear to Jnanadev and other saints in the company that Namdev’s view was rather narrow in the sense that he thought God was centred in the Deity of Vithoba of Pandharpur and they wanted him to acquire the wider vision which they themselves had attained.

One day, in such company, Gora, another saint and a potter by trade, was asked to ascertain which of them were half-baked, i.e., had not realised Brahman. Gora took a small, flat wooden board such as he used to prepare or test the pots and began to pat on the head of everybody. When he came to Namdev and patted on his head, Namdev cried aloud thinking he was hurt. Immediately, all the others in the company began to laugh saying that Namdev was only half-baked and had not become fixed in his spiritual position.

Adopting a Guru
Greatly mortified, Namdev repaired to Vithoba and complained to Him of his humiliation. He said that he saw no necessity for him to have a Guru as he had intimate relationship with Lord Krishna Himself. Lord Krishna said that Namdev did not really know Him. Namdev denied this. Lord Krishna challenged Namdev and asked him to find out His identity that day. Namdev agreed. Lord Krishna took the form of a Pathan horseman and passed before Namdev. Namdev could not recognize the Lord. Namdev agreed to go to a Guru. Lord Vithoba then advised him to adopt Visoba Khechar as his Guru.

Visoba Khechar was one of the disciples of Jnanadev and was living at the time at a village called Avandhya. Namdev proceeded to the village immediately and arrived there at about noon. He took shelter in a temple in order to take some rest. There in that temple he saw a man sleeping with his feet on the Deity Itself. Namdev was shocked, woke up the man and rebuked him for this sacrilege. The man was no other than Visoba himself. Visoba replied, "O Namdev, why did you wake me up? Is there a single spot in this world which is not permeated by God? If you think that such a spot can be found, kindly place my feet there". Namdev took the feet of Visoba in his hands and moved them to another direction, but the Deity was there. He then moved Visoba in still another direction, but the Deity was there too! Namdev could not find any direction or spot where he could place the feet of Visoba without treading on the Deity. God was everywhere. Having realised this great truth that God had permeated the whole universe, Namdev surrendered himself to Visoba gratefully and humbly. Visoba then advised Namdev at great length. A small portion of Visoba’s advice is given below.

"If you want to be absolutely happy, fill this world with Bhajan and the sacred Name of the Lord. The Lord is the world itself. Give up all ambitions or desires. Let them take care of themselves. Be content only with the name of Vittal.
You need not undergo any hardship or penance in order to go to heaven. Vaikuntha will come to you of itself. Do not be anxious of this life or of your friends or relatives. They are like the illusions of a mirage. One has to spend a short space of time here like the potter’s wheel which goes on rotating even after the potter has left. Make the best of it by keeping the name of Vittal ever in your mind and on your lips and by recognizing Him everywhere and in everyone. This is my experience of life.

"Pandharpur was established on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga as a sort of boat for people to cross safely this ocean of life. Pandharinath is standing there as the boatman-in-charge to take you to the other side; and the most important point is that He does this without asking for any fee. In this way He has saved crores of people who have gone to Him in surrender. If you surrender to Him, there is no death in this world."

After initiation by Visoba, Namdev became more philosophical and large-hearted. His temple was no longer the small narrow space on the banks of the Chandrabhaga, but the whole world. His God was not Vithoba or Vittal with hands and legs, but the omnipotent infinite Being.

A few days after Namdev had adopted Visoba as his Guru, he was sitting at a place doing his Bhajan. In the meantime, a dog came to the spot and ran away with the bread he had prepared for his midday meal. Namdev ran after the dog—not with a stick in his hand, but with a cup of Ghee; and he addressed the dog thus: "O Lord of the world! Why do You want to eat the dry bread? Take some Ghee along with it. It will taste much better". Namdev’s realisation of Atma was now complete and overflowing.
After Namdev had returned with Jnanadev from the long pilgrimage, the latter expressed his desire to take Samadhi at Alandi. Namdev therefore accompanied the party to Alandi as he could not part with Jnanadev. He was with Jnanadev to the last moment. He then accompanied the party until the other brothers, Nivritti and Sopan, and their sister Muktabai, left the world. Namdev has left behind a detailed account of the ends of these four saints in beautiful poems. Namdev was so shocked by these events which occurred within a short space of one year that he himself was left with no desire to live in this world. He took his Samadhi at Pandharpur at the age of twenty-six in 1295 A.D.

Namdev was not an author of any big treatise; but he left behind him a large number of Abhangas or short poems, full with the nectar of Bhakti and love towards God. These are exceedingly sweet. Most of these are lost, but there are extant about four thousand Abhangas, which to this day are a great source of inspiration to all who would read them. Some of the Abhangas are found in the Sikh Adi Granth.
The essence of Namdev’s message is: "Always recite the Name of the Lord. Constantly remember Him. Hear His glory. Meditate on the Lord in your heart. Serve the Lord with your hands. Place your head at His lotus feet. Do Kirtan. You will forget your hunger and thirst. The Lord will be near you. You will attain immortality and eternal bliss".

Namdev’s maid-servant Janabai
No account of the life of Namdev would be complete without a mention of Janabai. She was a maid-servant in the household of Namdev. Nothing is known of her life except that she was Namdev’s maid-servant. She herself forgot sometimes that she had an existence apart from being the maid-servant of Namdev. In several poems on devotion which she has left behind, she describes herself as ‘Nam’s maid-servant’ or ‘Namdev’s Jani’. She was one of the closest followers of Namdev and had no ambition other than to serve Namdev and sing the praises of the Lord Vithoba. For instance, in one of her poems she sings:

"Let me undergo as many births in this world as You please, but grant that my desires are fulfilled. They are that I see Pandharpur and serve Namdev in every birth. I do not mind if I am a bird or a swine, a dog or a cat, but my conditions are that in each of these lives, I must see Pandharpur and serve Namdev. This is the ambition of Namdev’s maid."
In another place, Janabai writes:

"Give me only this girl, O Hari, that I shall always sing Your sacred Name. Fulfil my only desire that You will accept my humble homage and service. This is all that I desire. Have mercy on me and fulfil my desires. I want to concentrate my eyes and mind on You and have Your Name on my lips. For this the maid Jani falls at Your feet."

That sums up the philosophy of Janabai and how she attained her desired goal. So intense and sincere was her devotion to Vithoba that the Lord Himself used to lighten her household duties, which, as she became old, she found unable to perform. By her service and devotion to God, she completely succeeded in effacing herself and she got completely merged in Him. A great soul—Janabai! And a greater Master—Namdev!

Please listen to some of my renditions of abhang:

Monday, July 14, 2008

Friday, July 11, 2008

Biography of Sant Tukaram

Sant Tukaram (c.1608-c.1650), also Shri Tukaram, and colloquially referred to as "Tuka", was a seventeenth century Marathi poet Sant of India, related to the Bhakti movement of Maharashtra. Tukaram, was a devotee of Vitthal (a form of Lord Krishna), the supreme God in Vaishnavism. He is especially revered by the Varkari community. Tukaram is widely recognized as the climactic point of the Bhagawat tradition which began with Namdev.

Most of the information on the sants of Maharashtra comes from the biographies written by Mahipati in the 1700s, called Bhaktivijaya and Bhaktililamrit. Scholars assign various dates to Tukaram's birth; the most frequently assigned dates are 1568, 1577, 1608 and 1598 AD. There is lesser dispute that he died in 1650 AD. He was born in Dehu, very close to modern Pune city in Maharashtra. His father was a small trader or peddler and he was barely literate all his life. His family were successful grain sellers.

Tukaram lost his first wife, Rakhumabai, during a famine. Though it is alleged by some that she died of starvation, that is unlikely because Tukaram came from a wealthy landlord and money-lender family. His second wife was Jijabai (also called Avali). He had three sons, named Santu or Mahadev, Vithoba and Narayana. Narayana was considerably younger than Mahadev and Vithoba, and was a great bhakta like his father.

After his father died, Tukaram waived loans that poor owed to him. He is said to have destroyed the loan records. Tukaram followed a high spiritual standard in his kirtans (discourses mixed with spiritual poetry). Tukaram's spirituality was not mythical but grounded in the reality of day-to-day existence. It was focussed on the actual behaviour of a person and his inner mental peace. His teachings were simple and effective. He constantly emphasized that orthodox religion, like the study of the Vedas, was just a formality; the real expression of religion was love and affection in actual life. His teaching encompassed a wide array of issues and even highlighted the importance of nature and the ecosystem in our lives.
Tukaram wrote in a special verse form called the abhanga, a run on couplet with three and a half feet with the first three rhyming. In the use of this poetic device he was unrivalled, and others have practically left it alone after him in a tacit acknowledgment that nothing more can be done with it. As was the tradition, he also added his signature, Tuka Mhane or "Tuka Says", at the end of each verse.
Typical of the Varkari sampradaya, samaj seva (service to the community) and hari sankirtan (group worship through music) were the Way. Tukaram made it his call to work for a group enlightenment rather than just for himself.
Basic Tenets of His Message

The Mantra Gita, a translation of the Bhagavad Gita in the abhanga form is ascribed to Tukaram. It is an interpretation of the Gita from a Bhakti perspective. Another work ascribe to him is the Ghata, a collection of 4,500 abhangas.

· Make God the Center of your life. Walk the Path of Love. Serve mankind, and thus see God in all.
· Cast away your clothes of traditions that you have inherited, for often those can restrain you from growing in the Love of God.
· Tukaram did not favour elaborate rituals, displays of asceticism or preoccupation with austerities. He would say, "even dogs come in saffron colour and bears have matted fur. If living in caves is being spiritual then rats who inhabit caves must be doing sadhana (or, spiritual practice)."
· He was opposed to the acquiring of siddhis (or spiritual attainments) as these were obstructions to authentic sadhana.
· Faith in Nature was crucial to sadhana. He believed that He who facilitates the milk from the breast for the infant and the One who permits the bursting of foliage from the branches will certainly take care of me.
· Most important of all was the Privilege of being a Bhakta and to exercise in life, nama japa. He would say that even God does not know the value of His Name. Even God is not aware of the power of His Name. How can He be? The lotus cannot smell its own fragrance, only the bee can. The cow knows not the sweetness of its milk, only the calf can. The oyster knows not the value of its pearl, only the jeweler can.
Final days

There is disagreement about Tukaram's final day. Some say that he informed his wife early in the day about going to Vaikuntha (the Divine Abode). His wife laughed at him. He went up the hillock and waited for Vithoba. By that time, news had spread around Dehu and people had gathered around the hillock, waiting for the Divine event. From eyewitness accounts, a large vehicle emerged from the skies and Vithoba emerged from the flying plane. Eyewitnesses rushed to Tukaram's home and informed his wife that Tukaram was on his way to Vaikuntha, the Abode of God. His wife ran toward the hills, only to see him take off in the Viman (Flying plane). To this day, devotees gather at the hillock and sing his praises. However, Starr forwards the opinion that he was probably murdered because of his successful reformist activity that had rocked the establishment and by getting rid of his body, they were able to spread the rumour that he had gone to heaven in a heavenly chariot

Please listen to some of my Tukaram abhangs.


Friday, May 30, 2008

Sadasive Brahmendra

On the river banks of the Cauvery in Mahadanapuram in Tiruchy District he was seen by a few kids. They requested him to take them to the religious fairs in Madurai, that time being the solar month of Leo when the Madurai temple has usually an annual festival. The sage perhaps felt an overflow of compassion for them. He asked them to close their eyes and in no time they were in Madurai (more than 100 miles away); they had their darsan of the Lord and the Goddess there, they feasted at the festivities and in due time before it was night they were back in Mahadanapuram on the same banks of the Cauvery. The parents of the children would not believe the stories but their graphic description of the Madurai festivities right to the last detail baffled them. They ran to the Cauvery banks to look for the sage but he was not there.

On the river bed of Kodumudi river Sadasiva Brahmendra was sitting in trance on the sands. Suddenly water flowed down the river in a flood and the river was flooded for the next few months. Spectators saw water submerge him as he was still sitting in his trance. He was given up as drowned. But three months later when the floods subsided he was still there in the same trance posture; he just rose up and walked away.
It was harvest season. He was seen ‘carelessly’ crossing the haystacks which have been piled up on the paddyfield. The warnings given to him to avoid the haystacks went unheeded. One of the men around raised his hatchet to hit him. But lo! the raised hand stayed right there. The sage was walking along as if nothing had happened. The rest of the spectators ran to him and pleaded that he save the man who had raised his hand to hit him. The sage looked back and the hand came down. The sage walked away.

Long after all these happened when almost people had forgotten the memories of his wandering in their lands, once the naked sannyasi was seen walking right through a muslim harem of a Nawab. As a brahma-jnani who sees nothing but brahman everywhere, he would not distinguish between the different human figures which cross his path nor would he be distracted by the sights or noises that his environment may present to him. It was in this state of trance that he was walking along. He, the naked sannyasi, walked straight into the harem, entering it at one end and walking out at the other all the while walking through a maze of inmates of the Nawab’s harem. The news reached the nawab, he had his men chase him, they cut off both his hands as he was walking along, the hands fell off and … still he was walking along silently as if nothing had happened. The nawab got scared, picked up the hands that had been severed, ran to the Sage and offered them in total remorse. The sage stopped his walking, the severed hands were restored to their place, the hands became normal and the sage walked away! There was no conversation.

It was Venkatesa AyyavaL, his classmate of old times, that broke his silence, maybe once or twice. During his discipleship days Sadasiva used to sing bhajans in a sweet voice. AyyavaL reminded him of those good old days and implored him to sing again for the benefit of the people who would certainly enjoy listening to his songs. Then came some wonderful songs, all of them having the theme of ‘The Experience of the Bliss of remaining in the Absolute brahman’ – brahmA-nubhavaM, brahma-saMsparzaM, brAhmI-sthiti as it is variously called in the Gita and elsewhere. Sadasiva-brahmendra’s songs are so delightfully full of this blissful divine experience that they are even now constantly rendered by musicians in concerts and public gatherings for a spiritual purpose; and when they are so rendered, no one will miss the elevating moods that they generate - even in those who do not understand the language, Sanskrit, in which it has been composed by the saint. His songs :
mAnasa samcara re , brahmaNi mAnasac samcara re … (Hey mind, dwell on brahman … )
sarvam brahma-mayam, re re sarvam brahma-mayam … (Everything is brahman to the brim… )

khelati mama hRdaye rAmaH … (Rama is sporting in my mind … )
piba re rAma-rasam … (Drink the nectar of rAma, hey …. )
brUhi mukundeti … (Recite mukunda, speak of Him … )
cintA nAsti kila … (they have no worries, …. )

are all very famous and each one of them is a capsule of the bliss of brahman that Sadasiva had enough to spare for others.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Sadasiva Brahmendra (contd...)

Meaning of some of the verses
Fully engrossed in the enjoyment of his own bliss, he remains in another world as it were; and as strikes his fancy, here he is engaged in thought, there he is singing and there he is dancing. Verse No.21

The sage shines supreme, silent and placid, with the ground under the tree as his resting place and with his palm as the begging bowl, wearing no clothes but only the jewel of non-attachment Verse No.35

Having dissolved the entire world (by right knowledge) and being under the power of the all-embracing substratum that survives such dissolution, he puts into his mouth by force of prArabdha-karma, the handful of food which comes to him Verse No.40

The yogi sees nothing, speaks nothing and hears nothing that is spoken. He remains steadfast in the incomparable region of bliss, immovable like a log of wood. Verse No.44

The great renouncer who knows the Truth of all the vedas wanders like an ignorant fool un-noticed, devoid of all sense of difference and seeing only Perfection everywhere and in all creatures. Verse No. 45

Embracing the Lady Equanimity and having been overpowered by Bliss he sleeps with his head for a pillow, with nothing for cover and with the bare ground for a bedding. Verse No.46

The sage rejects nothing considering it bad; nor does he accept anything, considering it good. Knowing that everything is the result of Ignorance, he remains unattached. Verse No.50

He does not think at all of what is past, nor does he care in his mind about the future. He does not even care who is in front of him, for He is the One Perfect Bliss in everything. Verse No.51

The king of renouncers rests alone, rooted in Self and enjoying the Inner Bliss; he rejects nothing that comes to him and never desires what does not come to him. Verse No.53

The great ascetic transcends the rules of caste and status shaking off from him the injunctions and prohibitions of the scriptures and he remains merely the perfect Knowledge-Bliss. Verse No.57

Please listen to some of my Sadasiva Brahmendra renditions.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Sadasiva Brahmendra

Growing up in a village on the banks of the Cauvery in Tamilnadu, Sadasiva was a most gifted student, much given to arguing and debating. After an early marriage and a spark of revelation on the day of his wife’s reaching puberty he renounced the world and performed a strenuous sAdhanA for eighteen years. One day he was taunted by his guru for his talkativeness. On that day he took a vow of silence and he kept it up for the rest of his life which he spent as a wandering naked (avadhUta) sannyasi. The songs he composed during the period of his discipleship are still very popular. In his wanderings, of which we have no complete record, he is said to have performed many miracles which were just an overflowing of the compassion he had for all humanity. He was one of the greatest of siddhas. His mind was always immersed in the Absolute brahman. His name is part of the folk-lore in all of South India. His major work is brahma-sUtra-vRtti, which is a scholarly but lucid commentary on the brahma-sUtras. He has thirteen other works to his credit - such as, yoga-sUtra-vRtti, also called yoga-sudhAkaram; jagad-guru-ratna-mAlotsava, a history of Kanchi Kamakoti mutt in 87 verses; advaita rasa-manjari in 45 verses; and others. His Atma-vidyA-vilAsam is a composition in 62 verses together forming a spiritual autobiography. The verses describe how a knower of brahman would behave and as far as the folklore and all the stories about Sadasiva-brahmendra go, the description fits him most suitably. He may be rightly called the Saintly Perfection of the Impersonal absolute.

Listen to some of Saint's composition:

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Sadasiva Brahmendra

The mystic saint that I like to write about is Sadasiva-brahmendra. Regarding his time there is not enough evidence. It has to be some period of time between the middle of the sixteenth century and the middle of the eighteenth century. The reasons are as follows. The 57th pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, namely Sri Paramasivendra Saraswathi (1538 –1586) had a pupil by name Ramanatha who later had a pupil by name Nallai Adhvari. This Adhvari acknowledges Sadasiva-brahmendra as his guru. A junior contemporary of Sri Paramasivendra saraswathi was Nilakanta-Dikshidar, grandson of the brother of the famous Advaita scholar-devotee Appayya Dikshidar (1520 – 1593). Appayya Dikshidar was a great scholar-teacher of advaita vedanta, hailing from Tamilnadu. He was the guiding spirit of a movement in which he organized the services of a large band of volunteers who could disseminate among the masses the philosophy of advaita and the worship of Lord Siva. Having mastered, at a very early age, all the knowledge available at the time in philosophy, rhetoric and literature, he wrote about a hundred works, of which only 60 are now extant, in philosophy, devotional poetry and literary and philsophical criticism. His poetical talent is transparent in all these works. He is said to have travelled widely, entering into philsophical disputations and controversies in many centres of learning, including Varanasi. He was so firm in his belief in advaita that he had no qualms in using his talent to the elucidation of other schools of thought like those of Vedanta-desikacharya of whom he was an admirer. His was a mighty intellect and he led a life of karma, bhakti and jnana, setting a model for posterity to follow.
This Nilakanta, the grandson of Appayya Dikshidar, was the chief minister of King Tirumalai-Nayak of Madurai. Nilakantha had a pupil Ramabhadra who had a pupil by name Venkatesa Dikshidar who later came to be known by the name Ayyaval of Tiruvisanallur. This Ayyaval and Sadasiva Brahmendra had been schoolmates. This much is known. On the other side we know that Sadasiva Brahmendra met the Tamil scholar-poet-devotee-philosopher Tayumanavar (1705 – 1742?) in 1738 A.D. Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman (Rajah of Pudukkottai) (1730-1769) subscribes to this meeting. These are the major factors for scholars coming to the almost unbelievable conclusion that Sadasiva perhaps lived for nearly 200 years. But if we know what kind of mystic and knower of brahman he was, we tend to feel that the improbable could have been possible. The Upanishadic maxim: brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati ( meaning, the knower of brahman is brahman), really applies to Sadasiva Brahmendra. It is only in mythology we come across such a brahma-vit - examples are: boy-sage Suka, and Sage jaDa-bharata - but in our own historical world, such examples are rarest of the rare. Sadasiva Brahmendra is one such.

Please listen to Sadasiva Brahmendra composed songs from my website:

Friday, May 2, 2008

Papanasam Sivan

Papanasam Sivan (Tamil: பாபநாசம் சிவன்) (September 26, 1890 - October 10, 1973) was a prominent composer of Carnatic music and a famous singer. A famous composer, Sivan was also known as Tamil Thyagayya. Using Classical South Indian as a base, Sivan created numerous hits popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and M. S. Subbulakshmi.

Sivan's early years were spent in the Travancore area of Kerala where the kings patronised fine arts. Sivan's real name was Ramadass. Because of his devotion to God Shiva, he is better known by the name Papanasam Sivan. He was born in the district of Thanjavur, which was home to the illustrious musical trinity of Carnatic music. His original name was Ramaiyya. In 1897, when Ramaiyya was just 7, his father died. His mother Yogambal, along with her sons, left Thanjavur and moved to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, where her brother-in-law was a Ramayana Sastri in the renowned Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple. At Thirunanthapuam, Ramaiyya learned Malayalam and Sanskrit and later earned a degree in grammar. Ramiyya was very religious and with death of his mother in Yogambal when he was 20, it made him even more religious he wandered from place to place visiting temples and singing devotional songs. Ramaiyya used to be an active participant in the devotional music sessions at the home of Neelakandasivan in Thiruvananthapuram. Thus he learned many of the musical compositions of Neelakandasivan. In this period, his wanderings would take him regularly to the temple at Papanasanm where he would smear bhasma all over his body. Hence people began to refer him as Papanasam Sivan, the name by which he was to become well known later.

He picked up his first music lessons from Noorani Mahadeva Bhagavatar, son of Parameswara Bhagavatar. Later he became the disciple of Konerirajapuram Vaidyanath Iyer, a well-known musician, under whose tulelage Sivan blossomed into a consummate artiste that he was.

In spite of his deep knowledge of music, Papanasam Sivan was more interested in the devotional aspect of music. He preferred to sing devotional songs and encouraged other singers take part in sessions of devotional music with him. Papanasam Sivan was regular in all the major temple festivals in South India with his devotional songs.

Please listen to my musical uploads of Papanasam Sivan.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Subramania Bharatiyar (contd..)

During Bharathiyaar's era patriotism and a thirst for freedom inspired
many a poet. While Bharathiyaar was not ashamed of proclaiming the
richness of his language (He frequently referred to Tamizh as his
"mother"), he was always an Indian first. He championed national
integration, when India had not yet achieved nationhood. He was
staunchly opposed to casteism. In a song entitled "VaanDhe maatharam"
he wrote:

jaathi madhangkazh paarome - oo-yar
janmam-ith thes-athiL A-E-thina raayin (A is pronounced as A in ABC..Z)
vethiya raayinum O-inre - un-ri
Veru kulathina raayinum O-inre

(We shall not discriminate based on caste or religion,
All human beings in this country - whether preaching
the vedas or involved in other professions - are equal)

Just as he did not discriminate based on caste, he did not discriminate
between religions as well. He sung the praise of many a Hindu
god/godess, and at the same time he wrote devotional songs on Jesus
Christ and Allah. Bharathiyaar was pained by the status of Indian
women during his time. He wrote:

Arivu koNda manitha oo-yirkazhai
Adimai yaaka mooyalpavar pitharaam

(Those who wish to imprison the human lives that
possess intelligence are insane).

He challenged and motivated women to fight for their rights. It is sad
to note that the women of India are still struggling for many of these
rights, more than seven decades after Bharathiyaar's time. Mahakavi
Bharathiyaar was a visionary who thought India should be a modern
industrial nation, where all citizens (irrespective of gender, religion
or caste) would be equal. He envisioned a great India:


Paaru-ku-izhe nalla nadu - A-ingazh (pronounce A as in ABC..Z)
Bharatha nadu

(A great nation in this world - our India).


I think Bharathiyaar's contribution to Tamizh and Indian literature is
second to none. He showed that you can be a devouted Hindu and still
sing the praise of Jesus or Allah. He showed that the love for your
language and heritage need not come in the way of your patriotism. I
think every Indian should be aware of this great Indian, and draw
inspiration from his words.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Subramania Bharathiyaar

Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyaar was born in the year 1882. He was
lovingly called Subbiah during his younger days. At age 11, in the
court of the King of Ettayapuram, he was given the title "Bharathi."
The King and the poets in the court were astonished by Bharathi's
prodigious poetic talents. Later (1902-1904), Bharathi lived in
Ettayapuram and was the King's close friend. Bharathi was passionately
involved in the freedom movement. He worked as a school teacher and as
a journal editor at various times in his life. Bharathi died at a young
age of 39 (in 1921). But he left a legacy that is truly invaluable.

Bharathiyaar, as the Mahakavi is known in Tamizh, lived in an era when
India was still under British occupation. His devotion to Tamizh led
him to say:

yaamarintha mozhikazhi-le tamizhmozhi-pole
E-nithavathu engum kaaNOm

(Among all the languages I know, there is
none sweeter than Tamizh)

But at the same time, Bharathiyaar was fluent in many languages (incl.
Hindi, Sanskrit, Kuuch, English etc.) and frequently translated works
from other languages (Bengali, English) into Tamizh, thus showing that
one can love one's language/culture and yet be appreciative of other
languages/cultures.


Contd...

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Arunagirinathar (contd..)

The king apologized to Arunagiri and asked him to forgive. But still the minister want to take revenge on Arunagiri and told the king that since all the people had lost their eye-sight it can be brought back only through the 'Parijada' flower(It is a special kind of flower which is in heaven only). So the king requested Arunagiri to bring that flower from heaven since only he can do this.

Arunagiri decided to go to heaven and bring the flower. So he left the body and took a parrot's body and went. Meantime the Chief Minister known that he left the body and hided somewhere. So he searched the body and burnt it. When Arunagiri returned back he noticed that the body is no more.

But he was not disappointed since he knows the body is not the real thing. He went and sat in the form of parrot in the gopuram(gate). Today also it is called 'Kili gopuram'. Kili means parrot in Tamil language.

Arunagirinathar (contd..)

Even though he is devoted to Lord Subramanya he spent his youth life around a lot of women. He was fully immersed into that life and he got leprosy disease. Then all the women hated him and he realised his sin. He was very much distressed that he wasted his life without realising the god. So he decided to commit suicide from a gopuram(gate) of the Temple. While doing so Lord Subramanya held him with his hand and cured his disease.

Arunagiri was very much happy and got enlightened. Lord subramanya instructed him to write a set of poems called 'Thirupugazh' on his praise. Then arunagiri became a saint and started singing poems in praise of Lord Subramanya. He left all the lust towards women and devoted full time towards god.

He went to all temples of lord subramanya and sung poems. Then he left those places and returned to Tiruvannamalai. By seeing his saint-hood the king of Tiruvannamalai appointed him as official poet of the kingdom. But he was not interested even though he did not reject this.

By seeing this, the chief minister in his kingdom got jealous about Arunagiri. He started giving false information about Arunagiri to the king. He said that Arunagiri is not a real devotee of Lord Subramanya and fooling the people that he haD seen Lord Murugan.

So the king arranged a public gathering and asked Arunagiri to show Lord Subramanya to others also. Arunagiri started singing songs and soon after Lord Muruga appeared in a stone pillar in the form of child. He was so bright as equal to hundred of suns and the people were unable to see this with their ordinary eyes. Due to this everybody lost their eyes including the king and ministers.

To be continued.

Arunagirinathar

The holy land of India had given to the world many great saints and sages who have shown to humanity the correct way of leading a peaceful, happy and divine life. Among them Saint Arunagirinathar, who lived in the fifteenth century, had given to us nine most valuable gems of his works: Kandar Anubuthi, Kandar Alankaram, Kandar Andhathi, Thiruezhukuttrirukkai, Vel, Mayil, Cheval viruthangal and Thiru Vaguppugal. Aurunagiri's philosophy can easily be understood from these works.
Arunagiri was born in Thiruvannamalai, which is one of the sacred places in India held in great veneration by the Saivites. The very thought of this place is believed to confer release (mukthi). He was a great devotee of Murugan and this devotion to Murugan must have run in his blood, whether or not it was conscious. Such devotion seems to have been continuous, from generation to generation. It is also possible that Arunagiri felt he was a devotee of Murugan in his previous birth also.

Arunagiri is a great devotee of Lord Muruga who lived in Tiruvannamalai. Unlike the other saints he is very traditional and devoted to god since he lived long back. The name and fame came to him because he showed Lord Subramanya to everybody directly.

To be continued

Please listen to some of my uploads of songs composed by: Saint Arunagirinathar:

Monday, April 14, 2008

Annamacharya (contd)

Narayana Suri, the son of Narayanayya, did not have children for a long time. Narayana Suri and his wife Lakkamamba visited Tirumala Temple and while they were prostrating in front of the Holy Mast (Dhwaja Sthambha) a dazzling brilliance from the sword of Lord Venkateswara struck them like a lightening. Eventually a boy was born to them and they named him Annamayya. Annamayya became Annamacharya when the sage Ghana Vishnu at Tirumala converted him into a Vaishnavaite at the age of 8.

During his long and prolific career, Annamacharya composed and sang 32,000 Sankirtanas, 12 Satakas (sets of hundred verses), Ramayana in the form of Dwipada,SsankIrtana Lakshanam (Characteristics of sankIrtanas), Sringaara Manjari, and Venkatachala Mahatmamyam. His works were in Telugu, Sanskrit and a few other languages of India.

Chinnanna called the 32,000 Sankirtanas as 32,000 Mantras or Sacred Hymns. It was also recorded in Chinnanna’s Dwipada that Purandara Dasa, who was 70 years younger to Annamacharya, heard about the miracles of Annamacharya and visited him. Purandara Dasa paid his respects to Annamacharya by calling him the incarnation of Lord Venkateswara and his Sankirtanas as Sacred Hymns.

Annamacharya wrote the sankirtanas on palm leaves and later his son Tirumalacharya got them engraved on copper plates. But for reasons not known, most of these copper plates lay hidden in a rock built cell opposite to Hundi in the Tirumala temple unnoticed for over 400 years.

In 1922, twenty five hundred copper plates, comprising of about 14,000 sankIrtanas and a few other works, were found in a rock built cell, later named as Sankirtana Bhandagaram, opposite to the Hundi (donation box).

Ever since the discovery of this lost treasure, Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams (TTD) and other organizations in India are working hard to promote the music and literature of Annamacharya.

Annamacharya

Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya (1408-1503)

the mystic saint composer of the 15th century is the earliest known musician of South India to compose songs called “sankIrtanas” in praise of Lord Venkateswara, the deity of Seven Hills in Tirumala, India where unbroken worship is being offered for over 12 centuries. Annamcharya is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Venkateswara's. nandaka (Sword).

Annamacharya was born on Vaisakhapoornima in the year Sarwadhari (May 9, 1408) in Tallapaka, a remote village in Andhra Pradesh, and lived immaculately for 95 years until Phalguna Bahula Dwadasi (12th day after full moon) in the year Dhundhubhi (February 23, 1503). Annamacharya is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Venkateswara’s Nandaka or Sword. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) have consecrated Annamacharya in two places, one in the Annamacharya Mandiram located in the Annamacharya Project Office premises at Tiruapati and the other one in Annamacharya temple at Tallapka the birth place of Annamcharya.

It is believed that in the 10th century a big famine broke out in Varanasi and scores of scholars migrated to southern part of India for earning their livelihoods. Some of them concentrated in a town called “Nandavaram” in Andhra Pradesh which was ruled by the then king Nanda. These immigrants were called “Nandavarikas” and Annamacharyas forefathers were the so called Nandavarikas and hence Annamacharya.

As a boy Narayanayya was not keen in studies and it was customary in those times for the gurus to subject the students to different kinds of torturous methods to create concentration on studies. When nothing worked for the young boy, he decided that death would be better than the life filled with torture, humiliation, and shame. He heard about the venomous cobra in the snake hole at the temple of Chinthalamma the village Goddess. In an attempt to take his life away, Narayanayya put his hand in the snake hole at the temple. To his surprise, the village Goddess appeared before him and advised him not to take his life away since a boy with an element of Hari or Vishnu would be born in the third generation of Narayanayya.

contd...

Please listen to my recent uploads for Annamacharya kritis:

Friday, April 11, 2008

Bhadrachala Ramadas (Gopanna)

Bhadrachala Ramadasu, as he is popularly known, Kancharla Gopanna was a great devotee-saint-poet-composer of Andhra Pradesh who dedicated his life to sing the glories of Lord Rama and composed numerous songs in Telugu on his beloved deity of Sri Rama, which are very popular even today in the land of Andhra Pradesh. Ramadasu is known for constructing the current Rama temple in Bhadrachalam and as consequence suffered the agonies of prison for 12 years.

Popularly known as Bhakta Raamadaas, he was born Gopanna to Linganna Mantri (a surname he kept as a result of one of his forebears being a minister at the court of a king) & Kadamba (sister of Madanna, a brahmin minister to TaniShah), in 1620 in Nelakondapalli, a small village in Khammam district, Andhra Pradesh. Since childhood, he imbibed his family's interest in spirituality and composed several keertanas on Rama. His devotion to Vaikunta Rama at the temple of Bhadrachalam, a small village in the middle of the jungle on the northern banks of the holy river Godavari, earned him his name Bhadraacala Raamadaas. His guru was Raghunatha Bhattacharya.

During the reign of Abdul Hasan Tana Shah, (the nawab of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty at Golconda), Ramadas (Gopanna), thanks to his uncle Madanna, was appointed as a Tahsildar for Palvancha Paragana which included Bhadrachalam, a pretty and picturesquely situated temple town on the Godavari river. Ramadas was always distracted and his intense love for Lord Rama compelled him to build a temple at Bhadrachalam. He collected money for the construction from the citizens, but was not enough. So he borrowed from the tax revenue of the nawab and gave his god a worthy abode, vowing to return the money. However, the nawab was furious and sentenced Ramadas to 12 years in prison. Raamadaas thus earned the name Bandikhana Raamadaas (meaning imprisoned Ramadas). Frustrated at god's indifference to his pleadings, Ramadas composed some of the finest keertanas in his prison cell (reminding Rama of his services in Ikshvaku Kula Tilaka).

It is said that Rama & Lakshmana in the guise of two youngsters paid up his dues and got his release papers. The golden coins paid by Rama are known as Ram Tanka coins. They can be seen even today. These coins have the Pattabhishekam scene on one side and the picture of another Rama Bhaktha, Hanuman, on the other side. The nawab was moved and recognized the greatness of Ramadas and released him immediately and gave him land around Bhadraachalam to continue his dedicated service to Bhadraachala Raamamoorty. Ramadas spent the rest of his life on these lands and composed further moving poems that were to inspire Tyaagaraaja: in ksheera saagara sayana in Devagaandhaari, he says "Dhirudau Ramadasuni Bandhamu dirchinadi Vinnanura Rama?" (O Rama! I have heard how You obtained the release of the bold Ramadas from his prison life); in brindaavanalOla in tODi, in kaligiyundE gada in keeravaaNi, in Emi dova balkuma in saaranga and in Prahlaada Bhakti Vijayam he says "kaliyugamuna vara bhadra calamuna nelakonna raamacandruni pada bhaktula kella varudanandagi velasina shree raamadaasu vinutintu madin" (I praise Sri Raamadaas, who shines in this world as the supreme devotee of Sri Raamachandra, who shines forth from his seat at Bhadraachalam in this kali Yuga).

Other compositions are positive invocations, favored by traveling minstrels, including the Tondaiman rulers of PudukoTTai in Tamil Nadu, who popularized his songs. Among his other accomplishments is the creation of the whole Ramayana story in the form of a prose-poem, a Choornika. Ramadas described himself in this way in the last verse of his Dasarathi Satakam: "Allana Linga Mantri Suthudu(son), Atreya Gothrudu, Adi Sakha, Kancherla Kulothbhavudu, Gopakavindrudu." Bhadraachala Raamadaas lived for 68 years.

Please listen to my uploads of carnatic songs composed by Bhadrachala Ramadas.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Purandaradas

Srinivasa Nayaka is the original name of Purandaradas. The Modern period of Carnatic (Karnatic) music begins with "Purandaradas" (1484-1564). He was the pioneer who blended the rich musical streams of Dravidian and Aryan music into a single stream called Karnatic music. This synthesis of cultures resulted in the hybrid variety, a highly rich traditional and classical musical system.

Sri Purandaradas born at Purandargarh near Pune in Maharastra, finally settled at Hampi (Vijayanagar), a border area for both Northern and Southern cultures. The aesthetic beauty of both the Northern and Southern flow of music attracted him as similar ragas and 'thalas' exist in both the systems in different names. The Aryan system was more prevalent in princely courts whereas the Dravidan system was prevalent in the temples of South India.

Sri Purandara Das decided that "Malava gowla" of the South was most suited for beginners. The corresponding Raga in the North is called "Bhairav". In "Malavagowla" subsequently named as "Maya Malavagowla", the difference of pitch between 'Ri' and 'ga', and 'da' and 'ni' are the same and the notes sa-ri-ga-ma and pa-da-ni-sa are perfect concordant notes. That is why Purandara Dasa found Maya Malavagowla the best Raga to begin lessons in classical music. This system of music is called "Karnataka Music" as he belongs to that region and the music is very pleasing to the ears. He created several phrases of notes called "Sarali" "Janta", Hetchu-sthayi, "Thaggu sthayi" and "Datu" Swaras. He also simplified "Thala" system and moulded it into "Pancha-Thrimsathi" Thala system and composed "Alankaras" to be sung in those Thalas.

All these initial notes or Swaras are to be sung in Maya Malavagowla. The next phase of learning of a beginner is "Geetham" for which Purandaradasa created "Pillari Geetams" in Rag-Malahari" a derivative of Maya-Malava-Gowla . Gradually the Ragas and their notes are to be changed to acquaint the student with different notes step by step. Purandara Dasa was therefore, rightly called Karnataka Sangeeta Pithamaha.

Further Purandara Dasa said in his song "Vasudevana namavaliya" (Mukhari raga) that he composed 475,000 Keerthanas. About 800 of them are available now. As the original tunes are lost, people sing some of them in their own tunes.

Please listen to some of my Purandaradasa kritis.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

The Revolution in Music Brought About By Tyagaraja

We may at the juncture point out how Tyagaraja brought about a complete revolution in the way music was used and presented to the public. The Ragam, Tanam, Pallavi style adopted by earlier musicians centred almost entirely around displaying virtuoso skills. True, the Pallavi that came at the end proclaimed devotion to God; however, that devotion came somewhat like an add-on. By and large, a musical concert was an occasion for the display of tonal gymnastics.

This stress on sheer musical skills turned away many who found that this style was not suited for promoting their sense of devotion or Bhakti. Tyagaraja changed all that but turning the focus entirely on the song, which, invariably was soaked with devotion or Bhakti without sacrificing musical excellence.

With Tyagraja, many things converged. First there was Bhakti, which pervaded every word of the song. The song itself had a definite structure. There was the opening called Pallavi that gave the headlines so to speak of the contents of the song, after which came the Anupallavi which was like the sub-headlines.

Following these two came the Charanam which gave the details of the message. Tyagaraja took the song and mixed it with good music, that is he set it to one of the wonderful ragas available from the Melkartha scheme. As a scholar put it: Tyagaraja started with a good song in that beautiful language Telugu. He then packed it with Divine feelings and sweetened it further by adding Rama’s name. He topped it all off by setting the song to the most appropriate Ragam available, thereby bringing out the depth of the spiritual message and the musical richness of the composition.

In short, he had the winning combination – depth of devotion and the best of music.

Please listen to my recent uploads of songs:

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Tyagaraja .....contd..

The Three Schools of Tyagaraja

During his life, Tyagaraja attracted many students and to each he imparted a “corpus of his compositions according to the student’s voice-quality and musical equipment”. It is to these students and in particular to three branches that we owe the legacy we now have.

The three branches, or schools that emerged are those associated with the places Umayalpuram, Tillaistanam, and Walajapet. Some disciples also took the trouble of documenting Tyagaraja’s life. The first two biographies were written by the father and son duo, Venkataramana Bhagavathar, and Krishnaswami Bhagavathar of Walajapet. Venkataramana Bhagavthar was born in 1781 and spent many years with Tyagaraja. He died in 1874. His son Krishnaswami was born in 1824, and he too spent some years with Tyagaraja. Both the father and the son wrote their biographical texts in Telugu, and all other accounts that were published subsequently have naturally relied a lot on these basic texts.

Please listen to my recent uploads of songs:

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Tyagaraja .... contd..

The Last Austere Moments…

Before The Final Call Years passed; Tyagaraja’s wife passed away and he was now in the eighties. Ten days before he gave up his body, Tyagaraja had a vision of Lord Rama on the top of a hill as if in Lanka, getting ready for the battle with Ravana. Tyagaraja composed a song recalling this vision. Apparently, at the time Rama appeared – and this was on 27th December, 1846 – Rama gave the assurance that he, Tyagaraja, would merge with Him ten days later. On 5th January, 1847, one day before he was suppose to receive the final call, Tyagaraja formally took sanyas, that is to say, he became a renunciate, in accordance with the Hindu tradition. Next day he passed into eternity, merging forever with Lord Rama. Whereas householders are cremated when they die, sannyasis are buried. Tyagaraja was interred at a spot on the left bank of the Kaveri river with all the rites due to a Sannyasi. A tulsi plant was planted near the spot. In the years to come, that spot got built up progressively and that is where the saint is worshipped today; and that is also where musicians have been paying homage to him for nearly a century.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Tyagaraja .......contd..

Tyagaraja Sings To Mother Kamakshi in Kancheepuram

Tyagaraja then went to Kancheepuram to meet Upanishad Brahmam, and sang songs on Lord Vishnu who appears as Varadaraja. He also composed some songs on Devi Kamakshi, which is the name by which Parvathi the Universal Mother is known there. The late Paramacharya of Kanchi once gave a graphic description of this song. He said that on the way to the place where the idol of Kamakshi is installed in the temple,Tyagaraja had to pass by many idols of Vinayaka the first son of Parvathi. He then sang a song asking Mother Kamakshi to protect him also the way She protected Her son Vinayaka.

We see from this and many other such songs that though Tyagaraja was a devotee of Lord Rama, he saw Rama as the Supreme Lord who took many forms; thus he saw no contradiction in his worship of many forms for in his mind they all belonged to only ONE GOD who, for him, was Rama.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Tyagaraja....contd...

Lord Rama To The Rescue of Tyagaraja

Sundaresa’s consort in Kovur is Tripurasundari [a name of Parvathi], and Tyagaraja also sang many songs in praise of the Goddess. When finally Tyagaraja took leave of Kovur Sundaresa Mudaliar, the host gave a palanquin for the Saint to travel in. While the party was proceeding south, a gang of robbers attacked them. Tyagaraaj was surprised; why was a robber gang attacking them? They had no money or valuables; why then? When he posed this question to one of his disciples, he was told that unknown to him, Sundaresa Mudaliar had given the disciples a lot of money, saying it was all for Rama’s work.

Hearing this, Tyagaraja is reported to have said, “In that case, it is Rama’s problem. He has to protect what belongs to Him,” and sang a song invoking the protection of the Lord. At that time, there appeared, seemingly from nowhere, some hunters who attacked the brigands and drove them away. And after vanquishing the robbers, the hunters vanished but not before giving Darshan to them as Rama and Lakshmana.

All this was reported to the Saint in great detail, whereupon he saw how lucky were the robbers to get the Darshan of the Lord whereas he, a life-long devotee was aching for the same all the time. That is how the Lord plays sometimes with his devotees; for Tyagaraja, it was one more occasion for a memorable song.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tyagaraja.....(contd..)

“Praise God, Not Man”

Tyagaraja in Chennai From Tirupathi, Tyagaraja turned back and on his way stopped in Madras (now Chennai). We are here talking of a period around the year 1800 when Madras was far from the huge metropolis it now is. There was of course the main town, scattered around which were many villages, all of which have now been swallowed by the megapolis the city has since become. Though Madras had not yet become a big city then, there were in the vicinity of the city many patrons of Carnatic Music. One of them was Kovur Sundaresa Mudaliar, who warmly extended his hospitality to the Saint. Patrons in those days, wanted poets and musicians to sing their praise in return for the patronage conferred. It is said that Sundaresa Mudaliar dropped hints that he would like Tyagaraja to sing a few songs in his praise. Obviously Tyagaraja could not and would not do that. So how did he handle this delicate situation? Literally by following Swami’s dictum: “If you cannot oblige, speak obligingly!” What Tyagaraja did was to go to the local temple where the deity was Sundaresa [this is one of the names by which Siva is known]. And there before Lord Sundaresa, Tyagaraja sang five glorious songs in praise of Sundaresa [the Lord and not the host!]. This set of five songs are known as Kovur Pancharatnams [the five gems of Kovur].

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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Tyagaraja.....contd..

Tyagaraja In Tirupathi

Devotees of the Lord often go on pilgrimages to various holy places, but Tyagaraja was not cast in that mold. There are, however, accounts of his visits to a few places, almost entirely in the South. The northernmost part he visited was Tirupathi, where Lord Venkateswara is the presiding deity. There is a story behind Tyagaraja’s visit to Tirupathi. Tyagaraja was actually invited to Chennai (formerly Madras) by a rich patron of music but he refused, naturally. This rich man then went to a noble sannyasi and a great devotee of Rama named Upanishad Brahmam, who lived in Kancheepuram near Madras.

This Upanishad Brahmam was a friend of Tyagaraja’s father and having heard of the talents of the son of his friend, wanted to see him. So he sent an invitation to Tyagaraja, inviting him to Kancheepuram. This formal invitation, known as srimukham, exists to this day along with some of Tyagaraja’s own writings on palm leaf of his compositions, in the Saurashtra Sabha in the temple city Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Tyagaraja then decided that he would go to Tirupathi and stop in Kancheepuram while returning, to see Upanishad Brahmam.
In Tirupathi, Tyagaraja entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple where the idol is installed but it so happened that at that time the curtain was drawn, hiding the idol. It is a tradition in Hindu temples in South India that when the idol is being washed or decorated, the curtain is drawn. And when Tyagaraja saw the curtain, he sang memorable sang, asking: “When will this curtain come down? O Lord, I have come all the way to have Your Darshan and You are behind a curtain! Will You not please make the curtain fall so that I can see You?” It seems that the curtain immediately fell down, allowing Tyagaraja to have the Darshan of Lord Venkateswara.

This is the folk lore. However, scholars say that what Tyagaraja was really praying for was for the curtain of Maya or delusion to come down, so that he could have the vision of the Lord without any Mind-made distortions. Given Tyagaraja’s depth of devotion, this probably is the real significance of this wonderful song.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Tyagaraja .....contd...

The “Loss of Rama” The story does not end here.

Japesan became furious at what he regarded as Tyagaraja’s downright stupidity and, in a fit of anger, threw into the Kaveri river, the idols that Tyagaraja lovingly worshipped every day. This happened when Tyagaraja was not at home and unfortunately for Tyagaraja, there was also a flood in the river. Thus came a testing time for the devotee – a period of unbearable separation from the Lord. Swami says, “Do not make God into a picture but elevate the picture to God.” This certainly applied to Tyagaraja. For him the idols he worshipped were not merely idols but Rama, Lakshmana and Sita in person. The songs that Tyagaraja composed during this period of “separation” reflect, understandably, intense grief, sorry and agony. When the flood receded and the water level came down, Tyagaraja went into the river to look for His Lord, and by His Grace, found the lost idols. He burst into a song, this time full of joy and ecstasy, marking the end of the separation period. After that, Tyagaraja welcomed Rama back into the house with yet another memorable and sweet song

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Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Tyagaraja.....contd...

For Tyagaraja, Nobody was More Important than Lord Rama, Not Even The King

Whenever there is exceptional talent, there appear people who try to take charge of such people and “manage” them, a practice so very common these days. Interestingly, Tyagaraja’s elder brother Japesan decided that he should “manage and market” his foolish younger brother who did not how to make a fast buck. Since Tyagaraja was already well known despite his scrupulously avoiding public concerts, Japesan managed to convince the King of Tanjore that Tyagaraja must be invited to the court to sing in the royal presence. In keeping with the tradition of the times, the King sent a messenger with lots of gifts, and asked the messenger to invite Tyagaraja to sing for the King in the royal court.

Japesan thought that Tyagaraja would jump at the offer and that would be the beginning of great things to come. But that was not the way things worked out. Tyagaraja was pained and gave expression to his anguish by singing a wonderful song that begins with the words, “Tell me O Mind! Which is better? Money and fame or the chance to be in the presence of Lord Rama?”

It is interesting that there was actually a strong tradition amongst the highly evolved persons of those times to flatly reject the patronage offered by the rich and the wealthy, including Kings. There are any number of stories similar to the one just narrated. Rejection of worldly offers and dedicating oneself solely to the Lord was the hallmark of saints of those days.

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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Tyagaraja ....contd..

Tyagaraja Stuns His Teacher!

Tyagaraja kept to himself and spent most of his time communicating with Lord Rama – he simply did not have time for promoting himself in the community through his musical talents. Nevertheless, he soon became known for his singing. One day, his Guru Sonti Venkataramaniah sent for Tyagaraja and asked him to sing some of his own compositions in the presence of leading court musicians of the day. Normally, Tyagaraja avoided singing before others, but this was different; his Guru was asking him to do so, and so he obeyed the command and sang. The teacher was so stunned by Tyagaraja’s remarkable talent that he openly praised his disciple as being far better than him, a praise few teachers would be prepared to give. Not only that; Sonti Venkataramaniah presented Tyagaraja with a gold medal that he had once received as an award at a royal court. Tyagaraja was averse to receiving such tokens but made a one-time exception for the sake of his Guru. Later, Tyagaraja presented the medal and the chain at the wedding of his teacher’s daughter; thus he managed to dispense with what was perhaps the only worldly reward he had ever received

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Tyagaraja ....(contd...)

Tyagaraja’s Steadfast Devotion To Lord Rama

This brings us to the musical genius of Tyagaraja. It appears that although Tyagaraja took musical lessons, he did not follow the classical path of a student making a debut as a singer, then becoming a concert artist, etc. For him, music was a vehicle for communicating directly with God. However, that path opened up in a very special way. Tyagaraja’s father Ramabrahmam had been initiated into the chant of the powerful Rama Mantra. Unfortunately for Ramabrahmam, his first two sons were not up to the mark spiritually. Tyagaraja the third son seemed to be different. So the father promptly taught his son to worship Rama daily.
Like his father, Tyagaraja too was initiated into the chant of the name of Rama, and this, it appears, was done by one Ramakrishnananda Swami. Tyagaraja kept chanting the name almost non-stop, and when he crossed the ten million mark [one crore], it seems that Rama appeared momentarily and gave Darshan. An ecstatic Tyagaraja burst into song, and from then on there was no looking back.
There is another tale describing how Tyagaraja was specially chosen by the Lord to spread Bhakti through the medium of music. According to this, Tyagaraja quietly started worshipping Sage Narada in order to learn the deeper secrets of music.
As those familiar with Indian scriptures and tradition know, Sage Narada is a wandering saint, singing the glory of the Lord wherever he goes. He also described the nine ways by which humans can attain God, the famous Nava Rasa Bhakti Marga, to which Swami makes a reference ever so often. Apparently, Narada was pleased with Tyagaraja’s dedication and devotion, appeared before the devotee and gave him a Divine musical treatise containing the secret and mystery of musical notes.
Thus Tyagaraja was doubly blessed; he received the treasure of musical knowledge directly from Sage Narada and he had also been blessed by Lord Rama Himself.

Whether one believes in these folklores or not, two things cannot be questioned. Tyagaraja’s genius is literally unparalleled – he holds a position of almost unattainable eminence like Shakespeare in literature and Beethoven in Western Music. And, what is more important, Tyagaraja dedicated his music entirely to Lord Rama. Swami says that we must start the day with God, spend the day with God, and end the day with God. If we want to know how to do it, then we would do well to study the life of Saint Tyagaraja.
In the morning he would wake up Lord Rama! He would, in the course of the day, chat with Rama through his many songs. Sometime, he would praise Rama; sometimes he would make prayerful requests to Rama; sometimes he would wail to Rama about his personal difficulties and sometimes he would even complain to Rama!
In fact, if one carefully examines his life and compositions, one can, without doubt, find shades of the nine paths of devotion prescribed by Sage Narada.

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

Tyagaraja life ......(contd..)

Tyagaraja Under The Tutelage of Sonti Venkataramaniah
The story is also told that as a boy, every day on his way to the temple, Tyagaraja would pass by the house of one Sonti Venkataramiah, Principal Musician in the court of Sarabhoji Maharaja, then ruler of Tanjavoor. Every time he passed the house, young Tyagraja would stop to listen to the music lessons being imparted by Sonti Vemkataramaniah to his students. One day, when Tyagaraja was listening from outside, the teacher asked his students a tough question in music. None of them could answer but young Tyagaraja who was standing outside, shouted the answer. The teacher was amazed to hear someone other than his students give the correct answer. He opened the door, came out and saw the young boy who had answered his question. One look and he knew that there stood before him the dream student. Almost immediately, Tyagaraja became a disciple of Sonti Venkataramaniah and started taking musical lessons from him.

Please wait for the next instalment.

I have uploaded new songs in my following site:

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Tyagaraja - a brief

Birth and Family of Tyagaraja

Tyagaraja was born in a small town called Tiruvarur on 4th May, 1747 in a Telugu Brahmin family, descended from immigrants from Andhra who went South towards the end of the 16 th century. Till that time, the Vijayanagaram Empire dominated Andhra, besides controlling the feudal kings of the South. In 1565, the Muslims destroyed the Vijayanagaram Empire, following which many Telugu speaking people, especially Brahmins, migrated to the South, seeking patronage of kings there.
Thus it was that Tyagaraja’s ancestors who lived in Karkala village in what is now Kurnool District of the State of Andhra Pradesh, moved to Tanjore [now Tanjavoor] seeking the patronage of a Maratha ruler there.
Tyagaraja was the third son of Ramabrahmam and Sitamma. Ramabrahmam was patronized by the then King of Tanjavoor, and engaged himself in spiritual activities in the royal court. When Tyagaraja was born, Ramabrahmam was living in the temple town Tiruvaroor where Siva is the presiding deity and is known as Tyagrajaswami, the King of Sacrifice. The little baby was named after the local deity.
Soon after Tyagaraja was born, Ramabrahmam shifted to Tiruvaiyaru village on the banks of the sacred Kaveri river where the King gave him a house to live in and also some land.
At the age of eighteen, Tyagaraja was married to a girl named Parvati who died issueless. Thereupon Tyagaraja remarried, taking as his second wife, Kanakamba the younger sister of Parvathi.
They had a daughter Sitamma, who was given in marriage to one Kuppuswami. To this couple was born a boy but this boy, Tyagaraja’s grandson, died without any children. Thus the lineage of Tyagaraja came to an end.
If one goes through the story of Tyagaraja’s life, one cannot escape the impression that he was born for music; not just to create music that enthrals but to show without a trace of doubt that music is unquestionably one of the best ways of attaining God, if not the best.
As Swami often tells us, God is Ganapriyudu, a Lover of Music; not merely that; Swami also reminds us that one of the names of God is NADABRAHMAM – that is to say, [good devotional] music IS God. It is said that as a small baby, Tyagaraja would stop drinking milk, when he heard music.

Several instalments will follow on this topic.

Please listen to some of my Tyagaraja Kritis.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Musical instruments......(contd...)

Morsing

A morsing (also mourching or morching) is a percussion instrument, mainly used in the Carnatic music of South India. It can be categorized under lamellophones, which is in the category of plucked idiophones. It consists of a metal ring in the shape of a horseshoe with two parallel forks which form the frame, and a metal tongue in the middle, between the forks, fixed to the ring at one end and free to vibrate at the other. The metal tongue is bent at the free end in a plane perpendicular to the circular ring so that it can be struck and is made to vibrate. This bent part is called the trigger.
The morsing is an Indian version of the Jew's harp. Its origin in India is not very clear though many myths and stories prevail. In India it is found mainly in South India, Rajasthan and also in some parts of Assam. In South India, where it is called morsing, mourching or morching, it features in Carnatic concerts and percussion ensembles. In Rajasthan it is called a morchang and is used as percussion instrument in folk music.
Playing technique
The morsing is placed between the teeth and held firmly in the hand and is struck using the other hand to produce sound. Movement of the player's tongue, variations of the throat and blowing and sucking of air through the instrument produces different sounds or overtones.
The morsing is firmly held in the hand, the frame or the ring between the palm and the fingers usually in the left hand. Care should be taken to see that the middle part or the metal tongue is not being touched when held idle. Then the two parallel forks are gently pressed against the front upper teeth. The trigger is plucked with the tip of the index finger. Sound is produced due to the vibration of the metal tongue of the morsing in the mouth and the throat cavity. Movement of the player's tongue with constant plucking can produce very fast patterns of sound. By constricting the space in the mouth and throat many variations of sound can be produced.

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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Musical Instruments ....contd....

FLUTE

The venu is a bamboo transverse flute used in the Carnatic music of South India. Although it is often called Carnatic flute or simply flute in English, venu (properly transliterated with a dot under the "n") is the instrument's ancient Sanskrit name. It is also called by various other names in the languages of South India, including pullanguzhal (in both Tamil and Malayalam). It is known as venu in Telugu (Andhra Pradesh).
One of the oldest musical instruments of India, the instrument is a keyless transverse flute made of bamboo. The fingers of both hands are used to close and open the holes. It has a blowing hole near one end, and eight closely placed finger holes. The instrument comes in various sizes.
The venu is associated with the Hindu god Krishna, who is often depicted playing it. This kind of flute is mainly used in South India, and also goes by the name Venu.
The venu is capable of producing two and half octaves with the help of blowing - overblowing and cross fingering. The flute is like the human voice in that it is monophonous and also has the two and half octaves sound reproduction. Sliding the fingers on and off the holes allows for a great degree of ornamentation, important in the performance of raga-based music.
The venu's north Indian counterpart is called bansuri.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS .....(contd....)

VIOLIN

Falls under string family. It is made up of wood with steel strings. Size is variable but the length is approx 14”. Pitch range is 3 octave. Origin of the violin is “ evolved from the Rebec and the Lira da braccio”. The earliest true four stringed violins were probably in use in Europe by the early part of the century. This instrument produces its sounds from the vibration of strings. This is very widely used in Carnatic music.

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Thursday, February 7, 2008

Musical instruments for Carnatic (contd...)

I now cover all typs of drums that are used:

Chenda
is a drum from the South Indian state of Kerala and parts of Karnataka. It is an indispensable accompaniment for the Kathakali dance form. The Karnataka version, known as chende, is also used in the dance drama known as Yaksha Gana. It has heads on both ends but only one side is played.

Dholki
also called nal, is an drum with a barrel shaped shell. The left side resembles the bayan (large metal drum of the tabla) except that it uses dholak masala (oil based application) on the inner surface instead of a syahi (permanent black spot). The right head is unique in its construction. Goat-skin is stitched onto an iron ring. In the centre of this skin is a syahi, similar to tabla except much thinner. The traditional nals were laced with rope and had sticks to function as turnbuckles. Today, metal turnbuckles have replaced the rope lacing in most models. The nal is very popular in the tamasha (street performance) of Maharashtra. It has been absorbed into the Hindi film industry and today the nal is very popular for filmi music. There is often some confusion concerning the term "dholki" because, this term literally means, "a small dholak"; as such, the term is often used for smaller dhalaks that structurally are disimilar to the nal

Idakka and udaku
are hour-glass drums from south India. They are very similar to the damaru which is found throughout India. Where the damaru is played by rattling knotted cords against the resonators, the idakka is played with a stick and the udaku is played with the hand. The udaku is structurally different in that it has a small snare made of hair, fishing line or similar material stretched over one side. Like the damaru both the udaku and the idakka's pitch may be bent by squeezing the lacing in the middle

Kanjira
The kanjira is a small tambourine. It is made by stretching lizard skin over a wooden frame. The frame is about seven inches in diameter with one metal jingle mounted in it. The kanjira is very popular in South Indian classical performances. It is related to the daf of folk music

Mridamgam
Mridangam is a South Indian version of the pakhawaj. It bears a strong superficial resemblance to pakhawaj but there are major differences in construction and technique. The tone of the instrument is quite different.

Ghatam
Ghatam is nothing more than a large clay pot. It is very commonly played in South Indian classical performances. There are two actions of resonance. The primary one is the ringing of the pot caused by striking. A very low resonance is also produced by the cavity. This pitch is raised or lowered by opening or closing the hole with the stomach.

Please listen to my carnatic songs:

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

ASHTAPADHI - LIGHT SIDE OF CARNATIC

Those who are interested in Gitagovindham by Saint Jayadev, please listen to Ashtapadhi 9, 15, 16, & 21 in the following link:


Sunday, February 3, 2008

Musical Instruments used in Carnatic music and bhajans

There are several instruments used as follows including others.

Stuthi
Veena
Mrindamgam
Kenchara
Ghatam
flute
Violin
Kinnaram

I give herein a brief of stuthi/Veena:

The harmonium is also known as peti or baja. This instrument is not a native Indian instrument. It is a European instrument which was imported in the 19th century. It is a reed organ with hand pumped bellows. Although it is a relatively recent introduction, it has spread throughout the subcontinent. Today, it is used in virtually every musical genre including South Indian Bhajans. This is also used in place of stuthi box.

The surpeti, also called swar pethi, swar peti, swarpeti, surpeti, sur peti, sruti box, or shruti box, is an Indian drone instrument. It is a small box whose only function is to provide the drone. There are two, basic forms, one is manual and the other is electronic.
Saraswati vina (Saraswathi veena) is the instrument associated with Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. This instrument is common in south India and is an important instrument in carnatic sangeet. It is variously called simply vina, or veena, the "Saraswati" part being implied.

The saraswati vina has an interesting construction. It has a body made of wood, generally, this is jackwood. The highest quality vinas have the entire body carved from a single block of wood, while the ordinary vinas have a body which is carved in three sections (resonator, neck and head). There are 24 frets made of brass bars set into wax. (see "Fretting and Fingering the Vina") There is another resonator at the top of the neck. This is no longer a functioning resonator, but is mainly used as a stand to facilitate the positioning of the instrument when it is played. Because it is no longer functioning it is not unusual to find that this upper resonator may be made of acoustically neutral materials such as paper mache, cane or other similar materials. Unlike north Indian instruments like the sitar, the saraswati vina has no sympathetic strings. It has only four playing strings and three drone strings (thalam). (see also "Tuning the Vina") The main bridge is a flat bar made of brass. This bar has a very slight curve. It is this light curve which gives the vina its characteristic sound. A major centre for the manufacture of the saraswati vini is in Tanjore.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Raagam (contd...)

The following websites will help one to learn more about raagams:
Some links:
Carnatic Music (Kishore Balakrishnan)
Mohan Ayyar's Carnatic Corner (bios)
Compositions of Thyagaraja
Compositions of Swathi Thirunal
D.L. Sivakumar's Carnatic Composition Search & Audio
Carnatic Music Audio Archive (Shivkumar Kalyanaraman)
P. Venkataraman's Raga and Composition Collection
Vidyarthi: Music & Mythology (Ram Sriram)
Thiruppugazh Home Page (Balu Iyer)
Papanasam Sivan's Compositions (Kumar Mallikarjunan)
Raga List (Kumaran Santhanam)
Sruti Magazine
Ganamandir Trust
Vipanci Trust
I do not intend any sort of comprehensive link index. A special thank you to Tom McComb for these links.

Please listen to my songs at following link:

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Raagams

There are seventy two raagams and you will get full details from following website which is very informative and well rearched.

http://www.carnatic.com/carnatic/ragalist.htm

Saturday, January 26, 2008

TAALAM...(Contd...)

There are seven common taalams and they are -


Eka |
Roopaka 0 |
Triputa | 0 0
Mattya | 0 |
Jhampa | U 0
Dhruva | 0 | |
Ata | | 0 0

We will continue this topic in my next post.

I have uploaded Papanasam Sivan Kriti: Thunai Purindarul Tharuna Madhavaa - Suddha Hindolam in my audio website: http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?songs=520018&T=8357.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

BASICS OF TAALAM

The analogous term referring to the rhythm or beats of Carnatic music is taalam. It indicates the pacing of the music and the placement of syllables in the composition. It is vital to realize that the taalam system is essentially based on a cyclic pattern; in other words, the rhythm is always cyclic. In Carnatic music, the singer indicates the taalam using gestures. There are three basic hand movements used in keeping the rhythm - the downward beat with the palm facing down, called thattu, the wave (sometimes the downward beat with the palm facing up) called veechu and counts using one finger for each count staring with the little finger (sometimes using the thumb to indicate a finger or portions of a finger). These basic movements are combined into three groups, called Laghu, Dhrutham and Anudhrutham. A Laghu is one thattu followed by a specified number of counts to make up the requisite number of beats. A Dhrutham is one thattu followed by one veechu while an Anudhrutham is just one thattu. Each beat or unit of taalam is termed as an aksharam and thus, an Anudhrutham is one aksharam long, a Dhrutham is two aksharams long and the Laghu is of variable length. There are several other movements but these are rarely seen in practice. In my next post I will continue this topic.

Monday, January 21, 2008

PRINCIPLES OF CARNATIC MUSIC

There are seven Swaras in Carnatic Music, namely, Shadjam (Sa), Rishabam (Ri), Gandharam (Ga), Madhyamam (Ma), Panchamam (Pa), Dhaivatham (Da) and Nishadam (Ni). There is some theoretical basis for why there is an odd number (seven) of swara. For simplicity, let us fix the Sa at one kattai and place the remaining swaras at the successive white keys. This provides us with a scale or a raga (in this case, containing all the seven swaras). Ancient Vedic chants have but three swaras and somewhat later forms of music (Indian as well as other forms, e.g. Chinese) use five swaras - e.g. the Sa, Ri, Ga, Pa and Da of the scale we just created. Our present system is based on seven swaras, and perhaps, a few thousand years from now, the human race will advance to a point of discriminating scales of more swaras. The seven swaras are mythalogically associated with the sounds produced by certain animals and the names of the swaras are related to the names of these animals. The name Madhyamam appears to be related to the central or madhya location in the seven notes and Panchamam is most probably derived from the number five, denoting the position of the note.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Carnatic Vs Hindustani music styles

We have two kinds of music styles in India Carnatic, mostly practiced by people of south Indian origin and Hindustai,mostly practiced by people of North India.

Both the styles are monophonic, follow a melodic line and employ a drone (tanpura) with the help of one or two notes against the melody. Both the styles use definite scales to define a raga but the Carnatic Style employs Shrutis or semitones to create a Raga and thus have many more Ragas than the Hindustani style. Carnatic ragas differ from Hindustani ragas. The names of ragas are also different. However, there are some ragas which have the same scale as Hindustani ragas but have different names; such as Hindolam and Malkauns, Shankarabharanam and Bilawal. There is a third category of ragas like Hamsadhwani, Charukeshi, Kalavati etc. which are essentially Carnatic Ragas. They share the same name, the same scale (same set of notes) but can be rendered in the two distinctively different Carnatic and Hindustani styles. Unlike Hindustani music, Carnatic music does not adhere to Time or Samay concepts and instead of Thaats, Carnatic music follows the Melakarta concept. Thaat is a system by which different sets of complete scale of seven notes, in ascending order, are formulated to categorize the maximum number of ragas under it. Thaat or Mela is known as the Parental scale. There are ten Thaats under which most of the Hindustani ragas can be catagorised. These Thaats have the names of ragas and they are Bilawal, Khamaj, Poorvi, Kafi, Bhairavi, Kalyan, Bhairav, Marwa, Asavari and Todi.

I have uploaded two more songs in my Acidplanet website as under:

bhO sambo Siva Sambo SvayambhO - Dayananda Saraswati composition
Vellai Thaamarai - Subramaniya Bharatiyar composition


http://web.splashcast.net/players/?p=VWSV8386MC

Thursday, January 17, 2008

ORIGIN OF THE NAME CARNATIC

They are several versions to this.

1. Karunaadu meant central country, as well as black (people) country. The name 'karu naad agam' got anglicized to 'Carnatic' state. In Tamil, the word karunaadagam is still used. The British renamed the territory as Madras. The music of karunaadagam was called as karunaadaga isai.
2. The name Carnatic music refers to the traditional music of a region called Carnatic. All books on recent Indian history note that before British rule, the kingdoms in South India were: Travancore - most of today's Kerala, Mysore - the southern part of today's Karnataka excluding the west coast, and Carnatic- most of South India. (almost the same as Madras State of the 1950s i.e. all of today's Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra and some neighboring areas). When the Carnatic kingdom came under British control, they renamed it Madras Presidency. They also renamed the town of Chennai patnam as Madras City...

There are several studies on this topic but there is no conclusive evidence to support any of these stories.

I have uploaded in acidplanet website Ramabhadra Ra Ra Shri Ramachandra Ra Ra - Raagam Anandabairavi for your listening.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

What motivates singers

If balanced lifestyle and undisturbed emotions are father, support and encouragement by the fans and friends are mother. I have today uploaded in my webpage www.acidplanet.com two more songs as under:

Sakala Graha Bala Neene - Purandara Dasa Kriti - Ataana Raagam
Neeraja Dala Nayana - M Sadashivan kriti - Mond

I hope you will enjoy. Thanks.