NAVARATRI 2008
RAGAMALIKA KRITIS ON DEVI 

Dr. P. P. Narayanaswami

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<< Read Part 1

Part II

nityakalyANi

Composer: sItArAma ayyar

tALam: rUpakam

 

rAgam: kalyANi

 nityakalyANi nigamAnta sa~ncAriNi

atyAnanda abhirAma amara sEvita tripurasundari

 rAgam: sha"nkarAbharaNam

 karuNAkari kambukaNThi  kAtyAyani

kaumAri sharaNAgata rakSaka shrI

sha"nkarAbharaNavENi

 rAgam: tODi

 paramaprItitODitOni  pAliMpu jAlamEla

paritApamulella ipuDu parihariMpumu patitapAvani

 rAgam: kAMbhOji

 gaMbhIrabhASiNi karakaNThuni rANi

kAmbhOjAdi padulu kAMkSatO koniyAducunnAru

 rAgam: nAyaki

 dikkevaru nIvE gadA dInadayApari amba

makkuvatO brOcE ma"ngaLanAyaki

 rAgam: bhairavi

 madhukaiTabha bha~njani amba

marALagamanabhairavi  madhurApuravAsini

maheshvari mInAkSi

 rAgam: mOhanan

 Adishakti sha"nkari akhilANDEshvari

nIdu pada sannuta bhakta pOSaNi

pArvati muddu mOhanA"ngi

 rAgam: bhUpALam

 pANDyabhUpAla putri parvatarAjakumAri

tANDavEshvari rakSa dAsa sItArAmapAlini

This is a popular song, but not frequently heard in concerts these days. This rAgamAlikA employs eight weighty rAgams: kalyANi, sha"nkarAbharaNam, tODi, kAmbhOji, nAyaki, bhairavi, mOhanam, and  bhUpAlam. The composition is in praise of Goddess mInAkSi of Madhura. Though the language is Telugu, most descriptions are in chaste Sanskrit.

MEANING

Oh! The bestower of auspiciousness always (nitya kalyANI)!  The one who roams in vEdAnta!  Oh Goddess tripurasundari (the most beautiful woman in all three worlds)!  You are the pleasing, and the one who grants excessive happiness, and whom all the gods serve!

Oh kAtyAyanI (the daughter of the sage kAtyAyana), kaumArI (the virgin maiden), you are ever compassionate, you have a beautiful conch-like neck, and your   tresses resemble the  beautiful ornaments of your Lord sha"nkara,.  You are very auspicious, and you protect all those distressed people who take refuge in you.

You are the  purifier of the destitute. Why this delay in removing  all  my miseries (that are caused by  the web of illusion in which  I am trapped in)?  Please protect me  with all your tender loving care. 
 
You possess weighty speech, oh! the queen of shiva, the one who has a stain (of kALAkUTa poison) on his throat!  The kings of kAmbhOja region are singing your praises with ardent desire.

Who else, other that you, can offer me refuge? Oh!  the one who is always  compassionate to helpless people  like me.  Oh mother (ambA), the divine  queen  of auspiciousness!  Please protect me with love.

You are the slayer of the demons madhu and kaiTabha, Oh mother!  the wife of bhairava,  you have  graceful gait resembling that of a swan, you are the fish-eyed (mInAKSi) consort  of the supreme Lord, the resident of the city of Madhura.

You are the primal power, the wife of sha"nkara, the ruler of the entire cosmos!  Oh Goddess! your limbs are delightfully  enchanting, Oh pArvatI!  You are the protector of devotees who fall at your feet and praise you well.

 Oh! the daughter of the pANDya king, malayadhvajan, and the daughter of himavAn, the king  of the mountains, and consort of the Lord of cosmic dance!  You are also the protector of   the composer, your humble slave,
sItArAma.

RAGA MUDRA is featured in all eight stanzas, through a diligent usage of words, without sacrificing the lyrical beauties. The composer's mudra appears at the last line as "dAsa sItArAma pAlini" (the protector of your disciple, sItArAma).

Part III >


Links

During the last seven navarAtri seasons, we featured the following thematic topics in  Carnatica’s Special Features section:

In addition, we also uploaded several stOtrams on dEvi  (saundaryalaharI, lalitA sahasranAmam, and so on), appropriate for chanting on this festive occasion.  They can all be accessed from  the “shlOka bank of Carnatica’s Composition Bank.

 


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