Majestic KAMBHOJI

P. P. Narayanaswami

KAMBHOJI is a janyam of mELam 28, harikAmbhOji (fourth mELam in the fifth (bANa) cakram --- “bAna bhUH”  --- Mnemonic --- ri gu ma pa dhi ni).  It is a typical example of a janya rAgam that enjoys greater popularity and grandeur, and has a vast number of compositions than the parent scale.  (bhairavi is another such example!).  Sometimes the name “kAmbOdhi” is also interchangeably used.

ArOhaNam:      s r g m p d s  

avarOhaNam:  s n d p m g r s 

Besides Sadjam and pa~ncamam, the notes taken are:  caushruti .rSabham, antara gAndhAram, shuddha madhyamam, catushruti dhaivatam, and kaishiki niSAdam.  The note “ni” is omitted in the ArOhanam, thus making it an SADava- saMpUrNa (6-7) rAgam.

kAkaLi niSAdam appears as an anya svaram (extraneous note), thus making kAMbhOji an Eka anyasvara bhASA”nga rAgam.  The occurance of kAkaLi niSAdam is very minor (alpa prayOgam), and is seen only in the phrases like “S n p d s”.  The usage of kAkaLi niSadam lends beauty to this rAgam. Even though kAkaLi niSAdam occurs as a viShESa prayOgam,  it cannot be rendered as “dIrgham”.  Careless usage of “ni” will land in the parent scale hartikAmbhoji,  which should be carefully avoided.

chAyA svarams:          ma, dha and ni

nyAsa svarams:            ga, ma, pa, dha

Resting notes:                ga, pa, dha

gamaka svarams:          all svarams can be sung with gamakam.

vishESa sa~ncArams:  m g s,   S n p,   P d m g,   m g p d s

• kAmbhOji is a “mUrccana kAraka rAgam” (that is, it admits “graha bedham” , or model shift of tonic).  When the dhaivatam is taken as the tonic SaDjam,  the graha bedham results in the rAgam “dEsya tODi ( s g m p d n s; s n d p m g r s), under mELam 8.  Conversely, the “ga” mUrccana of dEsya tODi gets back kAmbhOji.

• A major rAgam that enjoys the same status as those of the “big  four” meLams, tODi,  kharaharapriya, sha”nkarAbharaNam, and kalyANi. KAmbhoji gives ample scope for detailed AlApana.  Therefore, it is well suited for rendering a major k.rti, or an elaborate pallavi exposition, both of which call for a detailed improvisation.  It lends itself to excellent tAnam renditions.  It can be sung in any tempo. It is a “varnana pradAna “ and a tristhAyi” rAgam. Being a popular rAgam, all sorts of compositions exist in kAmbhOji.  Every composer has snatched an opportunity to contribute to this rAgam.   In essence it is indeed a majestic rAgam!

• kAmbhOji is an auspicious rAgam, so when sung at the commencement of a concert, it generates “mEla kkozhuppu” (proper musical atmosphere).

• nAdasvaram renditions of lengthy kAmbhOji AlApanas are very satisfying experience, especially in temple festivals.

• DAttu svara prayOgams like  “ d g r g s r d r s n d p”,  “r p m g s”, “r m g s”, and “d g r s”  are a speciality of this rAgam.  The prayOgam “ g m p m g” in tristhAyi adds beauty to this rAgam.

•  The tri shruti dhiavatam (5/3) occurs in the phrases “D; n n D”, and catushruti dhaivatam (27/16) in the phrases  ”s n p d s r g”.

• It is a sarva svara gamaka vArikA rakti rAgam,  with high emotional impact, which makes a listener very tranquil..

• Compositions in kAmbhOji usually commence in sa, ga, ma, pa, and dha. Here, a composition can commence in a vishESa sa~ncAra --- m g s   and s n P.

asaMpUrNa paddhati (dIkSitar school)

In the asaMpUrNa scheme, kAmbhOji appears as the first bhASA”nga rAgam under the asaMpUrNa mELam 28 -- harikEdAragauLa.

lakSaNam (definition) – Venkatamakhi

kAmbhOjI rAgaH sampUrnaH cA’rOhE ga ni vakritaH |

niSAdaH kAkaLIyuktaH kvacit sthAnE prayujyatE ||

mUrccana ArOhaNam:   s r g m p d n d S, avarOhaNam:    s n d p m g r s

bhASA”ngam, saMpUrNam, SaDja graham; both gAndhAram and niSAdam are vakRam in ArOhaNam; rakti rAgam; slight touches of kAkaLi niSadam occurs in some places; suitable for singing at all times.

In the treatise, Sa”ngita samradAya pradarshini, Subbarama Dikshitar gives the ra~njaka prayOgams as well as prayOgams where kAkaLi niSAdam shows up (page 671--672 of tamil Edition).  The book gives a lakshya gItam “are yama” (ve”nkaTamakhi),  four kIrttanams by muttisvAmi dIkSitar (“kamalAmbikAyai”, “shri valmIkali”ngam”, “kAshIvishveshvara”, and “shrI subrahmaNyAya namaste”), the famous tAna varNam, “inta calamu”  of pallavi gOpALa iyer, and concludes as usual, with a sa~ncAri by the author himself.

• kAmbhOji is one of the oldest rAgams mentioned in numerous treatises on music. SangIta Makarandam (7^th century) mentions kambhOji; also all subsequent musical work have dealt with kAmbhOji.  It has held the status of a mELam since 16^th century. However in view of its taking an extraneous note, it lost the status, and Venkatamakhin placed it as a janyam under mELam 28, harikAmbhOji.

• In Tamil Music, the derivation of the name has been given as “kambUthi”, which perhaps later became ‘kAmbOdhi”.  The tEvAram pann “takkEsi” is none other than kAmbhOji.  In Malayalam music and kathakaLi songs, kAmbhOji is nomenclatured as “kAmOdari”.  This is the name found in the compositions of svAti tirunAL, irayimman tampi, and so on.

• In Hindustani Music, the khammAj thATh is the equivalent of harikAmbhOji in Carnatic system.  In olden days, kAmbhoji existed in Hindusthai system under khammAj thAth, as an auDava-sampUrna scale (s r g p d s; s n d p m g r s), with ArOhanam omitting both “ma” and “ni”.  Notes employed are: tIvra ri, tIvra ga, shuddha ma, tIvra dha, and kOmal ni.   It is to be rendered during the second prAkAra of the night.  But these days, this rAgam is almost extinct.

As mentioned earlier, there are majestic compositions in kAmbhOji by the trinity as well as other composers.  The ever popular and famous k.rtis  “shrI subrahmaNyAya namastE”,  (muttisvAmi dIkSitar), and “O ra”ngashAyI” (tyAgarAja) have, no doubt, immortalized this rAgam.  So are “evari mATA” , “mA jAnakI” (both by tyAgarAja), “kANa kaN kOTi vENDum” (pApanAsham shivan), tiruvaTi sharaNam (gOpAlak.rSNa bhArati),  and many other songs.  The kamalAmbA navAvarana  caturthI vibhakti k.rti “kamalAmbikAyai” is set in kAmbhOji.  Svati tirunAL’s ninth day utsava prabandham, “sharadindu sama mukhanAkum”  is in this auspicious rAgam. TyAgarAja has employed kAmbhOji in both the shrIra”ngam, and  the  lAlgudi pa~ncaratna series.

Who can forget the beautiful neraval lines “vAsavAdi sakala dEva vanditAya” or “bhUlOka vaikunTa”?  Madurai Mani Iyer’s renditions of “mA jAnakI”, or “kANa kaNkOTi vENDum”, Ariyakkudi rendition of “evari mATA”, or the DKP school handling of “shrI subrahmNyAya”  are all landmarks in Carnatic concerts, and speak volumes about the grandeur of kAmbhOji.

CLICK HERE FOR LYRICS (WITH SVARA/GAMAKA NOTATIONS) OF SHRI SUBRAHMANYAYA NAMASTE by MUTTUSVAMI DIKSHITAR.

In this connection, it is worth reading  kA~nci paramAcArya’s illuminating discussion of this grand composition that appeared in the tamil weekly magazine, Kalki sometime back. It is available in electronic form on the Internet. MuttusvAmi dIkSitar has employed the rAga mudra for kAmbhOji in five k.rtis, using the phrase “ambhOja “ to mean “lotus”, and combining it with the “ka” ending of the previous phrase. 

sadgati dAyakAmbhOja caraNena (kailAsa nAthEna)

sakala saubhAgya dAyakAmbhOja caraNAyai (kamalAmbikAyai)

bhadradAyakAmbhOjakara vibhO (kAsIvishvEshvara)

sOmakulAmbikAmbhOjamadhukaram (shrI valmIkali”ngam)

sadgatidAyakAmbhOja caraNam (caturdasha rAgamAlika)

What is the origin of the name kAmbhOji?  Did it derive from Cambodia (kampucia), where there was a flourishing Hinduism during the 13^th century (the famous Vishnu temple at Angkor)? The first ever mention of the location “kAmbhOja” appears in the vaMsha brAhmaNa of the sAma vEdam, where the .rSi “aupamanyava kAmbhOja” is mentioned.  Mahabharatam (udyOga paRvam 4/15, and sAnti paRvam 207/43) mentions kAMbhOja giving the location as “uttara patha” (norrthern region).  Ramayana (bAlakANdam 6/22, kiSkindA kANDAm 43/11-12) refer to a region called “kAmbhOja”, again  located in the north-west region.  Also, we find this geographical name mentioned in various sanskrit kAvyams of the Kalidasa era.  In Raghuvamsam, there is a reference to a kAmbhoja ruler whom Raghu conquered (4^th sargam verse 69).  It is quite possible that some location near ayOdhya might be the ‘kAmbhOja”  region..

POPULAR COMPOSTIONS in KAMBHOJI

(The list is very meager, and there are many compositions that are left out here)

gItam

bhuvanatraya, dhruvam (paidAla gurumUrtti)

mandaradhara, Adi (paidAla gurumUrtti)

shrI lakSmIpati, dhruvam (in muttiah bhAavatar’s book)

svarajati

sa ni dha pa pa, tripuTa (svAti tirunAL)

varNam

inta calamu, aTa (pallavi gOpAla iyer)

sarasija nAbha, ata (svAti tirunAL)

pa”nkajAkSi pai, Adi (mahA vaidyanAtha iyer)

sArasAkSi ninnE, Adi (vINa kuppayyar)

ninnE kOriyunnAnurA, aTa (aNNAsvAmi shAstri),

kamalAkSi, jhaMpa (kunrakkuDi k.rSnayyar)

sArasam.rdupada, Adi (kunrakkuDi k.rSNayyar)

taruNi ninnu, Adi (Fiddle ponnusvAmi)

k.rti

kailAsa nAthEna, mishra cApu) (muttusvAmi dIkSitar)

kamalAmbikAyai, ata (muttusvAmi dIkSitar)

kAshI vishvEshvara , aTa (muttusvAmi dIkSitar)

marakata vallIm, Adi (muttusvAami dIkSitar)

shrI subrahmaNyAya namastE, tishra Ekam  (muttusvAmi dIkSitar)

shrI valmIkali”ngam, khaNDa aTa (muttisvAmi dIkSitar)

sAmbasadAshivAya namastE, Adi (muttusvAmi dIkSitar)

evarimATa vinnAvO, Adi (tyAgarAaja)

Elaya shrIk.rSNA, rUpakam (tyAgarAja)

O ra”ngashAyI, Adi (tyAgarAja) (shrIra”nga pa~ncaratnam)

marimari ninne, Adi (tyAgarAja)

mahita prav.rddha, mishra tripuTa (tyAgarAja) (lAlgudi pa~ncaratnam)

mA janakI ceTTa baTTaga, dEshAdi (tyAgarAja)

shrI raghuvarApramEya, Adi (tyAgarAja)

devI nI padasArasamulE, Adi (shyAma shAstri)

shrIkAmEshvara dayitE, rUpakam (aNNAsvAmi shAstri)

cAru pa”nkaja m.rdukara, Adi (svAti tirunAL)

kAraNam vinA kAryam , mishra cApu (svAti tirunAL)

nAma sudhgAmayi, Adi (svAti tirunAL) (ajAmiLopAkhyAnam)

padasAnati munijana, mishra cApu (svATi tirunAL)

prANanAyaka mAm pAhi, Adi (svATi tirunAL)

pUrNacandrAnanam, Adi (svAti tirunAL) (kucElOpAkhyAnam)

rAsavilAsa lOla, Adi (svATi tirunAL)

sArasa m.rdupAda, Adi (svATi tirunAL)

sumasharanAyi mayi, tripuTa (svAti tirunAL)

koniyADina, Adi (vINa kuppayyar)

Akka poruttavaRkku, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

enda vidhamAgilum, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

enna tAn kOPam en svamikku, mushra cAPu (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

enna taN shonnEn, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

ko~njum mazhalai pEshi, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

kuzhalUti manamellAm, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

manamaRindO alladu, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

vittaram pEshi, Adi (UttukkADu ve”nkaTa kavi)

marimari ninne, rUpakam, (karUr dakSiNAmUrtti shAstri)

Emayya rAma, khaNDa cApu (bhadrAcala rAmadAsar)

kANa kaN kOTi vENDum, Adi (pApanAsham shivan)

Adum daivam, Adi (pApanAsham shivan)

AnadamE , Adi (pApanAsham shivan)

tiruvaDi caraNam, Adi (gOpAlak.rSNa bharati)

ayyanE, tripuTa (kOtIshvara iyer)

marimari ninne, rUpakam (gharbhapurivAsa)

ratnaka~ncuka dhAriNi, mishra cAPu (muttayya bhAgavatar)

AnandamAna sa”ngItam, Adi (muttayya bhAgavatar)

nI bhajana gAnAm.rtamu , Adi (muttayya bhagavatar)

shivam harim Sambam, Adi (muttayya bhagavathar)

shrI mahAgaNapatE, aTa (muttayya bhagavatar)

lambOdaram, (mysore vAsudEvAcariar)

guru rAghavendram, Adi (mysore vAsudEvAcariar)

marimari aham bhahaye , Adi (mysore vAsudEvAcariar)

kANamal vinnilE, khaNDa cApu (muttuttAnDavar)

aruL puriyuthu (nIlakanThan shivan)

IshanaruL  (nIlakanThan shivan)

malaiyAdE manamE (nIlakanThan shivan)

ivan yArO, mishra cApu (kavikunjara bhArati) (azhagar kuRava~nci)

bhakti shOditta, mishra cApu (kavikunjara bhArati)

EdukkAnum inda, Adi (kaviku~njara bhArati)

nI vE nannu paripAli~ncu, Adi (kunRakkuDi k.rSNnayyar)

appanirukkum pOdu (periyasAmi thUran)

ellAm ninadu (periyasAmi thUran)

veNNaiyuNNum (periyasAmi thUran)

unnaruL illAmal (periyasAmi thUran)

naDamADittirinda, KhaNDA cAPu (pApanAsham mudaliyAr)

prAnanAthan, Adi (iriyamman thampi)

pArida”n”naLile”n”num, ceMpaTa (iriyamman thampi)

lambOdaram bhAvayE, Adi (tuLasIvanam)

shAstAram AshrayE, Adi (tuLAsIvanam)

padam

innu mama bhAgyataru (maNipravALam),  khaNDa cApu (svAti tirunAL)

inta mODi bAlarA nA (telugu), mishra cApu (svAti tirunAL)

manasi karuNA (maNipravALam), mishra cAPu (svAti tirunAL)

pa~ncabANan tannuDaya, Adi (svAti tirunAL)

yAlane vAnipai, tripuTa (kSetraj~na)

vadarapOvE , Adi (kSEtraj~na)

hA ramaNanayi maRannO, Adi (kuTTiku~nju tha”ngacci)

tara”ngam

AlOkayE, Adi (nArAyaNa tIrtta)

jAvaLi

Emi mAyamu, rUpakam (paTTAbhirAmayya)

utsava prabandham

sharadindu sama, mishram  (svAti tirunAL)

kAmbhoji is an appropriate candidate in rAgamAlikas.  DikSitar’s caturdasha rAgamALika features the kAMbhoji line “ sadgatidAyakAmbhoja caraNam” (with the rAga mudra built in).  svAti tirunAL,s rAgamAlika “pannagEndra shayana” has the second caraNam line set to kAMbhOji. A  daru by Narayana Tirtha in  rAgam kura~nji, “jaya jaya gOkula bALa” was later converted into a rAgamAlika,  by tiruvoTTiyUr tyAgarAjan, and one of the rAgams featured there is kAmbhOji. Cuddalore Subramanyam opens his mammoth rAgamALika with “kalyANiyA?  kAMbhOjiyA?” kAmbhOji is often featured in segments of rAgamAlikA shlOkams, viruttams, and tiruppugazh songs.

Some famous pallavi lines:

“parimaLa ra~nga patE mAM pAhi” (popular with Madurai Mani Iyer)

“EranasAmi pagavAri” (Semmangudi)

I have not come across any tillAnA in kAMbhOji (but there must be one!).

Apart from harikAmbhOji, there are several rAgams that have the suffix kAmbhOji, but no resemblance to it. Some of them are: ce~njukAmbhOji, gummakAmbhOji and yadukulakAmbhOji.

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