Sri Vanchanatham Bhajeham

 I had learnt this some time back . ... Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Adi, Surutti.

Srivanchiyam is located 18 km from Thiruvarur and 27 km from Kumbakonam. It was also called Thapovanam or Bhu Kailasam( Kailasam on earth). In fact , in the charana , there is a line " Bhu Kailasa sthithi paatram"

It was also called Gandharanyam since it was once a forest of sweet smelling sandal trees. This is also referred  to in the charanam( Shri Gaandharanya Kshetram)

In fact, Goddess Ganga is supposed to have worshipped here to cleanse herself of the sins left by devotees who bathed in her waters.

The Shiva Linga here is believed to be Swayambhu and Appar, Thirugnansambandar, Sambandar and Manikkavachagar are all supposed to have composed on this deity. 

Parvathi is worshipped here as Mangalambikai( referred to right in the Pallavi.. Shri Mangalamba Sametam)

The Sthala vriksham is Chandana( since it was in the middle of a sandal forest) and the temple tank, Pushkarini is called Gupta Ganga or Yama Kundam. 

A special feature of this temple is a separate sanctum for Yama, along with his assistant Chitragupta. In fact Yama is one of the Vahanas of Shiva here. I am a bit surprised that there is no reference to this in the krithi.

He is also the person who grants both Jivan Mukthi and Videha Mukthi. Jivan Mukthis is supposed to refer to liberation during lifetime and Videha Mukthi is liberation after Death. In fact Kumara is supposed to have asked Shiva about this 

Shri Chakra

 Life, I believe is full of serendipity and hidden messages. We just need a certain level of awareness about it. More than eleven years back, I was at the consecration of the Linga Bhairavi temple at Isha. Almost since then, I have been wearing the Devi pendant and the other side has the Shri Chakra. I think I was not conscious about this till years later.

Anyway, what is the Shri Chakra, also called Shri Yantra. It is a device, a tool, a mechanism, a symbolisation used for worship of Shakthi or the source of all energy. It consists of nine interlocking triangles, four facing up and five down around a central Bindu.The circle represents eternal principles with no beginning or end. The triangles represent the triumvarate of creation, maintenance and destruction. Also refers to that which is threefold, the Devi, the yoni, or the symbol of creation. The triangles with the apex pointed up are indicative of aspirations rising from depths to heights. The triangles with the apex pointing down ar indicative of Shakthi's Grace. So a downward pointing triangle superimposed on an upward pointing one or a Satkona is symbolic of rising aspirations matched by a responding Grace. The lotus petals signify the unfolding of a being's latent potential.

These are very very brief explanations. There is enough information available for further study. A good place to begin is P R Krishnakumar's 1992 abstract on the same.

The Kamalamba Navavarnas

 I started learning these on the 27th of February, within one mandala of finishing my Bhairavi Sadhana on Thaipoosam Day on 28th January!!!

Learning this as an entire group along with another 15 odd students from Dr Vijayalakshmy Subramanian. The patanthara in this is pristine since she has learnt them from S Rajam, who has himself learnt it from Ambi Dikshithar. As we know, neither Muthuswamy nor his brothers had children. So, his brother Baluswamy adopted his daughter's son, Subbarama. And Ambi is Subbarama's son.

These krithis are very important to me. Not just because of my Dikshithar obsession . But also because of my adoration of Shakthi, the primordial force in the Universe. Some time back, I tried to figure out about initiation to Srividhya. Just hearing about the rigorousness of it made my head spin. I realised it would not work for me. My guru says that if we want to be connected to the Devi, we just need to chant the Bhairavi stuthi( an adoration of her by 33 different names) and Viji says that singing these songs with the utmost devotion and reverence is equivalent to Srividhya worship. So I will settle for that.

So,on that first day I sat down to learn with wet hair, after chanting the Devi stuthi and wearing my Srichakra touching my Visudhi. I have already declared that it is my wish that we go there as a group and sing this in front of the Kamalamba sannidhi in Tiruvarur. But I have also been wanting to sing the panchabhutha krithis in the five sthalams. Let us see what is ordained.

I want to do a detailed blog on each of the krithis. But first, a little on Sri Chakra itself in the next blog.

Klara and the Sun

 Just finished Ishiguro's eight book as slowly as I could. I admit it began on a very slow note and for the first fifth, I did not feel the usual magic that I do in an Ishiguro novel. But then it came.. that slow reveal, the sense of foreboding and a deep desolation. And yet, it is not really sad. Yes, similarities to Never let me go. But also Klara reminds me of the Spielberg film, AI. 

Enough reviews already . Just read it. Ishiguro is easily my most favourite writer and has been for some time.

Koteeswara Iyer

 And the last day of the workshop referred to earlier. Was taught Maravathiru Maname in Kedaram( Deshadi) by Dr Nanditha Ravi. Excellent, precise, crystal clear teaching . I had heard her only once before singing with her mother during Navratri at Isha. Was a pleasure to attend a teaching session. Incidentally, this was a song I have heard just once before by Sanjay.

Kedaram is not a raga I am too familiar with. Have learnt precisely three pieces in this. Ananda Natana( a Dikshithar pancha bhoota krithi), Chidambara Natarajam( also Dikshithar) and Paramanananda( of Swathi Thirunal). There is interestingly a Adi thala varnam of Walajpet Venkatrama Bhagavathar( one of Thyagaraja's foremost disciples) in this. While it is not a Pada Varnam, the Chittaswaram has Sahithya. I want to revisit the three krithis once again at the earliest. There is one thing, which strikes me. Two of the three Kedaram krithis I have learnt are on Shiva( both by Dikshithar). Of course, it is understandable, given that Kedarnath is a prime Shiva abode. But what is interesting is that of the three krithis I have learnt, two have jatis( both Ananda and Paramananda) . Also observe the similarity in Sahithya. Dikshithar composed Ananda Natana Prakasham.. Swathi Thirunal, who was born in 1813, a dozen years before Dikshithar attained Samadhi composed Paramanandanatana.. similar thoughts.

A little on Koteeswara Iyer, a post Trinity 20th century composer. Incidentally, his vaggeyakara mudra is a tribute to his grand father, Kavi Kunjara Bharathi. I have learnt just one other composition of his Een Maname in Namanarayani and listened to his Mohanakara( Neethimathi) and Arul Seiya by one of S Rajam's foremost students. He was of course apparently known for his felicity with Vivadi ragas. 

Incidentally, it is interesting that if you Google Maravaathiru Maname you might get Maravaathe Maname Deva Suthane( a song on Jesus)!!!

Nice session and kudos to the principals and hosts behind this Samarpanam series.

Sangeetasikshapeetam

 Just finished two days of the online Sangeetasikshapeetam workshop. This particular workshop was a homage to Bombay Ramachandran, a noted guru who passed away in 2013. He was a bachelor who was supposed to be wedded to his music, his teaching and his disciples. Hearing that reminded me of Vamanan, who too was wedded purely to his music. Feel he was taken from us much too soon. I just had this flashback of three of us sitting in a Bandra apartment late one monsoon evening singing Evarun( the Vasudevacharya varnam in Navarasa Kaanada). We did not realise that he had already entered the apartment and promptly shut up. I remember him saying" What is wrong... continue.. continue.. you were all singing well"

One must begin by lauding the efforts of Vinod Vetri Iyer and Dr Nanditha Ravi, who have started this initiative and the teachers who are devoting their time and energy to this. Totally laudable. 

Yesterday was a composition in Malavi( a raga I have not learnt anything in). And from the first few minutes, I was haunted by it's resemblance to Poornachandrika( Telisi Rama) even though Malavi has N2 against Poornachandrika's N3. Especially in phrases like PMGMR, I still need to understand how to clearly distinguish between the two. What are the distinct phrases, signalling each of these. Taught by Geetha Raja. What a lovely teacher. Patient, crystal clear. 

One of the interesting things about today's Sahana is the way the Daivatam is handled in quite a few phrases( new to me). We are all familiar with the PMD,( flat D,) or even SNSD,( where the D, is this beautiful curve down from the Shadjam). But this was a different Dhaivatam for me. The anupallavi begins as D,NDP,,, where the D, is straight and towards the end becomes NSND.. actually it is not even that, since there is a drop. So maybe MSND..interesting... has to be heard. 

I need to get back to this blog. The detailed notes on the last Pancha Bhoota is still pending. 

But before I quit I want to just say a few words about this exquisite composition I have just learnt( still learning...work in progress).. Elateliyalero in Durbar. The Pallavi has maybe some ten sangathis. I have seldom before experienced such an incredible development of sangathis.. each one leads to the next and the next and the next. The Pallavi is almost a Master class in the development of Durbar.

Coming back

It has been more than four years since I have written anything here.  It has been longer than that since I have touched a tanpura.

The past few months have been especially difficult. Watching the ravages of Covid. Weeping for the untimely demise of a business partner. Mourning the end of a business one has put a lifetime into. Obviously music was the last thing on my mind. Till a dear friend told me that I should get back to my music and it would provide me with the healing that I needed.

And on Gokulashtami day, 2020, I located my Radel and started singing Chetashri..by the time I had come to the Mukundam at the end of the Pallavi, I felt a small shift inside me. By the time, I had come to the last Madhyama kala sahithya - Navathulasi vanamaalam, Naaradadi Munijaalam.. I literally felt a presence nearby and this clear feeling that things would work out. This too shall pass. Yes, life will be different. But not necessarily worse. And that in a nutshell is why I sing. Not to perform. Not to teach. Not to be a renowned musicologist or a scholar. Not to have any living soul listen to me, except a few people . Not to post on youtube. Not to be known as a good amateur singer. Not to have friends say nice things. This music provides me with a rich inner landscape, I can disappear into. Even when the sound that is coming out of my throat is execrable, I can hear the phrase in all it's pristine beauty in my inner ear

Revisited some more old favourites:  Shri Kaarunya( BMK), Saagara Shayana( MDR) and Shri Venkatesham Varam( Poochi Sreenivasa Iyengar)

Will get to detailed pieces on compositions shortly