This year is the ninth season of special features on
Navaratri. We offer to the Goddess, a garland of nine rAgamAlikAs
on dEvi, composed by various vAggEyakArakas. The
list of available rAgamAlikAs on dEvi is long, and the composers
are numerous. Devotional/light classical/dance drama/cine music is literally
flooded with such rAgamAlikAs, and there are plenty of rAgamAlikA
shlOkams and stOtrams that are currently in vogue. Since we have to
be selective, we have chosen nine gems, in a random order, simple to complex,
keeping in mind that they are monumental contributions that have stood the
test of time. They are in Sanskrit, tamil, or telugu (I was unable to locate
any rAgamAlikA in kannaDa or malayALAm, by prominent composers, devoted
to Goddess.). While some of these are frequently heard in concert platforms,
others are a bit rare. We have attempted to describe salient features of some
of these selected rAgamAlikAs, and tried to provide an approximate and
free-style meaning. (A detailed article on rAgamAlikA compositions in
karNATik music, in three parts by the author can be viewed at:
http://carnatica.net/special/ragamalika.htm
sa ri ga ma pa dha ni ratAM tAM
vINA
saMkrAntahastAM tAm |
shAntAM
m.rdulasvAntAM
kucabharatAntAM namAmi shivakAntAm ||
(Adi
sha"nkara in "shyAmalA navaratnamAlikA")
DAY 1
Composer:
muttusvAmi dIkSitar
tALam:
rUpakam
pallavi --- rAgam: pUrNacandrikA
pUrNacandrambimbavijayavadanE
kamalAmbikE
pAhi mAm varadE guruguhajanani shrI
caraNam
rAgam: nArAyaNi
puNyajana pUjitE nArAyaNi jagadambikE
rAgam: sarasvatImanOhari
pUrNaphalapradacaraNE sarasvatImanOharE
rAgam: shuddhavasanta
puSpitashuddhavasantE puNDarIka
sad.rshakarE
rAgam: hamsadhvani
aharnishaM prakAshamAna hamsadhvani
virAjitE
rAgam: nAgadhvani
aparNE kuNDalini nAgadhvanisahitE
dhvanisahitE sahitE hitE tE
MEANING
Oh! Goddess
KamalAmbikA! The one, whose face wins over the full moon in its beauty!
the bestower of boons, the mother of guruguha! Please protect me.
The one worshipped by meritorious souls; the one who is named nArAyaNi
(as an amsha -- integral part of nArAyaNa); the
mother of the entire universe; whose feet are adept at bestowing complete
fruition; who captivates Goddess Sarasvati; who is like the flowered
season of pure spring; whose hands are like lotus buds; who exults in the
pleasant sounds of the swans, day and night; who is known as aparNA,
the kuNDalini shakti; who is in the sounds of serpants (nAga),
is the embodiment of sound, who is benevolent, and pleasing.
(The name aparNA
--- at the final stages of her penance for marrying Lord shiva,
Goddess pArvati refused all food, including the fallen leaves (parNa);
hence the name aparNA).
NOTES
In "SamgIta sampradAya pradarshini" the author, SubbarAma dIkSitrar has
notated this rAgamAlikA, and had given only the six lines. (as given
above). Hence, the name "SaD (six) rAgamAlkA". However, in some
texts, we find an addition of two more lines, in rAgams kEdAram,
bilahari, respectively, as follows, making it an "aSTa rAgamALikA".
rAgam kEdAram
kEdArEsha
sahAyE guruguhavEdita h.rdayE
rAgam bilahari
bhaNDa prANa bilahari bhakta
janAnandakari
The inclusion of these extra lines would make
the "guruguha" mudra appear twice in this composition, which is
rather unusual.
The geographical location for this composition is TiruvArUr, and the song is
in praise of Goddess kamalAmbA, whose shrine is located in the
northwest corner, in the outermost prAkAram of the mammoth tyAgarAja
Temple. Sitauted adjacent to the huge Lotus pond, kamalAlayam, away
from the main shrines, it has its own maNDapams and circumambulatory
passages that makes an angle with the prAkAram wall. This shrine is
traditionally and ritually unconnected with the main shrine of tyAgarAja.
Here, the Goddess is depicted in a meditating posture. While Goddess
nIlOtpalAmaba is supposed to represent the bhOga shakti of Lord
shiva, kamalAmbA represents the yOga shaki. It is to be
observed that muttusvAmi dIkSitar never associated kamalAmbA with Lord
tyAgarAja, and considered only nIlOtpalAmba as the consort of
the preciding deity.
The last line contains a
beautiful gOpucca yati:
nAgadhvani sahite
dhvani sahitE
sahitE
hitE
tE
DikSitar has used this
type of yati in a few other songs:
(i)
tyAgarAjayOgavaibhavam (Anandabhairavi), (ii) mAyE (tara"ngiNi), and
(iii) shrIvaralakSmi
namastubhyam (shrI). Here are the
examples:
tyAgarAjayOga vaibhavam
agharAjayogavaibhavam
rAjayOgavaibhavam
yOgavaibhavam
vaibhavam
vam
sarasakAyE
rasakAyE
sakAyE
AyE
(mAyE).
sArasapadE
rasapadE
sapadE
padE
Featured rAgams:
All six rAgams
present in this rAgamAlikA are janyams of the same rAgA"nga
rAgam No. 29, dhIrasha"nkarAbharaNam.
pUrNacandrikA
ArOhaNam:
S R2 G3 M1 P D2 P S
avarOhaNam:
S N3 P M1 G3 M1 R2 S
nArAyaNi
ArOhaNam:
S R2 M1 G3 R2 G3 M1 P D2 S
aAvarOhaNam: S N3 P N3 D2 P D2 M1 P M1
G3 M1 R2 S
sarasvatImanOhari
ArOhaNam:
S R2 G3 M1 P M1 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S
avarOhaNam: S N3 D2 P M1
G3 R2 S
shuddhavasanta
ArOhaNam:
S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S
avarOhaNam:
S N3 D2 P M1 R2 G3 S
hamsadhvani
ArOhaNam:
S R2 G3 P D2 P S
avarOhaNam:
S N3 P M1 G3 M1 R2 S
nAgadhvani
ArOhaNam:
S R2 G3 S M1 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S
avarOhaNam:
S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 G3 S
For each of the six rAgams, the rAga mudra appears in the
corresponding line, nicely carved out through the art of shlEsham
(double meaning). The lyrics of this rAgamAlika in both Sanskrit, and
diacritical English are available at
www.carnatica.net/lyrics/ragamalika.htm
NOTATION for this
rAgamALikA as given in "SaMgIta sampradAya pradarshini":
CLICK HERE