CHAPTER 5

INTENSIVE EXPLORATION OF SANKARABHARANA AND ITS

JANYA RAGAS BY GREAT COMPOSERS

The magnificent raga SANAKARABHARANAM and some of its major janya ragas
had been there in existence since times immemorial, even before 13th century of
SARANGADEVA, keeping the creativity of different great composers alive. The edifice of
Music is mainly based on sounds and the pillar of which is RAGA. Both of these are abstract
forms which cannot be explained by words and thus the great compositions of different
composers form a guide in showcasing these two difficult entities. Thus a retrospection of
intricacies of different ragas could be possible only through the analysis of innumerable
compositions in innumerable ragas. As it is said innumerable, the analysis could be limited to
certain compositions of the major scale SANKARABHARANA and some pieces of its major
janya ragas. If we keep a part the very famous Pannisai period, Ramaswami Dikshitar, father
of Muthuswamy Dikshitar had composed a kriti in SANKARABHARANAM, Sambho
Jagadisha Pahimam set to Adi Talam. The composition is monumental as it brings out the
siva tatvam very nicely. The text of the kriti is as below:

Pallavi : Shambho Jagadisha Pahimam Sri Kanaka Sabhesha || Shambho ||

Anupallavi : Jambhavairi vinutabhoruha pada Shambhavi

Shiva kamasundarisha siva || Shambho ||
Charanams:
1. Panchananajaya panchakshara maya |Panchashar Dalana pancha Sabhesha ||
Pancha papahara panchalinga shiva | kunchita pada prapanchatmaka shiva ||
|| Shambho ||
2. Gangadhara shiva Gangathata chara|Shrigara vrisha turangarudha ||
Bhrigisha nutha Bhujanga vibhushana |sangita priya sanga rahita shiva ||
|| Shambho ||
3. Arunadava bhava darunambuja pada | Saranagatha sambhatanaamoda ||
Karunadbhutarasa varunalaya jaya | Arunamshu jatabharana sada shiva ||

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 || Shambho ||
4. Kunjara danava bhanjana Deva | padanjali vyaghra padaanjali patra ||
Kanjanabha Sakha kanjaja mukha sura| punja Suranjita majulanata Shiva ||
|| Shambho ||
5. Dinaavanavara Dana nchita shruti | Ganamrita rasa panahlada ||
Srinadhamara sena nata girija | nayaka sugnanaspada shiva ||
|| Shambho ||
6. Shulayudha Sardhulajina vara | chela durmada kala bheela ||
Halaa hala visha kola hala | jita sheela smarahara phalaksha shiva ||
|| Shambho ||
7. Hasana jitha Tripura amita parakrama | basitho dhdhoolana parama pavitra ||
Rasikagra sikhaaraajita sundara tri sahasra desa phanita shiva ||
|| Shambho ||

The first charana befits the explanation given in this Thesis while explaining the
position of the Mela in scheme of 72 Melas, where in its place is 5th Raga in 5th chakra and
also the correlation given by Dr. V. V. Srivatsa, relating the raga with the Shiva
Panchakshari. Pancha in Sanskrit means number Five. The different usage of Pancha here
is assigned to different things related to Lord Shiva. For example Panchanana means one
having 5 heads, thus it refers to the 5 faces of Shiva ranging from Sadyojatha, Vamadeva,
Aghora mukha, Eeshanamukha and Satpurusha mukha. Panchakshara means the Shiva
panchakshari having the beejaksharas related to Lord which are 5 in number. Panchashara
dalana he burnt Manmadha who has 5 arrows. Pancha sabhesha means he is the king of 5
sabhas related to 5 bhootas. pancha papa hara means he cleanses the sins caused by 5 papas
raging from Brahma hathya, steeling of Gold, drunkardness, Gurupatni samagamam to
Maha pataka Sahavasam and other things. Pancha linga Shiva refers to the 5 forms of lord
in the form of 5 lingas at 5 different places which are prithirvyapah sthejo vayu rakasha lingas
situated in 5 different places in southern India. That is Prithvi lingam at Kanchi, Jala linga at
Jambukesvaram, Tejo (agni) lingam at Arunachalam, Vayu lingam at Sri Kalahasti and finally
Akasha lingam at Chidambaram. And finally he uses word Prapanchatmaka that is the
universe made of 5 elements. This single line stands as an example of the craftsmanship of
composer and his great knowledge. It is a huge piece containing 7 charanams, each with 4 lines
each. Coming to the music of the piece, it starts in a suchitha swaraksharam, i.e. the word
Shambho starts with a shadja swara. The very first phrase brings out the Samvadi prayoga
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of the Mela (sa ma and Sa pa). The remaining composition is full of rhetorical beauties of
prasa and yamakam where in there are rhyming words and usage of same words with
different meanings could be seen.

The next famous composer of pre Trinity period whose compositions that gained
popularity in recent years is Oothukadu Venkata Subbayyar. Among his several compositions,
Kamakshi Navavaranams and Saptaratna kritis are group krithis which are very much
known for their depth in both music and words. Of these, the 3rd avarana krithi Sarva jeeva
dayakari is in Raga SUDHASAVERI, a janya of SANKARABHARANAM set in Misra
Chapu Talam. In the book Oothukadu Venkata Kavis Kamakshi Navavaranams and Sapta
Ratna Krithis compiled by Chitraveena N. Ravikiran, the raga is mentioned under 22nd mela
KHARAHARAPRIYA with the same swarasthana placements as under
SANKARABHARANA. This should have followed the recent principle of janya raga
classification in which the rule seems to be that the particular janya raga should be assigned
to the Mela which has the Dhaivata of the janya raga first in order in the 72 Melakarta
scheme. This principle has been supported by Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna also in his interview
taken for the submission of this thesis. This piece depicts the Third avarana, sarva
sankshobhana chakram. There is a madhyama kala sahityam in the composition both after
Anupallavi and Charanam. This feature became a common feature later in Dikshitar
compositions. The reference of the Chakra name is there in the beginning of Anupallavi. The
musical prosodic anthya prasa is visible in the composition mainly in the madhyamakala
sahithya.

After this again the Seventh avarana krithi is in the raga ARABHI which again is a
janya of raga SANKARABHARANA. An interesting feature to be noticed here is that both the
janya ragas are as old as the parent raga and as famous as the Mela raga. Coming to the
composition Sakala loka Nayike the ARABHI raga krithi depicts the 7th avarana of
navavarana krithi, the Sarva Rogahara Chakra and set to Adi tala. The Anthayakshara Prasa
followed in the madhyamakala sahithya found both after anupallavi and charanam. The
examples are:

Naga nayaka shata dashara phana loka vahita dhara kara VALAYE
Loka loka sammohita hitakara siddhi buddhi nata pura NILAYE

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 The reference of Akshara Mala in the beginning of anupallavi is the symbol of goddess
Saraswathy who is the Goddess for that particular 7th chakra. The lines go as below:

a ka cha ta ta pa ya ra la va shadi kshanta akshara mayi vangmayi chinmayi

The word Vangmayi denotes the Goddess to be the Devi of Knowledge and literature
which befits to the beginning of line with beginning letters of alphabets of sanskrit. The
reference of chakra name is there in second line of pallavi. The first line of charana starts
BHAVA ROGA HARA which means she cleanses all the materialistic diseased qualities of
human world for which the chakra stands for. The comments made by Dr. Sulochana
Pattabhiraman stand good to be stated here which could be found in the Authors Note of
Chitraveena Ravikirans book mentioned earlier here which goes:

The compositions of Venkata kavi are an epitome of musical, rhythmic, lyrical and
devotional excellence. The immeasurable variety in his songs, composed in mellifluous Tamil
and majestic Sanskrit is truly remarkable. His Navavarana kritis are singular. Couched in lyrical
verses, they give a graphic description of the Srichakra. The music of the krithis sparkle with
embellishments rhyme rhythm outshine each other. They create an ambience of happiness,
devotion and spirituality, which is the crying need of the hour.

The composer has not used Raga mudra or Naama mudra anywhere. The author
himself in the above mentioned book has given nice explanation regarding the Mudra of the
composer explained below. In his Erudition, Ravikiran states that the pieces are exceedingly
scholarly with significant words and phrases that can be traced to Lalithopakhyanam, Taittiriya
Upanishad, Lalitha sahasranamam and other sources.

In most pieces in this set , the composer not only mentions the name of the chakra and
avarana but also that of the Yogini, Mudra devatha, shakthi, chakreswari and manovritti.
Expressions such as Chintamani shree pura madhye(in first avarana krithi) can be traced back
to the tantric texts dealing with Samayachara, the method and procedure described for inner
worship of the Srichakra. So is Kama kala Pradarshini in 3rd avarana kriti (sarva jeeva
Dayakari) (mentioned earlier) which denotes the subject object (prakasha and vimarsha) state

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of Almighty. Tantra shastra refers to the harmony of Shiva_ Shakthi by the single term,
Kamakala, part of the primordial Desire which led to creation.

The explanation of the krithis continues in the following way:

An introspection of the songs reveals that Venkata Kavi was not merely familiar with
numerous works but more importantly, had deeply internalized their content and spirit. He has
also mentioned several beejaksharas in various kritis such as eem, hreem hat and kleem.
Further, there are several musical references about the Devi holding instruments that permeate
lustrously through music.

This explanation was given in the book with reference to the following lines in the
seventh avarana krithi in the Raga Arabhi:

tantri samanvita veena dharini

and other lines such as

manikya manohara veena dharanaam and

geyarata nava parvatara bhashini

from other krithis. These can be compared to the compositions of those of Dikshitar's
Navavaranams. Ravikiran gives the following description:

Venkata kavi does not seem to have intentionally composed with any master plan in
mind like (unlike Dikshitar, who used different vibhakthis for his Kamalamba Navavaranam
set) but never the less, has set such high standards in a few areas that they remain unmatched
till date. In a rare gesture, he has signed one of the pieces in the set with his own name as in,

Venkata Kavi hrdi sarasija vitarana patutara bhashini

Apart from this, there is no other sign of his Mudra in any other piece except for the
final song of these group kritis there is one sign of secondary signature of Venkata Kavi that is
kaleeya phana pada nyasam
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 The other group kritis named the Sapta Ratna kritis doesnt hold any compositions
that are either in SANKARABHARANA or its Janya Ragas. Here it should be pointed out that
some scholars opine that the words Dikshitar with meticulous planning does not seem to be
very good because Dikshitar wouldnt have composed the Navavarana and Navagraha kritis
with a plan in his mind, but for his genius in Sangeetham and sahithyam which are Apatha
madhuram and alochanamritham. Coming to the period of the Trinity, the universal raga
SANKARABHARANA had been a main attraction for Thyagaraja who has composed
maximum number in this Raga which include several varieties from simple to complex.
Divyanama sankIrtanams are examples of the simple structures. Eduta nilachithe and other
compositions are examples of complex forms in this raga. Another distinctive feature that could
be added here for this raga is that Tyagaraja has composed maximum number of Divyanama
Sankeerthanams in this raga, a list of which is given below.

1) Paripalaya Dasarathe in misra Chapu

2) Sri Raghuvara Dasarathe in Trisra nada Adi tala
3) Pahi Ramachandra in Adi tala
4) Gata mohasrita again in Trisra nada Adi tala
5) Rama Sita Rama in Adi tala
6) Varalila Gana Lola in Adi (Trisra nada)
7) Sitapati Kavavayya in Adi tala
8) Sambho Siva sankara in Rupaka Tala

One could notice the western tinge in some of the above mentioned pieces, where in
the swaras are rendered with minimum gamakam but still attracting the audience interest. The
Nottu swaras of Dikshitar are also similar compositions which are simple in form both in Dhatu
and Mathu. These resources of simple songs should be tapped efficiently by music teachers
because they could be taught to students of any level, and also will allow room for innovative
teaching and thus increasing interest among students. Dikshitars Nottu swara and Tyagarajas
Divyanama sankeertanams are examples of both the composers rational thinking about
musically illiterate audiences. We can say that these are examples of the influence of their
yester year composers like Annamacharya and Bhadrachala Ramadas for whom music was
a medium of relation with God as well as people around them. These simple songs of both the
composers would attract both Indians and westerner as the music in them is with simple
gamakas like western Scales, at the same time tapped the richness of the Mela
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SANKARABHARANAM. The reason is explained by Tyagaraja in one of his compositions
Mokshamu galada in raga SARAMATHI a janya of another melakartha NATA
BHAIRAVI, wherein he feels that without proper understanding and knowledge of Bhakthi
through music, there is no Moksha which should be the ultimate goal for any human being.

Veena Kuppayyar, a disciple of Thyagaraja has composed some compositions similar

to the Divya nama Sankeerthanams on Lord Krishna as his guru, who composed on Lord
Rama. The list goes as:

1) Sree Karambuga nadu in Raga Kambhoji set to Misrachapu.

2) Palinchu Gopala shouri in Huseni misra chapu
3) Sree pathi nanu vega in Raga Kapi set to Chapu
4) Maa pathi namamu in Raga Kapijingla in Chapu
5) Praakruta janamulatho in Raga Varali set to Chapu
6) Kori Kori ninu golichina in Raga BEGADA set to Chapu
7) Kaligedi durlabhamu in Raga Purvi set to Chapu
8) Paramathmuni manasamuna in Raga Khamas set to Rupaka

These kirtanams are 8 in number and it is interesting to note that all of them are set to
Misra chapu tala except for the last one which is set to Rupaka Tala. Out of these 8, one is
composed in BEGADA, a janya Raga of SANKARABHARANA. In the first song every stanza
is ended by the name of God Krishna murthy. This is similar to that of Bhadrachala Ramadasu
kirtanam Ikshvaku kula tilaka in which every charanam ends in the name of God Rama
chandra. Incidentally the Ramadasu kirtanam is also set to Yadukula Kambhoji an allied
Raga to Kambhoji in which the first one of this group kritis is composed. Coming to the one in
BEGADA the kirtanam goes:

Kori kori ninu golichina madi koratha deerpa levuga Sri Krishna

It also has a makutam for Sri Krishna at the end of each stanza including pallavi.
Observing the dhatu, that is swara notation of these compositions, all the stanzas have similar
notation as Pallavi in first five compositions. There is different notation for Anupallavi from
Pallavi and all charanams are similar to Anupallavi in the last 3 kirtanams those are the ones in
BEGADA, PURVI and KHAMAS. The kirtanam in BEGADA is full of Ninda sthuthi
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explaining how the composer is trying to plead God and how God is ignoring him and his
services. The music of the composition is so simple that one would definitely admire the
creativity of composer to get such a simple song out of a complex raga like BEGADA. The
raga itself is a bit complicated in the sense that the raga is vakra in its structure in two places
in arohana and the note MADHYAMAM is that unique in nature that its name itself has
become BEGADA Madhyama. The structure of Dhathu for this piece seems to be a bit
simplified version of that one of Tyagarajas Thana vari tanamu in the same raga. These
compositions could be seen in the book Pallavi swarakalpavalli. It is a book of Tiruvottiyur
Tyagayyar. In this book, we could see a compilation of compositions of his Guru and Father
Vina Kuppayyar. The last composition in raga KAMAS in this set of kirtanams is mentioned
as Manasa pooja kirtanam. Manasa Pooja is a kind of Prayer where there is no physical
instrument like flowers, incense sticks etc. offered to God physically but everything is done
only in thoughts. Thus this kirtanam resembles a Divya nama sankirtanam of Thyagaraja in
the Raga RITIGOWLA Paripalaya set to Rupaka Tala. If we observe the book, the
compositions therein, are so systematically written that they are in the order of their
complexity. Though the piece is not given along with other krithis there is one Neramemira
nejesina in raga NADANAMAKRIYA set to Adi tala is another piece of Vina Kuppayyar
which is similar to the Divyanama sankirtanams of Tyagaraja along with the ones mentioned
earlier. In this piece also, the Dhatu of Charanams is similar to that of the Anupallavi instead
of different Dhatu for them, thus becoming similar to that of Divyanama Sankirtanams.
Looking in depth, the compositions of Vina Kuppayyar resemble Bhadrachala Ramadas
kirtanams in their texture and structure though he was a disciple of Tyagaraja. Vina kuppayyar
has done another set of group kritis called Kalahastheesha pancharatnams on Lord Shiva of
Sri Kalahasthi near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The list is:

1) Koniyadina napai in KAMBHOJI

2) Nannu brova rada in SAMA
3) Birana nannu brova in HAMSADHWANI
4) Sama ganalola in SALAGA BHAIRAVI
5) Sevinthamu rare in SAHANA

Among these compositions, the first one Koniyadina napai in Kambhoji has only got
some popularity and others are not known very well. The second composition is in SAMA
which according to Sangita SampradayA Pradarshini is janya of SANKARABHARANAM but
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according to modern theory of raga classification, is a janya of HARIKAMBHOJI. The pallavi
of the kriti is Nannu brova rada ninu nammina natho vada mariyada where in we could find
very nice question form of expression without any ninda Sthuthi which had been a common
feature of most of other such kind of kritis. The rhetorical features of Prasa are very clearly
visible in Pallavi of the piece mentioned above. For example we can see RADA, VADA
and mari YADA etc. There is a nice chittaswaram in the composition. There is reference of
music rendered by Ravana, king of Lanka in the great epic Ramayana, which is a rare feature.
Normally Ravana is not referred anywhere because of his villainous character, but his musical
talent has been taken as example here. Ravana has been referred in Sarasa sama dana a piece
in raga KAPI NARAYANI of Tyagaraja and other compositions having relation to the story of
Ramayana. But Vina Kuppayyar has taken the name of Ravana as a great bhaktha and as a very
learned man and a great musician who played Veena on his intestines plucking them out of his
abdomen to get a glimpse of Lord Shiva. In the next lines there is a reference of Tripurasura
vadha in the lines musi musi navvula puramu dahinchi. Thus the intention of the composer is
that Lord has protected even his enemies but was not showering kindness on the composer.
The description of Lord still continues in the way that to wear Moon on his head, he wore a
Jata (matted hair) which again is a rare expression. Finally everything is offered to Lord
Krishna, like his Guru Tyagaraja who offered everything to Lord Rama. Musically observed
the selection of raga SAMA is an example musical genius of the composer showing the aptness
of raga for Karuna rasa. There is swaraksharam of Da found in the beginning of Anupallavi
and in the Madhyama kala sahithyam found at the end of the charanam. Here we can say that
though the composer followed his guru to an extent he followed Dikshitar in composing
Madhyama kala sahithya in the piece which is a common feature for Dikshitar Kritis. In this
aspect most of the Post Trinity composers followed Dikshitar. An interesting feature found
here in these group kritis is that all 5 compositions of these pancharatnams are composed in
janyas of both SANKARABHARANAM and HARIKAMBHOJI. Coming to the 3rd one in
the pancharatnams composed in HAMSADHWANI, a janya of SANKARABHARANAM
again. The piece goes as Birana nanu brova neekintha bidiya mela nayya which is also in
questioning form. The variety lies in the wording of the song in the sense that he is asking Lord
Shiva as why he was feeling shy to come to rescue? firstly feeling shy to protect is really a
different kind of expression. Secondly shyness is an expression related to females but here this
quality is assigned to a male. The skill of the composer is visible here where he has chosen a
masculine raga HAMSADHWANI for a feminine expression. In this piece also the Anupallavi
is starting in Swaraksharam, in this place it is Panchamam. The anupallavi refers to great
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sages like Narada and Parashara who are also musicians. The Anupallavi goes as parashara
Naradadi vanditha shree Kalahasteesha. Another important feature found in these group kritis
is that there is Sthala mudra or Kshetra mudra that is the place in which the particular deity
is present is used. In these the sthala mudra is Sri Kalahasteesha which is found in Anupallavi
in all pieces except for the first one Koniyadina in which the sthala mudra is found in
charanam of the composition. Another common feature found in this group of compositions, is
that there is a nice Chittaswaram in three of them except 1st and 4th ones in KAMBHOJI and
SALAGABHAIRAVI. The charanam here in the HAMSADHWANI has rhyming words that
is prasa with SADA Shiva yanu nee namamu SADA japinchina and in next line there is
MUDA rhyming with above words. In this composition there is a rare foot of referring the
consort of the deity who is Gnanambika ramana referring Gnana Prasunamba who is the
consort of Sree kalahastheesha. Using the feminine phrase Bidiyamelanayya (Bi-Di-Ya-
Me-La-Nai-yya) that is why are you feeling shy? may also refer to this feature. The makutam
used in these pieces sri Kalahastheesha is similar to one used by a Telugu poet Dhoorjati who
wrote Kalahastheeswara Shatakamu who was one of the Ashta diggajas that is 8 well known
poets in the court of Krishna Deva Raya Tulu king of Vijayanagara Dynasty. Vina Kuppayyar
has also composed a kriti on Mysore Chamundeswari in the raga BEGADA set to Rupaka tala.
The kriti is intha para kela namma. Above all these he has also composed some compositions
on Tripurasundari Tiruvottiyur also called Adi puram on whom his Guru Tyagaraja has
composed Tiruvottiyur Pancharatnams. The list of the songs by Vina Kuppayyar is as below:

1) Tamasamelanamma in KAMBHOJI set to Rupaka Talam

2) Namoralakinchi in DHANYASI set to Rupaka Talam
3) Ninne nera nammithini thalli in BHAIRAVI raga set to Rupaka Talam.
4) Para Devi nee padamule in SURATI set to Rupaka Tala
5) Tallee na meeda daya rada in SURATI set to Adi Tala
6) Nee sahayamu leni korkelu in DEVAGANDHARI set to Adi Tala

Out of these, DEVAGANDHARI is a janya of SANKARABHARANAM. The

Bhashanga prayoga of the raga is set in the very beginning of the composition. In this piece the
composer feel that if goddess Tripurasundari does not shower her kindness, no one could
achieve anything in this world thus referring to complete surrender to the Goddess, which
ultimately leads to Moksha, the main motive of Music. At the end of these compositions there
is a Lali in KEDARAGOWLA and finally a Mangalam, in the raga SURATI. Another
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noticeable feature is that four out of six kirtanams mentioned above are in Rupaka Tala. On the
whole, looking at the poetic values of Vina Kuppayyas creations, they seem to be on par with
his gurus compositions, resembling Dikshitar kritis in having the chittaswarams which is a
decorative anga of a kriti or kirtanam. Sahithya in his pieces resemble pre Trinity composers
like Annamacharya and Bhadrachala Ramadas. One more noticeable feature in his creations is
that he did not use Swanama mudra as his guru, but used a daiva mudra Gopala Dasa on the
name of his ishta devata Krishna. His compositions also range from Adi tala to Chapu tala.
The pieces are attractive with all rhetorical beauties of Yati, Prasa and anuprasa which are
qualities of good compositions.

Going further, there is an identical swara structure for Tyagarajas Manasu swadheena
and Deekshitars Akshaya linga vibho in pallavi of both the monumental works, showing the
identical thinking of two great composers. The compositions however differ from each other
from anupallavi. The later is much intricate compared to the former with a madhyamakala
sahithyam at the end of anupallavi and charanam. It is very difficult to maintain ksha kara
prasa in any composition for any composer throughout the composition. But Dikshitar
maintained the ksha kara prasa whole throughout the composition. Similarly, the same ksha
kara prasa could also be observed in Tyagarajas lakhanamulu gala in SUDHA SAVERI, a
janya of SANKARABHARANAM. Swararagasudha of Thyagaraja is yet another
magnificent composition in the raga SANKARABHARANAM. The catchy rhythm in double
kala Adi talam is characteristic feature of this piece and similar trend could be found in Mysore
Vasudevacahar compositions. RaRa Rajeevalochana and Brochevarevarura are examples
for this. Coming to Swara Raga Sudha, the half avarthanam space in second line of the
charanams has been filled with the flowery sangathis like:
Gmg Gmg G; Rgr Rgr R; Srs Srs s;

These phrases made the piece more suitable for instrumentalists which later were
adopted by Vocalists also. The lyric of the song also has special meaning explaining the
greatness of music. There are three charanams in the song of which first charanam gives the
importance of Sapta svaras, Tala or Laya importance is portrayed in Second charanam befitting
the Saying Shrutir mata Layah pitah where in the shruti that is Drone is equated to ones own
Mother and tala is equated to own Father. In the 3rd charanam of the composition, the famous
verse from Bhagavad Gita Bahunam janmanam ante Gnanavan mam prapadyuthe is
established as could be seen in Bahu janmalaku paini gnaniyai baraguta mokshamura. For
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Tyagaraja music associated with bhakthi is only way for salvation which is reiterated in next
lines Bhakthi tho Raga Gnana sahithudumuktudura. If we see Manasu swadhinamaina, a
great composition, the sahitya is in question and answer form like yeduta nilachithe which is
another composition of Tyagaraja. This kind of questioning is found in the kriti Bagu
meeraganu natho palukaga rada of Vina Kuppayyar set to Adi tala. He is a disciple of
Tyagaraja. The meaning of above mentioned krithi is that can you please speak to me? The
questioning follows in the 3rd charana of the composition bearing the mudra. There is very
nice cittaswaram and dwiteeyakshara prasa followed throughout the composition. In the 2nd
charanam of the piece, there is a clue of the composer only writing on God like his Guru, The
lines go as Bhava poshana kai dhanikula palumaru vinuthi jeyu kavi janamula saavasamu
karadani rosi nava rasambuloluka nee nama keerthanamulanu vivaramuga badedi na vesalanu
deerchenani bagu meera ---- balkaga rada? This piece resembles Mariyada Gadura of
Thyagaraja, wherein we find words Ragamu Talamu Rakthi bhakthi Gnanayogamu mari
anuragamu leni bhagavuthulu udara shamanule gani which means that the persons who sing
without proper knowledge of gnanayoga and bhakthi, just singing with raga and Tala are
only considering filling their bellies. The piece (Mariyada gadura) could be understood
properly only when analysed from Charanam mentioned above in reverse then Anupallavi
carrying a kind of order to Lord Rama that it is not respectful (mariyada gadura) to Lord
Rama to equate people who sing only for belly filling and true devotees of Lord. Karunakara
varini veerini conveys the meaning explained above to equate real devotees with belly fillers.
Nearly the same meaning is conveyed in the above mentioned Vina kuppayyas composition
which goes as it is not good to have friendship belly fillers. The Charanam in Mariyada
gadura has often been interpreted wrongly. The word udara shamanulu is written as udara
samaanulu which gives a wrong meaning and obviously the interpretation would also be
wrong. Udara shamanulu gives the meaning belly fillers where as in the word udara
samaanulu, samaanamu literally means equal and udara is belly. Analysed in the above
angles udara samaana would definitely will not give any sense to anybody. If the charana is
read with udara shamanulu the confusion is revealed. The other version having the word
udara shayanulu must have been a printing mistake because in Telugu Ma and ya are
written similarly except for bigger circle for ya. If this kriti is understood in these angles then
one would not disagree that this piece also stands on par with any other piece of master
composer. This composition is standing example of poetic angle of the great saint. In fact the
way of reverse expression is quite common in Hindi and English poetry. Viewed with this point
Thyagaraja should have adopted this feature in his composition. It is no wonder that many
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researchers have been awarded their Ph.D degrees in Telugu literature for analysis of
Thyagarajas poetry!

The questioning form of compositions described earlier is adopted by another great

composer of later years Mysore Vasudevachar who composed a kirtanam called HARINI
BHAJINCHE BHAGYAMU DORAKUNEMI which is a question meaning could anybody
get the great boon of singing of Hari that is Lord Vishnu? and answer being dorukunu
dorukunu which means yes it will be available for real bhakthas of Lord. This is set to Adi
tala and raga SANKARABHARANA.

Though there is similarity in the above said compositions of Tyagaraja and

Vasudevachar the main difference is that the question is immediately answered in
Vasudevachars kriti where as in Tyagarajas the answer will be seen in Anupallavi and
Charanam of the composition. Coming to Harini bhajinche, the composition has many
rhetorical features such as Dwiteeyakshara prasa that is which has rhyming second letter
whole throughout the composition. Though the composition starts on lord Vishnu, the main
deity addressed is Lord Rama who has been compared to Sun, in Anupallavi in the lines
Dharanija manasambhoruha vibhakaruni in these lines ambhoruhamu is lotus which
blooms with sun. Thus Lord Rama is the sun who illuminates the heart lotus of Goddess Seetha.
On the other hand the same Lord is compared to Moon in the charanam of the composition in
the lines Tarani vasambudhi chandruni where in we can see the expression of Lord Rama
being the moon of Surya that is Sun dynasty. Here Tarani vamsambudhi is the
suryavamsham to which Lord Rama belonged to. The composer made the piece on par with
the gems of yesteryear composers by setting the composition to Khanda Triputa tala which
is tala cycle of 9 letters a rare foot in the field. This kind of experimentation is found mainly
with Dikshitar compositions in SANKARABHARANAM raga, the very popular
Dakshinamurthe set to Misra Jhampe tala which is a cycle of 10 aksharas. A noteworthy
feature found in this piece is that, the samvadi swaras are nicely captured as graha swaras as
the pallavi starts in Panchamam, Anupallavi being started in Shadja and charanam in
Madhyama respectively. His compositions also range from simple to complex having been
set to Rupaka tala and simple Adi tala, though we cannot find ones comparable to Divyanama
Sankirtanams of Tyagaraja and Dikshitars Nottu swaras. The other compositions include
Bhaja manasa saraswathi, Smara Ramachandram set to Adi talam and Sri Rama Devi
mamavathu set to Rupaka tala. In Bhaja manasa Saraswathi there is dwiteeyakshara and
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anthyakshara prasa followed whole through the composition which seems to be another
noteworthy feature of Mysore Vasudevachars compositions. The musical prosody of
Yamakam is very prominently visible in pallavi of the piece Smara Rama Chandram set to
ADI talam. The explanation could be, the first SMARA in Smara Ramachandram means
chanting the Lords name and it means Rama is as beautiful as Cupid in phrase Smara
sundaram and in Smaravairi manasa mandiram refers to lord Shankara who burnt Smara
that is Manmadha to ashes.

Tyagarajas Thana vari Thanamu in BEGADA, a janya of SANKARABHARANA,

set to Adi Tala is yet another example of question form of kirtana. The very beginning of the
composition goes as Tanavari thanamuleda means, dont you have the sense of
belongingness towards me? Tarakadhipanana such a poetic simile! In this the composer has
compared the face of Lord Rama with moon. Tarakadhipaanana literally means the having
face like the king of stars, wherein taraka stands for star, adhipa king, Moon being the king
of stars. It is said that Tyagaraja used to sing Bhadrachala Ramadasu kirtanams when he was
young, the affect of which is seen in this piece. There is ninda sthuthi in the composition. In
this regard the composition resembles the famous Ramadasu keerthanam Ikshvaku kula
thilaka in all its features. The charanam goes: Ina vamsa rajulaki gunamu ennadaina kalada?
where in the questioning form of the composition continues. The greatness of the composer is
visible as the questions continue till the end of the composition like pera pera bilachi haramulu
losagaleda? Here, the clear influence of the Ramadasu kirtanam mentioned above. In
ikshvaku kula thilaka where Bhadrachala Ramadasu gives the list of ornaments he has done
for Rama and his associates as in Sithammaku cheyisthi Chintaku patakamu meaning that he
made a particular kind of ornament called Chintaku pathakamu to Goddess Sita and another
account he gives is the Pachchala Pathakamu for Lakshmana, and kalikithurayi for Lord
Rama and the list goes on and finally he asks if all of them were made by Ramas father or In
laws. After blaming Rama that he is not coming for Ramadasus rescue. Finally the composer
reverts on pleading the God. He says that abba tittitinani ayasa pada boku which means,
please do not get angry that I am pointing on you but because I am not able bear the
punishments given to me, and out of the humiliation I am telling on you and so please come to
my rescue. Similarly in Tana vari tanamu there is no Anupallavi and all charanams have
similar Dhatu like the Ramadasu kirtanams. Tyagaraja does not mention the ornaments he
has done name by name as Ramadasu did but he says pera pera pilichi haramulu, prema
meeraga nosagaleda? meaning again he is questioning Rama that didnt I make different
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ornaments for all of you out of love? In next charanam he asks, when I gave different fruits
to you didnt you distribute them among the vanaras ? i.e. the army of monkeys. Finally after
questioning in all these different ways he starts pleading Rama like Ramadasu in the lines
Rama Rama Rama rachcha seyakave meaning O! Rama please, dont you make any mess out
of all my questions and please consider me as one of your dearest members. Musically
observed, the composition is simple one with only some sangathis in pallavi and charanams
being very simple in structure. The genius of the composer could be understood in choosing
the Raga BEGADA which is madhyama kala based raga to express anger and anxiety that
God is not coming to his rescue. This kind of ninda sthuthi and questioning could be seen in
Abhimana mennadu kalgu Rama, a composition of Thyagarajas prashishya (disciple of
disciple). The very beginning of the song is a question when do you get kindness on me ?.
This composition is set to Adi tala. There is reference of Gajedra moksham in anupallavi
which goes as Ibharaja varada napai intha kopa mela nayya? which means O! Lord you
rescued the king of elephants and why are you so angry with me and why you are not coming
to my rescue? In charana of the song the Ninda Sthuthi could be observed where in the
composer questions God saying anna vastramula kedi tovayani meaning did I ever asked for
food and my clothing? but kanna tandri neeve yani nammithi meaning I always believed
that you are my father who gave me birth and if you keep looking here and there without
looking at me who will come to my rescue? this is a different kind of Ninda sthuthi. Here
there is a difference in the kind of Ninda sthuthi in the sense that the former pieces of
Ramadasu and Thyagaraja are associated with a tinge of anger where as the one followed in
Patnam Subrahmanya Iyers composition is filled with a plead. Musically observed a feature
found in Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer's kriti both Pallavi and Anupallavi start in the swara
Dhaivatha, only difference being the Pallavi starts in mandra sthayi Dhaivatam and Anupallavi
in Madhyasthayi. The music nicely befits the mood of the kriti which is pleading but not
anger as in tana vari tanamu of Thyagaraja in which the music is again according to the mood
of song Anger. Another composition of Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer that contains similar
features to a Ninda sthuti and questioning is Inthakante kavalena ee kashtamu chalada in
the raga KANNADA, yet another janya of SANKARABHARANAM and set to Rupaka Tala.
The pallavi goes, Intha kante Kavalena which is the trouble not enough? do you want me to
suffer much more than this? the charanam in this kriti resembles the charanam of Etula
brothuvo in the raga Chakravaka of Tyagaraja. The Charanam in the former kriti goes as:
puttina nati nundi potta sagute paniga means it had been my work that I have been working
since my birth only to fill my belly Which resembles the charana of later kriti mentioned above
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which goes as Vatti goddu reethi bhakshinchi tirigithi / puttu lobhulanu pottaki pogadithi
which means I had been eating and roaming around like a buffalo and kept on flattering the
people who are useless and poor and misers in their thoughts. In these two kritis we can find
ninda sthuthi combined with Atma ninda which means the composers were blaming the
God (ninda sthuti) as well as themselves (atma ninda) for their mischievous deeds.

pari dana michichithe The famous kriti of Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer is another
example of questioning Lord. The kriti is monumental in its structure in the sense that musically
both Pallavi and anupallavi start in Swaraksharam in Panchamam like for example PARI dana
in Pallavi and PARAma purusha in Anupallavi where in we can find Prasa, which continues
throughout the composition. There is a beautiful chittaswaram in the composition. This kriti
could be sighted as an example that showcases the perfect raga lakshana in the raga
BILAHARI. The madhyamakala gait of the kriti makes anybody tap their feet. Like the Adi
Tala Varna Intha Chowka of Vina Kuppayyar and Ata tala Varna of Sonti Venkatasubbaiah,
there are phrases in this krithi with prayoga of Nishada in arohanam. The phrases in both
varnas have been discussed in detail earlier while explaining the Ragalakshana. If we observe
the composition Paridanamichcithe the Nishada prayogas are in Anupallavi and in
Anubandham of charana. Even in Anupallavi, in the questioning part of the line Karana
memayya notation for which goes as grsNsdnp and grg sr Ns dn pd and grsN rsnd sndp
and the same places in anubandham where the sahithyam is Adi Venkatesha where in the
mudra of the composer could be seen. This notation for this kriti is seen in the book Gayaka
Siddhanjanam of Tachchuru brothers which clearly indicates the Nishada in arohanam. The
ni written here in upper case to show that it is in Arohanam but not the Capitol N which
denotes two letters according to principles of notation.

Intha paranmukha melara is a composition of Vina Kuppayyar in this raga

BILAHARI set to Adi tala which again is in question form of composition that is discussed
earlier in this chapter. Interestingly, if the notation of the piece in the book Pallavi
Swarakalpavalli compiled by Tiruvottiyur Thyagayyar with his fathers compositions is
observed there are no phrases with Nishada in arohanam were used. There is one more kriti
Paddapaatu chalada of the same composer in the raga BILAHARI set to Adi Tala which also
does not have phrases as the Varnam mentioned earlier. He handled the raga so well that there
was no room given for ambiguous sancharas having Nishada in Arohana. Keeping this in mind
one could get a doubt why the same composer has used the nishada prayoga in Arohanam so
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prevalently in his varnam in the same Raga. The reason could be one that the Varnams are
supposed to be the edifices of the raga lakshanam of that particular raga and it should have
made the composer follow the Raga lakshana sloka and geetham of Venkatamakhin and the
result is the Varnam.

Observing all these compositions some questions could be raised, 1) was the Nishada
in arohanam in this raga prevalent in medieval period of history of Karnatic music? 2) Should
these compositions be deleted from the field of music because of these deleted phrases of
modern period of the raga are there in these compositions? 3) would this be a wise decision to
lose such immortal compositions filled with raga lakshana in every inch of them? If we see
the Raga lakshana sloka in Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini of Subbarama Dikshitulu which is
considered to be the Bible of Karnatic Music, it goes as:

Arohe madhyamo vakraha KVACHIDYOGO NISHADAKAHA

Bilahuri Raga gathya savra kaleshu geeyathe

And the lakshana given under in the book goes as:

Bhasahangamu, Sampoornamu, shadja graham, rakthi Ragamu, ------ eka deshamuga

Arohanamu nandu Nishada prayogamu galadu, which clearly shows us that there is Nishada
prayoga incidentally here and there which is not a wrong prayoga in the raga. The lakshya
geetam given in Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini also has phrases such as rsnsdp snsr. If
the notation for the very famous Dikshitar composition Hatakeshwara in Sangita Sampradaya
Pradarshini is observed, there is clear Nishada prayoga in arohanam. The composition is set to
Misra Jathi eka tala. The sighted lines of example are in the charanam of the composition which
is Daruka vanastha tapo dhana and line is in the beginning of third line of charanam. It goes
as:

The notation given in Pradarshini is : G, m g Rs rg rs rs ns nd

Cha-ru smi tha mukham--- bhoruha.

The similar line have been notated as : G,,P MGR, S,RG R, S, ND SND
Cha ru smi tha mukham bhoja

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- in the book Compositions of Mudduswami Dikshitar compiled by Sri. T. K. Govinda Rao
and in this book the kriti is given as set to Rupaka Tala. Because it is a single phrase in the
composition a stalwart musician could change the notation but if the phrases are more than two
and very important in a composition and bring out the raga bhava it is not a mistake to continue
to sing in the same manner as composer intended. The compositions also belong to stalwart
composers of yester years whose compositions in other ragas are flawless and in fact their
varnas and other compositions should be taught to a student of music compulsorily. But for
these Nishada prayogas both the compositions are extra ordinary in their structure and bring
out the raga bhava very well. Truly speaking these Nishada prayogas should not be looked
upon as flaws in the respective compositions because, chronologically observed the nishada
prayoga is given in the Ragalakshana sloka and Geetha itself. Interestingly, we cannot find
these prayogas in Tyagarajas compositions which are many in number. They all are devoid of
the particular phrase. This could have lead to the phrase to be forbidden against the raga
lakshanam given in the Bible of Karnatic Music Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini. Questioned
on the similar notes Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna suggested that if felt like singing these
compositions they should be sung in the same way as composed but, it should be announced
that the composers have composed in the way they are. Keeping all this in view the researchers
should try to standardize these compositions and try to keep them alive by not modifying the
notation of the particular composition, but singing the phrases instead, and mentioning that the
composer did include the particular phrase in the composition.

Another example of questioning in Tyagaraja kritis is Dorakuna ituvanti seva? in

Bilahari. Which means Do we get such a privilege of worshipping Lord Rama? There is a
difference in the questioning in above kritis and this one in the sense that this is question
composer has kept for his self answering the question in very nice way which has nice
expressions and descriptions of Lord Rama. The main difference in the above mentioned kritis
and this kind of kritis is that there is no Ninda sthuti in these songs. Ninda sthuthi is a kind
of prayer offer to God in a frustrated state when God is not coming to ones rescue after many
pleas from them. They feel ignored by god and dwell into blaming, that is ninda sthuthi. Tholi
janmamuna jeyu is a composition of Saint Thyagaraja in which he blames himself opposite to
above discussion that he understood the mistakes he committed in earlier births and request
God to cleanse him off all the sins he did. Looking at the piece in Gayaka Siddhanjanam of
Thacchuru Brothers the Anupallavi is given as nee mahima phalamemo which is pointed out
to be wrong by N.Ch. Krishnamacharyulu, in his book Sangeetha Raga Darshini where in he
220
explain that if it is nee Mahima Phalamemo, it would affect the prosody of the composition
in the sense that the anupallavi will contain five avarthanams instead of four which will not
affect the prosodic structure of the kriti if it is sung Phalamemo arachethi. If the meaning of
these lines are observed and understood properly one would feel surprised at the extra ordinary
poetic and philosophical views of composer. The meaning of Phalamemo arachethi
puntikaddamu valenu literally it means that if we have a wound on our hand we do not need
a mirror to look at it. The inner meaning is that if we have the effect of the misdeeds we have
done in previous birth is in front of our eyes why do we need any mirror to look at it as the
wound on our hand. If this meaning is taken nee mahima phalamemo would definitely not fit
in the song and if it is there it would definitely spoil the meaning and rasa of the piece as
explained by N.Ch. Krishnamacharyulu. On the similar note Maravakave sree Ramuni is a
composition of Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer in raga SAMA set to Rupaka Tala. The Anupallavi
in the composition goes as: Tarani vamsha thilakude Dharanija nayakude where Tarani is
Sun god and this in above lines refer to Lord Rama who is the king of Sun dynasty or Surya
vamsham But some musicians are wrongly pronouncing the word Tarani to be Dharani,
which will change Lord Rama to be born to Goddess Earth that is Bhoodevi and that might
change entire story of Ramayana. Upcoming and established musicians should take care of
this kind of things as our music is mainly based on compositions which in turn are based on
great epics mainly of Ramayana. The musicians should take care that they should not spoil the
Sanskrit words, which is Mother of all languages.

Another famous composer of post Trinity period, whose compositions could be studied
in depth is Harikesanallur Muttayya Bhagavatar. Sahaja Guna Ramachandra is one of his
compositions in raga SANKARABHARANAM which is set to Tala Adi. The composition
starts in swaraksharam in Tara sthayi Shadja. There is dwitiyakshara prasa followed in the
composition till Anupallavi. It is a Sanskrit composition. It is a rare composition where in the
Guha of Ramayana has been mentioned in the Anupallavi. Like other composers Muttayya
Bhagavatar also composed group kritis which include ashtotthara sata kirtanas based on both
shiva and Chamundi ashtottharas. In the Shivashtotthara kirtanams, out of 108 kirtanams
16 are set to SANKARABHARANAM and its janya ragas. Out of these the 27th kirtanam is
in raga SANKARABHARANAM. The composition represents the 27th nama of 108 and the
nama is Gangadharayanamaha and the kirtanam starts as Gangadhara Nagakankana pane.
It is interesting to notice that Ganga has ornamented herself in Shivas Jatajhootam and the
raga name denotes the ornamentation of Lord Shankara. The piece again starts in swarakshara
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in Tara Sthayi shadja. The composition is set to Adi Talam. The Anupallavi of the piece again
portrays the point that Lord Sankara bestows all good things as is he is Mangaladayaka and
Sangita lola portrays him to be fond of music. It seems to be apt here to set the piece in the
Mela. There is Anthyaprasa seen in anupallavi in Mangala daYAKA Madhura naYAKA
and LOLA and PALA in next 2 lines. There is nice chittaswaram in the piece where in some
Shadjama varjya prayogas have been explored. In addition to the Ashtotthara kritis the
composer has also done Navagraha kritis like Dikshitar. Of these 2 are set in ragas derived
from SANKARABHARANAM.

The next set of group kritis of the composer the Chamundi ashtotthara satha kirtanams
include the SANKARABHARANAM and Janya Ragas. Out of the 108 kritis again 78th is set
to Adi Talam and raga SANKARABHARANAM. The nama is Chandra rekha
Vibhushitayainamaha and the composition goes as Chandra Rekha Vibhushithe Champeya
hare. Here the creativity of the composer is at its best in choosing the raga as Chandra rekha
is the crescent moon adorning Lord Shankara and the saga set is SANKARABHARANAM
which signifies the nama where in the Goddess is also described to be adorned by crescent
Moon. Here in the Anupallavi of the kriti the poetic abilities of the composer come out very
well in the lines Chandra vadane and ibha mukha mathe where the face of the Goddess is
compared to the Moon with two different words.

Apart from these group krithis there is one Tamil composition of the composer in this
raga which goes as Manadirangi sainda set to Adi Talam. This is a composition on Lord
Muruga. He should have composed this piece for the Kathakalakshepam of Valli parinayam.
An explanation of how he became a composer goes as below in the preface of the book having
Ashtotthara sata keerthanas on Shivashtotthara.

An important result which flowed from the entry of Muttayya Bhagavatar in the field
of Harikatha Kalakshepam is that he became not merely a Bhagavathar but a composer. His
Valli Parinayam being new in the field, he himself composed Nirupanams in Tamil.

An important feature of the compositions of Muttayya Bhagavatar is that almost all the
pieces have chittaswarams especially the Ashtotthara Sata Nama kirtanams. A main
characteristic to be noted here with two of the composers mentioned above that is Mysore

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Vasudevachar and Muttayya Bhagavatar is that both of them had same lineage of Tyagaraja
and both the composers had resemblances with Tyagaraja keerthanams in their compositions.

In fact if observed properly almost all the composers of post trinity period followed the
same structure in the compositions as Tyagaraja except for his Divyanama Sankeerthanams
and Utsava sampradaya kritis by which are unique. Here it should be pointed out that the post
trinity composers followed their Gurus in their creations. For example if we take Tanjavur
Ponnayya, he composed Kritis with Samishti Charanams like his Guru Dikshitar (which was
common feature for his compositions) and most famous example for this is Ponnayyas krithi
in Mayamalavagoula Mayathitha Swaroopini which has Samishti Charanam followed by
Madhyama kala Sahithyam, yet another common feature of Dikshitar compositions. Thus we
can state that Kirtanams with Samishti charanams to be unique for Dikshitar school as
Divyanama kirtanams of Thyagaraja except for some compositions like Sree karunya rupini
in PUNNAGAVARALI by Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna of contemporary period. Interestingly
Dr. Balamurali hails from Thyagarajas school of thought. Similarly Mysore Vasudevachar
adopted complex Talas like Dikshitar and the Chitta swarams and Madhyama kala sahithyas
which are common for Dikshitar compositions have been adopted both the above said
composers including other contemporary composers.

Devaki Tanayuni is yet another composition of Muttayya Bhagavatar in the raga

SANKARABHARANA set to Adi Tala. This is a composition on Lord Krishna which is a bit
unique in its nature as most of the pieces in SANKARABHARANAM are either dedicated to
Shiva or Rama at the most to Goddess Devi. This kirtanam sounds similar to Odanu Jaripe a
keerthanam in SARANGA Raga from Nauka Charithram, opera composed by Tyagaraja. The
Charanam of the composition portrays Lord Krishnas story. Rhetorical feature of Prasa is
very much visible through out. The prasa with Lakara reminds us of the famous Thyagaraja
krithi Yaduta nilachithe, where in the charanam has Ra kara prasa which goes as:

Ta RANA doRAkani pa RAkuletikini Rama jesithe ee haRami thanamemi Ra and

the Lakara prasa in Muttayya Bhagavatar composition goes as:

goPALULU koLUvaganu korumu Govardhanamu patti

bhuPALAdhama Kamsa bhupALUni kotti pamudaina
KaLIyuni bhanjanamu chesi bhagavan sri Harikesha
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 Bhaktha hrid viLAsuni

There is no chittaswaram in this piece. This also seems to be composed for the
Harikatha kalakshepam only as the charana is in the form of narrating a story. This could have
been the reason for absence of complex yati patterns as it would make the composition complex
but at the same they would increase the beauty of the piece. Other specialist feature found in
Trinities compositions like for example the Yati patterns found in Buddhi Radu of Thyagaraja
such as (Srotovaha yati) Amruta, Vagamruta, Bhaktula Vagamruta panamu and Gopuchcha
yati patterns such sree sarasa pade, rasa pade, sapade, pade pade found in Sri Varalakshmi
of Dikshitar could not be traced in the above said composition which make the Trinity unique
again. It is important to notice that these Yati patterns have been followed in Varnams in
modern period.

The piece Sada shiva mupasmahe is a composition of Dikshitar in the raga

SANKARABHARANA set to Adi Talam. This is a simple composition when compared to
other kritis of Dikshitar in this raga like Dakshinamurthe and Akshaya linga vibho which
are more complicated pieces compared Tyagarajas creations which are more in number. This
could be equated with Mariyada gadura in its complexity. The piece starts in swaraksharam
in Tarasthayi Shadjam with Da also falling in Swaraksharam. The entire pallavi portrays Lord
Shiva to be a form of happiness. There is raga mudra and Guru Guha mudra which are
common features of Dikshitar compositions. There is da kara prasa whole throughout the
Pallavi as in

sa DA shiva mupasmahe ShammudA ciDAnanDA rupam saDA muDa

There is reference of parama bhaktas mentioned in Puranas in Anupallavi of the

composition. The Anupallavi goes as Nidagha Dattatreya Kapila Vamadeva Vyasa sukadi
vandita padambhoja yugalam which is normally a feature found in Tyagaraja kritis, as for
example in Endaro Mahanubhavulu a Ghana raga pancharatna in SREE raga and charanam
of the very famous Seethamma Mayamma. There is poetic relationship in the words of
Charanam of the song. For example Dikshitar feels the entire universe to be the house for Lord
Shiva as in Chara charatmaka Prapancha Geham and he has Lord Shiva is vrushabha that
is Nandi as his charriot which is symbolized in line Sura sura sevitha Vrushabha vaham.
Similar description is found in Akshaya linga vibho where in it is said that aaroodha
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VRISHA VAHA which means the Lord has climbed Vrishabha that is Nandi. There is a
beauty of Hakara anthyanu prasa in the Chranam of the composition.

An understanding of janya ragas could be achieved only through the analysis of the
compositions in particular janya raga. Having said this it will be humanly impossible to analyze
vast number of kritis in vast number of janyas of a huge Raga SANKARABHARANA. It is
equal to the impossible task of trying to show a mountain in a mirror. So only an attempt could
be made to study some major janya ragas.

ARABHI is a major janya raga of SANKARABHARANA which is as old as the parent

Raga, that is it had been there in existence from the old Pannisai period and had been
differently explored by different composers. It is one of the Ghana ragas with scope for
manodharmam the pillar of Indian Music. Ghana Raga is a Raga which is suitable for playing
Tanam or Madhyama kalam a part of Manodharma Sangeetam.

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